Elegant, Graceful and Humorous Essays
that defined our Schooldays
{‘On Seeing People Off, On Other People’s Jobs,
and On Forgetting’}
By Vanam Jwala Narasimha
Rao
The Hans India
(19-10-2025)
{Gardiner examined
human curiosity about the work of others in the essay ‘On Other People’s
Jobs’ and suggested that people often assume that, other people’s jobs are
easier or more interesting, without realizing the difficulties involved. It was
a gentle commentary on envy, ignorance, and misplaced assumptions. The curious
human tendency to be fascinated by the work of others was aptly reflected by
Gardiner in this essay. Captivatingly the English Teacher D Venkateshwarlu Sir,
in addition to teaching the text book content, introduced us to ‘Conjugation
of Verb’}-Hans India Editor’s Synoptic Note
Three Great Essays ‘On
Other People’s Jobs, On Seeing People Off, and On Forgetting’ authored by
Alfred George (AG) Gardiner, Max Beerbohm, and Robert Lynd respectively, were
widely included in Textbooks in Eleventh Class at Higher Secondary School Level,
when I was HSC student in 1961. I remember that, these essays were featured in the
‘English Prose for Class XI Anthology’ which was part of the
curriculum prescribed. AG Gardiner dealt on all these subjects in his own
inimitable style in different contexts, including his own essay On Other
People’s Jobs.
This anthology with the
inclusion of these and other interesting essays in the curriculum, reflected
the educational standards and literary preferences of our time, emphasizing the
development of critical thinking and language proficiency among students. We the
students, thus, were introduced to Classic English Prose, fostering an
appreciation for literary style and enhancing language skills.
Captivatingly the
English Teacher D Venkateshwarlu Sir, in addition to teaching the text book
content, introduced us to ‘Conjugation of Verb’ and practice at least
with hundred verbs.
AG Gardiner, who needs
to be expressly mentioned, is often remembered by his pseudonym ‘Alpha of
the Plough’ and all his essays were familiar as uniformly elegant,
graceful, humorous, light, conversational, and reflective. He normally took
everyday situations, such as a railway journey, a chance encounter, a habit, or
a social quirk, and expanded them into thoughtful commentary. His language was
simple, lucid, and hence his works became popular in schools.
The witty essay ‘On
Seeing People Off’ is not written by Gardiner. It was authored by Max
Beerbohm. Gardiner many times, commented on human behavior in social contexts,
like farewells, manners, or everyday rituals. Gardiner like Max humorously
criticized the practice of friends and relatives going to railway stations to ‘see
people off’ which was rather pointless, meaningless, and inconvenient
social ritual, creating fuss and awkwardness instead of adding value to travel.
Gardiner subtly
criticized the scene as, the traveler, eager to settle into his journey, was
surrounded by relatives and friends who chatter nervously, fuss over tickets,
bags, and last-minute advice.
Gardiner pointed that,
being ‘Seen Off’ only distracts the traveler. Instead of calmly finding
his seat and arranging luggage, he has to endure handshakes, shouted reminders,
and sentimental farewells. When the train whistles, the relatives cling till
the last second, running along the platform and waving dramatically like a
whole theatrical performance that seems absurd. According to Gardiner ‘True
Friendship’ does not require public display at a railway station or Airport,
instead, staying at home and saying goodbye with dignity was more sensible.
He mocked the ritual of
‘Seeing People off’ as unnecessary social drama.
Gardiner examined human
curiosity about the work of others in the essay ‘On Other People’s Jobs’
and suggested that people often assume that, other people’s jobs are easier or
more interesting, without realizing the difficulties involved. It was a gentle
commentary on envy, ignorance, and misplaced assumptions. The curious human
tendency to be fascinated by the work of others was aptly reflected by Gardiner
in this essay. He cited instances of people stopping to watch a Road Repair
Worker, a Blacksmith, or a Painter at work etc. even if they themselves were
busy. They usually think other people’s jobs are easier than theirs. An office
clerk feels bus conductor’s job is simple, and the conductor, in turn, thinks
the clerk lives a comfortable life in a chair. The truth is, each job has its
own hidden hardships, which outsiders fail to see. Gardiner gently mocked the
habit of romanticizing others’ occupation.
