I shifted from a small school to a posh English medium school during Std VI. I still remember the day when I was called to the Rector’s office. Having no idea what was in store for me, I feared that something bad awaited me. Entering the room, I saw my English teacher, Mrs. Dutta along with our Rector, late Mr. Bose. I had been selected to audition for the anchoring role of the school’s annual function. They gave me a prepared speech and asked me to read it out in front of them. The first event I had to introduce was an English drama written by George Bernard Shaw. As soon as I pronounced his name, both the faculties in the room started to laugh. I continued reading and had just finished with the play’s introduction when Mrs. Dutta asked me to stop and leave. As I was leaving, I could hear them mocking my accent and pronunciation. That mocking had a profound effect on me and I made it my mission to get better with pronunciation.
I started interacting with all my friends in English. This did raise a few eyebrows but everyone understood when I told them the reason. I asked my friends to correct me if I pronounced anything incorrectly. I watched English movies, TV shows and started reading the Telegraph on a regular basis. I started volunteering for anything that would require me to speak in English in front of a crowd. My hard work finally paid off in Std. VIII when I was chosen to represent my class in the intra-school debate competition. I was given an honorable mention as one of the best speakers for the event which was judged by the same Mrs. Dutta and late Mr. Bose along with other faculty members.
