“Sir, Hemang told your name to Air India Authorities.” said Miss Rekha Joshi, my colleague who taught Mathematics and escorted the boy to Ahmadabad for felicitation programme for his meritorious performance in class X CBSE exams. This, I mean to say an incident that had happened in 2005.Hemang Joshi happened to be my student of class X whom I taught English .Air India had organized the students’ felicitation programme in the “Cotton Manchester of India.”Later I came to know that the hosts of the event questioned the boy, “which language would you prefer to interact with us?” The authorities amazed when the class X boy of Saurashtra (Porbandar) said in English. (Then I worked as a teacher of English in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Porbandar.)Then I learnt the value of being (effective) teacher. The boy had told them “I shall prefer to interact in English, neither in Hindi nor In Gujarati.” “My teacher encourages me to speak in English even though we commit numerous blunders “The boy added further. This is one the incidents of my eleven years of teaching career that didn’t lapse out of my memory. Is it not job satisfaction?
Amazement of Air India staff was justifiable because, Normally Kathiawadis (people of Saurashtra region in Gujarat) were not well known for conversation in English. But, once I met a ‘Dr Nanavati’ who was reasonably eloquent in the use of English. Now the boy is handsomely grown up, and now also in constant touch .Very appealing thing of this area is these ‘kathiawadis’ are known for their hospitality. Now I am in my home state (Karnataka) but, at times I feel the tender touch of the abode of Somanath and Shri Krishna. How a person who, spent six and half years in this wonderful land, ever forget to salute them?
