I would have been filling up promissory notes

The above is a rough sketch of my first teacher. I drew the sketch using 'journal' a linux-based software. I use Ubuntu.

The yellow color, is the towel worn by him to protect himself from sun's heat and light. He used to suffer from some scalp ailment which compels him to continuously protect himself from sun's light. His house used to face west and in the afternoon, this protection was a must.

Time Adverb : 1955 to 1958.
Place Adverb : A village in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, India. 16 degrees N of Equator. 82 degrees East of Greenwich.
Manner Adverb : He used to run his private tuition in his home. There were in all three such schools in my native village.

Subjects taught : 1. Basic Telugu. 2. Basic arithmatic, additions, subtractions, multiplications and divisions.

Fees : Nominal. Almost nil, as far as I could recollect.

Class room setting : Under the shade of a neam tree + fig tree. It is a custom in Indian villages to conduct marriages of neam trees with fig (banian) trees. This twin tree was on the south-west side of my teacher's house.

The teacher used to lie down under the shade of the trees, on a country-cot woven with white cotton tape, head facing south, pillow under his head.

My self and his son we used to massage his legs, one each. The ritual included application of castor oil to his feet and ensuring that it is totally absorbed into the feet through the pores in the skins.

Afternoon teaching ritual :
1. Getting 1x1 to 20x20 multiplication tables by rote. One boy shouts. Others repeat in chorus.
2. Repeating currency multiplication tables in chorus.
Currency in those days : 1 Rupee = 16 annas.
1 anna = 2 ardhan`aas.
1 anna = 4 kaani(s).
1 kaani = 3 dammid`is or old paise.
Repetition method = oka kaani = kaani (one kaani equals kaani).
remd`u kaanlu ardhan`a ( two kaanis equal one ardhan`a).
muud`u kaanlu mukkaani ( three kaanis equal triple kaani).
naalukkaanlu anna (four kaanis equal anna).
so on . so forth.
3. Telugu mother tongue : Getting by rote:

a) Sumati Satakam. A collection of 100 telugu verses.
This is a treatise of ethics. Approx. 13th Century A.D.
b) Vemana Satakam. A collection of 100 telugu verses.
This is a treatise of ethics. Approx. 16th Century A.D.

These two texts in Roman script, with English translation, I have placed on the net.
URLs : sumatisatakamyb.blogspot.com
vemanasatakamyb.blogspot.com.

The first standard Telugu Reader was by name 'kottaamdhra vaacakam' (New Andhra Telugu Reader), published by Messrs. Venkatarama & Co., Eluru.

It had, as far as I could recollect, two short stories:

a) The story of a monkey playfully removing a nail inserted by a carpenter in a wooden log, for facilitating sawing. The monkey died as its limbs were caught between the splits when they came together. The moral taught was that we should not interfere into those affairs with which we are not connected.

b) The story of a person giving milk to a snake regularly in spite of advise from his elders. One day the snake bit him and he died. The moral taught was that we should not help wicked persons ignoring the advice of elders.

I am not sure that I am following these moral stories.

What useful things I learnt, other than rubbing castor oil on our master's feet and preparing snuff for my master?

1. Writing Demand Promissory Notes in Telugu language with all the essential details. (Date, amount, purpose of borrowing, interest rate, name and address of the borrower, name and address of the lender).

The proof that a person was educated in those days : Ability to read and write demand promissory notes.

Villagers of my native village were either borrowers or lenders. Nobody was a zero. 90% were illiterate. Hence, there was a great value for those who could read and write D.P. Notes.

I am now 60. I have not visited my native village during the last 40 years. The situation might have changed now. Printed blank Demand Promissory Notes are sold, ubiquitously, in villages, towns and cities.

Andhra Pradesh, our State, ranks first or second, in farmer-suicides, at All India level. My father and grand-father were also broken farmers. Had I lived in my native village, I would have probably eked out my livelihood filling promissory notes and sale deeds. Am I lucky or were the villagers lucky?

Even as a Bank Officer for about 25 years, my ritual included filling-up demand promissory notes on behalf of both educated and illiterate borrowers. The educated borrowers were not interested to fill them as they had other avocations. They used to spoil the forms, when we insisted that they should fill and sign. The illiterate borrowers needed help because they could neither read or write. They only know just signing their name.

India, as per 2011 census boasts of 74% literacy. What type of literacy this may be? Just acquire an ability to sign?

I shall write about the snuff-making , some other time.