Pamela Ma'am! (Mrs. Pamela Zaccheus)

An ideal teacher is ...

One who believes he/she is the instrument of change, one who has the ability, the passion, the compassion, the strength and courage to reach out and mould the students entrusted to his/her care.

An ideal student is ...

One who strives for knowledge and understanding and who endeavours to take a lesson from every situation which will enable him/ her to endure and empathise in life's struggles

Your most cherished experience as a teacher as yet...

 I can't pinpoint any one instance but when any student stands on his / her own feet and takes up responsibility with grace and integrity.

 One necessary change in our current education system...

 Is avoidance of unnecessary clerical work and documentation which leaves very little time for the teacher to do what he/she does best...motivate and inspire pupils to push their limits and learn life skills and not only theoretical knowledge.

My inspiration is...

My God, my mother, my family, all my teachers and friends from whom I learnt to be sincere in whatever I do, to believe in myself, to accept and face what comes my way and move on...and the eager faces of students which makes it all worthwhile

Mom! (Mrs. Jayashree Sukumar Chetty)

Your most important fundamental

My most cherished fundamental is to stay true to my individuality. One must be proud of their upbringing, values and choices. Change for the better is always welcome. But never compromise on yourself, just to please the world.

An element of Nature you cherish the most

I appreciate Nature's nature of providing unconditional love to all. She never discriminates while providing from her bounty and does not expect anything in return.

Education is incomplete without...

Humility and Grace

Your advice to young and future mothers

Motherhood must not be considered to be a duty or just another phase of life. Nurturing your creation needs single minded devotion.

Your thoughts on the occasion of Guru Purnima

Keep alive your thirst for wisdom. Pursue answers to your questions. Your Guru will bring them to you.

Dad! (Mr. Sukumar Rammohan Chetty)

Your strongest influence(s)

My family, especially my daughters-since I do not normally refuse them.

Your antidote to boredom or moments of loss of inspiration

A continued remedy is to change with time, so that the learning cycle continues.

‘Knowledge is Power’ or ‘Ignorance is Bliss’, which one will you choose and why?

‘Knowledge is Power’-knowingly then, one could choose whether to accept or ignore.

 Your advice to the next generation would be…

Keep learning, look forward, be positive and Chill!!

 Your dream for a better world would be…

Positive leanings towards ‘Spiritual Commonsense’, togetherness amongst family and friends and a ‘Live and Let Live’ attitude amongst all.

Winds of Change!

Winds of change

They blow my way

I know they come

And are here to stay.

They come from places

I have dreamt about

From people and causes

I have always sought.

The journey till now

Was a happy one

Each low was a high

As I later learnt.

A seeker I was

And will always be

Willing to unravel

The mysteries that be.

The thirst for better

Is an unquenched one

The best, a mirage

Always yet to come.

So blessings I seek

From God above

And strength and courage

From the world around.

For winds of change

They blow my way

My heart is hopeful

And fears gone astray.

So what brought changed?

As many may ask.

My soul gave a stir

And woke up at last!

Wait up!

I realize a large part of our lives is spent in waiting. 

Waiting for things to happen, for people to come, for people to go, for decisions to be made, for results to be announced, for messages to come, for nerves to soothe, for movies to release, for soul mates to meet, for fights to dissolve, for the seasons to change, for……..it never ends.

For most part, there is no choice but to be patient. Time moves swiftly, but not when you are intently watching it. Then it ambles along slowly. It is either a shy operator or a temperamental one!

And then there are the nerves we deal with. Even the severe optimist has been a victim to it at some point of time. 

For some, the waiting may even leave a vacuum. What next? Often, a new beginning can only ride on the back of a good conclusion.

Judge a man by how well he waits! Not a new dictum, just one that is not spoken aloud.

It is in the waiting that we find our true selves. It is in the waiting that we create our true selves. A lot of growing happens when we can stay still. Unperturbed by failures or accomplishments.

How well we work towards a new goal depends pretty much on what we did in the ‘waiting cycle’ before the previous goal was accomplished; on what lessons we let it teach us. Because that is why these phases were created. To give us some breathing space. To introspect. To learn the beauty of being ‘expectant’.

And then there is the heroism that lies at the end of it. The heroism a survivor feels! How triumphant it feels to say, ‘I survived’….:) 

So don’t be gloomy, or impatient, or anxious or lax. Without a pause, life would be like being saddled to a horse that can’t stop. Just a blur of events that would unfold one after the other. Without the passion, excitement or happiness to create or experience them.

So welcome and cherish such breaks. Your next break-through could be waiting to happen through them!

For my mum and your's...with Love...:)

My mommy...:)

To begin right,

Is to set your sight,

On a journey full of fun.

It paves the way,

With strength and faith,

To the glories to be won.

To begin right,

Is to keep aside,

The folly of choosing wrong.

It holds the torch,

That lights our path,

No matter how tough or long.

To begin right,

Is to build the might,

To cling to what is true.

To lead a life,

That will bring us pride,

And gift our start its due.

To begin right,

Isin’t a stroke of luck,

Or a preference made by you.

It is always earned,

As must be learnt,

By the goodness your deeds accrue.

And so, I have a beginning,

The best i could ever have.

Thank you Mom, for choosing me,

You made me what I am!!

Happy Mothers' Day!!!

Gift on!

The culture of gifting has been as old as civilization. It is the one rare tradition that is common to the entire human race. So whether it is birthdays, anniversaries, festivals, new beginnings, happy endings or honouring every possible relationship, gifts are an important part of the celebrations.

My childhood saw me using my very limited drawing skills, making cards for birthdays and anniversaries. This ritual was a part of my family culture. The cards would have all the usual hearts, flowers and cute proverbs, but always ensured a smile on the face of the recipient. In case of weddings or other important celebrations, the family would huddle together and have a very deep discussion about the most appropriate idea for the gift.

One of the fundamentals I grew up with was that a gift was something everyone loved receiving.

And so, even today, I love the idea of gifting. I have gifted books, clothes and other things that people need or I think they need. The latest has been writing poems for some significant people and testimonials for some others. The whole phase of planning, buying, conjuring and finally gifting is always an extremely blissful one. There is some unadulterated joy when the singular motive is make some else joyful!

What brings me to this article, however, is my observation and complete disagreement with the social compulsions that mar the motive behind this tradition and make it more of a crass circus. If we could do away with these, the world would certainly be a better and sensible place to live in.

So there are some who jump at every opportunity to have a vulgar display of their wealth. I’d appreciate a single flower to a hideous bouquet that seems as tall as me.

I don’t want to have my name advertised in a list of people who ‘contributed’ to a gift. As long as something sensible is purchased from the money and the recipients appreciate it, I am happy.

Unless, the requirement for it is definitely known, cash is the most heartless gift ever. Bring on some creativity to express your love!

Do not pass on gifts others have gifted you. Not only does it insult that person and me, it shows you in very poor light.

Do not gift, ‘because’ someone gifted something to you. It only starts an unending and unwanted cycle of ‘give and take’.

Instead, if we could just put some heart into the system and….

• Take some precious time out and have a much needed conversation with each other
• Introduce people to other people they would love to get to know
• Introduce people to varied sources of wisdom
• Throw surprise parties
• Have impulsive travel trips
• Provide genuine appreciation
• Help people with the change you know they need
• Write letters that they will treasure forever

 …..wouldn’t these too qualify as gifts?

This list could go on and I’d love everyone to contribute to it.

But, the essence of gifting should lie in sharing a part of you which shall forever stay with other people, a gesture full of love and a reminder of all the goodness in the world!