The first day in JEMS

As mentioned in my previous article, after getting the tips from my Dad I was all set to go to the much awaited school(It was called Jyothi Vidya Nikethan and I still prefer that name to Jyothi English Medium School). I don't remember how the days prior to the school-opening passed. All I can remember is that my mother had already started tutoring me. She would try to get the help from everybody and anybody whom she considered was better than her in tutoring me. But what she doesn't know is, even to this day I  consider her as the best teacher I have met tell date. My view is not opinionated just because I am her son, but rather my view is justified by the innovative ways she uses in teaching. Anybody who has been tutored by my Mom will readily agree to this. So I used to prefer my Mom over everybody else in tutoring me. 

I had looked up so much for the first day of the school. The kind of enthusiasm I had was contagious and boundless. But I also had an equal share of my own fears and apprehensions. In-spite of all this excitement I can't remember much about how my first day was. I can't recall how I spent much of the day or whom I spoke to. I don't remember what my parents asked when I came back from school or what I answered them. It feels so weird considering that the day was such an important one. But still one incident on the first day remains crystal clear in my mind. I was wearing the pink and brown uniform, a tie, a belt and shoes(I had never worn a tie,belt or shoe as a part of uniform in my previous school, so this was special to me). I sat in a bench not at the back but somewhere close to the back row. I was all into myself. That was my way of feel safe and secure as I was not able to understand a word of what my teacher was telling. It was all in English and english was foreign to me. The language was alien and so were the people. I didn't even feel like raising my head and looking at other students. I was scared. I felt what if they ask me something in English and I am not able to answer. I didn't even look at the teacher fearing she might ask me some questions noticing that I am a new student. To my luck (or rather the lack of it) , each period was spread over a span of one and a half hours. That seemed like eternity to me and I cursed whosoever came up with such an idea. 

It was at this time that shadow of somebody fell in the classroom as it blocked the sunlight coming from the door. The lady who blocked  the sun-rays was none other than my aunt. She might have blocked the rays coming from  the sun, but she gave rise to new rays in my heart and those were the rays of  hope. The silver lining around her formed because of the silhouette appeared to me like a silver lining on the dark cloud in my heart. She gave a reassuring smile when I looked at her which made me feel at home. She said something to the teacher in the class to which the teacher responded affirmatively nodding the head top to bottom. My aunt looked back at me, smiled and left the class. I felt a lot better then and felt comfortable. I could not understand what she told to the teacher in the class. But the very fact that she told it in english and that the teacher responded affirmatively to what she told, made me feel proud of her. I think she must have told "This is my niece. He is new to this class and he doesn't know to speak english. Take care of him". 

Whom do you consider as a role model in your life (Part III)

Part I  Part II

One major hurdle in my dad's mission  of making me an english literate man was cleared. But the actual test was a test of survival. I had read it somewhere that actual test was not getting into an IIM but surviving in one. And I think that appears to all the institutions.

 Everybody in my home were happy that I had cleared the test and I was going to join the school. But my dad not stop with that. Once again my dad proved that he was indeed a hero and why he is so special. He took me aside that day and told me "See  you know that reason why I wanted you to go to that school. Now that you have cleared the entrance test and you are going to the school, there is something I want to tell you. It may not be all that easy for you to cope up with other students. Remember that they have all been studying English for four to five years, whereas you are just about to start. Promise me that you won't feel bad, irrespective of what happens in that school. I am sure that you can top the class very soon. But be prepared to face the situation in-case you fail and loose an year. I want to you to know that loosing an year doesn't impact you in the long run, but learning good english definitely will....". That was a short(incomplete) talk. It did scare me a little, but it helped me get close to the reality. 

And that was my third lesson in management : When you motivate somebody to try something unconventional make sure that they are ready to face rejection and they are ready to face the burden of failure.

Once he was sure that I was ready to face the worst, he continued "In-spite of all this I want you to give your best shot and I am sure that you can top the class by the end of the year." Whether he had so much confidence in me I am not sure, but those words did encourage me and enthuse me. And that was my fourth lesson in management : Be prepared to face the worst, and then try for the best.


Now that I was all set, my Dad gave me a tip "Since you know that you are not the best(at-least as of now), make sure that you are the best prepared. Always be two chapters ahead of your teacher in every subject and that will ease your tension a lot. You will not feel left out even if you are not able to follow the teacher in your class. Work hard, be prepared and be ready to face the worst". And that was my fifth lesson in management : Fortune favors the brave mind. When you know that you are not the best, make sure that at-least you are the best-prepared.


I personally like the last line "When you know that you are not the best, make sure that at-least you are the best-prepared". Though I came out with this line , I would attribute it to my dad because it was from him that I learnt it.

Whom do you consider as a role model in your life (Part II)

Part I

The next incident came after a gap of 2-3 years. I had just completed Class 4. I had decided to switch to an english medium school(May be what that uncle in Part I told had an impact on me). But which school i should  join was still in debate. All the options were listed. The advantages and disavdvantages of joining various schools were brainstormed. We had even made a few visits to schools to get the first hand information. But nothing had materialized. It was at this moment that some-one recommended an ICSE school called Jyothi Vidya Niketan to him.

I had studied in a kannada medium school where English was just one subject(all other subjects were taught in kannada) and that too it started only from standard 3. I had just completed standard 4. So I had two years experience in the language of English. All that I had learned till then was A for Apple,B for Ball,.....Z for Zebra. And there was a chapter at the end of the text book in standard 4. It was the story of two sheep trying to cross a bridge. I still remember those days a small kid when I used to turn pages to the last chapter in the book, stare at the images of two sheep crossing the bridge, unable to read or understand what the random jumble of those 26 alphabets of English, in various combinations and permutations meant. But whenever I turned to that particular chapter I always felt that one day I should be able to read and write English in such a brilliant way that these words should appear to me like a piece of cake-walk.

