Shri Gurubhyo Namaha (Obeisance to my Master)

I have been wanting to write about my teachers for quite some time but somehow the thoughts kept slipping away from my quill.So i sat and wrote randomly about the 3 people who came to my mind.They must have definitely left an imprint in my mind or why would their faces pop up when i think about teachers?!

The first person i re-collect is my first music teacher-S .A middle aged man (middle aged when i was 5 yrs old!!) of very few words.I was his disciple for only 1 yr but if i have my musical notes in place even today,its because of him.His sheer dedication and patience was a big hand in making the foundation strong.His efforts to teach me a little extra has added to my minimal musical knowledge.I wish i had known its value then.If i had,i would have been a different person today.This is something i wish i had done during my childhood and regret it till this day.

*Thank you Sir for the short but enriching musical journey*

The next person and the main person whose memory prompted me to write this post is my art teacher in school Ms-R .R was quite a dynamic personality!She was tall,fair and beautiful but never bothered about her looks.She was always seen in a mix&match of cotton Salwar kameez.Her wavy long hair was always let loose after her daily wash and her eyes were always smeared with kajal.A cloth sack hung over her shoulder carrying her minimum daily supplies.No fancy handbags.R was a Shanti niketan product and was like a firecracker!she would burst with creativity and the sparks would fall on everyone around her.The kids loved her and she loved the kids!She would never teach the kids that roses are red and violets are blue.....Her art classes would be like a celebration of colours!where we would be prodded to explore with all the possible colours we could mix&make.My friends and I were quite chummy with R and used to look forward to her classes.She was the one who opened the door to a whole new world inside me!A world where i was the master and endless possibilities of creation lay scattered around me.Her encouragement was one of the main reasons why i decided to major in textiles&clothing and not study computers like all my peers.I have had many enjoyable moments with her and this one incident brings a smile to my lips even today...Like most school students i used to enjoy taking part in inter-school competitions one of which being"Vasthra" which was a theme based fashion show.Each school would have to come up with innovative costumes based on the theme given.I was a regular in her set of modals(for my sheer stage presence and nothing else!Height wise,heels was my savior) So this one year the theme was 'Kerala' and R had come up with really cool designs.My costume was an inspiration of the kerala folk dance 'Kathakali'.My skirt was similar to the costume worn by the kathakali dancer, something like an umbrella!The ends of the skirt was wired and it danced about as i walked.So here i was all decked up in my umbrella like skirt.The first modal walked down with a traditional lamp call the 'nilavilakku' and the rest followed.My turn came and i pranced forward in my umbrella skirt and as i struck a pose at the end of the ramp,the audience gasped!"AH"I was elated!i said to myself in my mind 'way to go girl!looks like you took their breath away!" as i headed backstage R ran up to me,grabbed my shoulder and cried"V! are you ok?" I stared back clueless and replied" why shouldn't i be? " "well you were about to go up in smoke" she continued animatedly.Soon more of my friends from the audience gathered around me and told me the story.The first modal had placed the lit lamp at the very end of the ramp just like how she was asked to and when i struck my pose my umbrella skirt was floating just above the lamp which was the reason why the audience gasped and waited with bated breath to see if my skirt would catch fire or not!!!So much for taking everyones breath away.I thanked God that he saved mine.Since that day R would giggle at the sight of me and nod her head, i would giggle back and we would have a good laugh.
*Thank you R for lighting the creative lamp in me*

The third and last person i am going to write about is Ms-N ,one of my professors in college.She taught us textile chemistry.She always looked like she would fall asleep any minute!Her voice was blank,monotonous, a complete drag and highly nasal!Sitting through her lecture with complete attention from start to end was a great achievement which most girls weren't willing to attempt.If anyone wanted to go see a movie,they would see if they had N's lecture that day because that would be their first choice to bunk!I would still attend N's lectures,not because i had any personal interest in N and neither was i remotely fascinated by textile chemistry.My interests lay only in her dress.She would often be attired in 'mekhla chadars' which was the traditional costume of Assam and which was where she was from.Each time a different colour and beautiful intricate embroidery.Her traditional attire lent a slight charm to her and added a bit of colour to her otherwise pale self. I loved her Mekhla Chadars and always wished i owned one.

*Thank you N for teaching me that life is not always interesting but you can always find something interesting in life*

Thank you S,R,N and all my teachers for making valuable imprints in me that makes me what i am today.