Free From School
Rahul Alvares
22nd August 2003
It's not every day that a 16 year old writes a book. In fact, girls and
boys of that age are supposed to spend their time studying what other
people write. It is presumed that at that age they do not themselves
have anything significant or interesting to say. And the education
system guarantees just that. The best rewards go to those who can
parrot set answers to set questions in examination halls. Those who try
to use their imagination or reply differently are often punished with
low grades.
Rahul Alvares did not set out to write a book. Under the encouragement
of his parents, he consciously set out to try his hand at learning
things outside the school framework and you might say as a result, Free
From School actually came looking for him! After his SSC, unlike his
other classmates, he opted out of schooling to follow his instincts:
fond of reptiles, he chased them up at the Pune Snake Park and at the
Crocodile Bank at Mamallapuram. In the process, he also picked up
trails of spiders, earthworms and turtles. He caught snakes in the
company of Irula tribals. He got bitten by hot-tempered reptiles. He
came out of it all grinning and wiser. 'Free From School' is his story
of a year out of school, when the learning graph of his young life went
up leaps and bounds. He wrote it to encourage other boys and girls his
age to move out of the sterile school and college environment offered
by India's antiquarian educational system, if they wish to experience
another side to life and learning. He lost nothing but gained a lot. So
did his parents. When you read his story, so will you.
This book has been originally published by the Other India Press,
Mapusa, Goa. Copies of the print version are available from
oib@sancharnet.in or The Other India Press, Above Mapusa Clinic, Mapusa
403507 Gao. Tel. 0091.832.2263306
Copyright (c) 2003 Rahul Alvares
Permission is granted to copy of distribute this document under the
terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later
version published by the Free Software Foundation. The author however
requests anyone downloading this book to make a donation
(recommendation $2 or Rs 50) to a group working for the cause of
wildlife, particularly in Goa. If you would like to know of Rahul
Alvares' preferences on which group could be supported, contact him at
can@sancharnet.in.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: A Fish Shop in Mapusa
Chapter 2: Learning a Bit of Farming
Chapter 3: Plant Festivals
Chapter 4: Learning about Mushrooms
Chapter 5: A Trip to Kerala
Chapter 6: Snakes Alive!
Chapter 7: A Vacation within a Vacation
Chapter 8: Earthworms
Chapter 9: Spiders
Chapter 10: Crocodile Dundee
Chapter 11: Learning to Teach
Chapter 12: You Have Sight, I Have Vision
Chapter 13: Surveying a Forest
Chapter 14: Chief Guest At Belgaum
Chapter 1: A Fish Shop in Mapusa
You must try to understand that when I finished school I was as raw as
raw could be. I had never travelled anywhere on my own, never purchased
a train ticket, since like most kids my age I had only travelled with
my parents or relatives and they made all the decisions. I had no
experience of how to handle money (my knowledge being limited to
spending the 50 paise or one rupee I would receive as pocket money now
and then).
So while I had set my sights on travelling far and wide my parents
wisely thought that I should begin by learning to manage on my own
within Goa itself. It was also the rainy season and travelling around
the country would be much more difficult they explained.
So I started out by helping at an aquarium shop in Mapusa, the town
nearest my village. The proprietor of the shop is Ashok D'Cruz, a
college friend of my father's. I must tell you about Ashok. He is no
ordinary businessman: keeping fish is a passion with him. He is far
more interested in chatting with his customers about fish than making
money selling them. I have never seen him forcing any of his customers
to buy from his stock of aquarium fish.
In fact, it was Ashok who introduced me to the amazing world of
aquarium fish way back when I was just nine and studying in Class V.
Under his guidance then, I experimented with breeding guppies, platties
and mollies, fairly simple types of fish to breed. However, it was a
matter of great excitement for me at that time to be successful in my
experiments and Ashok was generous enough to even buy back from me the
baby fish I reared just to encourage me. Later I developed sufficient
confidence to experiment with and breed more difficult types of fish,
like Siamese Fighting Fish and Blue Guramies-all under the expert
tutelage of Ashok.
So it was to Ashok's shop that I went every morning at 9.00 a.m.,
speeding on my bicycle to be on time. I would stay there until lunch
time, a regular hands on, doing whatever I was asked to do.
Ashok's shop is not very large. It is a two-roomed shop on the ground
floor of the Gomes Catao complex. It has a display section in front and
a store room at the back. The showroom has about twenty fish tanks on
display with a variety of fish that Ashok purchases mainly from Mumbai.
Each tank stores a particular species of fish. Ashok's shop is located
away from the main market area so he does not have the advantage of
casual customers dropping by. However Ashok has his regular customers
and there are always at least twenty to thirty customers daily.
