Death

7th Sep '10

I never knew how to react when one of my friends used to cry for a death of their loved one. I never knew what to say to make them feel better or positive about life. How can you ever find anything positive about an untimely death? A twenty something dies in some accident or due to a disease which was not supposed to happen.

All of us do not really accept death to be a part of our lives until it happens to someone we love. Losing a person who was a part of your life leaves a void that can never be filled by anyone else. When a loved one dies a part of you dies with them, you are never the same again.

The grief of a parent of losing their child cannot even be explained in words. Having children is a privilege and a gift. Losing a child means losing your years of expectations, love, care and the future. I cannot even measure how much a parent loses when they lose their child. It seems to be the biggest punishment.

Death also brings numerous questions about life with it. How can I trust life? I never know when I can lose a friend or a family member. And for that matter why live if we eventually have to die? How can someone be happy if they know that they are going to die?

But I guess it makes you grow up and look at life with new eyes. Everyone has to die one day but still we strive to live each day. Life itself is the biggest example of hope and expectations. The only thing we can do is cherish every moment and every person in our lives. Try and make someone's life a little easier because we never know when life would end.

After experiencing sudden deaths of loved ones I just hope I never hurt anyone because I may never be able to say sorry to them or they may remember me with a bad memory for the rest of their lives. All I can do is be happy and content with whatever I have and thank God everyday that I am alive and can make someone else happy about living a life that in itself is a gift.

Teachers' Day

4th Sep '10

I still remember as children we would be very excited for Teachers' Day. The charm of enjoying with our teachers could not be compared to anything in school. The preparations would go on for weeks before the day and every student and teacher would be equally excited about the event.

The best I could remember was the one in which the teachers used to perform for the students. Looking at our teachers, the ones who used to scold in classes, singing and enjoying would always bring a big smile on our faces. Even the strictest of teachers would be laughing and chatting with the students.

Teachers have a wonderful memory as far as I can tell. You meet a teacher after five or ten years and tell your name they will surely tell you one or two incidents of you in the class. I am always amazed how my class fifth or sixth standard teacher still recognizes me after teaching so many students before and after she taught me. It brings happiness to me when I meet a teacher that I liked.

Then comes the thought of those teachers that we didn't like. Maybe because they were too strict or their way was teaching would go over our heads or we were never able to score marks in their subjects. But I guess like every student every teacher is different. They have their own ways to teach as well as enjoy.

There's a quotation I once read "The grace of the guru is like an ocean. If one comes with a cup he will only get a cupful." I find this to be so true. Every teacher is a teacher because they know something that we don't. They impart their knowledge to us and it depends on us how much are we willing to learn.

In school the relationship between the teachers and the students is different in terms of discipline and respect. Students in schools are very young and teachers treat them as young minds that have to be shaped. In college the relationship changes to another dimension. Just like with our parents, as we grow up we start joking with them and enjoying. Similarly with teachers the bond is more like friends because the age difference reduces considerably.

The way we interact with our teachers has changed so much from my school days to today. Our teachers treat us as young adults who have opinions and want to convey them. They are, like our parents, elders who can advice us on any topic. In fact being friends with teachers is easier. They are more like friends. They do not find faults in us but advice us to take the right path.

I remember all my teachers on this Teachers' Day and hope that they are all doing good in their lives. Our teachers indeed teach us so much and we have so many reasons to thank them. So bringing back the charm of Teachers' Day in my life I say a silent thanks to all my teachers.