Teachers Day

Teacher’s day is just another day. There are students but no faculty. According to reports* the system of college education is India is worrisome and calls for urgent attention. Of the 2,426 posts for professors in central Universities, 1,301 are still vacant. In fact, in many colleges, there are no faculty members. The best faculty members and researchers prefer going abroad for various reasons that include better research facilities, elevated pay scales and many other benefits leading to a crisis in India’s University education system. The government has turned a blind eye towards this problem. The situation is dismal and there is a complete chaos that is fast spiraling out of bounds.   

*Hindustan Times (30 July, 18)

What lies beneath?

Before proceeding any further in this post, it is important to give a small disclaimer. Basically, I am writing this on the basis of my real life experiences with friends and especially social group members like neighbors and relatives. How your problem is a time pass for them and how eagerly people look forward to what happens next in your life is just similar to how a serial buff looks forward to the next episode; how much your drooping face interests them and how much willing they are to stir up waters to catch some mew ‘masaala’ from your life! Not just some of your relatives but a few neighbors as well fall into this category. I do not mean everyone is like this but most of the people definitely are, and you find more so if you keep your senses open and become a bit more observing.

1.     This happened when my mother was hospitalized and I was a kid of six years. This bitch used to be a neighbor of mine.

Miss A: Where is your mother these days?

Me: She is at hospital.

Miss A: So who is managing the house? Her sister? (With a wink)

Me: No

Miss A: What did your father cook for dinner yesterday?

Me: Xyz curry

Miss A: What else he can cook?

Me: I don’t know

Miss A: why? (Angrily)

Me: ?

Miss A: He bathes your mother?

Me: I don’t know

Miss A: Why? Are you mad? Don’t you live with them? Anyways, who was he who visited your house yesterday?

Me: ? (Crying)

Miss A: Go and come tomorrow.

After that, at that tender age, I swore I will refuse to talk and keep mum if any one enquires about my mother again.

2.            This happened when I was in school. One of my friends had three more siblings.

Teacher: How many siblings do you have?

She: Madam, three

Teacher: My gawd! four kids in these times! And what is your father?

She: He is a professor at Xyz University

Teacher: Still four? hahahah!

She: (Silent)

Teacher to a fellow teacher: He must be keeping his evenings free of private tuitions (with a wink)!

I clearly remember my friend cried bitterly after that and swore never to befriend any one of that particular religion to which that teacher belonged.

3.     This happened when I was in college.

A few distant relatives visited us. As soon as they arrived, they started doing recce of the house, opening closets and surveying nook and corners. I was asked to show some old photographs. As soon as I got the bag out of the drawer, it was snatched and all the albums spread on the bed. Much to me and my mother’s discomfort, my college trip album was picked up, and then started the interrogative process. They started inquiring about my male friends in my group. The uncle looked at me with penetrating eyes and said: “Hmmm, so schooling was in co-ed school?”

Me: Yes uncle.

He: College as well

Me: Yes

He: Hmmm (passing a silent and dirty smile to his wife)

Me: So???

4.     Finally this happened to me  when I was working:

A friend of mine was going through a painful marriage. She called me one day at two in the night and started crying. I tried my best to console her. After I told her to be calm and even, and after an hour long conversation, I was firmly told by her not to ‘interfere’ in her ‘personal matters’, ‘husband’ and ‘married life’. I was also given a lecture on relationships and emotions.

That was the last conversation of my life with that girl. I swore never to interfere in anyone’s marriage, no matter how close he or she is and how painful it is going.

 I have noticed, some people do not leave a single opportunity to insult others in any way and sometimes they create situation that can provide them an authority to insult. I strongly feel such people are kind of mentally deranged or sick and not worth interacting with.

Also, certain experiences and insults that shook you from inside are very capable to form some particular attitudes and beliefs for the rest of your life. If you think someone is that possessive about this or superstitious about that or simply refuses to let herself/ himself go, prod a little; you will find an insecure child or a confused teen somewhere in her/his soul. Next time, before rushing to form an opinion after the first meeting, just go a little deeper, things may not be what they seem, something else lies beneath.

Happy 'teachers' day !!

Today is teachers’ day and I wish to speak my mind, one thought that has been popping up in my mind for some time. I feel there are basically two types of teachers: type one, whose level of teaching may be good or average but their level of ethics and morals is very high. You can look up to them and see a guiding star. You are deeply affected by their goodness and somewhere start idolizing them.

The type two are those whose teaching may be good or even the very best but they have virtually no ethical code and are sort of unscrupulous beings. These are foul mouthed, show their importance all the time and misuse (read enjoy) their power as much as they can.

I would rather consider it an opportunity that I saw the two types in juxtaposition. We had one of the teachers of the type two, who would keep us waiting outside his office for long time just to make one petty announcement, fiddle with marks, favor his chosen few, crack jokes crossing the limits of decency and then scold us for not laughing (eww! strange but true), would insult us over our (so called) ‘mistakes’ and devised new ways of inflicting mental torture,. The list is endless. Although I, rather we (the entire class) had to bear with a cynical teacher but you value light because you know what darkness is. I would have never seen the goodness and values of one such teacher had the other been not so very devilish.

There was another teacher, the type one, who was really worth calling teacher and was gentle and caring. He would always be available for any help, went of his way to help and would make the class less stressing. Students could count on him for help in any moment of distress and that confidence of pupils in him was his real worth and wealth.

I feel it’s not just the academic gyaan, but a lot of virtues and character that a student imbibes from a teacher. The type two people, I feel, should not enter a sacred profession like teaching. Even now, mere thought of such teachers fills our hearts with hatred and a frown comes unintentionally. The other ones we all still love calling ‘sir’ again and again.

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY, SIR:-D