Some Memorable Episodes

When I was in the 7th standard, all schools were notified by the central government to teach First Aid - a popular initiative of Supreme Court judge, Mr. Jijibhai. Being very fond of books I purchased one on this subject from the market that was more comprehensive than the book supplied by the school. My father had always encouraged this kind of initiative in us. During the examination, my answers were more thorough than what was taught in class and I stood first in all of Myanmar. The doctor overseeing the exams wrote in his comments that this boy was the sharpest of all the students, and on his recommendations, the then British Governor Krokreen presented me with a gold medal in front of a large assembly.

Values inculcated by my first teacher, my aunt who was virtuous and filled with Dhamma, especially her rebuke when I made fun of my teacher Kasu Sir, ensured that I grew more conscientious and focused more on my studies. As a result I always stood first in my class and became a favourite of my teachers. Whenever I remember my Buama, my motherly aunt, my head bows in gratitude. Her support and guidance in those early years have always stayed with me and I remained faithful to my vow given to her - never to disrespect any teacher ever.

One example of this was that all the teachers in Khalsa school were Sikhs. A straightforward principled people who were all very proficient in teaching. But the head master, impressive in his long white beard, was foremost. It was a rule that during the Hindu festival of Holi (festival of colours), that no child should come to the school splattered with coloured dye. The school uniform must remain sparkling and clean even on this day. However, an unpleasant episode occurred; a naughty student sprayed ink on my school uniform. Seeing this, my teacher became furious. All those who had come in clothes splashed with Holi colours were beaten with a bamboo cane and though I was not at fault, it soon became my turn and I too was whacked with the bamboo. There was nothing I could do and I became morose. The next day I went up to my teacher and narrated the truth of the matter, saying it was not my fault; I also admitted that I wanted to apologise for having felt anger and negativity towards him. This honest confession pleased him and his fondness for me only grew. I thanked my aunt and Kasu Sir there and then.

Amongst all the Sardar (Sikh) teachers in that school, there was one who was Punjabi, Shri Harvansraiji. He too, like other teachers there, was a jovial person. He would always exhort me saying that much corruption had crept into the Marwari community to which I belonged. “You must do something about it" he said, and handed me an annual edition of a magazine called 'Chand' (Moon), where the Marwari community was hugely made fun of. I instantly vowed to work towards eradicating the negative elements in the community. This pleased him. Other masters too had spoken about the efforts that should be made to eradicate corruption in society. I now felt myself to be in the forefront of those working towards this goal.
In those days, my association with Arya Samaj too had deepened. The priest there, Shri Mangaldev Shastri, was a gentle man whose contribution towards social upliftment was remarkable. I learnt a lot from him.

Studying for Matriculation
Kasu Sir's teaching of decimals in mathematics proved to be invaluable. The elderly teacher at my school from where I was to appear for matriculation (final boards) exams, was a kind, sentimental soul. Since I always stood first in class, he showed me favour. Once when I went to meet him, he put his hand on my head lovingly, blessing me. I put forth my dilemma which was that my family wanted me to study only for two more years, which meant that I had to leave school before I reached the final year, while I wanted to take the final matriculation examination which came in three years time.

My elder brother Babulal had to quit his studies after the 7th standard, and I was expected to follow suit. There was only one option left. If I got a double promotion in the 7th standard, then I would jump directly to the 9th standard, skipping the 8th and thus be able to clear the final year. I assured my headmaster that my performance would not suffer even if I was availed of a double promotion, and I would be able to retain the first position. One teacher, Shri Karnasingh, had promised to tutor me for 2 months. The headmaster agreed readily as he was confident that this lad would stand by his word. I received the double promotion and fulfilled my promise by performing well.
With Kasu Sir's earlier training, especially in mathematics and in Hindi language, I performed well in the 10th standard board exam, doing particularly well in these two subjects. I stood first in all of Myanmar and was now eligible for extra facilities and a scholarship from the government. However I had to discontinue studies after matriculation.

My father had enrolled me in a college in Rangoon, but the elders in the family were opposed to it. They argued that, even then I opposed their old traditions and social customs, so who knew what I would do if I studied further! My father was convinced by this line of argument, and after merely three days in the Rangoon college, he took me back to Mandalay. He told me I would not be going outside for a job but would join the family business, so further study was not necessary as this much education was enough. "Now you will have to sit in the shop and learn the intricacies of business." Crestfallen, I followed him home. I continued to study Hindi at home, appearing for exams privately, but that was the end of my formal education.

Promoting Hindi
I became almost obsessed with promoting Hindi in Myanmar and towards this end, along with others, established an association - 'All Burma Hindi Literary Association' and started working in earnest. A weekly academy was organized and I started teaching Hindi at night school. Getting in touch with an association in Varanasi, India, and with the National Language Association in Wardha, India as well as 'Hindi Literature Association' in Prayag, India, I requested books and examination materials for the students.
I had studied up to a level of medium proficiency, but assisted some students up to the higher levels. Later, as military rule was established in Burma, the books received from overseas were banned.

