WHO TAUGHT US NOT TO LOSE STRENGTH, NOT TO LOSE HOPE?

March 20, 2015

Pic.: Alka Chawra

One of the most humbling moments in the life of a teacher – at least in my life – is when, many, many years later, your student comes back to you to give you back that priceless lesson, which you had imparted to him or her several years ago. Your lesson had empowered the student when he or she needed it the most. And, now, here comes the student to empower you, when you need it the most!

I believe, this happens to all teachers several times in their lives…

The students grow up to become great physicians and surgeons… and they come back to treat their teacher… The teacher has lost strength… also, hope…”Teacher, it was you who taught us not to lose strength, not to lose hope,” the student, now, reminds the teacher…

The students grow up to become Lawyers, Psychologists, Chartered Accountants, School teachers and Principals; they become Architects, Builders, Bank Mangers, movie and sports stars, even Ministers and Clergymen… They all come back to their teachers, who have, now, become weak, tired, perhaps, a bit cynical… Yes, just to remind them, “Teacher, it was you who taught us not to lose strength and hope.”

I have been blessed to empower thousands of young boys and girls, over all these years. Many of them, now, hold fine positions in life… More importantly, they hold great expertise and right contacts. Today, when you need it the most, they appear and assure you, “Don’t worry teacher; what we are giving you is what we had gained from you.”

After almost twenty-five years or so, Alka, a dear student of mine, came to meet me with her husband, Prasad (who was not my student and had never met me before). A couple of hours before that, while talking to her over the phone , Alka could sense, that I badly needed some help in a certain area, which happened to be the area of their expertise. “Sir, it was you who taught us not to lose strength, not to lose hope,” my student reminded me from the other end, “I am coming right away; don’t worry.”

In less than an hour, Alka appeared, along with her exceptionally-gifted husband. We spent over two hours together discussing many things… Yes, that included my ‘problem’!

Mysteriously, after talking to Alka over the phone this morning, my mind went back to a powerful scene in the Hindi movie, ‘Saaransh’. Some thirty years had passed by and I had never thought of it, consciously, any time during this period. But, today, I revisited the scene and felt, there was some divine connection… a divine reason. When Alka and Prasad settled in my office, I told them about the scene and played it…