By Rohan A. Khaunte
On Teacher’s Day, I recall with joy my school life and the wonderful relationship that we shared with our Second Parents. Those were the time’s when School Days were more interesting than holidays and Teachers were the biggest influencers of our lives so much so that sometimes these Second Parents played a more crucial role in our development than our real parents. The Carrot and the Stick were both used freely by our Teachers to motivate as well as discipline us and everything was taken in the right spirit and that’s one of the reasons why we’re able to recall our good old school days with joy.
From my countless memories about my wonderful Teachers, I vividly recall Shri Salgaonker of People’s High School who’d teach us English Grammar in middle school. Even today, I can clearly remember his thickly bearded solemn face and also being punished for grammatical errors by making us sit under the table! He drove the commas, apostrophes and semicolons so much into our minds that we would literally see them dancing in our dreams and perhaps it’s because of the efforts of Salgaonker Sir that I am today able to pen these few words in a well-read Goan newspaper. He was strictness personified but yet none of us students nursed any grudge against him. Grammatical mistakes lead to books flying out of the window and if he returned the book without any observation or even a glance at us, that was considered the Ultimate Appreciation from Salgaonker Sir as his silence spoke more than his words while he dedicated himself to make us proficient in English. Also recalling our very own Madam Swaroopa Thakur whom the entire school lovingly referred to as Thakur Teacher. She was my Second Mother in school, and we could talk to her about anything under the sun and she’d patiently listen and come up with amicable solutions to all our childhood problems.
With changing times, technological advances and advent of social media such wonderful Teacher- Student bondings are becoming rare. Commercialisation has made inroads into our Temples of Knowledge and the Sacred Relationship shared by the Guru and Shishya has become superficial with time.
India with its ancient heritage of Gurukula System has revered its Teachers from times immemorial and considered them as embodiments of Godliness. Indian Culture has always considered Knowledge as Sacred and Our Guru’s akin to the God’s. Teaching has always been accorded the status of a Noble Profession that shapes our future generations.
It’s our Teachers that sculpt the Scientists and Astronomers who bestowed Lunar Glory upon India. Leaders, CEO’s, Engineers, Inventors or for that matter the entirety of humankind is forged by our Teachers as they play a crucial role in the growth and development of a civilised society.
Teaching Fraternity is the backbone of a healthy society and in this age of instant gratification, it’s our Teachers who with utmost patience and dedication weave a strong moral and social fabric for our future generations. With India emerging as a Global Leader in every field, we look towards the entire Teaching Community to join hands in bringing out the Best of India and be the Leading Lights for the immense talent of Young India. Every member of the Teaching Fraternity is singularly and collectively having the greater responsibility of forging Young Minds towards creation of a Greater India.
These few words are a feeble attempt at expressing my gratitude to every Teacher who sculpted me into a Better Human Being.
