Dinesh Tembe was the fattest boy in school. You could recognize him from a distance. He was popular and unanimously elected as the school captain in our final year. I never saw him after that though I've tried to google him several times. In my mind, he is still frozen the way he looked decades ago. It would be disappointing if he suddenly popped up on facebook appearing just like the rest of us, doing a job and running a family. He was an icon and should remain so.
He was a good student, though not particularly well known for academic excellence. Evidently, he didn't go too far in sports and games either.
However, there was one skill which set him apart from the rest. As a story teller, he was unparalleled and the rating remains the same even now. As school boys, we looked forward to the day the teacher would be absent. That day was reserved for Dinesh. He strode the class as a veritable colossus weaving a story for an entire day leaving the rest of us completely spell bound! If there was a substitution teacher, she would join our ranks in listening to the story. Such was his magnetic ability.
At times, he would even be "loaned" to other classes when their teachers did not show up so that others could also benefit from listening to his tales! It didn't in the least bother either Dinesh or even his teachers that he was missing some valuable lessons. It seemed the easiest way to keep a raucous class of 50 in pin-drop silence! Even the principal didn't command that respect!
Elbows on the desk, palms cupping the face and eyes transfixed ahead- that used to be the favourite posture for the audience. He never ran out of ideas for his stories. Firstly, they were entirely his own and completely extempore. He had a full series- Mangal Singh, Sher Singh and his favourite- Inspector Eagle. His stories had no ending and the narrative had the ability to easily flow into the next plot. The story automatically ended when the classes ended for the day!
When he narrated the escapades of Inspector Eagle, it was with detail that could leave many a professional author shamefaced! We could feel the character swivelling his "Impala" car over a rainy road at night on a hot chase after the villain. The car would have a siren echoing "Eagle-Eagle" and the tyres would squeal over a bend and screech to a halt once Inspector Eagle found that it would be easier to disembark and take on the ruffian with bare hands!
If Dinesh found that the class was getting a bit restless, immediately he would throw in a comic element and have the entire class in uproarious laughter. Soon, everyone would put finger to the lips and tell each other to stay calm so that the story could go on! When it came to fight sequences, it was almost as if James Bond were in front of us. Dinesh's portly frame would no longer be in our vision and would be replaced by an agile hero who could jump over buildings, scale bridges, punch, defend, sommersault and kick the villain to submission!
Gazing out of the window over trains and buses, I've often reminisced wistfully over school days. You suddenly recall some detail you've never thought about all these years and are pleasantly surprised! That's how Inspector Eagle came flashing to the inward eye! Soon, I was smiling and the journey was no longer irksome! Dinesh, you are a raconteur sans pareil !
He was a good student, though not particularly well known for academic excellence. Evidently, he didn't go too far in sports and games either.
However, there was one skill which set him apart from the rest. As a story teller, he was unparalleled and the rating remains the same even now. As school boys, we looked forward to the day the teacher would be absent. That day was reserved for Dinesh. He strode the class as a veritable colossus weaving a story for an entire day leaving the rest of us completely spell bound! If there was a substitution teacher, she would join our ranks in listening to the story. Such was his magnetic ability.
At times, he would even be "loaned" to other classes when their teachers did not show up so that others could also benefit from listening to his tales! It didn't in the least bother either Dinesh or even his teachers that he was missing some valuable lessons. It seemed the easiest way to keep a raucous class of 50 in pin-drop silence! Even the principal didn't command that respect!
Elbows on the desk, palms cupping the face and eyes transfixed ahead- that used to be the favourite posture for the audience. He never ran out of ideas for his stories. Firstly, they were entirely his own and completely extempore. He had a full series- Mangal Singh, Sher Singh and his favourite- Inspector Eagle. His stories had no ending and the narrative had the ability to easily flow into the next plot. The story automatically ended when the classes ended for the day!
When he narrated the escapades of Inspector Eagle, it was with detail that could leave many a professional author shamefaced! We could feel the character swivelling his "Impala" car over a rainy road at night on a hot chase after the villain. The car would have a siren echoing "Eagle-Eagle" and the tyres would squeal over a bend and screech to a halt once Inspector Eagle found that it would be easier to disembark and take on the ruffian with bare hands!
If Dinesh found that the class was getting a bit restless, immediately he would throw in a comic element and have the entire class in uproarious laughter. Soon, everyone would put finger to the lips and tell each other to stay calm so that the story could go on! When it came to fight sequences, it was almost as if James Bond were in front of us. Dinesh's portly frame would no longer be in our vision and would be replaced by an agile hero who could jump over buildings, scale bridges, punch, defend, sommersault and kick the villain to submission!
Gazing out of the window over trains and buses, I've often reminisced wistfully over school days. You suddenly recall some detail you've never thought about all these years and are pleasantly surprised! That's how Inspector Eagle came flashing to the inward eye! Soon, I was smiling and the journey was no longer irksome! Dinesh, you are a raconteur sans pareil !
After reading your vivid description of Dhinesh and his story-telling abilities, I feel I know him too :)
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