A number of boys who were in the school should never have been allowed anywhere near it. Let me illustrate what I meant by setting out the life of just two characters who happened to be brothers.
The younger one was called Radhakrishnan and the older one Muralidhar. What wonderful Hindu names! Radha was Krishna’s consort and hence the two are named together. Muralidhar refers to another name for Krishna who was a flute player. These two were as far removed from Krishna as it is possible to be!
Radhakrishnan was very dark skinned whereas Muralidhar was slightly fairer. I say this because in addition to the difference in colour, there were no other similarities. It is entirely possible that they had only one parent in common.
The father was some sort of a Sergeant in the Indian Airforce whose job was to train cadets of the NCC (National Cadet Corps). As such his two boys were on scholarship at the school and were there at no cost to the parents. There is no way in which the lowly Airforce man would have afforded a Lawrence School education for his sons.
Radhakrishnan was the self appointed Captain of my House, Shivalik in Junior School. This was at the beginning of 1963. I had just returned from England and as such had a lot of knick-knacks such as keychains, simple games etc. Compared to what was available in India at the time, the items were of superior quality. Within a couple of days these items had not only disappeared from my possession but were actually posted to his home! This character even stole ‘tuck’ that others had brought from home such as a favourite of the time, tinned sardines and condensed milk in a tin! Nothing, absolutely nothing was safe whilst he was around!
There was an inexcusable practice, not always carried out, to destroy school property at the end of the year. This was, in theory, as an act of revenge by students who felt the school had done them harm. However, that was at the end of the year not at the end of the half-year (June). Radhakrishnan in Class 7, in 1963 went about this with the sort of enthusiasm I have never seen and that too at the end of the half-year. He went round systematically to all the classrooms and shattered every glass pane he could find. This was the gratitude shown by a boy who was never ever harmed, who was housed, fed, educated and basically brought up by the School! Senior Master Mr. Vyas (who 9 years later became Headmaster) was shocked to learn of the destruction and came round late at night trying to find out who was responsible. Nobody, not even 11 year old me had the courage to ‘tattle’!
The following year, 1964, Radhakrishnan went up to Senior School to join his brother Muralidhar in Vindhya House. For the next two years, the brothers stole whatever they could, including bed-covers (counterpanes), T shirts, socks etc. Come 1966, it was a bumper year for the two brothers for Muralidhar was appointed Prefect. It was reported that the house they were staying in with their father resembled a School dormitory with everything from bed clothes to curtains spread all over. It is inconceivable that the father didn’t know that his house contained stolen items! So imagine the role model he would have been for young NCC cadets in the Airforce section! Muralidhar being a Prefect had the power to go where he liked and taking advantage of this, broke in to the tuck-shop and stole every item he could lay his hands on. The whole school was called to a special assembly with a view to finding the culprits who had indulged in massive theft. One of the boys supervising the ‘finding’? Our very own Muralidhar of course!
Another notorious incident involving Murlidhar was the ‘missing kit’. Clothing, socks, bedsheets, towels etc were laundered once a week and put into numbered pigeon holes within the kit room to be collected by pupils. It was found often that items would go missing before they were collected and the incorrect assumption made was that the ancillary staff were stealing the items. One day, the Head boy and quartermaster decided on an audit before collection of all items put in every pigeon hole. All items were there. Mysteriously, by the time the pupils came to collect, various items had gone missing. Only one person had unfettered access to the kit room and he didn’t know about the audit. His name ? Murlidhar! However Murlidhar being a Prefect, had a cover-up put in place.
Alas, Prefect Muralidhar’s shenanigans didn’t stop there! He was a notorious homosexual and literally buggered two boys one of whom, N. Ramachandran, went on to become mentally ill, a drug addict and to die of an overdose while still in his 20s.
The two brothers went on to become professional scroungers even after leaving school. During the June Holidays of 1968, the two chanced upon two of my friends and I. The three of us friends were to spend a quite holiday at the home of one of our number, a Pratap Pothen (who went on to become a film star in South India but sadly died a few months ago). The two brothers stayed, uninvited for the whole holiday. They didn’t even come prepared! No change of clothing, no toiletries such as toothbrush etc. They were used to scrounging! In those days, before Social Media and, in the case of the two brothers without the benefit of a home telephone (which was a rare item to possess, particularly by a lowly Airforce Sargent) there is no way in which their location could have been communicated to the parents. It follows that the parents must have been aware of and blessed the fact that the two boys were on ‘scrounging’ expeditions
Amazingly, Radhakrishnan joined the Indian Airforce (remember, his father was a Sargent in the Airforce). He even sent his son to Lawrence School, the very same school he went on a destructive spree at! It would seem that Radhakrishnan on a reckless practice flight crashed the plane he was piloting and died. The other brother may have also died but I do not have any details.
I do not regret either death. Certainly, in the case of Radhakrishnan, the Indian Airforce should be grateful it didn’t have an aircraft or two purloined although they almost certainly had uniforms, furniture etc. going missing!
House Captains and Prefects are meant to be role models. Look what we got here! And these weren’t the only characters involved in such dishonest behaviour! Kleptocracy was to be expected as the norm right from day one. The purpose of this Post is to give a flavour of the atmosphere obtaining!