The ‘She’ here is the teacher who taught me when I was in class IV in the year 1987. She’s called Lina Ghissing, the beautiful meticulous immaculately dressed lady from Darjelling who got married to a Manipuri guy. We knew only this much during our school days. She was flawless; the most feared one, the strictest disciplinarian, never biased to anybody. All students do her homework, learnt all the lessons well, and scored good marks. She taught us good music too. Her handwriting can be kept in the museum for ages as one of the best calligraphs.
Few months back, I learnt that Ma’am Lina had settled at Delhi. It was Fr. George, our ex principal who shared this precious information. Since then I had a desire to meet her the moment I got an opportunity to visit Delhi. I visited Ma’am‘s place on 13 July at Mehrauli, NewDelhi. I was pacing faster when I was moving from ground floor to the fourth floor at her apartment as the desire to see her grew stronger.
Lo! I was stunned when she opened the door, I could never describe that feeling, happiness, excitement, joyous, the curiosity to know what had happened to her during these last 23 years, all the beautiful adjectives that could supplement great feelings can be captured here. The first thing I noticed and told her was that I was seeing her wearing salwar kameez for the first time in my life. As much as she was good in her teachings, she was equally well dressed. She looked the best in saris, and every new day she would wear beautiful different saris. During our conversation, this topic did come up, the necessity to come neat and tidy as she was expecting the same attributes from her students. She believed teaching by example, a live example of practice what you preach.
As much as I was excited in meeting her, the response and feeling was the same from her too. The room sounded like full of excitements and happiness because of the excitements of the meeting of these two long lost like minded individuals. I was in awe of her because of the standards and principles that she lived up to and she too was catching up of all the developments and progresses of her pupils, and like the headline news of a newspaper, she too was getting exciting news about the achievement of her students and that really pleased her beyond limit.
‘I have made breakfast for you, in fact I was waiting for you to have breakfast together till 9 o clock’, said she. Oh, I promised to be at her place by 8.30 am and somehow I reached at 10.30am. The moment I saw what was laid at the table for breakfast, there were uncontrollable tears in my eyes. I had not expected that she would put in that much effort for me. I mean and I told her that it was my reward and recognition from her in true form.
Being a concerned teacher, we discussed about other students. She was a bit shy to talk to when I handed over the phone for her to talk to RK Basanta , designation Deputy Conservator of Forest( Chandigarh), currently working on deputation with Govt. of Punjab in department of Tourism as Executive Director, Eco Tourism. In fact she did know everything about RK Basanta. I later on let her speak to Dr.Swasticharan who is the chosen one to have an opportunity to work with WHO and has been contributing majorly to the world in his field of domain. He represented India as WHO observer for Mass Gathering in FIFA. I was keenly observing her when she was talking to two of her past pupils who have placed themselves so high in life. There were smiles and excitement on her face and at the same time, her eyes were filled with tears. When I saw the tears in her eyes, there were tears in my eyes too, and seeing her smiling over the interesting topics, I too was smiling. She was beamed with pride that all her students are doing so very exceedingly good in life.
I spent 2 hours meaningfull time with her and there was not even a single moment of silence. She was narrating all her inspirational stories, how she had struggled in life adjusting to a new state , a different culture, to be accepted as a dutiful daughter in law, a daughter, a wife, a mother and a respectable teacher. Currently Ma’am is working religiously as a 24* 7 grandma, taking care of them and helping them with their homework. She still speaks the most beautiful English with the sweetest voice that I requested her that she can be extremely successful as a newscaster. We have to persuade her to utilize her immense talents and in due course of time she’s willing to work from home, maybe writing articles, writing a book etcetera.
Then she handed over the microphone to me, I have told you my stories and now let’s hear yours, she told me. Whew, where do I start? I summed it up that I too am a strict disciplinarian in life, that whatever she had done in her capacity utilizing all the core moral values, I too am doing or rather replicating the same thing. Besides that I told her that I don’t believe in being a gold medalist or getting the best degrees but rather I would be glad if I can apply the basic things that I have learnt from life and contribute majorly for the cause of the society at large, benefitting the social and human beings. And that ,at any point of time, I can handle from prince to pauper because of my upbringing and the exposure I have had as a Bosconian, ‘Love thy neighbour as you love yourself’.
When I was about to leave , she came down all the way till the road, she did tell me that as much as I have accepted her breakfast as highest form of reward and recognition, she too did take my visit as her GURU DAKSHINA. Then there were smiles in our lips and tears in our eyes…I can never forget this meeting in my life…
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