A mere mention of ‘Teacher’s day’ puts my memories back to school days, it was so much fun to prepare for the day for one whole week, keeping it as a well-known ‘secret’. We were enthused by the idea to surprise our teachers. We would have meetings post school hours, divide responsibilities, write our own songs and make sure the celebration was perfect by every inch,We would also have ‘a one minute speech’ referring to every teacher in person as to ‘I adore you for…’

Finally, the day arrived. Everybody was full of activity to perform the task assigned to them ‘at their best’. It was my turn to speak, I had to speak for a minute on Jolly mam. It was not just for the speech’s sake, but I really adored her. Tagged as a ‘bad girl ‘at school, I hardly had a chance to do anything. Everybody had dismissed me as a useless piece of rock. It was as though she took up the assignment to make something out of me, if not nothing then at least a brick in a beautiful monument.

The best thing about her was her eyes. They were silent and passionate, adorned with a joyful twinkle. She was not the scar or scare type. There was a compelling aura around her. She was undoubtedly my Guru; one who inspired to transcend beyond the subjects she taught.

“E=MC2”, the tutor screamed aloud it brought me back from the lost memories. The definition of teacher had changed a lot calling them sir or madam was just a ritual. There was no respect or devotion on the pupil’s side and dedication on the tutor’s. It was just an attempt to thrust long formulas and derivations from book to the pupil’s head without touching the hearts of anybody that the process involved. Where has all the significance gone? Our Indian culture held high the reverence to a “guru”. May be it is I that failed to understand I was wrong in calling the tutor a guru and the pupils, disciples.

A poor teacher tells, an average teacher explains, a good teacher inspires. A teacher is just not a physical entity that can walk, talk and

tutor. It is a serving as the sixth sense. Let me not restrict a teacher to the person who teaches you A B C D. Life gives us ample opportunities to learn, Sometimes little examples give us great lessons. Nature is the greatest teacher. Everything that is around you can teach, if you have the thirst to learn.

It does not require a specific day to reflect on the importance of a teacher. Every time that we are grateful to all that life has offered us, every time we look forward for a teaching the universe conspires to give us the best teacher’s we can ever have.