Celebrating September - Being Steady

Failure is often precious than success!

Yes, many had been watching the moon last night for science to unfurl magic. No 'good effort' goes in vain. So, like many others, I too have faith that team in ISRO will rebounce and make it bigger someday soon. You have inspired the nation!

With that, back to my promised stories for September on three impactful teachers from my pre university days. My physic teacher had asked who teaches you maths. I said – “Ojha Sir”. Till date I know him that way and had never asked his full name.

Some pre-cursor. I was rejected by two teachers who I thought will agree to coach me. They were respected teachers and coached many minds. I was quite proud of my maths score in school board exam and had an undue confidence. One of these teachers said his batches were full and I was late. I realized that time is an important factor, sometimes more than merit. Second one was unexpected and I think about it deeper today than I did at that time. Yes, his son had married a girl from my college possibly a year back. Not sure about the family matter, but the outcome of this marriage was he stopped coaching girls. My network was poor, I got to know this quite late. It was a situational discrimination.

Someone said – ‘You see, this is called fate!’.

Right, that took me to this retired teacher who taught me maths and prepared me to cross the +2 check-post.

Mrs. Menon, Mrs. Iyengar and Mrs. Venkatesh a trio-series taught me school maths. In debt to each one of them as they made my love for this subject deeper with each promotion. The day when I meet Ojha Sir, had named them. I was rejected twice and had to make my case stronger for his acceptance in my own way. He looked at me and asked – “Who taught you at home?”

I looked at my father who stood beside me to support, like he had done for many other days.

“Father is the best teacher.” – He commented. I got enrolled.

Later in life I deep dived into this statement. Father was an embodiment of parents. Touch of parents in children’s learning curve is an important element. Somewhere the knowledge givers dovetailed in that short comment. And now years after I feel touch of young minds in your progressive learning curve is equally important today. They learn and unlearn so fast.

We were ten girls and he had ten ways to interact. Same problem he showed how there were ten ways to solve. And what makes one solve fast when time was a lever. He had no hurry. He was like ever available to help you solve your problems. The classes always ended with a humour. That was the routine. His gesture taught maths is not a bunch of formulas and theorems, it was art of being calm when you solve problems.

Started with Trigonometry and last chapter was possibly on hyperbola. Hyper minds were busy in preparing for board and entrance exams.

Almost prepared and timers were giving a good sense of preparation in the mock test series. Solving the problems before peers was an implicit goal. Had appeared one day for such a test and realized I got a different question paper. My goal dissolved. I struggled and half did it. Initially the dissatisfaction of low score was bothering. With a disheartened mind was cycling back and half way made a U-turn. He was reading newspaper. Seemed like he expected me.

He asked me to take a place. Tuition classrooms are part of life. After a while you have a fixed place of preference. I went cutting across the room to take the mora (common cane chair) in the corner. We spoke for an hour.

“Today I gave you some hard problems in purpose.”

He continued – “I call these as speed breakers. Today I designed them for you. When you walk the same road every day it is not a problem anymore. It is good to challenge and be ready to face hurdles.” Today, it is new norm every day.  

Last time when I meet him, he was unwell. We spoke for couple of hours. “Doctors said not to have too much water. Life long heard, one needs to have plenty of water. Life is now teaching me otherwise. There is something to learn till the end.” We ended with his signature humour.

Am sure you too had one teacher in your life like this. 

..And Sir, you are not around, but your lessons are. You remain one of my best life coaches!

Celebrating September - Getting Ready

The spell of autumn brings back memories of teachers.

This September, sharing stories of three impactful teachers from my pre-university days.

Today, starting with my +2 Physics teacher. We all called him ‘PKM’ Sir. Even he too, acknowledged this name of his. He was a professor of the Engineering College, called REC then. Yes, we took tuition from him. That is how the world would see. I realized much later, I learnt much more than Physics from him. And I know it is just not me!

My school leaving board results were yet to be out. Two of the neighbouring boys who scored great in entrance suggested his name. Blindfold enthused with their success I went and got myself enrolled. Yes, he did have a word and reviewed by class X results. It was not all that great but my maths and science was good enough to cross the toll gate. It was just a few years that English as a subject, was dropped from the entrance exam in our state. But what mattered was Physics, Chemistry, Bio and Maths - Mission Entrance, started!

“Who is coaching you on maths?”

I named someone.

“Great! Maths and Physics will meet somewhere, so the trains have to run in parallel.” The sense of assimilation of knowledge, that was just a message for me, then. There is an emotion called 'peer-respect' a bond that is much beyond how maths and physics are entwined. Over years I realized the sense that was left between the words.

Mrs. Biswas, our strict school physics teacher had taught us enough to face this learned teacher with all confidence till the pages of Newton’s laws. With trajectory and DPC's (the famous curriculum book) harder problem texts turning lengthy, life was not easy. Forms of energy unfolded one after the other in his classes. Once in a week that was the routine.

Looking at the problems and posing as a great thinker, we looked at each other. He gave hints. Now look at it. He said there are always a few simple problems in the one single hard one. Search them. Though have not been able to solve all problems in life, many a times this magic still works for me!

Unprepared us often avoided eye contact with him. The worst used to be, he would randomly pick (how accurate he would be to pick the one who was most unprepared) and table a question. Continuous pick and choose made all of us well prepared one day. We had appeared for our TEST (college selection for board exam) and were in revision phase. He said now if you fumble to teach the chapters to someone-else be sure you have something yet to learn there. What a checklist!

The college had closed and we were getting ready for the series of exams. The tuition classes were over, mock tests almost coming to an end. That was the last day at his place. A learned teacher, a strict coach, a witty man, who never forgot to celebrate when the football club of his choice won the regional games, shared some wisdom on the last day of our tuition.

The batch before and the batch after always appear to get the easy papers. And the fun is every batch thinks so. In the exam hall when the paper looks too tough for you, be sure it appears tough for all. It is always a fair play!

The physics question paper in the entrance exam ditto matched his predictions. He knew, it was happening! But later I realized this was not that single exam it is valid for life.

It’s long time I meet him. I forgot many chapters of the physics book. But these conversations stayed back. Sir, you have been one of my best coach for life!

All of us have one such teacher in our life. One teacher who had influenced many ways to get ready!