During my first few days at his shop, my work was only to watch the
tanks, clean those which were dirty, remove the dead fish and do some
other small jobs. I also fed the fish and treated the wounded and
diseased fish. Sometimes, I also attended to customers. Gradually, I
began to accompany Ashok on his rounds to various places.
A gentleman in Moira wanted to set up an aquarium at his home. He had a
tank. He also had definite ideas about how he wanted it to finally look
and Ashok was called to see how it could all be done. The man sent his
car for us. At his house we discussed the location of the tank,
lighting arrangements, the water filters, the kind and quantity of fish
he would like to have, and maintenance. After we were fully satisfied
that we had everything right and had noted down his requirements, we
returned to Mapusa. Later he came for the material which we kept ready
for him.
Another time I accompanied Ashok to a client's office to put a pair of
Dwarf Guramies in the fish tank and to fix a picture as a backdrop for
the tank. On such visits I watched care fully what Ashok did and soon
enough Ashok started sending me on my own to visit some of his clients
who had small or simple problems.
I went to clients to fix aquarium equipment such as air pumps and
filters, to fix toys in the tanks, to check fish for diseases or if
there was a sudden crisis such as fish dying in numbers, or if a client
wished to add more fish to his collection. I was sent to collect
overdue payments or simply to enquire the aquariums were doing.
Sometimes I went on my own to visit some of the places where we had set
up tanks and enjoyed watching the fish swimming happily in their new
homes.
One day my employer decided to send me as a spy to find out the prices
of fish and fish food at a competitive fish shop. I tried to behave
like a casual customer and walked coolly into the competitor's shop and
gradually began to ask the prices of fish and fish food. After I had
found out what was needed I bought a pair of cheap Black Mollies from
his shop just to show him that I was a genuine customer. From the
information I got, we found Ashok's to be comparatively cheaper than
the competitor.
During this period I improved my knowledge about aquarium fish
tremendously. This was mainly due to two things. Firstly, I had spent a
lot of time observing the fish at Ashok's shop and getting practical
experience from the places we visited. Secondly, I had been reading the
fish books that my father bought for me as a gift for getting a
distinction in my SSC exam. The books were quite expensive but well
worth the cost. Being able to get theoretical knowledge and practical
experience at the same time gave me a lot of confidence with regard to
aquarium fish.
One of the important highlights of my experience at Ashok's was
learning to make fish tanks. Ashok told me that since we were going
through a slack period, he would teach me how to make fish tanks. I had
to start from basics which meant purchasing glass for six tanks, having
the glass pieces cut to specifications and then having the pieces
delivered at the shop without a scratch.
I had accompanied Ashok on several occasions earlier to the glass shop
and watched as he ordered glass explaining his requirements, or having
a piece re-cut because it was done wrongly. In fact, I had been sent
often to the glass shop for small purchases so I was fairly familiar
with the owner and the procedures. Ashok had even taught me how to
calculate the price of glass. Still it was a new experience for me when
Ashok handed me some money and gave me general directions on what to do
and I was on my own.
I managed to purchase the glass and also to get it cut to size. So
far, so good. Now came the difficult part of transporting the glass
pieces to the shop. I wondered whether I should get a rickshaw for the
purpose but was a little hesitant since I hadn't checked what it would
cost for the trip, short though it would be. While I was trying to make
up my mind by testing the package for its weight, the shopkeeper
assured me that I would be able to handcarry the glass to Ashok's shop,
which is what I finally did.
I started out. In the beginning, it was no problem. However, the
package grew heavier and heavier as I trudged up the road to Ashok's
shop with rickshaws, taxis and motorcycles honking away on all sides.
Even before I reached my destination I doubted the wisdom of my actions
for I was tired and my arms ached but I dared not put down the glass
simply because it was glass. When I finally reached the shop I heaved a
sigh of relief that the glass was intact. Ashok was horrified at my
decision and understandably very angry too for as he explained to me
should I have had an accident on the way the consequences would have
been disastrous and he was after all responsible for me! I truly learnt
an important lesson that day.
Learning to make an aquarium tank is great fun. One has to first plan
the size of the tank. For this one must first decide on the length of
the tank. After that, the height and the breadth are to be
proportionately calculated. The sides of the glass are held together
with silicone, which is a glue, and which feels like rubber when it
hardens. Silicone does not dissolve in water. The tricky part is being
able to apply the silicone only to the edges of the glass and not
letting your sticky fingers touch any other portions of the glass.
Otherwise, the glass will look dirty, for the silicone marks will stay
like a fingerprint on the glass forever. After the tank is resealed on
the inside with silicone (to give double protection), it is left for a
day to dry. The next day it is tested by filling with water and if all
is well the tank is ready for sale and can be delivered to the
customer.
