1954 - Diagnosed with TB
1955 - Admission Refused at St Bedes
1956 - Joined St Bedes in 5th Std after Half Yearly exams
- came 8nd in Class in 3rd Quarterly
- came 2nd in Class in Final exams
1957 to 1961 - No Money to pay fees. Fees was Rs 100 per month I think. Fr Menezes said I will give your son a scholarship. He has to pay on Rs 10 a month until he finishes school. Stood 1st in Class from 6th std to 10th std never was beaten.
in 8th std Fr Menezes came to our class to give out the half yearly results. He called out my Name and said as always Ramchander has come first in this class.
The Second in Class was Jamal Buhari nephew of the Buhari empire not son who was Abdul Khader an was also my classmate.
The head master asked Jamal to read out his Total Marks which he did. He then asked Jamal to guess what I had scored. He said I dont know. So Father looked at me and said can you please read out your total marks to the class which I did. So he asked the chap in the first row. How much difference between 1st and 2nd Rank ? The answer was 72.
He looked at the whole class and said in every class I have been to to day the diff between 1st and 2nd is just single digits. In this class it is as if Ramchander has done one extra subject. He just shook his head saying he was disappointed with the whole class.
Also in Year 8 My Hindi teacher selected me to represent the class in a School Singing Competition. The Chap who took the stage before me stood on the stage was so nervous that he peed and the pee was running down his feet into his shoes and on to the stage. I just freaked out and refused to sing. The Hindi master came to me put his hands on my shoulder and said Yes I would be nervous too. Take a deep Breath and go and do it. I said No my mouth was dry and I was scared. I was given water to drink and settle down and I sang. My song was Jane woh Kaise Log The Jinkae Payar ko Pyar Mila.. It won me the second prize in the school.
First Prize went to a 11th std student...I knew the name but skips my mind now Could be XYZ Reeves who sang Cliff Richards Ever Green Tree.
At the end of year 9 we got told the eleven years senior Cambridge Course would end with our seniors and we would do a Ten Year Matriculation Exam and will have to do One Year PUC in some college like Loyola College. we were offered electives and I chose Advanced English and History and my Head Master Mr Davies was not happy as he expected me to get a state Rank as he felt history and Adv English will pull my scores down. For Adv English we studied Shakespeares Merchant of Venice and the Animal Farm
Basu john, Lionel Paul and Karuppu Mani were all Bedean State Rank Holders and all went to IITM.
Deva, Bussa, Ramappa, Sundereswar etc etc were all one year senior to me at school but ended up doing PUC together at Loyola College.
Year ten Exams Came. There were boys from three schools taking the exams at St Bedes Auditorium. First few Exams were a Breeze. After the maths exam I went home and told my mother I smashed it and will get 100/100. I had left the hall early so I could go home and study for the next exam. I had scribbled the answers on my Question paper. My mother looked at it and freaked out. What on earth is wrong with you? I was puzzled. I had left one final answer as 4/6 instead of reducing it to 2/3. Don't ask me why as I do not know...
The next day something happened that marked the downward slide in my studies.
We had world History exam in the Morning and Adv English in the afternoon.
Before the morning exams Jamal walked up to me and wished me luck and he put his hands in his pocket and said Dai Ramchander. I got a Priest to bless two lemons to bring us luck and gave me one. I just took it and put it in my Pocket and said Thanks. we were good buddies.
History was easy.. had our lunch break and went in for the adv english paper. The Exam started and the head master was reading out some number and asking the chap to stand. I was too busy writing my exam so did not pay attention. Next thing I know Mr Davies was standing next to me and yelled at me and told me to stand up. I had no clue what I had done wrong.
What is your Number. I said 569 Sir. This Morning we had two answer papers with the numbers 659 and it took us a long to me to figure out it was you but in your additional papers you had written the correct Number. I felt like the Biggest idiot on earth and said I am sorry Sir I had no clue.. He said come and see me in my office after this exam...
He said you can kiss your State Rank Good bye as the external exam superintendent insists yu should be penalise 15 marks in your Sdv English Papers. Sir that is not fair. It was a mistake. He said sorry it is out of my hands....
I could not tell my mother dad and sisters this could I so it just stayed with me and I kept praying. Exam results came and every one was surprised that I had come 3rd Sekhar was 1st Rajendran 2nd and me 3rd.. I scored 65 in Adv English and sekhar and Rajendran had scored 80 and 75 respectively plus I got only 85 in Maths and not 100..
in 1996 I think I was in madras on a Holiday and pulled up at Hotel Imperial at Egmore as Sundereswar told me that Jamal Buhari was managing the Egmore Hotel. Jamal joined new college and did commerce I think. I was so happy to see Jamal after so many years. Suddenly Jamaals mood changed and he was sobbing. I said what happened. He said I have been carrying a burden of Guilt all these years and I did the wrong thing by you. I said what on earth are you talking about and he started to cry.
I stood up and went and put my hands on his shoulder and said tell me about it. He said Ramchander remember I gave you a Lemon one morning before the exam. It was cursed with black magic and that is why it had black spots on it. I was stupid enough to listed to one of the workers at the Marina Buhari. I had complained that I wish I could beat you in the very last exam at school some how.
