Teacher's Day 2011 - A walk down memory lane

Gurur Brahma gurur Vishnu gurur devo Maheswarah |
Gurur sakshat parambrahmah tasmi sri gurave namah ||

Technology has a funny way of taking us to the past.  Connecting up with Sulochana Miss (literally my first teacher, along with Kamala Miss) on Facebook and visiting the CV Group (thanks to Shobha) presents a wonderful occasion to take that walk down memory lane every so often.  MCC School, of course, continues to be my backyard…a place with so many fond memories, one which had a large part in my childhood.  So, what better occasion than Teacher’s Day,  to think of all the teachers who have shaped and moulded my life.  Not all of them were “teachers” in the classic sense of the term, but looking back, I realize they played very effectively the role of a teacher.  So, this post is dedicated to all of them.

The fondest memories of school are of course reserved for the days at Chinmaya Vidyalaya; those were still the days when Engineering or medicine was not the raison d'être of school education.  This was primary school and we were far removed from the usual worries of jobs and careers.  I distinctly remember Sulochana Miss and Kamala miss receiving us very warmly at the school gate, and actually carrying us into class, sometimes.  (It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the same teacher, now Kamala akka, taught my son too in Class I)  These were teachers who really cared for the children, and made us feel really happy coming into school.  All through my school life, I can never remember an occasion when I thought school was drudgery.  The other teacher from school days, who remains firmly embedded in memory is Shri K N P Nair – the school principal.  School Assembly was something he lorded over…a disciplinarian who gave us some very valuable lessons today…that I still believe are the foundation stones of who I am. One story that will never go away from my mind is his description of Arjuna taking aim and seeing only the bird’s eye – a lesson in focus.  As we moved into Class V, Ms. Prema Mohanraj and Mrs. Jairaj are two teachers who remain etched in memory.  Mrs. Mohanraj, took the liberty of telling us the story of The Count of Monte Cristoe, even though she handled Science.  Laxman used to break into tears every time he got up to read about the troubles Dantes had to endure, while we went about endlessly repeating ao to get the right pronunications in Ms. Nirmala Jairaj's class! :)

Moving into MCC School in Class VI was a given – my father was a teacher in this school.  Mr. Clement J Felix with his charismatic personality was perhaps the most impressionable figure at that time.  Mr. Loganathan is another teacher who carried on where Mrs. Mohanraj left.  He used to read to us Papillon and Henri Charrière kept us company through the three years that Mr. Loganathan was class teacher (Class VI, VIII and VIII).  The best memories of school, however, were on the playfield where as an athlete and footballer, we kept winning laurels for the school.  Mr. John Mark, was the football coach and PT master who inspired and encouraged us, as we went on to win the State Level Football tournament.  The first of the informal teachers was my brother who coached us and who was an inspiration to the entire team.

Mr. P Viswanathan, my Chemistry teacher was the person who I should thank for helping me get into BITS, Pilani.  It was he who convinced me that I should go to BITS, Pilani.  Of the days in BITS, I can’t actually remember any one teacher who has been a great influence on me. Well, I probably spent more time on the play ground of BITS, Pilani… BS Shekawat the Physical Director (for make-up permission letters), Kamala – the Asst. Mess Manager of SV Mess (always making sure I ate well), are people who I can remember having helped me. As a friend and co-athlete Tanvir Ali Khan was perhaps the biggest influence on me at that time.  The football team was wonderful…and we went on to win the GD Birla Memorial football tournament.

Dr. V S Rao, is perhaps the only teacher who during our thesis semester used to spend time with us in the Chemistry lab (don’t ask me what I was doing there…it had something to do with how Insulin got absorbed in the body..) I got to meet him much later in life…and I carry very pleasant memories of my interactions with him.  He has since, gone on to become the Director of BITS, Pilani at Hyderabad.

I don’t believe education ends when you leave college.  Learning is a lifelong process, and you tend to learn from everyone.  There have been ever so many people, right from my first Boss, Venkat, to Hari (who continues to be my mentor), Paddy Iyer, my colleagues and friends who have at various times played different roles as guides, mentors and teachers – all of them ultimately influencing and helping shape who I am!

To all those teachers, by profession or by role, I thank you, for guiding me through life.