Anami

"A baby when born is born with undying prayers, prayers for his/her long healthy life by parents....but can breathes be bought with prayers?

It was Kudrat's fifth year in the school where she was teaching maths. She was full of zeal and enthusiasm and was fortunate enough to get appreciation from her seniors as soon as she entered the arena of job. From home to school and school to home was like a joyride for her every day. She was taking maths of seventh and eighth grade, but was sometimes supposed to take adjustment classes whenever a teacher went absent.
Kudrat would make sure that even in her adjustment periods something productive should be learnt by the young learners . So she would mostly give simple calculations in form of board games or would make students recite tables.
On one Monday while her school was getting ready for the Annual Prize Distribution function  Kudrat was  sent as an alternate teacher in class VC .The  moment She stepped into the class holding her text notebooks in her hands a ball of foil paper hit her on her forehead .She was startled , but knew that it was a common practice in the school that during recess after lunch was over students would make balls of foil in which their mothers would fold delicacies for them ,and  would start playing  cricket with those foil balls making their tiffins their bats.
In one glance Kudrat observed students of VC giggling. Keeping her cool she picked up the foil paper ball and threw it into the dustbin. She saw that almost all the students were serious by then and had got up from their seats to wish her. While whole of the class got up Kudrat noticed a Chubby cheeked ,fair boy with brown silken hair, blue eyes still struggling to control his laughter. She made everyone sit down at that very instant and asked the students to recite tables one by one.
Then Kudrat kept her test books on dice and as was her habit in adjustment classes opened her test notebooks for correction .Hardly  had she corrected one or two notebooks when another ball came hitting that time her elbow. Kudrat gazed warningly towards the class, a deadly silence fell for a few minutes. Kudrat's instinct was that the children would  then settle down,but how wrong she was. The moment she took third notebook for checking another ball struck her. Kudrat was flared up and yelled,"Who has done this ?" None of the students spoke up. Kudrat frantically searched every nook of the room to find the little devil but to no effect.
"Either tell me or be ready to face the music.All of you will be punished now."
Kudrat's warning yielded result. A dusky girl with two cute ponytails blurted out ,"Anami ,Anami has done this mam. He is very naughty. It's his habit to tease everyone."
"Anami ,who is Anami ? Get up."
Kudrat saw the Budha formed boy get up from his seat. He wasn't  scared a bit, but was rather all smiles. Kudrat who was otherwise a composed ,cool teacher felt irritated by his grin and retorted him.
"Why are you smiling ? You have not been made to stand for conferring a medal , you have been punished .Stand straight."
Even kudrat's bitter tone didn't affect Anami ,he kept dangling from one side to another,still smiling towards the class.
"Look at this boy. Though he is being punished yet he is laughing. Look at your clothes ."
"What's your name mam ?" Anami's  question while chewing collar of his shirt struck Kudrat like a thunderbolt. She had never  before met such an insolent child.
"Turn your face towards wall right now .Get up  and stand behind the last bench .l don't want to see your face."
Anami leisurely got out of his bench folding sleeves of his shirt still smiling headed towards where the teacher had asked him. He kept his face towards wall for sometime but then  spoke again, "Mam, which subject do you teach ?"
Kudrat ignored him and didn't answer . Whole of the class was sitting silently as the little children were always quick judge of the teachers'bad temper. Kudrat was elated at her dexterity in controlling the class. She had in her thoughts almost patted her back when she heard laughter peals from the class. Instantly she looked back and was surprised to see Anami banging his head on wall and counting hits.
"What are you doing? Turn your face towards the class."
Anami turned with a jerk . Kudrat was astonished to find obedience from the most disobedient student .In a few minutes bell rang. Kudrat's heart was throbbing and she was suffering from severe headache .She took a sigh of relief and carried notebooks and stepped out. She had just taken a couple of steps when Anami startled her.
"Kudrat mam, I wish you teach me maths in seventh." Kudrat couldn't believe her ears  She stopped and turned back.
"I know you, "Anami smiled.
"And I wish l never get your class . By the way ask your parents to change your name from Anami to Tsunami ."
Kudrat rushed to her staff room and gulped a Disprin to relieve the excruciating pain with which she was suffering from.
Dust settled on Kudrat's memory and two years passed. New session started . Kudrat was very excited as new session meant new challenges,new students, new zeal and targets. She was given maths of VII C class that year. When she entered the class,the first child that caught her glance was Anami. Kudrat was aghast. She hadn't ever thought of Anami since that day ,but his sight reminded her of the severe headache she had two years back.
"See mam, you are my math's teacher .Kudrat mam ." Anami smiled.
Anami was as restless as he was in the fifth class. Though he hadn't matured even a bit Kudrat had become more patient and tactful. Every other day Anami would try her patience , exhaust her will power but somehow she was managing. If Anami was made to stand ,with his antics he annoyed Kudrat ,if he was made to turn his face towards wall either he would start count the hits game invented by him by banging forehead on wall or would keep on locating different places on the world physical map which was hung on the wall. Kudrat wondered if ever any other student except Anami had made use of that map more effectively   All Kudrat's efforts to ignore Anami and concentrate on her work went futile. Anyhow time of closure of session arrived,Kudrat decided to have a hearty talk with her students on the last day and to take up their problems. In VII C Kudrat asked about the favorite teacher of the students . Before anyone could answer Anami bubbling with energy sprang up and said,
" Kudrat mam is my favourite .May she be our maths teacher next year also."
