Memoirs by politicians and corporate magnates are aplenty but it is rare to see one penned by a teacher and that too of a boarding school. Thus when one comes across the description tell-all, it is bound to evoke plenty of interest especially if the writer has been a Headmaster of Lawrence School, Lovedale and Welham Boys’ School, Dehradun and Housemaster at Dehradun’s Doon School –– all prestigious institutions. Well that is what Dev Lahiri’s “With A Little Help From My Friends” does as it lays bare all that transpired in his life including his stormy career filled with unpredictable ups and downs. Providing a glimpse into the way some of the better-known institutions are shrouded from public scrutiny, it highlights how Lahiri had to deal with vested interests, status quo upholders and entitled parents.
In Lovedale, Lahiri was falsely accused of financial impropriety a charge later withdrawn after a long drawn out battle while at Welham he was asked to relinquish charge as his style of management was found no longer appropriate to the needs of the school, which is quite surprising considering that the board had placed on records its appreciation for his efforts.
One of the reasons for the memoirs to come into being is Lahiri’s attempt to put on record his side of the story. “It was to put out in the public domain all the injustices I had suffered at the hands of very powerful people and that too when all I was doing was my job honestly and for the good of the institutions that I was serving,” he maintains.
The other was to provoke a public debate on education. Having seen the system up-close, the writer makes a fervent plea to look at the way schools are run, the lack of accountability of the management boards and the lack of vision that plagues the system. When his attention is drawn to the society’s eroding reverence towards teachers and institutions, the author holds all the constituencies responsible. He states: “The Government, because it has failed to accord school education the priority and respect that it deserves, parents because they have a very blinkered view of school education and see it mainly as a ‘certification process’ and also because they do not see school- teaching as a career their children should aspire for, teachers, because they do not have professional pride and are by far and large, not in it as a ‘first-choice’ anyway, management because they are in it mainly for the money and have very little understanding of educational issues.”
The Rupa publication brings to life the Rhodes scholar’ days in school and university as the backdrop to the unusual choices he made in life –– working as a tea planter, lecturer and an editor before switching to teaching which gave him a huge fulfilment of engaging with young minds. Written with simplicity and humour, reflects the author’s honesty. Lahiri unabashedly narrates learning a lifelong lesson after he was slapped by his father. The reason being he had accepted a lift from his father’s friend who did not make the offer to his friend happened to belong to a community which helped with household chores. He recollects been told by his father: “You had no business no leave your friend behind. Ramu is your friend and you should have refused the ride if Col. Naidu was not prepared to take him along.”
The narrative is enjoyable as you can to relate to the description of carefree days of school, challenges of college life, the struggle for employment and and hardships one encounters in family and professional life.
