The Night Class

It was drizzling outside; moonlight was far from reach, a perfect night for the attack. I was resting against the age old chorten. Everybody was fast asleep. It was death silent except for me and my comrade. This was our first operation since our base in that camp. We look at each other with worried face not able to anticipate the result. But it was too late for the war was already announced and prepared. We adjusted our watch and showed sign language which only we understood. It was 1: 27 am. He took the first move, within a minute he vanished in high humid fog. The time was running out but there wasn't any sign of my friend. The rain drop beats on my cold and alerts face. It was dark, I could see nothing, and I wiped my eyes for clarity.

Suddenly I heard a creak of door opening that was as loud as thunder at that moment. Then a flash of light. My heart raced, I could hear my heart beat. Thank god nobody notice me, a women of late 40 was out for a toilet. After a minute, silent resumed. He was taking more time than the plan. It was 7 minutes past over the schedule time. I began to worry, is he caught? Is he injured? Or somebody was before us? Million of questions questioned my thought. However there wasn't a single answer. Exactly after 15 minutes I saw a light flashing for a fraction of second. I understood the message. I made a zig zag walk as per the plan, towards the target. I could already feel the victory in me, but deep inside me there was certain drawback. Even under the cover of darkness, I doubted my courage for the operation. The drizzling continued, the rain got collected on my every single hair and slowly dripped down my cheek. Every second was counted. I could feel the cold rain dripping in to my body. I could hear the second hand clicking on my watch. There wasn't much length left, to reach the target. However I could feel an ages in time to reach there.

Finally in the dark, I  felt my friend's breadth. He assured me with the touch that everything is ready. According to him there are three areas inside the house for the mission. But immediately we recognize our areas that we are assigned with for the attack. Now it was time to break in. I armed myself. He slowly lifted the door and push open without any creaking sound. He showed me my mission with a flash of light. slowly I neared it. I could see nothing; finally I felt a rug under my feet. I knew I was there, where I am to start the operation. I lowered down and threw my hand over it with great reluctant. It took ages to reach it and in midst there was a kind of unvoluntered wishes in me that it never reached there. I could sensed that the target was fast asleep which later prove false. My hand passed over her hair, and in a second I was caught. I could do nothing; I just felt am already in an enemy prison. However I lose no time in sliding in to her blanket. It was rough, thin and cold. The blanket was more of hoarse than the soft, more of cold than warm. There wasn't anything that can be called as cozy. I am still wondering what the pillow was made of. Next my hand went over her face and neck. It was so smooth, fresh and innocent that I still remember and longed to touch again and again.

Now the operation had already begun but she just pushed me off and sat in a prostrating position with her knee and head on the ground. “Mission failed”. There was a big blow on my heart. No, let me put in this way, there was a big blow on my lust. Suddenly I was encouraged for the re-operation when I heard her giggles. Then made my first negotiation, ” Hi how come you accepted coming and now…?” “I am not the one whom you think” she giggles again. It was difficult to recognize the voice from the whispers. I immediately took my hand off her and asked “who are you?” “I am Tshering yangdon” she turned away from me. At that moment I could do nothing but an embarrassment covered me from head to toe. I just said sorry and turned to move. Just then my hand caught on her necklace. Then I realized she was lying. She too accepted the fact that she is Yangzo. I just went and touched her cheeks. It was so attractive that I lose no time to touch it with my lips. She then blocked my lips and enquired “sir, what do you say this in English?” I got excited and pulled her towards me and said “can I show you it in practical?” She rejected and I was compelled to teach first translate it in English. Then the whole operation took the different angle. My operation was completely educational. Before I realized I was teaching her English. On that night, I finished the body part, how to wish, name of utensils and many more. She was a brilliant student. And I of course became a dedicated and ever hardworking teacher. We were on the first floor. I could feel the wind blowing up from the gaps between the planks. In the midst of my class I clatter my teeth. Just then she pulled me to her and said, “Sorry sir I am a poor students. “Never mind” I hold her hand, she offered another. Our hand squeezed each other but the class continued. We could hear our friends' breathings fast and high. I even gave talk on aids. But it was too late she already know that the condom is the ultimate answer. Meanwhile she lied on my chest and said, “Sir, can you come tomorrow to teach me” I immediately accepted and gave a kiss on her forehead. Since then I visited her every night and she sometime fall asleep before the class. But trust me I never made any re-operation. She is the eldest in her family. She was still a spinster. She worked the whole day in her field. I still remember her going to herd the cows with “patang” hanging from her waist with so much of encouraging remarks. Soon after few months she could speaks few English. But no one knew where, how and when she learned this. It is still a big mistry in her village. One evening it was my last class, as usual I began to ask her in English, “how are you?” She just played with my hair and asked me, “Can you tell the purpose of your first visit” I just kept mum. She continued, “Why did you choose me for your operation. I felt very dejected at that moment. It was really painful. You know you go for a thing, when you get it; you asked yourself do you really need it? Is there anything greater than that? It has been almost three years that I left that place, but once I saw her in the back of a moving truck waving at me and saying “Good morning sir” She was the same girl I targeted for the operation cute, simple and innocent. For a second I got carried away to that old place and time. I just smiled and bowed my head. I don't know what she was thinking. However I learned that women are really inspiring and powerful.