Kudrat could not control her laughter but still replied,"My dear Anami ,l wish we never meet in class again."
But to Kudrat's surprise next year again she was given the same class VIII C .Her entry in the class brought cheers from everyone specially from Anami. Throughout the eighth Anami kept on playing the tune of Kudrat being his favourite teacher. In eighth Anami's restlessness was a bit pacified . After the mid term Kudrat noticed a welcome change in his persona ,he became very mature. He wasn't made to stand as often as he was done earlier . He would blush whenever Kudrat summoned him to come forward to solve sums on the board . His confusion in memorising formulae brought smile on everyone's face.
Time flew and the moment came to bid adieu to the old classes and to greet the new batches. Anami was also promoted to IX C ,he had grown tall and looked like a Russian citizen due to his fair pinkish complexion and brown hair. He had put on a little weight and when moved around looked like laughing Buddha in human form. His presence was noticed by even those who didn't know him.
That year something unusual happened. Generally a teacher wasn't repeated in a class for more than two sessions but Anami's wish to continue Kudrat as his maths teacher yielded result that time also .It was an unprecedented hatric for Kudrat . In ninth Kudrat was both class in charge and subject teacher of Anami. Kudrat had by then become attached to each and every student of that class .There were hardly one or two new entries . Children knew Kudrat well and Kudrat was aware of their habits. Anami had by then become extremely quiet in comparison to Anami whom Kudrat had met in fifth class. He would not give even a single chance to Kudrat to feel offended . His work was always complete . Though the initiatives he used to take earlier in the classes went missing.
Anami preferred to sit on the back benches . Kudrat many times tried to persuade him to do rotation with the class but he won't relent.He had a  limited number of friends with whom he would spend  most of  his time. Gradually Anami became Kudrat's favourite. Three years teaching in the same class made Kudrat crave for the same class in tenth,as by then she was given a section of tenth also. But ,as the way of the Almighty is sometimes He gives one everything without asking ,and sometimes even if one begs He does otherwise whatever He has in mind for one and turns a deaf ear to all prayers.
Session ended Anami entered tenth class and had another maths teacher . whenever anyone asked him about his favourite teacher he would take Kudrat's name. Sometimes Kudrat would spot him in the corridor during recess and felt overwhelmed when he touched her feet. Anami would lit up if Kudrat got adjustment in their class .
But as it is and should be Anami got busy in his class and Kudrat got engrossed in her new targets.
It was in October when Kudrat overheard Anami's class- in -charge talking with the coordinator.They were discussing about some medical reports of Anami. The coordinator was asking his class- in - charge to inform his parents to send his medical with leave .It was then Kudrat came to know about Anami's absence from school since a fortnight. when enquired she got to know that he was diagnosed jaundice by a local doctor a month ago.lnitially he was admitted in a local hospital but was later shifted to PGI Chandigarh when his condition began to deteriorate.
Kudrat cursed herself for being so oblivious , for being so occupied in her schedule that she hadn't bothered to stay in touch with the class she had taught for three consecutive years. She after taking Anami's contact number tried many times to contact his mother but all her calls went unanswered. Unceasingly for a week almost day and night kudrat  prayed for Anami's well being.  But the next morning when Kudrat after her first period reached the corridor where all sections of tenth were having their classrooms  felt uncomfortable to notice a sudden trance ,a sudden calmness in the corridor .She was baffled to find no trace of the tumult the thunder that took place in their classes after every bell. It appeared as if not even a leaf was stirring,the  students who were notorious for hanging near the doors ,busy pushing and pulling eachother were glued to their seats.
Kudrat when entered the staff room could feel the same gravity among her colleagues .She was preparing her tea when the bombshell of Anami's  untimely death fell on her. Kudrat felt dizzy,tears began to flow down uncontrollably on her cheeks. A pall of gloom hung in the staff room, even the teachers who had not taught Anami were in tears.
"Kudrat", coordinator's voice brought her back to present when she was diving deep into the memories of Anami her dear student.
"Yes mam."
"Kudrat you have taught Anami's class for three years , students need to be consoled and I feel you are the best."
"Ok mam,"Kudrat with a heavy heart moved towards Anami's section. Her entry in the class made a few girls cry . Kudrat stood near the lecture stand helplessly .There was pin drop silence . Kudrat cast a quick glance towards all the students and felt heartbroken. She felt her head would burst ,her eyes frantically searched for Anami .She rushed outside the class ,and told the coordinator that she was unable to console children.
Next day the teachers decided to visit Anami's home to meet the bereaved family. Kudrat when entered Anami's home  packed with their relatives was shaken as the first thing that grabbed her attention was his school uniform  and then  her eyes fell on his photograph kept in a corner . Though Anami had left yet his smile was still adorning his pic. Anami's mother was inconsolable. His aunt told everyone about his last few days. How Anami had lost his eyesight due to strong medicines being administered to him. How on the hospital bed on his last day he had asked his mother to lie beside him, how he had expressed his wish to eat his favourite Rajma Rice cooked by his mother. How in his last minutes he had hugged his mother tightly before taking his last breath .So many how's were left unanswered.
Unable to hear more Kudrat moved out of Anami's house wishing to rivert the wheel of life , wishing to meet Anami one more time but this time it was she who wanted to pray to get Anami back in her classes for one more time. Kudrat knew Anami had become a part and parcel of her identity as a teacher that he might have left the earth physically but he would never ever vanish from her memories.