We were members of the 'Hindi Sahitya Sammelan' (Hindi Literary Association), Prayag and followed their study lessons and their exams for the primary, medium and upper level sessions (Uttama), and the students were efficiently completing their lessons and passing their exams. Many students were very enthusiastic. Now, however, we had difficulty in the primary level of studies in Hindi, as all the government schools had stopped teaching Hindi.
I, along with a few of my associates, prepared text books for classes up to the fourth standard, and had them printed in Myanmar itself, thereby allowing for the teaching to continue.

The books of 'National Language Promotional Council, Wardha were the most suitable but without their approval, no book could get formal recognition. One of their important members, Bhadant Anand Kausalyan andji, became well known to me. He stayed at Goenka House whenever he visited Myanmar and his assistance ensured that we faced little difficulty in obtaining recognition for these books. Now the primary level books printed by us were approved. Additional books could thereafter be transported from India easily and our work progressed smoothly.

The British regime in India had banned the publication of any revolutionary literature, yet I managed to call for books of this nature through Bhadant Anand. Besides working to promote Hindi, I was now excited to serve in the revolution to free India. The vivid description of the Indian revolution in one of the books written by Shri Manmathnath Gupt shook me up and the poems I wrote reflected my fervor and passion. Regardless, my work of promoting Hindi language continued unabated.

Poetry Writing
As mentioned, since my childhood I loved writing poetry. Living in Myanmar, I wrote poems on many subjects which were recited during public poetry reading sessions. My poems reflected my love for literature, patriotism, praise of the leaders, my motherland Myanmar, Rajasthan - my ancestral land with it's brave warriors, its festivals and its social contribution etc. Some poems were published in Myanmar, while others in Indian magazines and books. Later a book, 'My Poems' was published.

Writings in Hindi
Being well versed in the language, I wrote an article when I was 15 years old which was published in a weekly magazine of Rangoon. I was thrilled, and to ensure that a maximum number of people saw it, I left the magazine lying open on my school desk. I was then in the 9th standard.
The teacher walked in and seeing the magazine lying open on my desk, admonished me saying, "Why have you got a magazine in class?" When I drew his attention to my article, he could not believe that I had written in such pure, refined language. Giving me a subject, he asked me to write two pages on it right then. I got to work with enthusiasm and my effort impressed him.

I used to be the sole student of Hindi in my class, and master Pyarelal, an Arya Samaji, was newly appointed as the Hindi teacher. Though well versed in Hindi dialect, he had never read Sur or Tulsi, and hence was not conversant with the Awadhi and Braj dialects. There were many passages in our prescribed book - "Madhuri Padya Parijat which proved difficult for him, and he would take the help of my Hindi dictionary from time to time.

Profound Faith in Lord Krishna
In Mandalay my family ran a wholesale cloth store where mostly Japanese and British cloth was sold. But after the swadeshi mass movement in India (started by Mahatma Gandhi to encourage the Indian public to buy only Indian goods, rejecting imported goods to help the local economy), fabrics from Bombay and Ahmedabad, India, began to be imported to Burma and these too were sold in our store.

There used to be a sticker on all bolts of fabric, cither of the leaders who led the independence struggle or of gods and goddesses. One day I saw an exquisite picture of Lord Krishna, whom I was so devoted to, on a bolt of fabric. I unstuck the sticker, cut a piece of cardboard of that size and lovingly pasted it on it. To further protect it, I stuck a plastic sheet on it. The picture was small enough to fit into my shirt pocket.
The memory has not faded of how, as a young boy, I kept that picture in my shirt pocket next to my heart whether I was in Burma, India or travelling overseas for the next 20 years. I strongly believed that all the success that came my way was due to this supreme lord whom I worshipped so dearly.

Even in my final year of high school when I had stood first in all of Myanmar and was offered a state scholarship, I had firmly believed that this too was the munificence from my most compassionate lord.
I was barely 18 years old when the war with Japan started, and I led my family, travelling on foot through treacherous mountainous terrain to India. Once in India, we took a train and reached Churu in Rajasthan where our ancestral mansion stood. No sooner had we reached there than everyone started to fall ill from exhaustion, except for me and my elder brother Babulal's wife. The next few days were spent tending to them, and here too I felt that the exalted master Krishna's beneficent compassion had worked to keep me safe and on my feet. I could also feel his blessings when I became enormously successful in my business dealings in South India.
I felt too that the success which continued to flow in the social, political and commercial fields upon my return to Burma at the end of the Japanese war, were due to the benediction emanating from Lord Krishna.

In the social realm, I was rising to the top positions of many associations - 'All Burma Congress' was started with a few friends and nearly 50 branches were established all over Burma. Additionally, the 'All Burma Hindi Literature Association was started which grew fast with 10 branches opening throughout Burma. I was also continuing to work on promoting Hindi in Myanmar, organizing weekly literary meets; having established a 'Rashtriya Vidyapeeth' national academy I assisted in Hindi language educational work at the more advanced levels. I established the 'Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Trust' under whose auspices Gandhiji's autobiography and some other books were translated into the Burmese language. 'Brahmabharti Art and Culture Centre' was established as well, and I also undertook theatre direction work successfully.
(-- from Autobiography of SNG ...) Continued ... Aug 2018