To Sir and Madam,With Love.......

It's Teacher's day today-a time to fondly remember our teachers.....those teachers,who have held our hands firmly,when we were tottering kids,those teachers who became our friends when we were budding youngsters,those teachers who have untiringly devoted their lives in building the foundation of the new generation........
I would like to remember some of my teachers today; unfortunately I am not in touch with them now,but I want to tell them,that I miss them awefully,as much as I miss my old friends,or may be even more...

Before I talk about Madam Sujata, let me ask you,that have you ever confronted a situation in your life,where,you have heard many things about a person,but when you come to know that person personally,you find out that he or she has an entirely different personality..you start wondering that is this the person I heard about !!! Such was the case with Madam Sujata.
Madam Sujata was our Bengali teacher...I first time got her as my teacher,when I was in class 8.
I have heard a lot about her before. I have heard that she was a very stern and severe teacher, it was unimaginable to go and approach her, she got angry easily etc...stuffs like that!! So,naturally,when she first came to take class,the whole class was in awe of her.
But,how wrong can people be!! Let me tell you,not only she was my favourite teacher,but she became a friendly figure to the entire class...students used to go to her and confide their personal problems to her. She was so friendly,so warm,not to mention,what an excellent teacher she was.
We interacted with her so freely - honestly,before that, I have never had the idea that you can be so frank with your teachers.
Speaking personally,I was a dear to her. She loved me with almost motherly affection. I remember, running to her,whenever I faced even the smallest of the problems!! I have lost my earrings...go to ma'am sujata...I have cut my legs..go to ma'am sujata..seniors are teasing me...go to ma'am sujata.
Many years have passed,but still,I fondly remember,how she used to help me..how she used to solve my minutest problems..............
She had known my nature in a very short time..how,I still wonder. She knew that I was a very shy and introvert girl,and I shrank from taking duties that needed me to interact with people.
So,she made the monitor of my class. I was angry with her at first for that,but later I have realised how good it was for me. It was her continuous prodding,that made me start writing for school journals. She made me participate in school debate, elocution etc. I gradually realised, that ,I had a few qualities which I never thought I had..thanks to her.
I still remember how once she came down to me and asked me why I was crying..I had just stopped crying before that, so I think she could tell that I was crying, from my face,glazed with tears and my red eyes. I flatly refused to tell her the reason. (I was crying for fairing poorly in maths class test,and I was not going to tell her that !! ). But,somehow she coaxed the reason out of me and,then,started reasoning with me. I was calmed after much persuasion and,then she dropped me to my home. How can I ever forget those little acts of extreme thoughtfulness !!
How happy she was,when I topped from my school..she had told me previously,"You must be studying very hard and you have to do a good result..I am really hopeful about you..and dont let my hopes get shattered". I have not achieved much in my life,but at least I am happy that I did not let her down .
Let me just cite a small event to show how close she was to her students. A senior student of our school had died suddenly, and when madam went to his house, his friends were telling her that ma'am you have been such a good friend to us throughout the school life..and today your presence here itself is like a great consolation for us!
Yes,she had been a great friend to us -- our entire batch...I dont know about other people, who spoke differently about her,but for us, she was our friend, philosopher ,and guide...
I miss you badly Madam Sujata.....I miss you..............


Now,I want to say a few words about K.K. Sir-I went to him for English tuition. I.C.S.E English is not very easy to handle,but thanks to sir,he made it really smooth. Sir was a man of few words, but those few words were always affectionate- I can't remember him raising his voice on any occasion. An interesting thing was that he was equally good in Bengali. Many of my co-students often asked him to help them write their bengali essays !!
K.K. sir was a person who preffered to remain engrossed in his little world - the world consisting of books. He was a professor of a college and I have rarely come across any person with such an aweful knowledge of english literature.
He was a great teacher and though he was, to us, more a teacher than a friend, yet, he was a company so soothing,yet so encouraging and so reassuring.
I still miss this devoted scholar .

I can't tell you much about Sudhir sir as I have taken tuition from him only for one month.
But this one month was sufficient to reveal the wonderful side of his nature. I have never met another teacher who dealt with his students with so much patience. And,he was a teacher in ideal sense. Taking money from his students was a sheer no-no for him. In fact,he taught many students without taking any fee..how many teachers like that can be found in today's out and out professional world? I had a really difficult time in making him accept my tuition fee.
When I had to leave that place,I sadly wondered that why did not I meet him earlier?
I went to his place the day before I left Agartala; in midway through our conversation,I just casually mentioned that my favourite subject was biology,and lo!! he gifted me a brand new biology book. I was too embarrassed to accept it,but he simply forced me to take it. I still have that book and I am going to keep it forever.
You can understand,what kind of man Sudhir Sir was,to have made a permanent place in the heart of a student who has known him only for a month.