I just now finished watching the film Dead poets society and the last scene is not allowing me to shut down the system and just go. And as for that movie - it talks about the influence a teacher makes in a group of teenager students and a tragic turn of events - which drove me back into some memories in my own life. How my teachers influenced me and all of us, and the tragic death of Sijin. Dont want to talk much about this sad topic , horrible , disturbing. I prepared with him for Model exams , Xth standard. He was in his handsome melancholic humorous best those days. And on a cursed night he got misled by situations..We all love you mate.I remember going home after class with you once , In front of the grand opera theatre we were walking and at that time you talked about taking a 'summer cut' hairstyle in some weeks..
Emotionally disturbed moments stay in the memory for a lifetime. The mathematics equations and ordinary people dont.
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Teachers are gods messengers and I was fortunate to meet many great ones. Teaching in itself is blessed , they need not be forgiving mother theresas or gandhijis , they can cut us , beat us and make us Cry. Which I very often did till high school. Teachers made the most of emotional impressions until I came to college.
There were a lot many who impressed long lasting impressions and influenced our moments. Those moments stay fresh and replayable still. We met giants in the field of teching. Giants in psychology. Giants in leadership. Strict teachers and meek teachers. Friendly teachers and Unfriendly teachers. But all were humans and we students respected the imperfections (I dont know about my fellow students , but I do respect , and these are true words because I dont need to impress teachers anymore to get more sessional marks or less beatings) For example In our Circuits class in engineering , our professor used to cuss us all , indiscriminately. And that indiscrimination made me a silent admirer of his. Some teachers discriminated based on hostelite/day scholar, or topper/others .. but here he was ruining us all. What a thrill. Justice flowed like honey in the circuits lab.
Good moments of my boyhood list out my christmases, my cricket moments, my scholarly victories, even my 'GEM of AKJM' (I have changed a lot now anyway!).. moments with friends, specially my homies Joys , etc... When we played in the monsoon rain with plastic bag - head covers and enjoyed the pace of the slipping ball.. when we returned home sweaty to the best households in village in terms of freedom to children (thanks for letting me loose my parents!!)..Moments when we sensed love - when we realised that some people loves us the way we are.. Scary moments and curling up in the bed when there was a thunderstorm. Sadness.. Insecurity.. They all etched its graffitti in my prized brain. And right up there are the moments all about being a student of a teacher..
Teachers seem not to care what their students think about them and they go about doing their blessed job with such passion - just like how some girls have no idea how seriouslythey influence some boys and that makes them all the more attractive . Sometimes they beat the shit out of our asses but the very teacher might be the one to congratulate us on our SSLC heroics. Ordinary students get confused even..! (And extra ordinary students go acknowledge it through blogs :))
One post published up there in the AKJM school community in orkut is about the best teacher we had. Such enormous response. Almost everyone with cheap net access voted (I forgive the rest as the owner of the community).... Mathew sir with his teleporting skills(We would be in battlefields and cradles of humanity in some classes.. He would talk emotionally about human dignity).. Georgekutty sir disciplining us , Varkey sir with his friendly-uncle-smile.. Luke Sir with his panache and all the latin knowledge.. I took to loving malayalam in John sirs class. I wanted to impress him because he was such a special human being and a teacher. From there on I dared to write my essays on many stages and I started writing informal junk and other things (Chori - fic).. in magazines and wherever possible..
Paul Sir was one of the best persons. We AKJM sons fondly remember his classes - his special punishments - his songs - 'Jolly Miller' .. his jokes.. ("Son failed , Father Munch").. I was a favorite in his class. Not just because I was a good student , but also because my father and himself were once colleagues. A great communicator and teacher himself unlike me, my father once told about some AKJM memories. One included a sports competition in which James sir defeated his colleagues including Paul Sir, the defending champion among teachers.
Whenever I reflect about my teachers, I feel more worthy and loved. I feel I am a refined person. High school specially , influenced a lot. Thanks to all of our teachers... Without you we would never have become who we are... Thanks Paul sir.. Without great souls like you I wouldnt even be writing this blog or ever thankfully meditate about the blessedness of being submissive to great teachers.
