Words of Wisdom

By Savi Surana

Those who have school going kids would definitely agree that teachers play a huge role in shaping kids' futures. Your outcry will fall on your kid's deaf ears but if the same thing is asked by their teacher they will abide by it like a military order. We too have been there and done that. We must appreciate the patience of the teachers who handle numerous kids, all at once, when even one of our kids can make the veins in our head pop out within seconds.

As we grew, the teachings of our favorite teachers remained etched in our hearts till the time we surrendered ourselves to the struggles of surviving. But, once in a blue moon, late evening chats with old friends flood our mind with such treasured but forgotten memories. On some days teachers gave us a pat, and tag of hooligans on another. But their passion of teaching and compassion towards each child was commendable.

I would like to share a story which my teacher told us. Once there was a mother daughter duo working in the kitchen. Mother was prepping chicken for roasting. She had cut a small yet significant chunk of chicken from one side and placed the remaining in the oven. Her teen daughter curiously asked the reason of cutting the chicken. Her mother thought for a moment and replied, "my mother used to do so". Daughter wasn't convinced. She wanted to know the reason for cutting it ‘coz it didn't make sense to her. She picked up the phone, called her granny and came straight to the point. She narrated the whole incident to her granny in one breath. Granny sighed and said "sorry dear, i don't know the reason either. I used to cut it coz my mother did the same."

Now it was getting difficult for the daughter to contain her curiosity. Fortunately her great grandmother was alive. She called her up. The great grandmother too gave the same disappointing reply. Fortunately, the daughter's great great grandmother was also alive. Daughter crossed her fingers, said a few prayers and called her up hoping to get a definite response. Her great great grandmother listened patiently to the question and then laughed. Daughter did not understand what was so funny. Her great great grandmother's reply left her dumbstruck. She said, "Darling, I used to cut some portion of the chicken because the ovens during our times were smaller in size".

The traditions that we follow since ages should not be passed down the generations blindly. Whatever our ancestors did had a solid logic behind it. But that logic may or may not be relevant to our time. Let's not enforce the traditions, let's teach them to our kids along with its significance.

Questioning a belief is not usually well received. But we should back our beliefs by logic, not by fear of being picked upon. This will not only make our faith stronger but will also make us more humble in more ways than one. If you don't want to question, read. Nowadays, everything is easily accessible, knowledge as well as garbage. Our choice is what makes the real difference.

We should actually take inspiration from the way our ancestors led their lives i.e. simplicity, humility and compassion. These are the only traits that we need to inculcate in our kids. Rest everything can be read, learnt and implemented. We must leverage the fortune of having the richest ancient literature written by some of the wisest people. Let's practice traditions so as to make them our way of living, not just to be seen as part of a herd.

This story really touched me and left an everlasting impact. A good teacher is capable of spinning your life 360 degrees. It's their trust in us that makes us work harder on ourselves. A heartfelt thanks to all the teachers for making us better people and motivating us to keep striving for more with an open and well informed mind.

By Savi Surana