“I was bullied for being brown”: Actor Avantika Vandanapu and author Perumal Murugan discuss their school years

VI: It’s quite unusual and movie-like for Indian teachers to counsel students on their love life. Yet, you did exactly that…

PM: It’s only natural for people to fall in love and have relationships when they’re young. I understood this and guided my students accordingly. What I didn’t approve of was them jumping into marriage hastily, when neither the boy nor the girl could fend for themselves. Then again, there is no use being hard on them after they are married. Other teachers often tell their students off for bad marital decisions. I don’t. They already have no income and are dealing with their parents’ disapproval. If I were also not supportive, they would be helpless.

VI: Perumal teased his students and guided them for the better part of their lives. Avantika, what happened when you chose to repeat high school at Granada Hills Charter? Did you meet any teachers like that?

AV: After being homeschooled the first time, I developed more academic ambitions and wanted to get into a good college. So I decided to do it again, but more rigorously. I enrolled in harder classes and chased better grades. The high-school teachers I formally studied under sat with me after school to work on the same physics problem, multiple times, through my tears. They let me fly out for auditions and took me through all the schoolwork I had missed. Seeing Perumal sir do that for so many students, like Anbazhagan—who, under his tutelage, went on to become a Tamil teacher himself—reminded me that while a bad teacher can be detrimental to your growth, a great one can shape your dreams. Did any of your professors do that for you, Perumal sir?

PM: My teacher S Marudhanayagam, who is no more, was the one to recognise my interest in literature. He suggested books to help me hone my talent and lent a patient ear when I expressed my opinions. Another of my favourite teachers, KS Kamaleswaran, is 87 and still reads. Every time I meet him, he asks me two questions without fail: “What is the latest book you have read?” and “What have you written?” I’ve been lucky to not only have students who hold me in high stead all these years later but also teachers who continue to be invested in me.