Shilpa Attavar

Teachers’ Day is celebrated in India on the fifth of September every year as a mark of tribute to the contribution made by teachers to society. 5th September is the birthday of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India, a saunch believer of education, celebrated writer, a well-known diplomat, scholar and above all, an inspirational teacher. Teaching is one of the noblest professions – if not the noblest.

A teacher is the embodiment of selflessness and sacrifice. The lessons learned from teachers remain with their students throughout life. Truly, it is said that:

“A good teacher is like a candle that consumes itself, only to light the way for others”.

Teachers’ Day is a day that is eagerly looked forward to by teachers and students alike. It is on this day that teachers get the recognition they deserve for all the efforts they put in, in moulding the lives of their students. It is a day filled with fun for the students also, as in various schools students dress up as their teachers and take classes that are assigned to the teachers they represent. As the day passes the students perform the regular activities that are performed by the teachers. On this day students realize the true meaning and significance of a teacher’s role in their lives. They become conscious of what it takes to be a teacher and what it means to be in command of the future of students. For the teachers too, it is a welcome break in the monotony and they are reminded what it felt like when they were students themselves.

The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself. The best teacher is one who not only teaches but creates an atmosphere where learning takes place.

We should always respect our teachers. Teachers need encouragement and support from society; and must be made to realize that their devotion to students is appreciated.

When I look back on my younger days, one teacher who stands out and who has always been a friend, philosopher and guide; and a mentor in every sense of the term is none other than Sir C B Mishra, my Business Studies and Accountancy teacher when I was a student of Std. XI and XII in Shiksha Bharati Public School, Dwarka. Mishra Sir, as he is popularly known, is self-motivated, confident, determined and focused. Apart from being an M. Com. and B Ed., he plays a very active role in Bharat Scouts & Guides; and the National Cadet Corps. Having won several awards and accolades for his distinguished performance not only as an outstanding Scout and in NCC but also for being a motivating teacher, Mishra Sir is also the Additional District Commissioner in Bharat Scouts & Guides. Always wearing the ‘thinking cap’, he never loses hope. You can count on him to take up everything positively, including failures and disappointments. Mishra Sir always used to tell us, “Positive pictures come from negatives developed in a dark room”. He would always remind us that whenever we felt lonely and in dark, we must understand God is working on a beautiful picture.

This soft spoken and jovial educator was the favourite of all students. Of course, the students feared him as much as they loved and respected him. Strict disciplinarian that he was – and still is – the well-being of his students is always his first concern. Students readily go to him with their difficulties, with the firm assurance that a solution to their problems will always be forthcoming. Mishra Sir as he is popularly known listens patiently to our troubles and suggests a remedy. Many of his former students are in touch with him even today. They regard him with reverence and he treats them with all the affection and concern that only a teacher can bestow. Even today, four years after passing out of his tutelage, I have the comforting feeling that a patient listener, a piece of good advice and a helping hand is but a call away.

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