Lessons in Discrimination start early in life

Never knew I would have to write this so soon and never expected it would happen again to me.

It was a day in school, back in 1996, when I was in class 7. An English class was on, and maybe the teacher Ms. S was correcting notebooks. While the class of 40 were busy chit chatting away to glory, least bothered with the number of times Ms. S kept saying ‘Sshhhh!!!’ I think the sound grew pretty loud, and Ms. S lost it completely. She grew wild, shouted at the class, and as a punishment ordered everybody to stand up. So did the whole lot of us. After second thoughts, she asked me and my bench partner [for some reasons I know off, and my class knew off] to be seated. Well she tried her best to keep me in good humour, but that was the last thing that happened!!! I never even had guts enough those days, or to say on that particular day to remain standing and accept the punishment like rest were doing.

So the situation is out of a class of 40, only 2 gals right in the middle of the room are seated; while the rest of the 38 around her are all still punished!!

I sat and so did my bench partner, and I didn’t have any courage to even look around, coz I knew there were 38 pairs of eyes staring into me. I maintained my sight transfixed to the floor coz I could well imagine the anger in those 38 pairs of eyes, and the humiliation I felt is beyond any description. Honestly speaking, I too was talking, and I had never imagined such things would happen. I lost a lot many things that one day, and it keeps haunting me; those 30 mins of English class even to this day, which forms the bitterest moments of my life.

I don’t blame my classmates, but that horrific incident keeps making me wonder, how cultivation of discrimination starts from an early age. Only it strengthens with age and maturity, and diversifies into other forms. And I believe many people would agree with me, when I say, Lessons in discrimination start from school!!!

Decades later, I was in the same situation again, one fine day at workplace[and this time too I knew the reasons and so did my colleagues]; only this time the anger came out in a vocal sarcastic way hurled at me right on my face. And I felt the same levels of humiliation striking me all over again.

I still don’t blame my colleagues, coz I feel discrimination has no room for justification!!! Wish people learnt to keep up with the morals of equality they preach at the drop of the hat, when ethical conduct is spoken about, to make people better human beings!!!!