HOW DID I LEARN ENGLISH ?

Hi friends,

Every language has its own beauty. English weaves MAGIC in 26 letters. I wish to share my experiences of how I learned this wonderful language. When I was 13, I was very poor in English. My father sent me to my grandparents at Tiruchy for better education. I was admitted in 9th std in E.R. High School. I was staying with my grandparents in a village 8 km from Tiruchy. I was traveling daily by train to reach school and return.

I was in the IX Form-F section. The English teacher was Mr.V.Srinivasan, fondly called "VS". He was about 50+, short, bulky, and fair. You could always see the "sandal paste" on his forehead. He wore Jibba and Panja Ketcham. We lived in the same street and traveled by the same train. He used to tell stories to the boys during the journey. He was a voracious reader. I had seen him reading books even at midnight.

On the first day, he asked me questions in English Grammar that I could not answer. As punishment, I had to stand up on the bench. Then it became a daily routine. Then, I was asked to stand at the entrance of the class. It was a pathetic experience. I dreaded English classes. I was ashamed to be in the class. That school was a top-ranking one and the teacher was a genius.

I did not want to go to school. I could not do any homework from Wren & Martin, the Bible for English. One day, I went to the staff room to meet VS. I started crying before him. He held me close and passionately asked me what was the matter. I told him, "Sir, I feel very bad. I get good marks in all subjects except English. Grammar is my weakness. Please teach me and do not humiliate me"

He asked me to meet him after school at 4 pm. There was a train at 4-30 pm and at 5-30 pm. Normally, I took the first train so that I could go home and play. I walked the entire market along with him. On the way, he bought books, provisions, vegetables, medicines, etc. I had to carry all items. It took an hour to reach the station and another hour to reach home.

He taught me all topics from Wren & Martin, commencing from alphabet, consonant, vowel, word, sentence, subject, predicate, object, verb, noun, pronoun, adverb, adjective, gerund, clauses, tenses, active/passive voices, direct/indirect speech, punctuation, precis, comprehension, letter/essay writing, synonyms, antonyms, usage, etc on the entire route. He gave homework and asked questions.

Literally, I learned English on the streets and not in school. Every shop stood as a witness. He taught me due to his love for English and for the children. He never accepted any money. If I am able to read, write, and speak a few lines in English, it is because of the GREAT  "VS".