In plain words
“I am studying, sir!” I said. “There are examinations next month. Study well”, he told me.
The examinations began. They gave us two hours. But I wrote all the answers within half an hour and put the paper down there. Noticing this, he: “Rāju! You do not seem to have written anything!” he said. “Sir! I have written everything correctly. Tomorrow you will see for yourself, won't you!” I said. The next day he took my paper out of that bundle first of all and looked at it. In it were things that even he did not know. On that paper he wrote ‘very very very good’. In those days the teachers kept our papers with them. The day after, he called me to their house. “Rāju! Have some coffee before you go”, he told me. “Sir! I, I have no habit of coffee or tea”, I said. “Then at least have a dosa”, he said. “I have no habit of eating at this hour, sir!” I said. “My dear! Take it at least for my satisfaction”, he asked. For his satisfaction I took it. In this way students must give joy to their teachers. Some children are frightened when they see their teachers. But I was never afraid. When one has done no wrong, why should one be afraid?
The English teacher, Mehboob Khan, also liked me very much. He would be all eagerness to come to my class. As soon as the bell rang he would come to the class. If any teacher was in the class, he would hurry him to leave. When he came to the class, all the children: “Rāju! Go to the front”, they would say, pushing me. He would call me near, lay his hand on my shoulder fondly and stroke my head. By then he was 50 years of age, and he had no children. So he would often ask me to come to their house. He was a very great devotee: “Rāju! Every day at school you yourself must sing the prayer song. Your song melts our hearts. You yourself must write that song too”, he asked. Then I wrote a prayer that proclaimed the equality of all religions. Until I left the school, I myself led the prayer every day.