Among the Not So Great

Pondicherry

Pondicherry, 1945 — Pranabda came here a couple of months ahead of Birenda, i.e. in May 1945 and took up the just nascent Physical Education (Ashram School). He invited Birenda to come and help him in this work. Birenda came, looked, and liked what he saw. Awhile he wavered. Common and worldly sense urging him to go back to family, friends, business, etc. and a small voice within equally urgent saying, “Stay, stay — there is more than meets the eye here.” Fortunately for him and many of us here the “small voice” came out best in the tussle — and Birenda stayed. He joined hands with Pranabda and together they started building brick by brick, from the foundation, this great and beautiful edifice — ”The Education of the Physical”.

Birenda was an instant success. Young boys always admire physical prowess, and he embodied quite a bit of it. He was solidly built, but never looked heavy or moved heavily. In fact he bounced like a rubber ball, in the ring — “flitted like a butterfly and stung like a bee” (Cassius Clay — M. Ali). He was of average height or maybe slightly on the shorter side as per present standards — about 168 cm. He cut a clean muscular figure. Arms, shoulders and chest well formed — carrying terrific power. Not an inch of fat. Pinch him and the skin came up in a silky thinness and smoothness. Legs welland long-sinewed. A well-chiselled head and features sat atop this body. The eyes gave away the man. They were shining, questing and held a sparkle of boyish merriment. The mouth too was ready to join the eyes, laughter ready to tumble out. The jaws were a wee bit too large and square. This was what met the eye, but there was more that drew us, his students, near. He had in him what made a great teacher. He knew so much about so many subjects. He had much to give. As he could smile so could he growl. All this backed with patience and persistence made him into this “instant success”. Of course, his reputation as a “Knockout King” helped. He was an ideal teacher for a group of growing, strong and strong-headed boys.

Birenda was already past his prime when he came. Both knees were broken. Yet to us he was a giant. We had no equipment to speak of. The only ground was the Playground. A few balls did exist. Football was played when and if the Military Ground (Terrain Militaire — now Indira Gandhi Stadium) was allotted to us — once a week or once in two weeks. Otherwise some drills, a few exercises, Volleyball or Circle Ball formed our daily activity. But strides forward were being taken.

Birenda went to Madras and bought some boxing gloves, a vaulting box, a spring-board. A few mattresses were made. Never had we seen such apparatus. This heralded a new era of our gymnastics. An old barbell (Udar’s — yet in service) was also acquired. The next great advancement came when the Tennis Ground was created out of an ugly mound of garbage-dumping ground. Then the Body Building Gym was made ready — it was previously our kindergarten section and the children’s courtyard. Birenda was given charge of this Body Building Gym. He had by now stopped coaching any Group. This job was taken up by newer, younger members — now captains, who had worked up from the ranks, but all under Pranabda’s supervision. To crown all these steps and hops forward, came the Swimming Pool. A long cherished dream at last became a reality. On 21st February 1957 the Mother inaugurated the Pool. Birenda was one of the most ardent dreamers of the Pool and he pulled us into his dream. Long before 1957, in the late 40s he showed us the spot where now stands the “Le café” (in front of the Mairie on the beach road) as the site for our Pool! We believed, waited and watched. Nothing happened. Next he showed us the Park Guest House lawn as the site. There was a great hollow in the ground, constantly eroded by the sea. There was a broken wall. The waves came in under the wall and washed away the soil. An engineer did come from Madras to construct a wall to contain the sea — but to no avail. The project was aborted. Then it was that the present site was chosen and the dream turned into reality. Birenda was appointed coach at the Pool.

Birenda was a teacher par excellence. To some his methods of teaching seemed harsh and old-fashioned. This was true for some, who had a first glance and turned away or were turned off. A lot depended on how much one really wanted to learn. Once the mind was made up, one had only to have full faith in Birenda, closely follow him and his instructions. One learned fast and for good. Experience, it is said, is a hard task-master. She gives the test first and the lesson afterwards. One would think of Birenda as this “Experience” personified. His lessons were given in a forthright manner. Bitter pills were often preferred to sugar-coated ones. The strong-gutted took them. The queasy ones shied away and quit. Thus were sown seeds of many a controversy and debate. But for me and many others nothing better could have happened. Even hindsight has not changed our opinion. A few examples could vindicate or further vilify the above opinions. Either way they are interesting.