It was the summer month of Baishakh, the hour was two in the afternoon, and the sunshine was dazzling.

Devdas Mukherjee, sitting in a corner of the village schoolroom, gazing thoughtfully at the sunny world outside, decided that he simply had to be outside somewhere.

Recess was almost over. All the children were playing noisily in the school grounds, yelling, shrieking, chasing one another in and around the giant banyan trees. All , except Devdas, and Parvati. Devdas was not allowed out for recess. Schoolmaster Govind Pandit, had found that once Devdas was let out of the classroom, it was impossible to get him back inside. Devdas’s father, Narayan Mukherjee, had agreed to this imprisonment, he had forbidden Devdas to leave the schoolhouse until classes were over.

In the schoolroom, Govind Pandit had closed his eyes for a brief rest. On a bench near him, sat Bhulonath, a village lad that helped out in the school and kept an eye on Devdas. Carefully drawing a portrait of the somnolent Govind Pandit , was Parvati. Parvati had begun school a month ago. It was her greatest pleasure to follow her hero, Devdas around. So instead of playing outside, she sat indoors, carefully drawing a likeness of the schoolmaster .

Suddenly, Devdas stood up, slate in hand, and going up to Bhulo, said,

“Can’t solve this problem.”

BhuloNath asked solemnly, “What problem ?”

“This one.”

“Let’s see it.”

Devdas gave him the slate. Bhulo began to write, “One mound of oil is 14 rupees, 9 annas, 3 gondas, then “

Bhulo never finshed his sentence because – (now, reader, let me explain that behind Bhulo’s bench stood a large tub of powdered lime. Sometime in the past, Govind Pandit had bought it cheap, planning to whitewash his house. When this would occur, no one could say, least of all Govind Pandit, but he kept it, dreaming of that fortunate day when his house would shine forth, sparkling white. No student was allowed near this precious hoard of snowy powder, and Bhulo’s bench stood like a barrier between it and the children.)

Bhulo was writing, “If one mound of oil is 14 Rupees, 9 annas, 3 gondas, …”

Then “ Omigod ! Help!” and a great deal of noise.

Parvati was writhing on the floor, screaming with laughter, clapping her hands. Startled out of his sleep, Govind Pandit looked out the window and saw all the children running in one direction, shouting as they ran. Next he saw Bhulo looking like an ash covered volcano, quivering and wailing.

Govind Pandit shouted “ What ? What ? What ? ..”

Parvati was still on the floor, unable to say a word. Bhulo rose from the tank of whitewash looking like a marble statue.

“You! What are you doing in there ? ” shouted Govind Patel.

“Waah! Wah! Waah! ”.

“Stop that!”

“That rascal – pushed – waah! Sum! Waah!”

“That worm!”

Govind Patel understood everything in a second.

“So Dev pushed you in and