ERP-4a) Recall a time you witnessed someone..

It was the last day of school. The End-of-year examination was over and the festive mood was in the air. I was all the more excited, since my class was about to have a farewell party after morning assembly. As I entered the hall for assembly, all I could hear was a mixture of words and laughter. The atmosphere was soaked with the surplus of energy from the charged crowd. As we settled after our daily duty of singing the national anthem and reciting the pledge, I really looked forward to some entertaining performances. However, the moment the discipline master came and announced the last thing that possibly any of us expected-a public caning- the hall turned pin-drop silent. I was rather confused with the on-goings, but soon a sense of shock overcame me. A student was about to be caned for a series of thefts!

This was a situation no one in the hall had ever thought of in their wildest of imagination. The unusually quiet surroundings just contributed to the fear developing in me. Fear of even having to watch such an act. As the discipline master explained about the severity of the offences the student had committed, I could not help but think about how this form of public embarrassment would not just leave a physical stain on him, but as well as an emotional scar. What emphasized was the fact that the Headmaster was going to do the caning! This very fact just blatantly pointed out to me that the caning was to be taken seriously by each and every one of us; it was not just a mere sequence of events that we were not involved in. The school was doing this for more than just punishing him; it was a powerful reminder to us about the consequences of our every actions.

The procedure started. Despite not knowing the student at all, I could not help but let my heart out to him. The Headmaster very carefully caned him three times, pausing after each time. These gaps made it even more painful to watch; time seemed to pass so very slowly. As I looked around, not one of the students’ eyes strayed away from the scene, and they revealed the fear which I myself had succumbed to. Nobody moved even after it was done, for it took a while for us to digest what had happened- and what it meant. I felt a sense of anger developing in me as we were released from the hall. Why did they have to humiliate a student in front of the whole school? Do they not realize that public caning was more than just the physical wound it creates? The more painful, unhealable wound was created in the heart. Or was that what they were after?

Soon my class met for the class party. However, as I had expected, not one person was in the mood to celebrate; the incident had just left us all speechless. As we quietly went about sharing our food, my mind was clouded with a certain hatred developing towards such a cruel form of punishment. After all, punishments are supposed to correct; not destroy.