06 - 1962 - Black magic at Year 10 Public Exam

1962 - Black magic at Year 10 Public Exam

This is a very strange one as well.

I was the ducks of the class in my school from std 6 to std 9, four years in a row. Never got beaten in any set of exams quarterly, half yearly or third quarterly or final exam. In year 8 the head master Fr. Menzies came to the class to announce the results like he did in every class . 

Fr. Menzies Read out my Name and total marks I had scored in the 3rd quarterly exam and announced I had come first in Class as usual. Jamal Buhari was second. Then he paused and said. I do not believe this, Jamal you have scored 74 marks less than Ramchander. How is this possible as if Ramchander did one subject more that Jamal.. He said I don't see this in any other class in the whole school. Usually there is just a difference of 1 or 2 marks between the top three ranks.

My class mates and good friend Jamal Buhari belonged to the very rich family that owned the "Buhari"  chain of Restaurants in Madras. Being a distant relative of the Buhari family he actually lived at the Marina Beach Hotel that had the only public swimming pool in Madras.

Every Saturday the entire scout troop used to go to Buharis for a swim after the scout class at school. 

Jamal was a very good friend of mine in all respects but was not at all happy coming second to me by a huge margin of marks. One exam I had 74 marks more than him who came second, as mentioned earlier. He nick named me "OOSI Mandai" which means a "Sharp Brain". The pun was intended as my head was pointed & bigger than my skinny body.

Public Exam's for year XI came. We had students from three schools all in our school auditorium. The first three exams were a breeze, English, Maths and Science. I  had done extremely well in all of them. I was aiming at getting a state rank. At least in the top five in the State was my aim.

Jamal comes up to me and asks me how well prepared I was for the history exam. I said good.

He then put his hands in his pocket and took out a small lemon. It had a few black spots on it. He said one of the workers had done this special prayers and he had one and I should have the other and it would bring me good luck.

So I said thank you very much and put it in my pant pockets. 

History exam was a breeze and I had done extremely well. So Jamal agreed that he had also done well. But I was intrigued by the fact that he seemed unhappy that I had done well……

I just let it pass as I had another exam in a few hours after lunch.

The afternoon exam was advanced English. It was my habit once the question papers were given to just ignore what happened around me and just write away. Suddenly I found some one standing next to me and tapping on my table. 

It was my school head master Mr. Davey and also my Advanced English master. He said stand up and I did not knowing what it was all about.

He said do you know we have been asking you to stand up for the last five minutes? 

I said 'I am sorry Sir I was not listening.'

He said what is your exam number. I said 539. He said do you know what you wrote this morning. I just looked at him as I did not know what I had written. He said  in the first page you have written 359 and not 539.

I said did I ? 

I am sorry Sir but what about all the additional papers I said ?

He said do you know that we also have another  student from another school in this very examination hall with the No.359   ? 

I said No. 

He said we had to spend 40 minutes trying to find out which paper belonged to whom. Come and meet me in my office after the exam he said. 

I said "OK Sir" and continued writing my exam.

After the exam I went to his office to get the blow. He said "I am going to deduct 15 marks from your advanced English paper". I said sir that is not fair I am trying for a state rank. He said I have nothing more to say. You can go.

Fifteen marks in a public exam? God that is not fair I thought. 

It would be impossible to even come first in my own school. Luckily the exams that followed were easy ones and I tried my best to make up in these subjects. My dreams were shattered.  

On the last day of the exams, we were all bidding each other good bye as we could be going to different colleges. Jamal comes up to me all teary eyed. I assumed he was upset that we were all about to break up. I said what is the matter we have long holidays before we go to uni and I will come every week for a swim and will see you.

His face was in agony I could tell. I said hey Jamal what is the matter. A couple of friends closed in. He said I have to talk to you alone. So we walked away from the crowd. He started to say "I just do not know how to tell you this". Tell me what ? I sad.

He said "You know the lemon with black dots ?" I said yes. "I gave that to you for bad luck as I wanted to beat you at least in the final exam". I said "You serious ?? 

It was not me but the servant at the hotel who convinced me to do it. It is OK I have done the exams well I said. 

But he said I am responsible for you losing 15 marks. You made a mistake because of black magic. He said I have done so badly in one subject that I could never have beaten you anyway. But I am so sorry and ashamed that I ruined your dreams.

Ruin he did. 

I came third in the school and was beaten by five marks by Sekhar and three marks by Rajendran. Sekhar who came first fell short of a State Rank by 7 marks. I could not have been angrier. Sekhar got 80 in advanced english and I got 65 only plus 15 that was deducted

Just imagine what another 15 marks would have done. 

Shekher beat me by 5 marks and needed 7 more for a State Rank making it 12. Had 15 marks not been deducted from my advanced English Paper , I would have got a State Rank in Madras.

I  would have had my name on two Boards for school Awards which still hang outside the head master room. Sadly my name did not make it to either board. This was in 1962 December.

In 1996 I went to Jamal's hotel where he is the General Manager and we had a long chat and enjoyed a good evening tea with special samosas. Then his face fell into sadness. 

He said I have never been able to forgive myself for what I did to a good friend. I still cannot believe that I stooped to that level he said. 

I said "forget about that man what is in a few medals and name on the notice board".

In 1998 I was in India in January and it turned out to be an old Bedean's day.

I walked down the corridor and looked at all the names on the notice board. There was A.Sekhar for first rank in year 1962. More than any thing I would have loved to show it to my son and felt good about it. Unfortunately a lemon with black spots took that pleasure away.