Acharya Devo Bhava

Since Sept 5 was a Sunday. Some schools here celebrated it n Monday. So yesterday when I went home, I caught hold of my neighbors kid and asked him what he had given his teacher for ‘this special’ day. He obviously (in 1st std) had no clue about the day, but had very obediently given off the boquet his mother had bought for his teacher. I just sat and reminisced the ways we used to celebrate teachers day back in school. We would declare it as a ‘rest day’ for teachers. All of us gifted our “talents” to our teachers. Those who drew well, drew pictures and cards, those who wrote poetry, scribbled a few lines for them. Those who were good in ‘speech’ would volunteer to take class. those who were good in singing sang, group dance by the dance enthusiasts! In the end of it, we knew what teachers day was! We knew it was a day wherein we gave a piece of what they had inculcated in us.

Probably, it is because teachers then, had a major role to play in our life. It is somewhere in school that i got the thought that teachers are second mothers as we tend to spend a major chunk of our life with them, and they play a major role in molding us. I still remember that, I got the confidence to write things on my own from my 3rd standard class teacher, Ms FitzGerald who said I can write and enrolled me for a storywriting competition. I had run to her with so much pride when I got the 1st price! I would not have developed the least interest, even if i developed interest I would not have had the confidence. But the smallest gesture did boost the lill me a lot! I dont know why but ever since, it was my english teachers who had influenced me a lot. Perhaps, it was my interest towards the subject or perhaps it was due to the loads of stories and poems and the way they explained those. But i had the longest rapport with my English teachers.

5,6,7 – My english and special english teachers (Ms Suma and Ms Elizabeth) encouraged my reading habits so much so that they would select books from the library for me. I even got enrolled in the  library next to my house in 5th, not without the encouragement and support from Dad. I left the school after 7th, but I used to get letters from Ms. Suma even when i was in 10th!

9,10 – There was a ms.Leelamma – who kind of flattered me beyond words! We had a term test paper and there was a question wherein you need to write in your own words about ‘the person who influenced your life the most’!  She circulated my answer paper to the entire class for them to read!!! I did not know if I should jump with joy or feel embarassed, Coz my handwriting especially in exam papers were ‘pathetic’. So much so that some left in halfway and asked me to read it out for them!

Pre-degree, as the age would hint had the biggest impact. I was sooo much into English teachers – Ms Sarojakumari , nd Ms Florence that I hardly paid attention to the rest of my subjects. Ms Sarojakumari did respond to my letters, even after I left college for higher studies. She would make me and my friend sit and read the poems submitted by senior college students and evaluate them. The words used, the idea behind, the emotions within. Ms Florence infact had suggested me to join literature, which I ignored..and regret till date.

Degree we had English only for 2 terms and within that brief span I managed to get influenced by our English sir, Mr Murali, with whom am in touch till date. He was a healthy critic rather a booster, and helped in checking me from flying overboard with my language dreams in a ‘professional college’.

MIB – had no english subject, but I managed to get hold of the most ‘brainy’ teacher – Ms Mercy and tag around her all the time!  Seniors used to joke that you can see Mercy mam reading the newspaper even when she was in the backseat of a bike, then they started that, she’l have newspaper in her hands and me in the tip of her saree!

Ofcourse other teachers did loads to smoothen my way. Teachers then, were certainly different..if not at least the teacher-student rapport and the role of a teacher in a students life was different. I can vouch for this, coz I tried my hand @ teaching for  months. I have definitely done nothing to remain in the hearts of my students, nor anything that would remind them of me in their future lives. Probably by post graduation you are too grown up to get influnced or probably I just lacked the sincerity and efficiency that my teachers had. I quit the job with a firm understanding that it is not my cup of tea…not because I couldnt teach, but rather bcoz I lacked the maturity to etch myself a respectable place in the hearts of my students..the way my teachers were in mine!

This teachers day..let me thank all of them with the whole of my heart. Whether they knew it or not they had been my second parents and it is to them too that I owe, if i have gathered anything good worth talking about in this journey of life.