The teachers outside classes

On 6th February evening, I met two of my teachers after nearly 11 years, at the marriage ceremony of my friend Prashant’s sister, who used to be his student. Both teachers were never our subject teachers in the schools. They are my respected Batulda and Sinha sir. Both of them are living their simple life and both of them are quite young at heart. Whatever they do ultimately, are meant for the betterment of the students.

Batulda is the most respected guide of the students preparing for competitive exams in Purnea. The reason, why students call him Batulda, rather than Batul sir, may be credited to his personality. His fatherly guidance, brotherly understanding and friendly talk nullify any unnecessary distance between a teacher and a student.

In the glare of lights and vibrant music, I found in him the same gentle human with high spirits as I had seen him 11 years ago. After very short introduction, he was happy to find his old boys around him. Earlier I had met him only a couple of times for our problems. Our chain of talks ranged from one of his students working as JTO in my town to students abroad and his website and so on. During the prolonged talk, I was being charged by some kind of touch therapy. My fingers of right hand were being caressed between his palms. I was feeling pretty good, as if some magic tricks of life were being passed to me through my fingers. I was healed.

Sitting on the vacant chairs, we and Vineet, my JNVP batch mate, were discussing about the workplace time constraint and stress. Batulda actively discussed the issue and suggested to read few books on the topic. One of them was “The monk who sold his Ferrari” and told about the lucid way the chapters were written.

As our medium of communication had been Bengali always, the envy of Prashant was sure. He objected about it and we laughed a lot. By the time baratis were to arrive and I was given the responsibility of taking care of their reception. Batulda being with me or better to say, I along with Batulda was taking care of the arrangements. Batulda himself counted the number of chairs himself to check whether there might be any shortage of chairs for the guests. Yes, he found that few more chairs were required. On seeing the shortage, as I started off to the upper floor to bring down chairs, where those were stored. He stopped me and suggested that there were more students around and they could do it too. Actually I could not recognize the new students around him. Once he told so many legs marched upstairs. A management ability of Batulda to use the human resources in right direction!

Once the baratis reception was done and I presented the rose buds to all the baratis along with the groom (Of course, I received a lot of thanks from them).Then I decorated rest buds on the home member’s coat. Batulda was standing away from the crowd. I saw him and I took one rose bud stick for his black coat. He received it. And when I requested him to place it in the space of collar for the purpose, he smiled back, saying that it was okay. Instead he wanted to put it on the sweater of another senior student standing beside him. Of course he never felt any requirement of personal decorations.

Like a responsible guardian, behind the spectacles, expert eyes were watching every arrangement. Dinners were going on, I found out time to offer him espresso when he accepted my request for it saying ‘Olpo’( A little). It was past midnight. Leaving us mesmerized with his greatness, he went home to sleep because might the next morning some young batches were to come at Batulda’s Siksha Sadan amidst green trees of Purnea.

Batulda, a man dissolved among us, and evolved to a height, which his beloved ones can feel easily.