Son incurs father's wrath after failing examination

By Ananda Agalakada

The long queue of line rooms occupied one part of the Bogawanthalawa plantation. These were not very comfortable homes. Families lived in a cramped space as comfortably as they could.

They shared common toilets, wells and showers among other amenities. Also they shared were sorrow, happiness, anger, jealousy and frustration as they lived so close to each other.

They all rose in the morning. While the elders went to the estate to work, children went to school. Only the old who could work and the sick remained at houses during the day.

There were no wealthy people in line rooms. They all worked to keep the home fires burning. They went to work in the morning and returned at night. The small wage they earned was mostly spent on food and clothing.

Sangaree and his family occupied one of the line rooms at the estate. He was a labourer and like his colleagues he too faced hardship to make ends meet. But unlike others Sangaree was a hard worker. In the face of adversity, Sangaree worked hard to keep his family comfortable.

Schooling

Sangaree did not have a good schooling as he had to start work in the estate at an early age to make ends meet. He always dreamt as to what he could have become if he could have had a good education.

He always told his children about the value of education. He said education was the best path for a man to win the world. Sangaree said this to his wife and children often.

He did not want his children to work in the estate like him. He wanted a better future for them. So he strived hard to educate his children, no matter what hardships he had to face to continue their schooling. Murali was his second son and he was about 10-year-old. He had two brothers, but Murali was the father’s favourite.

Murali was shortly to face the year five scholarship examination. So Sangaree urged his son to do well at the examination as this would enable him to get a good school in the city. He told his son that no matter what, he would finance his studies and urged him to pass the examination and go to a good school.

He told his son to pay attention to his studies. He woke him up early in the morning everyday saying it was the best time to study. He even ensured that he gave him more food than the other two sons as he was to face the examination soon.

He bought him books and past question papers and urged him to absorb all what the teachers told him.

Murali also understood about his parents' difficulties and strived hard to get through the hurdle. He did not want to disappoint, especially his father. He woke early in the morning and studied until it was time arrived to go to school.

The D-day came at last and little Murali went for the examination. He did what he could do and returned home. His father was a happy man. He told Murali not to worry and that he was confident that he would definitely get through the examiation with flying colours.

Sangaree never in his wildest dreams thought that his son would fail. In his mind this was an impossibility as he had high hopes for his son. He thought this was the first hurdle he had to overcome and pave the way for all his sons to have a better future.

Time passed by and one day an excited Sangaree approached his immediate boss and requested for leave for the rest of the day.

He told his boss that the Year-Five scholarship results were out and his son must have passed it with flying colours. He was impatient to return home to find out his son's results.

Expectations

A few hours later Sangaree rushed to his house with a lot of expectations. When he entered the house he saw Murali’s mother wiping away tears from her son’s eyes. He thought these were tears of joy. He went to his son and embraced him, overcome with emotion. But his joy was shortlived because Murali was not shedding tears of joy but were tears of a heart broken child as he had failed the examination.

Sangaree was shocked. All his hopes and dreams crashed and this unsettled his mind. Anger and confusion had overcome him.

He lost his thinking and taking a heated iron rod started to burn his son's face and limbs.

Little Murali's mother tried to stop him but Sangaree threatened and chased her away.

The other residents in the line rooms came running on hearing the cries of little Murali and tried to restrain Sangaree. But the little boy had been maimed for life. This is the sad story of an innocent boy.

The Year Five scholarship examination has caused heartache to many although a few have reaped the harvest. The neighbours informed the Bogawanthalawa police.

Bogawanthalawa OIC and IP Sarath Samarawickrema took Sangaree into custody. The injured Murali was admitted to the Bogawanthalawa hospital.