After I was taught how to do the first tank, I started helping with the
rest. I recall how once by mistake I stuck the glass upside down.
"There's something fishy about the looks of this tank," said Ashok.
When he realized what my mistake was, he very nearly put me into the
tank!
My first opportunity at testing my skills at finding out the reasons
for "fish dying in an aquarium" (the most common complaint from
customers) came when the manager of Hotel Osborne in Calangute asked
Ashok to come and examine their aquarium on the hotel premises. The
fish were dying, he said. The owner of the hotel was a very good
customer of Ashok's and so Ashok was keen to solve the problem. However
as he could not go himself that day and did not wish to delay matters,
he decided to send me instead. He gave me the manager's visiting card,
directions to the hotel, some fish medicines and a pump to install in
place of the old one which was defective and I was on my own. I was
proud and happy that Ashok felt confident to entrust me with such an
important job.
I left in the evening for the hotel. I found it with no problem at all.
It was a large hotel with lovely lawns and a swimming pool. I walked
into the hotel proudly, with my head held high, and tried to act as if
I were a very experienced fish doctor. I went and met the manager. He
told me which fish had died. I searched for symptoms of disease but
found none. I then realised that the problem was very simple and one
that is very common: a case of overfeeding. Fish require food in
proportion to their size but often people put more food than necessary
into the tank. The extra food makes the water cloudy and polluted and
this causes the fish to die.
I cleaned the tanks, replaced the pump, checked the filters and showed
the hotel staff how to feed the fish. I even managed to do some sales
work by selling them some fish medicines which they could keep as
standby and made a bill for them on the bill book that Ashok had given
me. They seemed satisfied with my work and made me a cup of tea, which
I didn't drink because I don't drink tea. After I had finished I
couldn't wait to tell Ashok about my experience.
During this period, I took the opportunity once to visit fish shops in
Panjim which I had heard about but had not yet seen. The occasion came
when my 3-gear cycle broke down and I needed to go to Panjim to get
spares. I tried to persuade my mother to get them for me from Panjim
since she went there often. She refused, saying that I should learn to
do things on my own. That's when I thought of making a whole-day trip
to Panjim to buy the spares, visit fish shops and also make a few
purchases for Ashok.
The next day, I accompanied my mum to Panjim where she showed me a few
essential places and then left me on my own. I was a bit nervous but
was determined to manage somehow. I first went to the Kamat restaurant
to eat as I was hungry. I was amazed at how much it cost me to fill my
stomach outside home! After that, I searched for a shop from where I
could purchase silicone (Ashok's errand). After a lot of asking around
I found the place. Then I looked for the cycle shop, found it quickly
enough but discovered that the item I wanted was out of stock and would
be available only the next week.
I was then free to visit the two fish shops I had in mind: "Bislin" and
"Something Fishy". Bislin was well stocked and had many types of exotic
fish but I found it very expensive. I chatted with the people who ran
the shop (it is a family business). They also kept birds for sale.
After watching the fish for sometime I decided to go to Something Fishy
which was just around the corner. At Something Fishy, I was
disappointed at first sight to see very few fish. The shop assistant
told me that as they were expecting fish the following weekend almost
all their tanks were empty. But what I saw remaining in the display
tank amazed me. I saw man-eating piranhas with my own eyes for the
first time in my life! However, the piranhas were quite timid and shy.
Apparently, it is only when they are kept hungry that they become
ferocious meat-eaters. Something Fishy also had exotic fish called
Black Ghost which sold at Rs.3000 a pair!
Apart from learning about fish at Ashok's shop I gained a lot of other
valuable experience.
I had never done banking before. But one day Ashok casually asked me if
I would go to his bank to withdraw some money. I didn't feel like
telling him that I had no idea of how to go about doing this. Instead I
asked for directions to the bank and set out. Somehow I figured my way
around and got the job done. I was sent many times after that to the
bank to deposit and withdraw money.
Although I had all the time in the world at my disposal I found it was
not the easiest thing for me to effectively manage my time. Several
times I would be speeding away on my bicycle to Ashok's shop because I
had woken up late that morning. Or I had to push my lunch hour till
later because I had not completed all my tasks for the day. It was an
experience learning to plan my day properly and I would feel quite
pleased with myself when I got things right on my own.
I also gained a lot of valuable insights into my own hobbies and
interests since for the first time in my life I was on my own and free
to make decisions or experiment with ideas I thought worthwhile.
I discovered that I have a great passion for reading books. I used to
go every morning to the library, on my way to Ashok's shop, and pick up
something to read during my free time. My favourite books were the
Hardy Boys and I finished practically the entire series while I was at
Ashok's. I also enjoyed comics like Tintin and Phantom.
