Pritam's Blog
Good Teacher, Bad Student
My mom’s office was just across the street where I went for my schooling. When I was a kid, some days after my school, I would cross the road all by myself (and then feel like a grown up) and go to her office.
I loved going there not only because it’s my mom’s office and I could have her lunch. I loved mom’s office because I could be myself in that environment. Her colleagues loved me. They wouldn’t mind me being myself which wasn’t the case in my school. As a kid, I was bullied a lot and so, I hated my school.
But at my mom’s office, I was the one to bully her colleagues. And then there was this unlimited supply of high quality papers for me to make sketches…
Anyway, whenever there was a new person joining her office, she would introduce me to them. I still remember when she introduced me to one of her juniors - a pretty girl I had instantly fallen in love with (I was eight, the girl was 23) but that’s a different story
I remember what my mom told me while introducing to her and how it has impacted me.
“You know, she is so cool…Energetic… She doesn’t mind doing anything. No work is demeaning to her. No work is beneath her. Sometimes, she does things which are usually done by the peons… And let me tell you that this kind of attitude is highly appreciated if you want to grow…”
Half of the things my mom said that day didn’t make any sense to me then…
And yet I never forgot it. As I grew up, it made sense to me and I too started believing that no work is demeaning.
When I worked at a call center and when I performed (sang songs) at a marriage for money, my mom too, among other members in my family, mocked me… But I gave a damn!
And I believe it’s because of this, I happen to be my mom’s worst student (she used to teach too).
She has been, however, my best teacher.
And it feels good when people use “enthusiastic” and “have an urge to learn” to describe me today because of what I had learnt from her…
P.S.: I went to a date with my mom’s junior later in my lif when I was 17! Shhh! Don’t tell my mom :P).