Tribute to a teacher

The year was 1964, I was in class ix, the class teacher on unexpected leave and the athletic well built Malayalam Pandit K T Joseph entered the class.  He  was our Malayalam teacher elegant in both prose and poem of literature. Announced in the class that he was  going to introduce the world of classic literature in the world  introduced through the translation  in English.

Have you heard about Alexander Dumas?  No reaction,  and pin drop silence in the ever clammering crowd as every one wondered  who that soul would have been.  Then I am going to tell you the story of 'Count of Monte Christo'.  He captivated the entire class for the 45 minute period,  in his style of encient Cochin 'chavittunatakam' style ; walking, stamping, stressing and agonising each situation.  Gangnam style of dance was not in vouge at that time and therefore in his own way  narrated the love story of Dante to Mercedes.

From that day we waited for the free periods inviting Joseph sir to come to our class to complete the epic story.   However,  he also visited whenever time permitted and completed the story before close of that academic year.  He injected a passion for reading Dumas,  and later on when joined St Albert's college from the library borrowed works Three musketeers.  Most recently,   after the alumni of 2019 along with my friend C F Antony visited a second hand books store and procured the classic of 'Three Musketeers ' for my own library.

My admiration to Mr K T Joseph grew day by day,  but the detention in class IX very badly affected my condition.  My father blamed me for every mishaps in the family,  for the loss of his job opportunity,  his habit to turn to liquor and the quarrel at home with mother,  neighbours uncanny relationship etc.  It was at this occasion mother started a novena to Mother Mary at Shrine of Ochanthuruth,  and after the morning prayers wanted to visit his house at Nayarambalam.

We were invited to his house and his parents asked us to be seated in the guest room. His elderly mother rushed to the kitchen to prepare tea and came back with three cups of tea and mangoes cut to size.  My father lamented to him about my failure,  and resultant failure to our daily life, his distraction to job addiction to liquor and so on.  He promised to look into the issue while going to school and remedy etc. Later on it was clarified that age difference for public examination next year was the reason for detention.   To overcome the financial difficulties  next year's Fr Paul scholarship for best outgoing student was given to me.  Influence of Mr K T Joseph was definitely there in the scholarship.

After completing B.com from St Albert's college in the year 1971,  I left for Madras to seek my fortune under the guidance of my uncle who was under the Naval Coast Battery in Madras. There was no news about my favourite teacher thereafter until the bus accident near vypeen ferry.
In the ill-fated bus in the morning rush hour Mr K T Joseph was also there.  The bus after losing control jumped the barricade and plunged to the deep canal.  The labourers at the nearby China nets jumped and saved many drowning passengers.
Luckily my uncle who was a worker in the first net caught hold of my teacher and brought him to safety.  In the under current in the seaway canal which sweft away his vashti,  he was brought to shore in undergarment.  I  came to know about this accident from the newspaper and the events later on.

After many years in Chennai, I had the inquisition to know about my teacher.  This year I mentioned this to C F Antony who informed me about a school WhatsApp group in which they are communicating with Mr K T Joseph and a photo of his interaction with two juniors in school was forwarded .  Happy to hear that he is active even in his advanced age. 

Would like to meet him in person at the earliest possible time.  Till such time, pray for his good health.