On Teacher's Day...

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Teacher's Day was always celebrated with great enthusiasm and fan-fare back in school. No classes were held and we students put up plays or shows to entertain our teachers - for which we would have started rehearsing all by ourselves, weeks back! It was a day of fun for both the students and the teachers (hopefully they didn't get bored to death watching our shows!).

I think I got enamored by the field of English, Journalism/Writing simply because I had such fantastic English teachers. Although I was not a topper, generally my performance in studies used to be above-average. I was always interested in English as a subject, but from my 8th standard onwards, I found my ideas, essays and answers being well-appreciated by my English teachers. Seeing those stars and congratulatory stickers stuck on my answer sheets made me glow with happiness. And I guess that it was then that I started believing that I was actually good, if not great, at something.

I get so irritated when, on hearing that English was/is my favourite subject, some people remark, "Oh why because it was easy is it?!". Well, the answer is a big, fat NO. Firstly, in my school, we had quality English teachers - not people who simply made us learn everything by rote, but rather women who cared enough and were passionate enough to take the trouble to explain the intricacies of the language and who helped me realize, recognize and appreciate the beauty and depth of both prose and poetry. They took the time and effort to awaken a genuine interest in us. What can I say? They succeeded! I still remember my high-school English classes, poems and lessons we were taught, with fond memories and today I can confidently say that I have taken up Writing as a career, because of my awesome English teachers. To be more specific, two of the most loved English teachers were Ms.Nandini and Ms.Soans - I'm sure that no one who studied under them will ever forget them!

I was fortunate to be educated at one of the leading schools in Chennai. But there are so many young children who do not have access to basic education - thereby building their entire future on a rocky and unstable foundation. All teachers are always special for the role they play in shaping the dreams and ideals of future generations, but the teachers who reach out to such disadvantaged children, definitely deserve a special mention. This is a story of one such teacher - Mangal Madam, associated with an NGO called Colors. Head over to Women's Web to read my article on her here.

So who was your favourite teacher? What do you fondly recall about him/her? Please share with me!