A woman at the workplace, a woman at night, a woman in public continue to challenge manhood, a male teacher told boys at St James’ School on Tuesday morning, something that not many men would perhaps admit or acknowledge in public.

The all-boys St James’ School organised a prayer for the 31-year-old doctor who was brutally raped and had her life snuffed out at the fag end of a gruelling 36-hour shift at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The boys prayed in silence but were also told by their teacher to pledge to respect the spaces given to each — man and woman — and to work “in a spirit of cooperation and commitment” with each other and “not in competition or possession”.

The prayer service was attended by over 400 boys from Classes X to XII.

“A woman at the workplace, a woman at night, a woman in public continue to challenge manhood...” said Somraj Basu, who teaches history at St James’.

“...she was not supposed to be there, why alone in a room, was she not doing something wrong? Questions that cannot be answered by the dead. Yet they are always asked. But you, are you capable of asking better questions?” Basu asked his adolescent audience.

“As you transform from a boy to a man, you also need to protect yourselves from becoming mere work tools at the hands of opinions you gather, protect yourselves from peer group commitments you make, protect yourselves from undignified callings that beseech you to prove your bravado.”

The teacher asked them to take a pledge to preserve the dignity of the woman and respect her space.

“Let us pledge to understand and respect the spaces given out to each other — to a man and a woman — and let us pledge to work in partnership, in a spirit of cooperation and commitment, not competition or possession.”

The principal of the school, Terence Ireland, said it was unfortunate that an incident like this happened in Calcutta and that it could not be prevented.

“We as men have to learn to respect women, be it our mother, sister or any other woman…. It could be that you do not know the person but how well you behave with the women in society would show your upbringing and what you have learnt in life,” said Ireland.

A woman teacher, who also addressed the boys during the prayer meeting, told Metro later that addressing boys was imperative to help break the stereotypes created over many years and by the people around them.

“We have to tell the boys that they have to treat women as equals and not see themselves as protectors. Because if they see themselves as protectors, it gives them an upper hand and they can do what they like,” said Ishita Das, who teaches political science at the school.

“We have to consciously work to change the mindset of boys in all-boys schools because they are surrounded by boys alone. We have to teach them to tell their mothers that they need not prioritise them over their sisters,” Das told this newspaper.

The school had assembled in solidarity with the slain woman and her grieving family and to seek “justice”.

The senior school coordinator, Joseph Chacko, referred to the midnight vigil by women on the eve of Independence Day and the vandalism late into the night that destroyed “the place where the poor are treated”.

“Today, at the school, we also assemble to pray that good sense prevails among the citizens of Calcutta; that our citizens live in peace, amity and brotherhood,” said Chacko.