School Pupil Leader.

 

I was in the 7th class during 1961-62 academic year. I was studying in the Municipal High School, Proddatur. The school taught students from 6th class to 11th class admitting students who completed primary school (1-5 standards) in the 6th standard. After completing 6 more years of studies, students will take Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination from this high school. These 6 years are divided into 2 blocks of three years each termed as lower & higher forms (classes) The total students in the school exceeded 1200. Thus in each class there were multiple sections like A, B, C, D etc as each section normally had an optimal student strength of 40-50. Since the student strength of the school was large, we had 2 school pupil leaders (SPLs), one each for lower and higher forms. The SPLs were elected by the method of direct voting by all the students. Usually, the school admissions were completed by the middle of June each year. The election, therefore, used to be held during the last week of June. My paternal grand father and my father had held elected offices in the Municipal Council of my town, Proddatur. In fact my grand father was the First Municipal Chairman of the town and remained in that post for over 2 decades. He was also an MLC in the Madras Presidency. The bug of public office to serve the society that I am a part of bit me in June 1962. Since I was in the seventh class, I was eligible to contest election for Lower Forms School Pupil Leader in my school. What followed was filing my nomination. Apart from me, there was one more candidate in the fray, Md. Khaja Mohideen. Incidentally he was my own classmate and was the son of a bus owner (local transport czar, owning 3-4 buses) I exercised my right of electioneering by addressing students in their classrooms. Until then, no one in any earlier school elections had taken the electioneering process outside of our school premises. I made hand written wall posters (36x30 inches 80gsm thick brown paper) and pasted alongside movie wall posters at 3-4 prominent places in the town. I seemed to have struck the right chord with my campaign. Student union elections in those days were highly disciplined and peaceful. A total of 424 votes were cast for the Lower Forms SPL. I got 422 votes, creating a record of sorts - winning with the largest margin in the school history. There were earlier instances of unanimous elections for the post, but in no contested election, the margin was this big both in actual number and as a percentage figure. An important event during my tenure as SPL that I remember vividly is the collection of donations from public towards the national defence fund and presenting the amount to the then Finance Minister of A.P., Mr.Kasu Brahmananda Reddy who visited Proddatur following the Sino-India war of 1962. 

I ensured active functioning of school Science Forum, Literary Society and Cultural Wing. I strove hard for better hygienic practices in the school premises. Roasted chana (బఠానీ) / Orange Peel candy (నిమ్మవొప్పులు) / puffed rice balls (బొరుగుల వుండలు) / salted fruit (guava, raw mango, cucumber etc) slices / Indian Jujebi (రేగిపళ్ళు or Ziziphus mauritiana) / Sun baked flattened cakes of Jujebi (రెగివడలు) / ice golas (పుల్ల ఐస్) / soda (సోడా) Kamarkat (కమ్మరకట్ట, also called as kammarcut or kamarkattu is a jaggery coconut candy and one of most liked childhood street delights) were some of the items sold by vendors on make shift push carts under a row of 3-4 neem trees in the school's open ground during the break periods. Students used to rush and flock around these vendors. During my tenure as SPL, considering all these items on sale as unhygienic and to inculcate good healthy habits in my fellow students, often I used to prevent the entry of these petty traders entry into the school premises. Or drive them away from the school premises. This was certainly one activity which was not liked by my fellow students since it took away their freedom to enjoy small pleasures during break times. Perhaps forceful implementation was not best method to make them appreciate and follow healthy habits. Not withstanding all my good work as SPL in 1961-62, they squarely taught me a lesson by defeating me when I contested again the student union election when I was in 9th class (in June 1963) this time as SPL for higher forms.