Dev against English

His name was Dev a village boy. A smart and energetic kid.  His father was a secretary in the Panchayat (village council) and a respected figure in the surrounding areas. The family owned fertile farmland and was quite prosperous. As the eldest son, Dev’s birth was celebrated grandly—the entire village was feasted. 

Dev grew up playing in the fields and alleys of the village. When he turned five, the family debated his schooling. His father wanted him enrolled in an English-medium school, rejecting the government village school. However, the nearest English school was in the city, and young Dev would exhaust himself commuting. Reluctantly, his father admitted him to the local private school (non-English medium). 

 

Time passed. Dev played with friends, cycled through lanes, helped with chores, and studied. He grew sensible but his father remained dissatisfied. After Dev cleared fifth grade, his father enrolled him in the city’s "best" English-medium school, arranging a car for commute. 

 

New books arrived. Dev was baffled—everything was in English except one Hindi textbook. His father assured, "You’re smart; you’ll learn gradually." 

 

The school was impressive—spacious playgrounds, good teachers. But the English books were his nemesis. Teachers explained in Hindi but tests were in English. Friends tried helping, but Dev kept failing. Yet, on the sports field, he never accepted defeat. 

Eventually, Dev conceded: English wasn’t for him. Teachers grew frustrated—"The boy is sharp otherwise!" Promoted to the next class regardless, he mentally shut English out. The school decided to confront his father.

One fine day father was called by school for a meeting. Teacher and principal were trying to explain him but he was not listening. One teacher said “Dev cannot learn English ever.” And just that movement father got very angry. They’re calling my son dull?" fumed his father. "He’s the cleverest boy in the village!" Unmoved by explanations, he withdrew Dev from school. The teachers secretly sighed in relief.

One evening, a teacher spotted Dev walking

home late. A motorcycle stopped beside her: "Ma’am, let me drop you." It was Dev. He revealed he now attended a Hindi-medium city school. As he rode away, the teacher smiled, thinking: "Maybe life without English isn’t so bad."

By

Pinki Verma