By Br. Brendan MacCarthaigh
I had the honour to teach in St Edmund’s College, Shillong in the early 70s. It was a posting I enjoyed. I walked side by side with great women and men who had been my ‘profs’ years previously, and that itself added to my sense of privilege at this posting.
Before that I had been teaching in far-away Mt Abu, Rajasthan, so the contrast could hardly have been more startling!
The enjoyment attached to teaching at an adequate intellectual level in the Honours classes was indeed gratifying, but in a different way the honour of helping students with limited language ability, to somehow get through their exams, was also a privilege. (I was in the English Language department.)
Br Viera was the college Principal at that time. I happened to be coach of the St Edmund’s school football XI which, for the only time in its history, the state-level tournament had a school team reach the final. As I was lining up with the team in St Edmund’s grounds to get our bus to the stadium Br Viera appeared, and in his loud-and-clear voice called out, “Br MacCarthaigh, man-alive, (his trademark interjection) do remember that you have a class at 2.30!” So class it had to be, and the boys went on their own – and won!
But that was typical of Br Vieyra, and I say it now with pride: the College was his Number One concern, and there were no silly privileges even for “profs”.
In those days if you had to take a taxi from town, you just said “The College”. Such was the status of the place, no need to mention which institution!
Fifty years dim the memories, but not the impressions. I enjoyed and was privileged to work there, and I was really sad to be transferred after only three years to Kolkata, and not to teach in beautiful Shillong ever again.