Teacher's day

This Teacher’s Day I remembered or rather missed Narendrapur (NDP) for two reasons – one, the greatest teacher who taught me, Ajit da is no more and second, it had been ten years since I celebrated Teacher’s Day. A Teacher’s Day would be a celebration in any school, but in NDP it had a different meaning. Like everything else in NDP we celebrated Teacher’s Day differently. On every Teacher’s Day the students used to get an opportunity to teach a lesson or two to their revered and knowledgeable teachers. In a way it was simple role reversal. But it had a lot of meaning to lot of us. Some took it as an opportunity to showcase their teaching skills and some took it as an opportunity to make a mockery of our very humble teachers. To top it all, the day used to end with a football match featuring the teachers and students in two different teams. Mind you, it was no ordinary match – a full-fledged eleven a side football match on an 80x120 yard playing pitch (and not on a ground the size of a backyard) with the teachers and students cheering for their teams. All the cards were involved in the game. But the match was always refereed by a teacher. Nothing big was at stake but the pride was big enough stake to motivate each team. In the eight years which I spent at NDP, I think on most occasions the students used to win the match. Those days were pure fun…

This Teacher’s Day was also a celebration of sorts, which actually had started late on a Saturday evening. The evening was great in company of friends…and later ended with a sumptuous meal at Al-Jawahar, the famous Mughlai restaurant near Jama Masjid. The next day, I watched one of the better movies I have ever watched – Dead Poets Society. Starring Robin Williams at his motivational best, the film actually made me nostalgic about NDP. The story somewhat resembled the life at NDP – a boys hostel, strict time table, a strict principal and above all excellent teachers like Mr. Keating (played by Robin Williams in the movie). I especially liked the last scene when Mr. Keating was leaving the classroom, and his beloved students were standing on their desks. After the movie, it was time for me to say good-bye to my friend…my heart was heavy thinking about office the next day…