The Bangali Murgi [Chapter Four]

Now she felt like a Bangali Murgi completely. Her Pakistani side did not emerge for a while.
But embracing the Bangali murgi wasn't easy. She thought she would be able to take punishments easily but it wasn't any less humiliating. Shipla teacher's tuition was the worst. Being the eldest, she should have never be punished, but she was the most punished. Young girls sometimes even laughed while Dania counted loudly the number of baithaks she had done. Shipla teacher always made students count loudly while doing uthak baithak so they do not skip.
Thank God, Shipla teacher doesn't make me murga in front of juniors.

But Shipla did not make anyone murga.

In this course of time, Dania met Sanjeer. They liked each other and soon became very close. Dania went to his house much of the time and Sanjeer also came to her house. Luckily, Rehana and Saleem did not mind Dania having a boyfriend.
Sanjeer often caught her ear to show affection for her. It was arrange but Dania did not mind.
One day, Sanjeer called Dania and told her that he was alone in the house and they both should spend some time alone. Dania went over. They did not have sex yet and had agreed they should not. But Sanjeer came up with this idea that they should strip and spend sometime with each other naked. So they did. Both got naked and went around the house, made tea and drank, and then they sat on the stairs talking. Suddenly they heard the door opening and someone coming in. Immediately, both ran up to Sanjeer's room, but realized their clothes were lying in the living room floor. Sanjeer wore some other clothes and went down to see who had come back and take the clothes, while Dania waited in Sanjeer's room stark naked. As she waited, Sanjeer's mother walked into the room and took Dania's ear.
"Come down with me."
Dania was dragged by her ear downstairs into the living room, stark naked, as the way she was born.
Then she was made to stand in the living room, beside Sanjeer.
She was in big trouble now. She could not think anything. Her mind was empty. She knew she had done something bad and now she will pay.
"How old are you two?" Sanjeer's mother asked.

After some nude lecturing and a phone call to Dania's home, Dania was asked to leave. She wasn't sure whether it was over between Sanjeer and her or not.
At home Saleem and Rehana were angry. She got few slaps from Rehana and was sent to here room. They told her it was over.

 One day they all were visiting their relatives and Dania, just jokingly slapped a cousin of hers on the arm. So her grandmother instantly made her hold her ears in front of all her cousins for hitting a cousin who was older than her. It seemed to her that everyone loved watching her hold her ears.
Once even the school boa had made her hold her ears. She had spilled some ink in the corridor, so the boa who came to sweep made her hold her ears while she cleaned. She threatened to tell the headmistress if Dania didn't hold her ears.

The term was finally over, which meant she had to start Bengali classes now. She knew that the Bengali teacher will mince her body with punishments as she was still struggling with reading and writing Bengali. Could I repeat this class? I do not want to take Bengali now, I do not get it yet. She once asked Rehana and Saleem.

"Look, if you fail in Bengali subject, you can still pass the class by scoring high in other subjects. You just need 51% average to pass the class. There is no point in repeating this class for one subject." Saleem had a point and Dania could not argue. But she did protest. "But the Bengali teacher punishes so much. She is nice and all, but she takes no nonsense. She will butcher me with her punishments. I'm afraid Bengali class will just become ear holding and uthak baithak class for me. Just in the last class she made 2 girls stand on the bench for poor handwriting. Just imagine class 9 girls standing on the bench holding their ears." Dania made a face.

"I will talk with the headmistress and the Bengali teacher. I am sure they will understand your position and the Bengali teacher won't punish you. Just do your best in class and in the final exam, I'm sure you will get through this class." Saleem made her feel secure. Saleem did go to the school and talk with the teacher and headmistress and the Bengali teacher assured him that she knows Dania's position and she will deal with her accordingly. Although she did not say that Dania will be spared punishment, she said she wants to see Dania's effort. If Dania puts effort in class, she will not have any problem from her. Saleem was satisfied with this but when he told this to Dania, she felt dubious.

On the first day of the second term, the Bengali teacher made Dania stand in her place to scold her, "You sent your father to school to talk to me, to prevent yourself from being punished."

Dania heartbeat fastened.
"How childish of you. Do have any idea how much embarrassment you made me go through in front of the management. You told your father that I punish students a lot. How old are you anyways?"

"15." Dania squeaked.
"15 and in class 9. Can't you deal with some minute punishments."

Whatever she makes students do, how can she it call minute?

"I want some mature students in my class, okay? How will you deal with life if you cannot take some punishments in school."
Dania was looking down. Her face and ears had colored red.
"Sit down!"
Dania sat humiliated.
But what about the punishments? Is she going to punish me or go easy? or is she going to punish me even more because I made her angry?
Dania's mind was reeling. Blood was flowing in her head. Her ears were now red and hot.

Only time will tell whether Saleem had helped her or made it worse.

On the very next Bengali class, Dania's ear was pulled by the Bengali teacher for not pronouncing a word correctly. And it continued. Dania realized she is being punished more than the other students. Standing on the bench holding ears. Standing outside class holding ears. Kneeling down and holding ears. Doing 50 uthak baithaks. Doing 100 uthak baithaks. It was all there. Getting her ears pulled was an everyday affair. She was being given more ear punishments than the Bengalis themselves. She was missing her Pakistani school now. The only punishment you got in school was standing inside the class and standing outside the class. No ear holding, No kneeling. No standing on the bench.
Because of this classes with Salma had become tougher as well. Although Salma never punished her now. Only gave her slaps once in a while with some ear pulling. To Dania's great relief that murga was a one time affair. She could not bare anymore humiliation in front of Batool. That Bangli Murgi and Pakistani debate had faded inside her now. She had no doubt in her mind now that she is a Bengali. It is her fate. It was always her fate. But she wished this fate had come to her sooner so that she would be used to it. Had she not grown so much without the habit of not being punished, it would have been easier to bear all this. She was being punished so much that she felt getting ear punishments is all she have come on earth to do. It was like her thing now.

The first time the Bengali teacher made her stand on the bench holding her ears, she almost fainted of humiliation. She had made many mistakes in her homework, so after receiving some havoc scolding, she was commanded to stand on the bench. When she got up and held her ears, it felt like nothing before.

Climbing the Everest must feel like this.

She was towering over the whole class, holding her ears. Punishments make you feel smaller. It shrinks your ego. Your self-respect. Your confidence. It shrinks your social value. But this standing on the bench was unique, Dania noticed. She felt larger. She felt larger than the classroom. So that meant the humiliation was larger as well. It was like she is being showcased on a world stage, as someone who is humiliated, something that should make you be feel sorry.

God, someone who created this punishment must be another genius. After murga, this must be the highest level of degradation.

She figured the best way to go through this punishment was keeping the body rock solid. No twitching. Legs, arms, fingers, face, everything rock solid. Even a simple movement felt like a lot of shame, as it felt like every eye in the class was on her.

[Chapter 5 to come]