Evenings, after I had finished with Ashok's shop, I would listen to the
FM radio music programmes. Like any other teenager, I like fast and
loud music. Fortunately, my aunt Allison visiting us from Canada gave
me a walkman which enabled me to play my music without disturbing the
others. I thought about starting to learn the guitar but my parents
advised against starting guitar lessons immediately as I had plans to
travel out of Goa in the coming months. Letter writing is not one of my
favourite things. However, I was forced to reply to the people who sent
me letters and cash prizes, congratulating me on my examination
results. I was overjoyed to receive prompt replies from several of my
relatives and friends commending me on my choice of a year's
sabbatical. I also realised that you only get letters when you write to
people. However, I still don't enjoy letter-writing.
On Sundays, I used to do a few odd jobs to earn some pocket money. Like
washing the car for which I used to get five rupees from my dad. I was
also the main errand boy at home and I did all kinds of jobs like
paying the electricity bills, buying the rations and so on.
All in all, working at Ashok's was a good beginning.
Field Work Notes:
Now Julie Has a Fish Tank
Juliet and Peter D'Souza are college friends of my parents. They live
at Calangute. Peter is a criminal lawyer and Juliet is a school
teacher. Our families occasionally go on outings together. On one of
these picnics during my SSC year Juliet discovering my interest in
aquarium fish promptly tried to get me to assist her in setting up an
aquarium in their home.
Actually they did have a fish tank earlier but the bottom glass had
cracked and Juliet had given it to Ashok for repairs. And there it
remained, in Ashok's shop, with nobody attending to it. Juliet had
reminded me on several occasions about the tank but there was little I
could do other than pass on her reminders to Ashok. When I started
working with Ashok I quickly took the opportunity of keeping my promise
to her.
The first problem was to find the tank. I began searching for it in the
storeroom of Ashok's shop. I found it right at the bottom of all the
other big tanks. I was relieved to see it still in one piece. Ashok and
I then removed the broken bottom glass. We took the measurements and
bought new glass from the glass shop. After fixing the tank, I went to
Peter's office and told him to pick it up and take it home whenever he
could.
Peter came by and took it home the next evening. A few days later I
cycled down to their house to set it up. Once there I realized that
Juliet did not have any material for placing in the tank except a
little gravel which was not enough to cover even the base of the tank.
I explained to her all the essential items needed and she gave me a
freehand to purchase material and decorations for the tank. On my next
visit, I took a few kilos of gravel, a pump, plastic plants, fish
medicine, the undergravel filter, some pipeline, a few regulators,
T-joints and a fishnet. I also took four types of aquarium toys and two
shells for her to choose from.
I started off with washing the gravel, then fixed the under-gravel
filter. I next poured gravel over the filter, and placed the
decorations of shells and toys on top. Then the tap and filters were
joined to the air pump. All this while I was watched intently by
Angelann and Miriam, Juliet's two young daughters, who kept offering
opinions or help here and there. After about two hours, everything was
ready. Only the fish and aquatic plants remained to be put in the
aquarium. The task of selecting the fish for the tank was not part of
my assignment as Julie said that she would buy the fish from a fish
shop in Candolim. However, as she doubted whether live plants were sold
in Candolim, she asked me to send her the plants through Peter. She
also told me to prepare a bill for her which I was to hand over to
Peter. All this I did within the next two days.
A week later, I had to visit Peter and Julie's place to deliver a note
to Peter from my dad. I was keen to see the fish she had bought and how
they were doing in the new home I had made for them. As a present I
decided to take five pairs of guppies from my garden tank. Imagine my
shock when I found that the tank was just as I had left it, with no
fish at all to inhabit the lovely quarters. I was glad I had brought
along the guppies and these became the first lot of fish to inhabit the
tank. I also fixed the light and the regulators and set the plants
properly.
Juliet's little daughters crowded round me as I stood back to admire
the now complete aquarium: fish swimming happily with newly installed
plants and air filters bubbling away in a corner. Juliet soon joined us
and thanked me warmly and to my utter surprise slipped a 50 rupee note
into my pocket. I protested that she should not pay me for this as I
was having great fun but she insisted that I take the money and this
became my first earning.
In similar fashion I set up fish tanks for a few other family friends.
Besides having a lot of fun and gaining valuable experience, I also
earned pocket money! Avdoot and Rekha Munj in Mapusa have a lovely big
tank which I helped set up for their daughter; Alvito and Celine
Santiago from Parra also had an empty fish tank which they wanted to
put back in use and I organised the fish for them too.
There was also the large fish tank in the office of the Principal of my
school (St. Anthony's at Monte Guirim), which I had maintained during
my school days. I continued to keep watch over it through my younger
brother Milind, who, like me, is also a fish fan.