Among the three, the
most interesting was the essay ‘On Forgetting’ a reflective piece about
the curious ways in which memory works, authored by Robert Lynd by this title. Despite
Gardiner himself not writing essay ‘On Forgetting’ he discussed memory,
habits, and human weaknesses in several essays such as ‘On Being
Absent-Minded, On Habits’ etc. His essays reflected similar
observations. Basically, Gardiner distinguished between ‘Trivial things many
Remember’ and ‘Important things people often incline to Forget.’
With humor, he discussed forgetfulness in everyday life and what it reveals
about human nature.
Gardiner proceeded with
reflecting on the nature of memory. Most people, he stated that, can recall
faces, dates, words, and incidents from years ago. For him, the true wonder
lies not in what memory remembers, but in what it forgets. He was
fascinated by the strange ‘Inefficiency and Unreliability’ of memory. I still
remember Gardiner’s words, often quoted by my English Teacher that, ‘it is
the inefficiency rather than the efficiency of human memory that compels his
wonder.’
Gardiner illustrated
this with everyday examples. Many people can recite poetry, multiplication
tables, or childhood lessons effortlessly, even after decades, but the same
people will forget simple practical matters, like posting a letter,
winding a watch, or carrying a walking stick. Memory which has a way of scrutinizing
and choosing, is selective and unpredictable.
Gardiner opined that selective
forgetfulness was not a curse but a strange blessing. If every single
trivial detail is remembered, then every individual’s lives and minds would be
cluttered beyond endurance. Eventually in a ‘Philosophical Reflection’
Gardiner admitted that ‘Forgetfulness is Part of Human Limitation’ and
perhaps even of human charm. Memory, he wrote, was not built for efficiency
like a machine, but for the ‘Mystery and Wonder of Life.’ Very
enthrallingly Gardiner portrayed ‘Forgetting as the one that teaches
humility, makes life interesting, humorous, and shows that the mind works in
ways beyond rational control.’
He concluded that, it was
not memory’s great powers that amazed him, but its little inefficiencies, its
quirks, its failures at the most ordinary tasks, that truly compelled his
wonder. Gardiner celebrated forgetfulness not as a defect, but as a deeply
human trait, a comic, puzzling, and oddly delightful.
His reflections were a
blend of gentle humor, everyday observation, and philosophical musing, which was
why it remained a favorite in school anthologies, and is still engaged in the
memory, not only mine, but also my School Classmates, notwithstanding the fact
that, whether our ‘Memory Power is intact or Capacity to Selective
Forgetting sanctifies us.’
When we read together ‘On
Seeing People Off and On Other People’s Jobs’ with ‘On Forgetting’
during High School Days, the general feeling we had, as imparted by English
Teacher Venkateshwarlu Sir that, they share hallmarks of keen observation of
ordinary life, witty, conversational humor, and a deeper philosophical point
hidden behind lighthearted narration. They read like simple everyday sketches
but leave behind enduring insights into human behavior. That is why they made
such a lasting impression on our school classmates, and some of us when we meet
still discuss them.
Forgetfulness maybe weakness of memory. But in rare cases,
forgetting may not be accidental. It is convenient, deliberate, or selective. For
reasons of comfort, pride, or self-interest, people ‘Forget’ in ways
that reveal more about social relations than about memory itself.
For instance, people
conveniently forget favors received, because gratitude places them in a
position of obligation they would rather avoid. It is one thing to forget, the
innocent failing of memory, and quite another is to pretend to forget, the
deliberate trick of convenience, a normal habit these days.
Pretending to forget is
a form of manipulation. Many act forgetful either out of weakness of memory or out
of strength of calculation. Forgetting becomes a shield to gain sympathy, to
avoid conflict, and to escape responsibility without open admission. Gardiner
only authored On Other People’s Jobs formally, yet the themes of
forgetfulness and farewells surface indirectly across his essays, creating
thematic resemblance.
As the ‘Philosopher
of the Commonplace’ he revealed humor, wisdom, and wonder within the
smallest details of everyday life.
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