PUC another miserable story.. Chemistry exam and Failing In PUC
That cursed lemon affected me in HSc, PUC, and IITM first three years. after five years the spell died and I started to shine again..
1955 - Admission Refused at St Bedes
1956 - Joined St Bedes in 5th Std after Half Yearly exams
- came 8nd in Class in 3rd Quarterly
- came 2nd in Class in Final exams
in 8th std Fr Menezes came to our class to give out the half yearly results. He called out my Name and said as always Ramchander has come first in this class.
The Second in Class was Jamal Buhari nephew of the Buhari empire not son who was Abdul Khader an was also my classmate.
The head master asked Jamal to read out his Total Marks which he did. He then asked Jamal to guess what I had scored. He said I dont know. So Father looked at me and said can you please read out your total marks to the class which I did. So he asked the chap in the first row. How much difference between 1st and 2nd Rank ? The answer was 72.
He looked at the whole class and said in every class I have been to to day the diff between 1st and 2nd is just single digits. In this class it is as if Ramchander has done one extra subject. He just shook his head saying he was disappointed with the whole class.
Also in Year 8 My Hindi teacher selected me to represent the class in a School Singing Competition. The Chap who took the stage before me stood on the stage was so nervous that he peed and the pee was running down his feet into his shoes and on to the stage. I just freaked out and refused to sing. The Hindi master came to me put his hands on my shoulder and said Yes I would be nervous too. Take a deep Breath and go and do it. I said No my mouth was dry and I was scared. I was given water to drink and settle down and I sang. My song was Jane woh Kaise Log The Jinkae Payar ko Pyar Mila.. It won me the second prize in the school.
First Prize went to a 11th std student...I knew the name but skips my mind now Could be XYZ Reeves who sang Cliff Richards Ever Green Tree.
At the end of year 9 we got told the eleven years senior Cambridge Course would end with our seniors and we would do a Ten Year Matriculation Exam and will have to do One Year PUC in some college like Loyola College. we were offered electives and I chose Advanced English and History and my Head Master Mr Davies was not happy as he expected me to get a state Rank as he felt history and Adv English will pull my scores down. For Adv English we studied Shakespeares Merchant of Venice and the Animal Farm
Basu john, Lionel Paul and Karuppu Mani were all Bedean State Rank Holders and all went to IITM.
Deva, Bussa, Ramappa, Sundereswar etc etc were all one year senior to me at school but ended up doing PUC together at Loyola College.
Year ten Exams Came. There were boys from three schools taking the exams at St Bedes Auditorium. First few Exams were a Breeze. After the maths exam I went home and told my mother I smashed it and will get 100/100. I had left the hall early so I could go home and study for the next exam. I had scribbled the answers on my Question paper. My mother looked at it and freaked out. What on earth is wrong with you? I was puzzled. I had left one final answer as 4/6 instead of reducing it to 2/3. Don't ask me why as I do not know...
The next day something happened that marked the downward slide in my studies.
We had world History exam in the Morning and Adv English in the afternoon.
Before the morning exams Jamal walked up to me and wished me luck and he put his hands in his pocket and said Dai Ramchander. I got a Priest to bless two lemons to bring us luck and gave me one. I just took it and put it in my Pocket and said Thanks. we were good buddies.
History was easy.. had our lunch break and went in for the adv english paper. The Exam started and the head master was reading out some number and asking the chap to stand. I was too busy writing my exam so did not pay attention. Next thing I know Mr Davies was standing next to me and yelled at me and told me to stand up. I had no clue what I had done wrong.
What is your Number. I said 569 Sir. This Morning we had two answer papers with the numbers 659 and it took us a long to me to figure out it was you but in your additional papers you had written the correct Number. I felt like the Biggest idiot on earth and said I am sorry Sir I had no clue.. He said come and see me in my office after this exam...
He said you can kiss your State Rank Good bye as the external exam superintendent insists yu should be penalise 15 marks in your Sdv English Papers. Sir that is not fair. It was a mistake. He said sorry it is out of my hands....
I could not tell my mother dad and sisters this could I so it just stayed with me and I kept praying. Exam results came and every one was surprised that I had come 3rd Sekhar was 1st Rajendran 2nd and me 3rd.. I scored 65 in Adv English and sekhar and Rajendran had scored 80 and 75 respectively plus I got only 85 in Maths and not 100..
in 1996 I think I was in madras on a Holiday and pulled up at Hotel Imperial at Egmore as Sundereswar told me that Jamal Buhari was managing the Egmore Hotel. Jamal joined new college and did commerce I think. I was so happy to see Jamal after so many years. Suddenly Jamaals mood changed and he was sobbing. I said what happened. He said I have been carrying a burden of Guilt all these years and I did the wrong thing by you. I said what on earth are you talking about and he started to cry.
I stood up and went and put my hands on his shoulder and said tell me about it. He said Ramchander remember I gave you a Lemon one morning before the exam. It was cursed with black magic and that is why it had black spots on it. I was stupid enough to listed to one of the workers at the Marina Buhari. I had complained that I wish I could beat you in the very last exam at school some how.
With Jamal Buhari in 2009
St Bedes Classmates Reunion 2009
PUC another miserable story.. Chemistry exam and Failing In PUC
That cursed lemon affected me in HSc, PUC, and IITM first three years. after five years the spell died and I started to shine again..
