The steps

“Sir we have decided to invite you as our chief guest,” my admirable student said.

She said the day is important as it is the Teacher’s Day. Some past, retired, teachers will be felicitated.

“You must have heard of Madam Malathi Weerasena, who had been a close pupil Madam Musaeus Higgins.”

“Yes, I have heard of that name.”

“She was our best former principal we ever had. She spent all her time and energy to build the school. Even in retirement she visits our school from time to time. If she wants she can stay in Australia or America or England where her sons and daughters live. But she does not want to do that. She likes to be here.”

“I can imagine her mission and vision.”

“So we want you to be there to grace the occasion.” Anoma added.

“Will that Madam come on that day?”

“Yes, she is to be the chief recipient of our honour as the distinguished former principal.”

“She must be fairly old now.” I said.

“Yes. But she is hail and hearty. She says that she meditates and relaxes.”

I expressed my willingness to see her and attend the school ceremony.

“We’ll be sending you a vehicle to pick you to help you come in time.”

I thanked Anoma and accepted the invitation to be the guest of honour. The school was situated on a mountainous range, where the principal’s office was situated at the foot of a hill rock. From the principal’s office, a fleet of steps were made to ascend a building on the hillock. That was supposed to be an auditorium, around which a fruit grove was seen. All in all it was a splendid nature’s gift for an ideal school, where the students consisting of girls in all were seen walking, playing and smiling heartily.

One of the strangest things that I saw was a kind of ritual practiced by all the students. When they reach the fleet of footsteps each one was seen bending the body downwards touching the first step. Having touched the first step, a girl would venerate the touch by bringing the hand closer to the lips.

When descending the steps up from the auditorium, they performed the same ritual. I had not seen such a thing anywhere else.

“You seem to be enjoying our school environment.”

Anoma asked.

Then I wanted to know why students performed that ritual.

“It’s a ritual innovated by Madam. The former principal we are going to felicitate.”

“What is it really why do they touch the steps as they go up and down?”

“Madam had once seen a girl who was hurrying down the steps falling and getting injured. She wanted them to walk up or walk down the steps in the calmest manner possible. So she had devised this ritual.”

“Has it prevented them falling down since then?”

“Yes certainly. Whenever they climb up or come down they stop for a while and think or as she used to say, meditate for a second. The entire school looked like a hive of activities. The principal of the school was busy talking to other teachers and allowed me to sit in a cosy chair in her room. But I liked to come out and see around.”

“Madam Weerasena will be here in a short time.” Anoma said.

“Do you want any newspapers?” She asked me.

“No, I like to see things around.” I said and paced here and there.

One group of girls were getting ready with their music instruments. Another group was holding sheaves of betel in their hands to greet past teachers due to be honoured.

Anoma came to see me once again.

“Madam will be here quite soon. She has informed us that she had just passed Katugastota.”

I saw the colourful flags in the school premises waving in the breezy wind that blew across the school premises. Everybody stood still as a small car entered the school gate.

Anoma went up to the car with the principal and greeted her. In the first instance the madam was ushered into the room of the Principal. I was introduced to the madam, the former principal who smiled in delight.

“Did you come all the way from Colombo?”

“Yes madam.”

Then we had to walk up the steps to go to the auditorium, to the sound of the school band.

As we reached the first step of the fleet of steps, Madam Weerasena bent her body and touched the first step. Others followed suit.

I too did that.