Reminisicing the Beloved , Dedicated and Inspiring Teachers'

God could not be everywhere that’s why he created mother. Mother who gives an unconditional love, affection to her child is the First Guru also known Aadi Guru to the child. It is the mother’s voice that reaches the child first and there starts journey of learning of the good, bad and ugly of life. Search Google for the word Guru and you shall find over 0.4 billion results with various meanings of the Guru. Guru - means Teacher in Sanskrit, imparter of knowledge, It also means one who dispels darkness of ignorance. On the eve of Teachers’ day, this blog is a tribute to the teachers in my life and a special thanks to them for making me what I am today. A Teacher plays a very important role in one’s life. The significance of the Guru and Shishya is very much evident from Mahabharata, where Krishna is the Guru and Arjuna the Disciple. It is Krishna who guides and navigates Arjuna through various conundrums that Arjuna faces.                                                         

Teachers’ Day – A day dedicated to teachers’ and their accomplishments. Different countries celebrate this day on different days, mainly as a celebration to their accomplishments and their effort to nurture and make the students life bright and prosperous. In India, it is celebrated on 5^th September to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. Dr.Radhakrishan was the first Vice President and the Second President of India. He was a great Scholar and a Philosopher too. One of his best quotes was “When we think we know we cease to learn”. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1954.

Painting by: Amit Shah

The school days are the best days in life and are filled with fun, naughtiness, learning, mischief etc. And, everyone wants to go back to those days. You can write any number of incidences in your school. One such incidence is my first speech and if I remember it correctly it was on Teachers’ Day. The first speech is always scary, nervous and especially when you have a stage fear you tend to forget few words or lines. And, same thing happened to me, But, a very low voice from behind was helping me to recollect the words and lines. Guess who it was, it was my English Teacher :). Gone are the days of the stage fear and now I am confident of giving even extempore. The name of the school is named after Swami Vivkenand known as Shri Vivekanand English Medium School. And, who can forget his message from Swami Vivekand – Arise, Awake and Stop not till the goal is reached.

 

Another incidence in the school was during the send off ceremony as we were about to complete 10^th standard. Our Maths teacher gave us some valuable message as follows.‘Dear Students, You are like my children. So many days you were with us and we were protecting you from all evils. You were swimming in a pond; you shall soon start swimming in ocean.  The depth of ocean is never known, ocean is beautiful, you get fins to swim like a fish and there are no boundaries. But it has sharks, dolphins and many other creatures. You have to swim carefully and cautiously and be successful in life’. It was a great message; most of us have followed them and are trying to be as successful as possible. 

After completing 10^th and 12^th, I landed up at Engineering at BVB College of Engineering and Technology, Hubli. During one of our class in the morning, Our Prof. asked us “What are the news headlines for the day”? My friend said “We don't read the news for the day as  we get late to reach college in the morning?”. Prof gave a witty reply “What is yesterday’s headline?” The message was loud and clear that emphasize to keep updated about the happenings around the world. The Prof. was a mentor to me and also guide to our final year project. I got an opportunity to assist in his PhD Thesis by implementing a C program to simulate the Robotics model he had proposed. 

After Engineering I had break in between and then Pursued M. Tech at IIIT-B. During one of the lecture events at IIIT-B, I had been to invite one of the Prof. for the event; the reply was ‘I am what I am’. The message is clear, follow your own path and be what you want to be! At another incidence during the Open House, two Profs started debating about a certain model used in the project, soon scores of students started surrounding which was one of the great discussion to listen. Knowledge is like Honey, you just get attracted to it. True to the punch line of the college ‘Jnanam Uttamam – Knowledge is supreme.'

The incidences at each of the institutes I studied are endless. ‘Alma mater’ as it is known as, which means ‘nourishing mother’ in Latin has made me what I am today and given me a way of life. At every step there were teachers’ who guided and nurtured me.  Guru, Teacher, Mentor – call them whatever you like. They are the important people who are needed at every age of your life. Teachers’ are the most revered people on earth; they guide you, mentor you and help you navigate the intricacies. Even in professional life at every place I went there was someone who guided me to navigate the nuances of work life.  Teachers' are the most revered persons forever and in every one’s life. You might not have met your teachers' since ages, but definitely you remember them and they are in your hearts always. Wishing all the teachers ‘A Very Happy Teachers Day’.