The wind beneath my wings

Did you ever know that you’re my hero

You’re everything i wish I could be

And I could fly higher than an eagle

If you are the wind beneath my wings!

The strains of this song have always remained with me and so have my teachers. Thankyou , for being the wind beneath my wing, for teaching me to walk, for letting me fly.

Today as we celebrate Teacher’s Day I am grateful to each and every one of you who have touched my life in your own special way.

It’s been Twenty years since I graduated from school, A whole new generation has crossed the gates of my school, and almost eighteen since I had any contact with you as I had shifted out,but when I cameback I grabbed the very first opportunity to go back to school. It was The Annual Fete  day. My Principal  of yesteryear Sister Beena was just outside the gate.I could see her from afar.Both my sons were alongside me. As I reached her,her ever so sharp (how often we had wished that they were a little less sharper, when we were at school)  eyes rested on me  and it took her exactly two nano seconds to recognise and call out my name and hug me tight. She was just the same. Shouldering a lot more responsibilities ,working just as hard or harder if possible,The only witness to the passage of time were a few silver strands. tears pricked my eyes, the love was just the same. I feel so blessed.

Twenty years are a pretty long time to forget people , faces and names and I was pretty much sure that most of our teachers would have forgotten me ,so when I went for the Alumni meet  a few weeks on, I met most of my Teachers. The reaction was the same , the love oh so evident. All my teachers  Mrs Tejrashi Mehrotra, Mrs Bidhu Rani, Mrs Rashmi Singh , Mrs Sagarika mukharjee, Mrs Sushma Prasad, Mrs Xess, Mrs Treesa David, Mrs Rosy ,all still remembered me. I felt so humbled to be remembered. There were some who had not taught me , and some who had not been present at the meet but my thanks goes out to all of you for just being there during those wonderful years.

Some special teachers have passed on…. Mrs Rekha Srivastava, Mrs Poonam Kapoor….you are the stars that I see in the night sky whose light shall always be with me.

As I write this piece I have to thank  someone who has taught me to write … thankyou Mrs Pratibha Singh for teaching me English.

Recently I had read of a teacher in England who was retiring after 25 years of teaching and a flash mob gathered to wish her goodbye! The children had practiced on Sundays without her knowing. My thanks to you too dear teacher.

I wish that my sons may also be blessed to have wonderful teachers like you in their lives. Teachers who teach , love and nurture. Teachers who give them roots and wings….

Thanking all my Teachers , all my professors all over the world. HAPPY TEACHER’S DAY!