Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi teaching a batch of adult illiterates at Varsha, his official residence. Joshi has promised to take a class at least once a month.

AUGUST 24: It was Sunday and the schools were closed. However, at an adult education class, a teacher was down to serious business. The students here were being taught by Maharashtra's Chief Minister, no less.

Beginning the day's lessons by writing a big Shri on the blackboard, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi went on to explain the importance of education. Whenever a murmur disturbed the class, he warned the inattentive pupil: ``I will make you stand up on the bench.''

From humble beginnings as a school teacher in Mumbai to handling the reins of the government in Maharashtra, Manohar Joshi today became the first chief minister in the country to hold adult literacy classes at his official residence, Varsha.

The hour-long class began at 12.30 pm and was attended by 34 students, most of them servants at ministers' quarters and other class four staff. Minister for School Education Sudhir Joshi and Education Secretary Kumud Bansal were also present on the occasion.

The CM started the classes as part of a campaign to make Maharashtra a 100 per cent literate state by the year 2000.

Highlighting the importance of education for girls, Joshi narrated a tale from the Panchatantra where a woman, despite opposition and indifference from the family, learnt how to read and write. When the family fell upon bad times, it had to depend on the literate girl to provide for them. ``She went on to educate other members of her family and made them self-reliant,'' Joshi said.

The class ended with the students learning to write the Marathi words Ya basa (Come, have a seat) on their slates. Moving through the rows of seats, Joshi later checked each slate. And for those who could not get it right, Joshi held their hands to keep them steady to get the proper curves. The class ended with the CM giving his students some homework as well. ``Practise writing these words. In the next class, I will ask each one of you to come and write them on the black board,'' he said.

Later, speaking to reporters, Joshi said, ``The state government has already started a programme for complete literacy and to share the responsibility of this drive, I have decided to conduct these classes for adults personally.''Joshi assured that he will spare time on at least one Sunday in a month to conduct the classes. He also exhorted the School Education Minister and the Education Secretary to follow suit. In a tongue-in-cheek remark, he told Bansal not to charge fees like the government staff who did additional work only for an extra perk.

Joshi said he was ``thrilled'' by the experience of holding the chalk and duster after a long gap of 27 years. ``I like to teach and today I have taught those needy students without charging them,'' he said with a smile of satisfaction on his face.

Joshi gave up teaching in 1970 after getting elected to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), but his Kohinoor Institutes are still popular in different parts of the state.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.