Teachers: They were the best part in my life. With friends and family, they played a significant part in making me what I am today. So this post is dedicated to them.
Michael Arokiaraj and Uma Mageshwaran
Both of them were my Maths teachers. Michael sir taught me in 10th and Uma taught me in 11 & 12th class. Both of them had different styles. Dedication was one common factor. Michael sir would treat us as a friend. Uma sir would treat us as student and teacher. To just quote one incident from each one of them. It was our revision exam in school in 10th standard. We were some 130 students put together in 2 classes. We completed the exam in afternoon. The next day morning, in our special class, Michael sir was there distributing the papers. We could see that he had not slept well the previous nights. It was not that he was pushing himself. He enjoyed doing it, just to make sure that we learn something from him. And he would always have that smile going in his face. He took his time to come to school on sundays and saturdays to conduct mock exams. No one paid him for it and no one was acknowledging his efforts. But he did it because, he wanted us to be in good position in life. Hats off!
Coming to Uma sir, Wow! He was well versed in his subject. From morning to evening, he would run a marathon of Maths classes. From 7.30 am to 3.00 pm, I have attended his classes. He would never rest, he will go on continuously, writing on the board, making sure that people get to understand everything. He lived on a principle, ‘I am your teacher inside the classroom. I am a stranger to you outside this room’. I simply adore him. He had that ‘something’ in him that attracted respect, and there will be pin-drop silence in his classes. He too would make sure that we get all our papers on time and perfect. Hats off Sir!
O S Sivakumar
If it is computers, there was only one man in Neyveli to teach, that is Mr OS! He had OS in his name! Wonderful, dedicated and cheerful. ‘Enada kanna?’, I still remember that! He allowed us to explore computers. He would allow us to learn, experiment with computers. Myself, Naseen and Arun, we were most of the time inside the lab. If I chose, computers as my field of choice, then all the credit goes to this one man! A real teacher.
Arul Jeganathan, Maria Kulanthai, Kaliamurthi, Arul Anand Raj, Peter Lawrence, Raymond, Christopher, Lakshmi Narayanan… the list goes on.
And if I forget to mention one person, that would be a crime. The man who made all these possible. Rev. Fr. E. Thomas. I respect you sir!
I would cherish each and every moment I studied in my school, St Pauls Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Neyveli, Tamil Nadu, 607801. My alma matter.
Raasukutty's 