To my Teachers

To my Teachers

An attempt that explores varied facets of human life has to obey logic and conscience as the two divine dictates streamlining the thought. Such a pre-condition offers the right frame to stay in, even as we ponder over a panorama of items. After all, what confers a degree of freedom on to us in surveying the vast territory-‘the life’ is just the experience through exposure. Who but the teachers bring forth the exposure cum experience in life? Rightly, the experience that provides the exposure also enjoys the status of a teacher – certainly for those who have had to live through mere exposure and learn.

Be that as it may, every one learns through life in the confines of class rooms and/ or the limitless expanse –“the world”. While a teacher puts us on the track, learning from experience is a little more complicated event, as one faces a couple of failures before ‘learning to learn’. That brings us to the focal point of this piece –‘the teachers’. Honestly, the term teacher is not a reference to a designation, but, a solemn reverence to those who ‘taught’ us. The demarcation is from the functional elegance of teaching, in raising the acumen and curiosity of the learners.

It is an exceptionally fine nuance to draw and keep the learner in a possessive spell from which the learner refuses to stray off. Like a tamed elephant keeping pace with the master, an ardent student lends self to the dictates of the teacher, only if and when the teacher-taught ensemble enjoys the unique rapport borne out of a fabric of mental continuity between them. It has been substantiated in all scriptures that ‘life’ is too short a span to acquire complete knowledge, leave alone conquering the same. What little has been acquired largely owes itself to the best of our teachers but for whom, the scale of progression would have been even more tedious and ridiculously unpredictable. I shudder to think of a process of ‘learning all by self’ as, the time and energy needed would be fatiguing to kill the very instinct. Some may differ from this observation; but, I have had the benefits of grooming by teacher’s brilliance. It makes my conviction strong and clear that a “teacher by performance” is an indispensably important entity to the society.

If something has ever been acquired, I feel, the largest quantum of credit must go to my teachers. It is they who sharpened my skills by sheer demonstration of articulation in interaction. In the process, they influenced my approach to learning and thus to teaching. Not a day in my life passes without at least a brief recall of those immaculate personalities. Among them, the one keeping slot number one has been Late Prof. T.R. Balakrishna of Mysore, who infused so much enthusiasm into me for what I am now. One can quickly recognize the volume of ignition I received from him, if after 57 years of segregation from him the degree of veneration that I proudly hold for his prowess in teaching. At this very moment, I seek his blessings for the present endeavour of mine; I thank every other teacher who has helped in shaping my outlook to the aspects of life and living.  Blessed we would be, if all those teachers bless the present effort of mine, for, they have been the ones who shaped my desire for a purposeful career with an incessant drive to strive in attaining perfection. Indeed teaching is a noble pursuit if carried out to ‘reach all minds’. Certainly it is a rewarding exercise of immeasurable satisfaction to all participants. With thankful respects to my teachers, let me explore the territory.

 Necessarily we may have to look at domains that cater to shaping our life.    Indeed it is a pleasant event to re-live the past in an effort to recall the path we tread. Kindly recall your formative days and rejoice how we were equipped by sheer human support.         

Prof. K. Raman