When the teacher was ready!!! (Part 4)

Part 3  Part 2 Part 1

I had got the job and I was all set to begin my journey in teaching profession from the next day. But the dean had not even mentioned about the salary. I actually thought that it was in my advantage, as i felt that i will have an upper hand in bargaining after proving myself than before proving myself. Money was never a matter of concern. But the pride of being able to bargain and get what you want, was. So I had to prove my mettle before the dean would call me for bargaining so that he would get the maximum of services at the cheapest rate possible. This was one thing that I hated. It might be meaningful in other business(even in business it doesn't make sense in the long term), but in education I somehow feel that it is not the right way to recruit.Why can't the management pay based on the competence showed by the individual., I asked myself. But I left, the question as it is.

What is the reason we don't have many good teachers today.It is not that there are no answers to this questions. It is just that nobody has bothered to find one. I feel the reason is that there is no competition in teaching profession. And there will be competition in any job only when people are paid aptly and based on their competence and not on experience. People nowadays take up teaching as a last option.

How can somebody whose last option is teaching bring about a change in the lives of the students.

How can somebody who waits for the month-end to collect the salary, can even think about bringing a change in students attitude.?

How can somebody who doesn't like the subject himself, create love for the subject in minds of the students.?

How can somebody who is not ready to accept his ignorance, can instill an attitude of inquiry in students.?

How can somebody who is not a good student himself, can become a teacher for other students.?

How can somebody whose thinking is limited to four walls teach the students about the world outside.?

How can somebody who doesn't like what he is  doing, make learning a happy and wholesome process for the students.?

I set out to find out my own answers for these questions. The answers that I found and my experiences while finding those answers form a major part of my later posts.

Next : Algorithm to open a door

When the teacher was ready!!! (Part 3)

Part 2 Part 1

The first interaction which I had imagined would be a cakewalk turned out to be just short of a nightmare. So my doubts and inhibition about the  demo class naturally multiplied as I sat in the office room with a computer science text book of PU I. The interaction I had was with PU II, and I was told by the dean to take my demo class for PU I. Sometimes you don't ask for logics, you just thank your luck and go ahead. Thats what I did.  I started going through the text book. I was happy because all the syllabus in the book was what I already knew and I hardly needed any preparation for lecturing. I was happier because I felt that by all possibilities, students of PU I will be  lesser daemons than the PU II. In less than five minutes, the clerk came over to me, called out "Sir", and offered me a cup of coffee. Though it was a small cup of coffee and  not a great tasting  one, the way it was served was definitely special. So I was considered as a lecturer and I was being served coffee in the staff room. That was a great feeling. The bell rang before I finished the coffee. 

When the teacher was ready!!! (Part 2)

Part 1
I had converyed my interest in working as a lecturer in my brothers college, i mean I had taken the plunge. But the actual "test" was yet to begin. And the demo class would be the most testing part of the "test", I thought. I had a few edited replays of the scene in my mind, but i had not done any hardcore preparation for the same. So on this fine day I plan to go and meat the dean of the college. I went to my brother's college and sat in the staff room. The Dean was having a discussion with one of the staff members. I felt so becuase the body language of the the person standing there was too obedient and he was full of respect for the man in charge. Once the Dean was done with the discussion he turned towards me and got to know from the clerk that I was the one who had come for the new Computer Science Lecturer Post. He was trying to behave very casual and he was successful till the moment I mentioned that I was from R.V.College of Engineering. "You are from R.V.College ? Our students will have lot to learn from you", the Dean Said. The change in his behaviour the moment he heard the name of my college, made me feel proud that I was an alumnus of the R.V.College of Engineering.

A Lonely Heart

"You are back home from a hard day's work. You are tired.  Lie back on a soft bed. Leave the lights on as you are afraid of dark. Keep your eyes open, staring at nowhere (shoonya drushti). Lost in your thoughts, you try to track what your mind is thinking. Its of no use. Your mind keeps on roaming. It doesn't reach anywhere, as it is travelling to a destination that even it is not clear about. Poor mind where will it stop when it doesn't know what is the destination to which it is travelling to.  Before you make a sense of all this, your eyes are too tired, your eyelids are trying hard to stay separate, but cant help moving towards each other. Within a few seconds they touch each other, shutting you off from this world or rather the world from you. Slowly your body starts resting and the mind follows. Your consciousness is lost, your metabolic rate goes down. You go into a state of sleep......"

When the teacher was ready!!! (Part 1)

What would life be like, if not for the good memories that we collect over the journey(Life). Every memory is unique in its own way. But there are few memories which definitely are a niche above the other ones. The memories which gives you tranquility, takes out your loneliness, makes you feel proud, makes you feel wanted,cared and respected. The ones which bring a small smile on your face without even you noticing it. This is an article about one such memory that I will cherish forever.

Victory is just an excuse for celebration : The story of how we won decathlon

Discalimer : Since the author also was a part of the team, we can't promise the reader an impartial view. Any reader who feels that views are biased may immediately leave the blog now. (@ Team : Since I am writing the article, I am the hero in the story... You have a problem?)

They say a war is won or lost before the army sets their foot on warfield. Similar was the case with us. Even before the prelims started we were planning our stage performance for the victory celebrations. Victory was just an excuse for celebrations and having victory as an excuse is defenitely a great feeling.