Terry Nichols

Since I’m currently working on a manuscript set in Madurai, I thought I’d repost a blog from several years ago. The year was 2007 when I was asked to give some public programs in Madurai. Whenever I think about how it all turned out, I giggle–quite a bit.

I hesitated about doing it. I was on a three-week vacation, after all, and didn’t want to do anything that resembled work.

But I couldn’t say no to my dear friend Rengasamy when he asked me to give some public programs during my visit to Madurai, India in 2007. We knew each other from when I was a college student in Madurai in 1974-75, when he assisted the American students there for study.

On that return visit, I had scheduled just a few days in Madurai and had hoped to wander the busy streets, visit old friends, and walk around the famous Meenakshi Temple.

But Rengasamy wanted to honor me by giving me an opportunity to share my perspectives and knowledge as a National Park Service park ranger in the USA. After years as a professor of economics at Madurai University, Rengasamy was now director of the Gandhi Museum, a post that gave him much satisfaction and had earned him much respect, so he could arrange such engagements for foreign visitors.

He wanted me to give an illustrated talk at the Gandhi Museum for the staff and some local college students. I needed to search the internet for photographs for a PowerPoint program. He also wanted me to talk to teachers and students at a local school. Just a small talk, he said.

I learned about the scheduled talks just a few days before I was to deliver them.

I agreed to do it. He and another official at the museum discussed with me possibilities for the talks. They assured me it was no big deal. Just a few interested people would attend. They wanted me to talk about my work as a park ranger, national parks, preservation and such. Okay, I could do that—at least for the Gandhi Museum talk.

But the school talk puzzled me. They said I should speak to teachers about my work. I envisioned sitting around a small table with a dozen or so teachers, having a cozy chat for 15 minutes or so, followed by a question-and-answer session. I could be informal. But then I would give a presentation to students. Eegads, what would I say to them?

Rengasamy’s grown daughter suggested I talk about life for teenagers in America. Great idea. I had two teenage sons. I could draw from my experiences of being a mom. The students would find it fascinating, or so I thought.

The fateful day arrived for the school talks. I was driven to a local secondary school and fed a delicious traditional lunch. The founder and head mistress of the school ate with me in a small room. She commented on how little I ate. That’s because I don’t usually eat three cups of rice as many Indians in the south do for lunch. I remember there was curried eggplant with the meal. After lunch I assumed the teachers would file into the room and we’d have our cozy chat.

Nope. She led me out of the small room down some hallways and through a door.

Into an auditorium. A vast space, with hundreds of chairs lined up. At least 60 teachers watched me enter. Mostly women, sari-clad, with dark faces and snow-white teeth. A podium with a microphone was in front of the audience, and a vase of flowers sat on a table nearby.

My worst nightmare had just materialized–walking naked onstage in front of a live audience and having to perform some obscure skill–say ventriloquism–in order to save my life.

I could feel the sweat dampening my armpits. And it was probably running down my temples, too. It’s a wonder my legs didn’t collapse beneath me as I walked to the podium.

The head mistress introduced me and I greeted everyone.

“How much time do we have?” I asked.

“Oh, an hour,” she said.

An hour. An hour???

I’m usually good at that type of thing. That is, standing in front of an audience and saying something intelligible. That’s if I’ve prepared. But at that moment I was seriously doubting my abilities. I had not prepared an hour talk for 60 teachers, I had prepared a talk for some teenagers and nothing for my cozy brief spontaneous chat for a handful of teachers.

My mind whirred. I probably swallowed. I probably smiled. I probably looked composed. The adrenaline was flowing and they were all looking at me.

I launched into a talk, of sorts. I wandered from one topic to the next, following my intuition. My job, historic sites, preservation, the importance of places of the past. A range of topics. Somehow, somehow, most of it made sense, (I think), and the teachers warmly responded.

After the magic hour expired, teachers approached me. One asked me to spend a few minutes talking with a class about tropical rainforests, another about patriotism. Hmm, patriotism. I would encourage the students to not blindly accept what their country does, but question always, and voice their objections. I briefly entertained a patriotism talk, then declined, explaining I had a tight schedule.

As I recall, I had a bit of a break before the next talk. But my armpits were still dripping. And I was giddy because somehow I’d pulled it off so far. The best was yet to come.

Soon students filed in, girls on the left, boys on the right, crisply uniformed and all looking nearly identical. They filled the auditorium. That’s why there were several hundred chairs.

Now I can have fun, I thought. This should be a breeze, talking about things I’ve personally experienced. Raising my two sons. I’d at least prepared a little for this talk for the students.

I was familiar with the typical life path for a child in India. Work hard in school, memorize examination material, earn “top marks” in order to enter university, study a subject chosen or approved of by the parents, perform well in order to get an outstanding job, earn financial stability and achieve material wealth to attract an appropriate marriage partner—usually chosen by the parents, get married and have a child within a year. The “issue” would repeat the cycle.

My sons were not following that path and I didn’t expect them to. As I talked that day, I didn’t hold back much. I talked about how my older son dropped out of school at age 16 and went to work as a welder of art projects. Although a brilliant child, he had not thrived in the public school system. My younger son was still slogging away in school, however. As I spoke, I noted a few troubled looks on the students’ faces. The teachers still hanging around probably didn’t know whether to stop me or applaud.

My sons were both on the wrestling team, a sport that has a long tradition in India but is not as popular as other sports such as cricket and soccer. I told them my son’s first match was with a girl (he pinned her.) There was an audible gasp from the students and many covered their mouths in shock.

Then I talked about kicking my son out of the house when things were getting a bit tense due to some problems. That’s when those proper Indian teenagers with their predictable lives really looked troubled. Mouths were hanging open. Someone asked a political question about President George Bush to change the topic.

Not all of my banter was so scandalous, however. I’m sure I mentioned mundane topics about raising my two sons. But I think the students were relieved when we moved to the question and answer session and they could steer the discussion better.

Then it happened. A girl raised her hand and asked, “Will you sing your national anthem?” Other students were smirking, wondering what I would do. I was trapped.

And stunned. The Star-Spangled Banner? Everyone knows that song is nearly impossible to sing. And it’s about fighting and killing and so depressing. But how could I refuse to sing my country’s national anthem?

The one thing I knew was I had to start on a low note so I could hit the high note at the end. Into that microphone I began singing my country’s national anthem. Or at least my version of it. Just me and that auditorium full of students and teachers. I sang it loud and I sang it proud. But wait, are the ramparts gleaming or streaming? Who knows, I mumbled something and kept going at a lively pace so I could get it over with. I even inspired myself at the end when I was acutely aware that all eyes were on me. I had to end with a bang, so I leaned into the microphone.

“…Or the land of the freeeeeee, (big pause….) and the home (pause) of the (pause) brave!”

Yee-haa, I did it. A lone student started clapping, he was so moved by my rendition.

A student from the audience stood up and said, “Well, we have had such an unusual speaker today. We would like to thank her for her warmth and honesty.”

The students clapped and I was feeling good. Or maybe I was just relieved it was over.

My friend Rengasamy had not attended, but he picked me up from the school.

I described the unusual twists in my talk and my singing.

“I will NEVER forget this day, Rengasamy, NEVER!” All Rengasamy could do was giggle.

The talk at the Gandhi Museum the next day seemed rather anti-climactic. Somehow, I muddled through, and I was again asked to sing the national anthem. Rengasamy laughed and laughed at the side of the room and stared at me as I mentally smacked my forehead. Not again! But I could not refuse, so I sang. And I still didn’t know whether the ramparts were gleaming or streaming.