Hello dear readers! Trust all of you are safe and going about life in your own great ways. Life is Beautiful and let us all enjoy it always. 

Maggie has gone on a trekking expedition as she had told Jaggy. They will not be having a conversation this time around and they will be back for the next. In this blog I have decided to write about teachers as we all are nothing and would not have been whatever we are without them.

5^th of September every year is celebrated as Teachers Day in India. On this day in 1888 a gentleman by name Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born in Tiruttani a part of the Madras state as it was called. This humble man rose from being a teacher to being the First Vice President of independent India and then went on to be the 2^nd President of the country.  He was extremely popular as a teacher wherever he had taught. When he took the oath of office and secrecy his students approached him and wanted his birthday to be celebrated as a special day to which the great man replied let it be celebrated as Teachers Day in India. Such was the humility of this man who was awarded the highest civilian honour of India the BHARAT RATNA in 1954.

He said, “The true teachers are those who help us think for ourselves.” Nothing describes this more aptly than the story narrated below.

There was once a King who asked his council of ministers as to what is the profession which has made the kingdom what it is today?

Minister 1: “Dear King the Engineers are the ones who have made the kingdom what it is today as they have built the infrastructure without which there is nothing.”

King: “Then get the best engineer and let us reward him.”

Minister 2: “No my dear King it the Soldiers who protect the kingdom, otherwise we all would have been slaves.”

King: “Let us reward the best soldier too.”

Minister 3: “I feel it is the Doctors my dear king without whom all of us would have died of the various ailments that we have. It is due to them the wellness of the kingdom is Excellent.”

King: “Then let us reward the best Doctor.”

Minister 4: “Dear King Infrastructure, Army, Health care all require money to operate, and it is the business community that makes it happen.” 

King: “Let us reward the best businessman also.”

Soon the court of the king was filled with the best people from many professions and the dilemma faced by the king was whom to reward?

He turned to the Prime Minister and looked at him quizzically.

Prime Minister: “I knew it my dear King that when you are confused you will come to me. Please wait for some time.”

The Prime Minister went out and came back after a while. The tension in the court of the king was palpable till the Prime Minister returned. He came and along with came a frail old lady. Seeing the old lady all the best professionals who had gathered stood up with folded hands. The courtiers and ministers and in fact everyone in the court stood up. The King who was sitting all the while too stood up ignoring the fact that he as a king need not stand.

King: “Pray tell me dear prime minister who is this old lady and on seeing her everyone has stood up?”

Prime Minister: “She is the teacher who has taught most of the people in this court your Majesty and on seeing her the students naturally stood up.”

The story conveys the fact that Teaching teaches all professions. No matter what we are, who we are we all have been created by teachers. Even the teachers who taught us had their teachers. On this Teachers Day, I salute all the teachers who have graced my life. My parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, teachers, in school and college, my friends in my personal and professional life, my mentors and Gurus without whom I just don’t exist. Thank you for making me what I am today.

GURUR BRAMHA GURUR VISHNU GURUR DEVO MAHESHWARA

GURUR SAAKSHAT PARAMBRAMHA TASMAI SREE GURAVE NAMAH.

The words above in the divine language Sanskrit mean that the teachers are absolute and salutation to them. Just as a potter creates a pot out of mud, a sculptor creates a statue, a jeweller identifies a diamond from a rock it is the Teachers who help us discover ourselves.

Proud to have become a Teacher and Trainer in Emergency Response and, Human resource development. We are all teachers in a way. Let us learn and teach for ever as without teachers even teachers would not have been there.

Seshadri Varadarajan.