What is the Name of our Country – I met the charming young ladies at Native Village, Nookapalli. Their mothers came as daily wagers to do the construction work. Their (i.e., the daily wagers) names are M/s Radha and Mallavva. These three charming beauties came to meet their mothers. They are M/s:
1. K. Santhoshi, D/o Mallava, Senior Intermediate,
2. K. Rajhitha, D/o Mallava, Class 8, and
3. Pravalika, D/o Radha, Class 8
Ms. K. Santhoshi scored a perfect A1 in all subjects in class X (10). In every subject A1 with a CGPA of 10 out of 10! If the marks statement were to be treated as some evidence of her intelligence, then she is a genius! My respects to her intelligence! The other two are no less…they are the toppers!
While talking about their future plans and ambitions, I came to know that Ms. K. Santoshi completed the basics of stitching course (of 280 hours) from the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) of India. She proudly displayed the certificates she had earned.
During the course of our hour-long discussions, I asked Ms. Pravalika in a very encouraging manner the following question in Telugu (they said they are from Telugu Medium):
Q: What is the name of our Country?
A. India
B. Telangana
C. Hyderabad
D. None of the above
When she choose ‘B’ as answer, I did not know what to do…I had a sudden sinking feeling. I was frustrated…literally went mad. In that frustration and while suppressing anger, I asked Rajitha… and she too answered ‘B’ in an emphatic manner! Absolutely not knowing what to do, I requested Ms. Santoshi a senior Intermediate student to answer. She thought for a while, hesitatingly suggested ‘B’. She is that girl who has a CGPA of 10/10 in class X!
Their Parents are illiterate. I decided not to ask them when the mother of Pravalika began arguing that her daughter is right. I did not bother to correct. My further enquires revealed that during class 10 Public / Board Examinations the teacher invigilators of the local school not only supplied the exam writing students with textbooks, but also marked answers in the text books to enable the student’s complete examination in time! Many students got a perfect CGPA.
It is a miracle that village students are getting perfect CGPA in the class 10 board examination. Recognizing the extraordinary teaching abilities of the teachers of this region, the Government of India has bestowed on one of the teachers with the ’Best Teacher’ award given away by the President of India. On knowing this, I felt that it will be an insult to their A1 intelligence if they were to know the name of our Country!
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
Great post! I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot. Your writing style is engaging and easy to follow, and the information you provided was very helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise on this topic. Keep up the good work.