Thursday, December 20, 2007

A Tribute

Batchmates know me as one who neither helps nor take help while in exams. And trust me, I'm very proud of that, even if I score pathetically , for I never like to share my success with others. If I win, it's my victory and if I fail, it's my failure. I can proudly claim that every mark and grade that I've scored is entirely mine.
Smells arrogance in air..isn't it???........Well, let me tell you from where it all started.
We were in fifth standard in school. The changeover time between two consecutive classes was fully utilized in playing "kith-kith" (the common game played by primary girls) ,the venue being the backyard of the principal's room.As small arguments evolved into noisy quarrels ,a short chubby lady used to appear from no where with her greyish brown eyes on us. A heavy scolding ...and we would fly straight to our classroom. That was how we knew her and was pretty afraid of her. Seniors said , she was the best teacher in school, but I found her very scary.
Yes....by now , my school friends may have recognized the person I'm talking about.
Mina Ghose Madam
She was my English teacher in standard sixth and seventh at school. The fear and apprehensions about her vanished the very first day she came to take our class. As the days passed on and I came to know her better, I could understand why seniors considered her to be the best teacher in school. She was the best teacher I've ever seen and perhaps the best teacher on earth.She was dedication and benevolence personified . In an inhomogeneous class like ours, comprising of students from convents and from Hindi medium, it was her perseverant motivation that brought every student to the same level. I still remember her Grammar Classes. She pointed out, "A common mistake which a number of people make is using a simple sentence as interrogative sentence by changing the tone in which they say. "You will come???" is what a number of convent going kids ask in a interrogative tone. This is a big mistake. It should be "will you come???"". She insisted us to learn five new English words each day from the "Oxford Mini Dictionary" , which she asked every one to carry. Had we been sincere then, chewing the vocabulary for GRE and others wouldn't have been a nightmare.
She was and will always be a motherly figure to me.Her care for students had no vitiation of favouritism...From front-bencher Ravi, to back-bencher Jagdishwar...all received her tender attention alike.
Once she told us an anecdote which had a profound influence on my life.S
he had an examination and during post-exam discussions with her friends, it was found that,all but her had the same answer which was totally different from hers . It was expected that hers would be the wrong answer, for so many couldn't have arrived at the wrong answer. But to their amaze, ma'am had the correct answer. She said "Never adopt unfair means in exam. It is possible that you know the correct answer while your friend doesn't. Have faith on yourself and the courage to face the results."
These words got permanently imprinted in my mind entangled with my conscience. My inner voice never allows me to ask or show answers to my friends during exams. The values given by Mina Ghose Ma'am stops me from telling a lie no matter how harsh the situation be. Yes...I consider myself a very honest person. "Your daughter is honest", she told my father during a Parent-Teacher meeting. The compliment I'll cherish my whole life.

Today, I would like to tell you all, that I owe my success to my Mina Ghose Ma'am. The triumph of getting my first JOB is dedicated to her. The BEST TEACHER and the most inspiring person in my life....MINA GHOSE MA'AM.


Dear Mina Ghose Ma'am ,
Thank you for your love and tenderness. It would have been the best moment to see you smile and congratulate me for my achievement. Your teachings will always enlighten my path. May you be in good health with that charming smile on your chubby cheeks. Kindly bless me for my future.

1 comment:

  1. Thanx a lot bonu, for mending this post(which according to you was previously so mediocre).

    ReplyDelete