Drill Class - 2

===========================================================================

My aversion to Drill is shared by at least two of my favorite authors.

RKN in My Days:

********************************************************************************************************

"...At school, a repetition of my previous performance. Old Venkata demanded to know where I had gone, and I told him I had had fever. The additional worry this time was that I was asked to conduct drill for some class at the end of the day. I protested. The headmaster said, 'Every member of the staff is expected to handle drill classes once a week by turn.'

'I don't know any drill--never attended any class even as a school boy.'

'Keep them engaged for an hour. Don't let them off. We are trying to teach them also Surya Namaskar.'

'I know nothing about it.'

'We will help you to learn it by and by. Today keep them engaged. Take the roll-call and make note of the absentees.'

And so I found myself in the drill field surveying an array of fifty boys standing in two rows under the evening sun. The sun hit us from the west. Many others, including teachers, stood around to watch my performance. I inspected the boys closely, like a commander reviewing an army cried, 'Right, left, right, left,' marched them, made them perform high jumps, long jumps, swing their arms, kick their legs in the air. I engaged them as long as I could, still no bell rang to indicate the end of the hour. I cried, 'Stand at ease!' and then, 'Dismissed!' and the whole crowd vanished in a second.

...(Next day) I got ready for the school. The man left for his bank. I suddenly felt it would be impossible to spend another day at school or in this house. I knew the bus would be coming in half an hour under the tree. Got a coolie to carry my box and roll of bedding, banged the street door until she came up behind it, mentioned to her that I was leaving for Mysore, and caught the bus for Mysore again."

***************************************************************************************************************

gps: I guess we should thank the HM...

==========================================================================