If you are a traveler on the Thimphu –Phuntsholing highway and you are in between Wangkha and Taktikothi; you must have not missed a great waterfall far in the east. More than that have you ever imagine a soul living there. Yes there is Toktogom Community Primary School established in 2006. It is in average five hours walk for a new visitor. At present there are only 25 students from PP-III with only two teachers including a principal and a caretaker a basic need for a school to start. The three staffs make themselves comfortable in a staff quarter made by the community. However the quarter is of poor quality. And storm which occurred a couple of years back has made it worse especially the roof. “ The repair work was done immediately but due to the poor skills of the community it has given rise to the roof leakage especially in the summer season. “We do have to throw exactly a bucket of water after putting an empty bucket under the leak.” Said Nima Tshering a teacher. The school is quite near to the Chukha Hydro Project, but the irony is it is still in the darkness. The school depends on five solar lamp with only two working. “We always can’t depends on solar. So we are always equip with Kerosene . Owing to the frequent change in Chukha climate, one can’t be sure whether your your solar will last till your dinner or not.” Said Mr. Gangla the caretaker.

The school starts at 8 in the morning. Then the flight is on till 4 in the evening. There is no so called free period. The two teachers teach for 40 periods of 50 minutes in a week. “I know people have a notion that teachers in remote area are carefree and are not that busy as seen in the print. But we don’t care, all the teachers know that the whole world deep inside their heart agree that teacher’s work is challenging and they have a silent respect for us and thank you for that” said the Principal. The office remain silence and empty till 4 except for some mice. “ We don’t feel like taking dinner after heavy work. We simply can’t create the mood of entering the cool kitchen and prepare the dinner. Instead we make early to bed for early rise to see the day.” Said Nima Tshering. The only entertainment is the BBS programme. Then they walk for some distance away from the school to get connected themselves with the outside world. “We all have subscribe a miss call alert in our cell. I don’t know how important it is for people living in the urban. But its lot more than just saying helpful. There was an incidence where my college was able to meet his late father only through this miss call alert. There after we made a point to check out for our miss call and their frequency. We come to know of those person who have tried to contact us. We just wish we have a laptop with datacard so that we can correspond official letter through email. I strongly feel that some time should be dedicated in connecting our remote school with the mobile network. Of course for power we can make up with the solar light. If this small technology bless our remote school, then no school will remain as remote.” Said the principal. They also uses GPRS facility, however they find it quite expensive and time consuming.
Since the community is located in the high altitude, there is no sign of abundant vegetable. People sell nothing at all. The huge number of cattle is mainly for only organic fertilizer. All the things including dairy product, vegetables and many more need to be imported from Mebesa, the nearest commercial point. Owing to the less number of household, the community support is bit poor. “It is a great an honour for a community with just 14 household to have a school. We do understand that they have their farm work beside supporting school. So I don’t pressurized them to work for school. They are doing their best, however yes their support is poor” said the principal.

The school have only one unit toilet with girls and boys separated. The staff survive on temporary toilet made by the community. Recently they have modified with some cartoon. “Thank god, there is no lady staff, otherwise it is quite see through type.” Said Nima Tshering giggling. The community is female dominated community. The community depends on the only cash crops, that is potatoes. There are still few students who have no idea of how really a vehicle looks. “Of course we have no problem in explaining how plane look for we see Druk Air atleast for 15-20 seconds everyday” said the Principal.