Thakur Sir

It was a Sunday morning. We; my parents, my sister and me all were in deep sleep after returning from the Ganesh festival at our native place Murud Janjira, the house bell rang. My father saw it and came rushing to me saying “Thakur Sir!!” I bounced up like a spring not knowing what to do now?? All of us woke up from there and rushed inside the room, got freshen up and came infront of Sir. Instead of scolding me of missing Sunday Coaching of Seventh Scholarship class, Sir scolded my parents, saying if the parents can’t control their sleep then it is foolish of me to expect it from their 12 year child. This incidence is imprinted not only on my mind but even my parents can’t let it go. That’s Thakur Sir.

APJ Abdul Kalam, former President said in Ignited Mind, to have one primary teacher makes a deep impact on one’s life. I was extremely lucky to have one in the form of Thakur Sir. I have learnt a lot from him, without him actually preaching all that.

Discipline: Sir is the first disciplined fellow came to my life. I was and am still much unorganized, not to-the-core-punctual, doing many things simultaneously, absent-minded etc. But at every point Sir is completely opposite to me. Initially I used to be late in the class especially when I had to come early. Somewhere at time I learned that best way to be on time for a chap like me is to reach early! If you have missed homework, then you will be punished not by bitting but by non-cooperation, putting you aside. There is hardly anything disheartening than this if you have slightest of self-worth in you. It worked with me many times. It took me later on many years to actually value the importance of discipline almost 15 years, but I know what it is and how it could build or kill you. The knowledge acquired that time, was useful for me to develop my mathematical abilities. I could get through State Talent Search, National Talent Search –interview just by the basics gotten through at early times.

Self-lessness: They say they don’t make people like this anymore. I mean, everybody wants money, who does not? Nowadays private coaching classes are the highest earning revenue models. But Sir took a free of charge seventh scholarship classes of us. As the anecdote goes, give by right hand such that even the left hand remains unknown about it. He never flaunted it even by mistake. There used to be a screening test for one to get through the class. You could be asked table from 2 to 30. I was very petrified to have been appearing for the test. I had butterflies in my stomach. And unexpectedly I got through!! That was the first time, a sense of superiority brushed through me. That was the only time of my school life, when I enjoyed learning, rest all was made for marks, sheer mugging. I wonder he never expected a single penny from any of us!! At the end of the class, mind you, it was the first tragic separation from someone to whom I secretly admired deeply. We went on to gift him a pen set worth Rs 50 or so at the last class. Sir humbly refused to take it. Since we emotionally appealed him, after contemplating for almost an hour in front of all, he kept it. I could not forget that moment, Sir with his folded hand, banian, half pant, spectacle….looking at the ground deeply…with a sense of extreme spirituality. Accepting a pen set worth Rs 50 from about ten of us for a yearly coaching, could not have been a tribute to what we went through. Today I would have gone ahead with just a tight hug and nothing else. But at 12 years, you can’t help but do that. At the day of exam, like a coach, he had brought curd-rice for all of us and without asking how it was, he was feeding it to us, and bucking us up for the next delivery. How selfless one could be. He has always remained an ideal for me for how much you can trouble yourself for others and at the end of the day what you have is immense satisfaction, irrespective of how much of it is repaid back to you.

Love: Sir is as affectionate as much disciplined. Sir knew I like a guava among all the fruits. He has always kept a guava from his own garden especially for me because all others used to eat everything given to them but I was choosy. Till today I get those guavas at my home. At the hindsight, I feel a child need a disciplined affection for growth and one lame is without another. Even after 7th standard, he was integral part of all my decisions; going to Ruparel College after 10th, opting Chemical engineering at UDCT after 12th, joining Pradan after Lubrizol. He was there everywhere. Looking at my health at 12th, he was cautious if I could tolerate the chemical fumes/gases/products that were seen in my college. He even consulted some of the doctors, took opinions of my seniors and once when I reacted to this what is long-life worth if it’s lived against one wishes, he laughed a lot and said you know what you are doing, go ahead. After two year in industry when I decided to join NGO, he first showed a great concern, later on when got convinced; he literally announced to the whole city that my son is “mad” enough to take a different path. Little he knows that he is implicitly a big impression for me to do it.

Sir has always been accompanied by his mother-in-law, whom we always called Ajji. Ajji is a Sanskrit and Marathi scholar. Ajji taught us marathi, which is one of the subjects for scholarship exam. She is blessed with strong memory, I had always astonished as she used to hum her childhood poems. Her pronunciation of marathi words is exemplary, as if that’s how we should speak the languages, as sweet as sugar! She is a wonderful cook, I have had pleasure various time to eat fish and modak-ladoo made by her. Actually modak-ladoo is Lord Ganesha’s favourite food and they are prepared in Ganesh festival. But whenever ‘this ganesha’ kept on going to meet them even otherwise the festival, modak-ladoo were prepared especially for me. I have admired her clarity in whatever she did.

I wish him on teacher’s day. From my first ever salary, I brought him a pair of shirt and pant piece. Yet I am so full of him.. How can I pay tribute to Thakur Sir..