My Gurus - in school, college and beyond

I believe a teacher is simply more than someone who teaches you something. A teacher must be able to inspire students, to provoke curiosity in them and make them understand that education is going to be their greatest asset in life. Of course, that’s no easy task. But when a teacher makes this task of teaching seem so effortless and natural, those are moments the students never forget.

I spent most of my schooling years in the IPHS (Indian Public High School, Ras Al Khaimah) – a sprawling campus with lots of greenery. Actually all that greenery was the first thing I noticed when I visited this school for the first time to gain admission to the 5th grade. The abundance of nature here was in stark contrast to the other schools that were merely bland concrete structures.

Okay. So I joined the school and soon learnt to go with the flow there. I loved the teachers there – all of them were so friendly, helpful and understanding. Take the case of Sujatha Ma’am (our Vice-Principal). She would regularly stop me whenever she caught sight of me and inquire about my studies, performance in the exams and all academic stuff. And just before trailing off, she would remark,”Nitha did not have time to put on some kajal today, huh?” It was amazing how she would notice something as silly as that.

And our principal (Anubha Nijhawan). I absolutely adored her. She had a way of wearing the saree that made her look professional and smart yet so ethnic and modest. One picture of her I will always remember is when a KG kid approached her with some problem and she stooped so low to the level of the kid to patiently listen to what the kiddo had to say before calming it down.

Almost all the teachers there are close to my heart. Then there is this tendency of liking some teachers because you like their subject, right? Since I loved English, the English teachers were always my favorite – Latha Ma’am, Hero Sir, Daisy Ma’am. The opposite tendency was also true in my case – liking a subject because of a teacher. So I began to develop a liking for Chemistry because James Sir taught us. His classes were so lively and engaging.

Okay..okay I haven’t forgotten Yesudas sir. How can I? He was someone with vast reserves of knowledge not only of Biology but everything under the sun. Even after I came to Kerala, I used to visit him at his house in Kollam. I think I have been there about 3-4 times. Alan accompanied me on one occasion.

There there was Abu sir and his high-impact Maths classes, Tom sir and his subdued Physics classes, Hariharan Sir and his animated Physics classes, Jacob sir and his horrible jokes, Jaison sir who was always in a hurry, Sherry sir and his merry PE sessions….unforgettable memories. By the way, did you know that Hari sir nicknamed me ‘AK 47’….okay Dodo, you didn’t know that till now na?

Soon I was in college. Our HOD was Vijayam Miss – someone very young in mind though close to her retirement age. She used to come to college in an old, red car that was always adorned with crow’s ‘kaashttam’! She had tons of energy – always running around and seemed to be in all places at once. When we went on a 5-day tour, I felt it was Vijayam Miss who enjoyed the trip more than us. She dived with us into the swimming pool, danced along with us in the bus, slept cuddling us at night….sigh…I really miss you Ma’am. Maybe because she has such a sunny attitude, she outshone all other teachers in college.

From college, I went on to a professional course in travel and tourism. The teachers there too were inspirational. Raj Kumar sir in particular was popular due to his innocent way of presenting notorious jokes. Mala Ma’am was the most considerate teacher I have ever come across – no other teacher can be so honestly concerned about the progress of students. She often went out of her way and put in extra time and effort to make sure we were doing well.

Although my academic life ended there, I still kept coming across a few inspirational people who I consider my teachers in many respects. One instance is that of Suresh Sir. He isn’t a teacher anywhere. But I call him Sir since he is a lot older than me with a striking personality that commands respect. Suresh Sir works in the marketing department of Milma in Alappuzha. I met him on train while both of us were working in Trivandrum. He speaks such clear and crisp language that you can directly send for print without any editing. He gave us – the young folk – a lot of advice on progressing in our careers and in our lives. But there was something else – he was unmarried. Once when a guy questioned him about that, he simply changed the topic without answering. But I still remember the sad and thoughtful look he maintained throughout the journey that day. I wonder what that look meant…..Anyways I still keep in touch with him via phone calls.

So, the list may still go on. As life goes on, many more such inspirational beings may come into my life to guide, correct or help me. To all the wonderful people I have mentioned here and to all who are yet to come, let me bow before you. There is no other way or no apt words to describe how much you continue to light up my life.