“This could not be the end of everything”, he murmured while taking a deep sigh. With all despair and dismay on his face, he reclined back on his revolving chair. Restless and fearful, he was anxiously waiting for his senior assistant who was hastily called by his officers at the district headquarters. “Had I made a good deal with my life, apparently….” he whispered. He recalled the day when he stepped into this profession in the capacity of “the architect of the nation”. Yes, a teacher!
All his relatives and well-wishers had come to give blessings and good wishes to him when his name appeared on the selection list of teachers. His parents were full of pride in him.
“Almighty has put a great responsibility on you, dispose of your duties accordingly”, his humble father, a retired government servant, told him amidst the cheerful gathering at his home.
“My son, I have amassed just one asset. It is a life of dignity and honour, and now you happen to be the custodian of my most precious belongings. Hold them close to your heart”, he added.
Very soon, after he was appointed teacher, he was tied in a nuptial bond. Almighty graced him with three children. As time went by, his needs and desires saw a swell. He decided to construct a new house on the inherited piece of land. In the beginning, when he started the work on his house, it was very difficult for him to make both ends meet.
However gradually, to the surprise of everyone, he did not only manage to construct a house, but he fixed every luxury to make the house look chic.
He shifted to his palatial house and things started advancing at a fast pace.
His children grew up and he made it a point to provide them with all the comforts and conveniences.
From paying a hefty sum for coaching/tuition classes to buying the latest gadgets of amusement for them, there was virtually no stop to endow the children with the modern-day style of living.
In the meantime, he was promoted as a Head of one of the educational institutes. Naturally, this also witnessed the promotion of his life standard. Cars and bikes queued up in his compound. Garden lights and colored iron fences gave a classy makeover to the ambience around him.
The time to surrender donation money for children’s higher studies also passed off without hassles. The elder son obtained admission in a college outside the country.
The only daughter took admission in a reputed private institute of management studies situated in a metropolitan. The youngest sibling was also enrolled for a professional course in one of the universities in South Asia. He was successful in securing their careers with no trouble. Bucks had substituted the efforts efficiently.
One day the old father popped off. He was sad but not hurt. The drudgery of his material world saw his sane sentiments in shreds. His childhood memories had ditched him. He had no time for mourning. He was cleaved into worldly possessions.
One desire mushroomed into a multitude of wishes. The cycle of cravings was expanding evermore. The comforts stockpiled. The opulence augmented. He was busy planning and procuring more for his progeny.
Time was flitting. Roses were quite rosy in his garden. He believed they will remain so always. But time had turned many pages. A few years were left in his retirement and he was reluctant to retire. Retire from everything that was short-lived and shallow.
He wanted to continue playing the “splendid” innings, slogging for affluence and pleasure enormously and endlessly. But the game was over beforehand. He had to leave the playing pitch, regrettably.
Without even knocking on the door, his senior assistant barged in. Flashback fizzled. He was roughly rolled back into the present. The senior assistant uneasily told him, “Sir, a confidential letter for you”. Like furling the pages of his bygone days, he hesitantly opened the letter just to read the subject as ‘Suspension Order’. He was speechless.
In the evening, while watching the Urdu news channel, he was stunned to see a sting-news clipping showing a head teacher taking a 5000 rupees bribe from the parent of a student.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. He buried his face in his hands. Remorse was the only thing he was left with. Perhaps. The rest was washed away by the tornado of time.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK