This Teachers’ Day, to all those who’ve taught me…

This week I was asked by my editor if I had any opinions on Teachers’ day and how it impacted my life.  At first I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to write about this, but after thinking about it for a couple of hours, I agreed. The thought of embarking on the nostalgic experiences related to all the teachers of my life, motivated me to explore this subject in detail. Here is what I came up with –

Teacher, the word itself is mostly used to describe people who taught you in school or college.  They are teachers, but we often ignore a huge crop of species who have taught us the teeny weeny intricacies of life, with just their presence around us. Here are a few who never got the title of a teacher but deserve it without a doubt:

 

1) Your parents and relatives –  

Who taught you to walk? Who taught you to be yourself? Your parents! Your grandparents taught you to respect your parents and they often taught you about certain ethics of life which you could never get from others. Even your closest relatives have something to offer to you from their kitty of experiences.

2) The wrong decision –

Every decision is subjected to a result. Every result is either positive or negative. If your result is unfavorable, then what you’ve eventually learnt is that you weren’t quite ready for the opportunity. It means, you should try it again, with a bit more precision in mind and hard work in actions.

 

 

3) The paw –

Loyalty and kindness are important ethics of life that ‘Shiro’ can teach you with the simple wag of her tail, and ‘Puss in Boots’ could teach you with the brushing of his cheeks against your leg. In fact there is so much more you can learn from the unconditionally loving furball sitting next to you.

 

4) Mother Nature –

Have you ever sat at the edge of a cliff, stood on the terrace or lied on the beach during sunrise? If you have, you are bound to learn about warmth, punctuality and other subjective feelings that the universal teacher teaches each and every kid free of cost.

5) Music, literature and art –

Songs and lyrics can teach you different things, like literature. Some of it ends up being cheesy while majority of it is inspirational, a reflection of the society and so much more. Authors, poets, and manuscripts have so much to share, so much to teach.

And then there are teachers who explain the intricacies of the above mentioned relationships to the fresh mind which has to digest the material required to prosper in life as a good human being. There are quite a few others whose lessons are equally informative and interactive. So this teacher’s day make sure you wish your teachers. All of them.

Graphic by Naman Sehgal for DU Beat.