Good morning, Principal Sir!

Mata, Pita, Guru, Deivam.

Such is the importance of Teachers (Gurus) in our lives that they precede God. When asked, a saint gave an epiphany "Guru precedes God because it is the Guru who shows us the God and His true essence!"

To the point. This year's Teacher's Day is special to me. Since, my Alma Mater's Principal SAdhiappan was honored by a Teacher's Award by the Prime Minister of India. Frankly, I did not know about it until 8th September, when my father was scrolling through Facebook. It was past midnight when he came to my room and announced, "Your headmaster won an award from Modiji!" I couldn't contain myself. A phantasmagoria of memories came flashing through my mind.

Back in 2007, after my 10th standard board exams, we were discussing which school to opt for. My father suggested, "Why not Motilal Fomra?". "Moti what?", I retorted. "Yes! I studied there. It's a great school and you'll learn a lot of practical things". I wondered what 'practical' things I could possibly learn. I knew Algebra, Civics, quadratic equations, Nuclear Fission reactions, et al. We went to the narrow lanes of Sowcarpet where the school stood. The façade of the school was amazing, it had a semblance of a temple. We made our way to the headmaster's room. There he was, S. Adhiappan sir. I didn't realize the gem in him until an hour passed in his company. He made me appear for an entrance test; in the mean time my father talked to him and to his former Accountancy Sir. I noticed that he received several accolades for his contribution to teacherhood.  Under the school's aegis, a lad scored State 2nd rank in Hindi!

A little forward, and I'm sitting in the classroom preparing for a school program. I was the emcee, I had never done a thing like this before. My class teacher knew this, and insisted that I do it. Minutes before the program, Principal Sir came to me and uttered some magic words to me. "Take a few deep breaths. Stay calm. Don't forget to show respect in your voice. And do what you do best!" The program was a success. He helped me find my niche. I hone my oratory skills by participating in debates, speech competitions and more.

I was selected to emcee for the Sports Day!

Months went past our eyes and there we were, a day before our 12th standard board exams. He looked at his batch, his eyes told what his mouth didn't. He was proud of us, no matter how smart or silly or dumb or athletic we were. The results came, and he spotted me. He congratulated me, "Good job! You've come first in Science group!" I touched his feet, and he gladly blessed me. The time was around 9am, since the daily prayer chants were reverberating throughout the school building. "Time and Tide wait for none. Best Wishes.", he signed in my autograph book.

When I was studying in college, I did a stint in home-tutoring. The kids were small, jovial and hardly interested in studies! I found a way to make studies interesting to them. I started narrating them the science behind counting numbers and the grammar behind the usage of "its" and "it's". Tough it was, but the results made me forget everything. Their mother would give me an occasional cup of tea at times when I would go there straight from college. She would voice her concern when her children would not show results, and would be on cloud nine when her daughter would score a 5 on 5! I realized that teaching is all about passion, it cannot be forced. When they scored beyond my expectations, I would walk all the way my home with a smile on my face. Being a teacher to someone is in itself a blessing.

Here I am; graduated in B.Sc. Chemistry, worked in one of the best companies in the world, and currently preparing for civil services. But I still remember my Principal Sir. His gestures, his words, and his etiquette has influenced me a lot. Not only his, but all my teachers have influenced me greatly. It is my math teacher who advised me "not to write the answer to a math problem unless you fully understood the logic behind it"! In fact, my teachers have made me the Vk that I am. A belated Teacher's day wishes to all of them. I want to see glee in their eyes, the kind seen when a teacher meets her successful student after a long time.