People I have known and loved

He asked me why I laughed and at times why I smiled at things he says. This all happened a few weeks back when I was in Thailand for a teaching project. He was Mr. Panya Lawan. The headmaster of Wat Makham School. The school in which I taught .I didn’t know what to say. My smile was a thing for fascination. Even confusion.

 I loved math as much as I did for literature. Spending a year in the math stream I later switched into Arts. I still didn’t know what would sustain me, math or arts. I even spent a month in the commerce class. Perhaps I was such an addle pate.

There is a teacher I love. Mrs. Dithika Hidellage.She was my A/L Logic teacher. She would tutor me on every Sunday. One of my school mates joined me too. I was very good at deductions and derivations in Logic. They were all math. She knew I had better brains to deal with numbers and x, y and z’s. She often regretted me doing arts. All because a math degree would give me more opportunities. But I convinced her that I’m happy with what I’m doing with a genuine smile. My smile was one of those sweet and submissive things, Mrs. Hidellage exclaimed again and again.

People come and go. Sometimes the most interesting ones leave sooner. These two were such I have met and known. Mr. Panya is a recent comrade. He is different from Principals I’ve met in life. His greatest assets were the broken chair and a low wooden chair like desk on which he use to keep his laptop. He had his separate room. Neatly kept. Air-conditioned. Decorated with a golden Buddha statue. But the room was just kept closed all the time. He preferred a packed little room where four or five teachers used to sit. He talked to his heart’s content. Sang as much as he wanted.  He had the habit of singing while running through files and documents. He didn’t wait for others. Rather he worked himself. Did his documentation.  He did his own writing and printing. Even watered the plants and helped cleaning the school. He was something more than presiding over a school. He use to make fun of little kids. Hug them, squeeze their noses, fight them and celebrate glory. He was a father. A soul mate.

I don’t know his age. Probably in his sixties. He is young in heart. I loved the way he often use to make fun of pretty ladies. Even those beautiful teachers in the school. He was a cheering aid. His action and drama thrilled me always. His favorite was imitating animal sounds. He’s an animal lover. Full of energy. Every evening he has soccer sessions with his mates. He is handsome. He is the kind of man I like. Benevolent and easy. Relaxed and tongue – in – cheek.

There is something that I’ll never forget in him.  They are the stories of a Prime Minister. Of one to become a Prime Minister. He enjoyed politics. Rather he dreamt of “Lawan” replacing “Shinawatra”. He acknowledged his country. He was humbled. 

I’ve been writing this article many times. In my mind. There are no pictures I have had with them. But for those moments spent. The happy hours. These words will restore the nostalgia.

There is hope that I’ll see Mrs. Hidellage. But who knows whether I‘ll ever get to see Mr. Panya again. Whether I’ll ever go to Thailand again!