I never had a good teacher ! Is that right?
My dad got a strange call today from someone had never heard of. I answered the call took the message for him and left it at that. When he came back I informed him about the call. He then told me that the person was his teacher in class 4 and 5. He had written to her a few years back after getting her address with a lot of difficulty. It is almost 35 years since my dad had any kind of contact with her. He never forgot to remember her for who he is today. The gratitude he had for her is what made him write that letter 40 months back for which he got the reply call today.
He returned the call to the number I got from that person. It turned out that it wasn't the teacher who called but her niece. The teacher Ponnammal was terminally ill. She was very sick the symptoms almost sounded like she has been schizophrenic for the last three years. Apparently she never read my dad's letter. Rather she wasn't in any state to do so. She couldn't recognise him even when it was read out to her. Going through her belongings the niece came across this letter and decided to make a call. She only had one request to my dad, that he pray for ponnammal teacher that her end comes sooner and the suffering ends.
My dad's voice was broken even when he was having the conversation with the niece. After he was finished with the call, I could notice that he was moved to tears. He was controlling himself hard, tears were flowing down his cheeks.
He freshened up, finished dinner , collected himself and sat down to talk. He still couldn't talk to me. He was searching for something. Being a very organized man he kept copies of everything. He was searching for a copy of the letter he wrote to his teacher and read it out to me. I realized that he shared a special bond with her and understood why he was so affected.
My dad grew up in a small town. He was a small town boy who dared to dream big and well today he has realized a lot of his dreams. Ponnammal teacher was my grandparents' neighbour in the small town. Her family of 6 adults was supported by her brother -in-law who was a railway police constable. Ponnammal decided to be a bread winner for the family and took her teacher training from a Christian missionary institute from a nearby town. She and her brother in law used to regularly entertain my dad in their house. He was a very curious child eager to learn a lot. He was always quizzed on his general knowledge and also other subjects. Ponnammal used to help my dad learn his lessons well in advance and also make him part of her other teaching methods that she wanted to use in class.
Ponnammal got a job as a junior class teacher in the government middle school as they called it in those days in a nearby village. But my dad kept in touch with her even though they stopped being neighbours. He continued to visit her in school during vacation time and the learning went on. She rose up the ranks and became the headmistress of that school. Her mission in life was to bring up her sister's children. She never married.
After my dad moved to the city for work and got married, he lost touch with her. In the meanwhile she and her family continued to live in that village where she was employed. Her nieces and nephew didn't do too well in studies as she had hoped. This girl who called my dad , when asked what she was doing for a living, she just told him nothing. She said she couldn't study and has been taking care of aunt now for several years and very plainly told him after her aunt's time she would live with her other siblings. This is the irony of life. For a woman who worked so hard to bring up a family, sacrificed everything, who was a big motivation behind a boy realizing his dreams, now had none to help her family and education certainly didn't give them a hand.
My dad said she was a blessed soul. He believed it was a call from his teacher to do remember her during the last days of her life and a chance to say goodbye. He told me that he wanted to do something for that girl. He just didn't know about anything other than taking care of Ponnammal.
I have always had this craving for a good teacher, I never had one and so I believed. Until today I realized that thought I may not have had good teachers in school and college, but I had the greatest teacher from the day I was born , my dad. It would be unfair if I do not mention about my sister. I am what I am and what I have achieved so far only because I was born with two great teachers. I didn't have to go anywhere. I am grateful for what I have. After today hopefully the lesson I have learnt will stay with me forever.
I am lucky to be alive and not suffering. I stop cribbing about things I don't have or did not have because things are there I never saw them or acknowledged their presence in my life. I pray for ponnammal teacher too that her suffering ends faster. God give her and her family the strength they need. God give me the vision to see things that are there in my life.
My dad got a strange call today from someone had never heard of. I answered the call took the message for him and left it at that. When he came back I informed him about the call. He then told me that the person was his teacher in class 4 and 5. He had written to her a few years back after getting her address with a lot of difficulty. It is almost 35 years since my dad had any kind of contact with her. He never forgot to remember her for who he is today. The gratitude he had for her is what made him write that letter 40 months back for which he got the reply call today.
He returned the call to the number I got from that person. It turned out that it wasn't the teacher who called but her niece. The teacher Ponnammal was terminally ill. She was very sick the symptoms almost sounded like she has been schizophrenic for the last three years. Apparently she never read my dad's letter. Rather she wasn't in any state to do so. She couldn't recognise him even when it was read out to her. Going through her belongings the niece came across this letter and decided to make a call. She only had one request to my dad, that he pray for ponnammal teacher that her end comes sooner and the suffering ends.
My dad's voice was broken even when he was having the conversation with the niece. After he was finished with the call, I could notice that he was moved to tears. He was controlling himself hard, tears were flowing down his cheeks.
He freshened up, finished dinner , collected himself and sat down to talk. He still couldn't talk to me. He was searching for something. Being a very organized man he kept copies of everything. He was searching for a copy of the letter he wrote to his teacher and read it out to me. I realized that he shared a special bond with her and understood why he was so affected.
My dad grew up in a small town. He was a small town boy who dared to dream big and well today he has realized a lot of his dreams. Ponnammal teacher was my grandparents' neighbour in the small town. Her family of 6 adults was supported by her brother -in-law who was a railway police constable. Ponnammal decided to be a bread winner for the family and took her teacher training from a Christian missionary institute from a nearby town. She and her brother in law used to regularly entertain my dad in their house. He was a very curious child eager to learn a lot. He was always quizzed on his general knowledge and also other subjects. Ponnammal used to help my dad learn his lessons well in advance and also make him part of her other teaching methods that she wanted to use in class.
Ponnammal got a job as a junior class teacher in the government middle school as they called it in those days in a nearby village. But my dad kept in touch with her even though they stopped being neighbours. He continued to visit her in school during vacation time and the learning went on. She rose up the ranks and became the headmistress of that school. Her mission in life was to bring up her sister's children. She never married.
After my dad moved to the city for work and got married, he lost touch with her. In the meanwhile she and her family continued to live in that village where she was employed. Her nieces and nephew didn't do too well in studies as she had hoped. This girl who called my dad , when asked what she was doing for a living, she just told him nothing. She said she couldn't study and has been taking care of aunt now for several years and very plainly told him after her aunt's time she would live with her other siblings. This is the irony of life. For a woman who worked so hard to bring up a family, sacrificed everything, who was a big motivation behind a boy realizing his dreams, now had none to help her family and education certainly didn't give them a hand.
My dad said she was a blessed soul. He believed it was a call from his teacher to do remember her during the last days of her life and a chance to say goodbye. He told me that he wanted to do something for that girl. He just didn't know about anything other than taking care of Ponnammal.
I have always had this craving for a good teacher, I never had one and so I believed. Until today I realized that thought I may not have had good teachers in school and college, but I had the greatest teacher from the day I was born , my dad. It would be unfair if I do not mention about my sister. I am what I am and what I have achieved so far only because I was born with two great teachers. I didn't have to go anywhere. I am grateful for what I have. After today hopefully the lesson I have learnt will stay with me forever.
I am lucky to be alive and not suffering. I stop cribbing about things I don't have or did not have because things are there I never saw them or acknowledged their presence in my life. I pray for ponnammal teacher too that her suffering ends faster. God give her and her family the strength they need. God give me the vision to see things that are there in my life.
posted by Euphoric Madness! | 10:27 pm
1 Comments:
hmm..... pretty moving!! MAK-la padichittu ippdi teachers ethirpaarkka koodaathu :-)
jus kidding!!
guess who?!?!
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