Hafeez Contractor shares with Bela Raja, his biggest nightmare. He tells Bela that till 4-5 years ago he used to get nightmares that he was appearing for a mathematics examination and he was not prepared for it. It is only now that he has settled in his professional life that he has got over these bad dreams.
When Bela asks Hafeez about his earliest memories of school, he tells her that he was a good student, but only till the second standard. He informs Bela that after the third standard, he suddenly lost interest in studies and would spend all his time playing pranks on others. He used to cheat in the exams and adopt unfair means to be able to pass the examination.
The Principal’s Advice Changed his Life
Hafeez recollects how the one sentence once spoken by the school Principal had a life changing impact on him. When Hafeez reached the eleventh standard, the principal told him that he was a good student, but he never studied. He also told Hafeez that now on he wouldn’t be able to take care of him. He gave meeting to Hafeez’s life by making him conscious that after the death of his father, his mother had worked very hard to raise him. It was now his turn to repay and take care of his mother.
Hafeez tells Bela that he was a sportsman and a champion along with being the cricket captain. But after that incident, he stopped playing and concentrated entirely on his studies. All he did during that first year was to eat, pray and study. At the end of that year, he faired very well in his exams and secured a 50% marks. His Principal congratulated him by saying that these 50% were no less than distinction.
Hafeez-his Memory and his Pranks
On being asked other questions, Hafeez tells Bela that he had a memory that would fail him easily. He used to forget things quickly until and unless they were presented to him in the form of a book. Then, he would be able to recollect like a photograph.
Hafeez further informs Bela that he was only interested in playing or in trying pranks on others. Because, he was not interested in studies, he would distract the others. Mostly he used to spend study hours playing ‘chor police’. Once in a week, he and his gang of friends used to go to watch a movie. He was the leader of his gang and what interested him were gang fights and planning strategies for the same, not academics. Therefore, his juniors would do an advance booking of his textbooks for he opened them and they were brand new.
What Hafeez Wanted to be and What he Actually Became
Hafeez wanted to join the Army. He had even got the admission letter, but his aunt tore up that letter. He, then, wanted to join the police force. His mother asked him not to join police, but just to do his graduation. So, he want to Jaihind College in Bombay, by using someone’s influence. There he studied German, till his teacher died. After the death of his teacher, he started learning French from his cousin, who was an architect’s wife.
He started going to an architect’s office to learn French. There he saw somebody drawing a window. Hafeez was able to pin point the mistakes in the drawing. On being asked by his brother-in-law to draw a couple of things, the brother-in-law was surprised and asked him to join architecture. In the entrance exam for architecture, Hafeez got an ‘A+’ and there was no looking back after that. Hafeez managed to get a first division throughout. He explains that all this understanding came from what he used to play and do during school.
Hafeez goes Back to meet Mrs Gupta, his Teacher
While at school, one of his teachers, Mrs Gupta had told him seeing his sketches that could become a good architect. For everything else, he was quite useless. When he finally did become an architect, he went to meet her and let her know that she was quite right in her evaluation of him.
Bela asks Hafeez his Reasons for not Being Interested in Studies
Bela asks Hafeez his reasons for not being interested in studies, if it was the curriculum that made him disinterested. Hafeez explains that he was not good in languages and was extremely bad in maths. Also, he used to forget everything that was taught. There was no application of the mind. He also tells Bela that life in boarding school was very difficult. They used to copy work in the tests they used to write and the teacher used to assume that they had done their work.
Giftedness, Learning Disabilities and a Different Thinking
Bela questions him about a general belief about giftedness and disabilities going hand in hand. Hafeez remarks that he has observed toppers of his class doing ordinarily in life, and similarly many such other brilliant people. He observes that his street-smartness is helping him today. Many lessons were learnt independently, outside the academia.
Hafeez shares with Bela that his mind worked differently. If he saw that it was raining outside, he used to start thinking of ways to stop the water, of ways to construct a dam for the same and so on. He also shares how for many students he was very useful as he knew how to cut a perfect button from a chalk. Since there was a lot of emphasis on discipline, no student could afford to be without one.
Hafeez Worked Spontaneously and Instinctively
On being asked how he decided what he was to offer to his clients, Hafeez informed that observation was the key to it. He would observe how they talked, what they wore? What they eat? And he was able to assess their taste. He would spontaneously come up with a plan to suit their tastes. It could be called instinct, arithmetic or mathematics, he has begun loving the subject he hated the most, which is mathematics.