Bosco Vaz
My life in school was a glorious one. As a school boy after school all the young boys and even some of the working class played football. Any open space was enough to be converted into a playground and at the end of the day we reluctantly marched home for fear of punishment for coming late and when everything was over the moment we put our tiring body on the bed we would be seeing dreams.
Today though I am in late fifties my legs itch to kick the ball but unfortunately very few of the species on earth get a chance to play on the school ground but those who come home are glued either to the tuition teacher, or mobile or laptop that many of them find the need of a gym to exercise their body. Of course there are few who play cricket but most of the other remain at home.
In school our teachers had only one thing in mind and that is to discipline us and usually a stick in hand was seen and when few sticks touched our body with even a dark mark we never conveyed our sentiments home for fear of more. Today the world has changed. The difference between me and those of my age was we were many in the house. I was the fourth child out of seven children and not like modern world where there is only one child pampered and spoilt so much so the mother will rush to the school like a wolf if her child is scolded or beaten.
Teachers fear that they may have to walk the path to the police station and spend time to walk up the steps of the court and face humiliation and so the best way to get off this is let the child become a goon. The other day a twelve-year-old child in school uniform along with his two other friends was zooming on his non gear motor bike even zooming across red light and was feeling that he has won the Noble prize for his achievement and another time I saw a school boy carting his fat mother on the non gear bike also zooming and the mother was feeling proud that her son has achieved a feat and that someone has to give both a gold medal. What is the state of this world today and will the NGOs who are fighting that corporal punishment should be abolished take responsibility to see to all that I have written above?
