TEACHING THEM WHAT COUNTS

 




“Teaching kids to count is fine;

but, teaching them what counts is best.”

Bob Talbert


Last afternoon, a husband and a wife had come to meet me. They wanted to enroll their son for class 11. As usual, I kept addressing them as ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’. As the discussion was progressing, the woman, with a slight amusement, said, “Sir, my husband was your student some thirty years ago… You shouldn’t call him ‘Sir’.”

Well, only after I learnt, that I had taught this gentleman three decades ago, I began to remember him… He was very lean and boyish… Now, he had put on a lot of weight and grown a thick beard, too. Moreover, they both seemed quite affluent the way they carried themselves…

Would I change the gear and call him by his first name, now?

“Annadata sukhibhava,” I said to the woman, a little playfully, but really meaning what I was saying, “A parent is a parent, Ma’am… My student is a parent now… Addressing him as ‘Sir’ will help both of us.”





Just in the morning, yesterday, I tried to contact a young man, who I had taught some fifteen years ago. It was in connection with something I wanted to consult him. Here is how it went…

“Good morning Rohan*, this is Gerry Sir here. Hope you are doing good. Wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. Can you please tell me when can I call you? I had messaged you some two weeks ago. Probably, you have been busy. I had also called you.”

The blue tick on my WhatsApp message had convinced me, that Rohan had seen my message. But, for reasons best known to him, he hadn’t responded… The call had generated an automatic response: “I am busy… Call you later.”

So, here was I, attempting to get in touch with my ex-student, once again, after two weeks…

“10 minutes,” came the reply, this time.

“Should I call you after ten minutes, Rohan?” I  checked.

“Yes.”

“Thanx Rohan, I will call you in ten minutes.”

Exactly after ten minutes, I called Rohan… “Hi Rohan, how are you doing? Hope I am not bothering you.”

“Gerry, this is regarding what?”

Somehow, I did not feel comfortable to proceed with whatever I wanted to discuss with my ex-student, who, I knew was doing ‘really well’ for himself. Thus, I changed the topic and gracefully ended the discussion…

I was wondering, whether, fifteen years ago, I had taught a young kid only counting in life, or what really counted in life…


*Name changed




 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s.:1. Josh Willink/Mikhail Nilov 

Video: Rounded Cube

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...