As I look back to my childhood, the first secured place for me, apart from my home, was an institution named "school", which somehow happened to be my "second home”. I fairly remember of going to school with my mother and after entering the school premises, I used to wait to see a glance of a lady who used to welcome all the kids into the class-room in the same way as my mother used to do when I was back from school....The only difference was, my mother used to give me a warm hug when I ran towards her after returning from school, but, the lady in the school would simply say "Good Morning" to all of us and couldn't embrace each of us as we were thirty in numbers...To my utter surprise, she used to remember each of ours name!!!!! She was my first school teacher Ms. D'souza. I did never realize when she had become the main motivation for me to go to school. I remember the day when I was promoted to the next standard and I was very much unhappy of the fact that I was about to leave Ms.D'souza and go to some other class to see my new teacher.
Surprisingly, I got the privilege to meet Ms.D'souza once-in-a-while as my new class was just next to hers, and I was amazed to realize that she still remembered my name!!!!! As time passed by, slowly but steadily I kept on getting promotion to next class...and to next class....and to next class....and our interaction somehow minimized. We only met on Teacher’s Day, on her birthday (which I till date remember). Somehow, I could never forget to wish her on her birthday. Till date, I remember the pretty smile and the blush on her face when I used to wish or greet her. On her each and every birthday, after wishing her, tears rolled down her eyes. She would reply “Thanks a lot my child. God bless you.”
Whenever I used to get a glance of her on one of those odd days, she used to look at me and give away an appreciable and affectionate nod. Over the past years and at that time also, she maintained the same pretty smile on her face. What used to attract me the most was her calm and composed personality. Nowadays, I feel that the task she was doing was not at all easy, in fact it may have been difficult sometimes for her to handle a class of unmanageable, irritable creatures, as we find it difficult to handle a single creature of that kind at home, today. At times, it was so nice to listen to her narrating old stories in our early morning assembly prayer hall.
Life keeps moving on.When I was in 10th standard and was very busy in preparing for my board exams, our principal walked-in into our classroom. I couldn’t believe what she said. The school was supposed to be closed on the next day as Ms D’souza was no more!!!!!!!!!!
Our principal called out my name and handed me a big box which was addressed to me with lots of love and affection and also an envelope which had my name written on it. With trembling hands, somehow I managed to open the box….It was filled with many gifts…..each of those was tagged with my name. Some stated “On your birthday with lots of love and blessings”….some stated “On your success with lots of love”. I couldn’t believe, what I was ought to believe that my favorite teacher, my idol, my inspiration knew about me so much. She kept complete track of my success and to my sheer surprise she wanted this to be confidential and requested our principal to tell me when it was right time. And according to her right time was…….
There was more to go. The envelope was yet to get opened. It was the handwriting which I was very familiar with. What was stated inside was:
“My dear child,
When you will get to read this letter, I will not be there with you. All I wanted to say is, a billion thanks to you, as you reminded me of Maria my only daughter, whom God took away from me, when she was only sixteen... But God was kind enough to give me many Maria’s around me. But my dear child you happened to be special from all of them. I can’t ignore the fact that just like Maria you never forgot my birthdays. The simple gesture you showed meant a lot to me.
Those were enough reason for me to love you as I used to love Maria. I couldn’t restrict myself from knowing about you, from getting a duplicate marks-card for each of your examination results, from buying gift for you on your birthday, for buying return gifts for each of your presents given to me and loving you from the bottom of my heart.
My child, I apologize to you for virtually including you into my family with my other two sons. My blessings will always be there with you.
God bless you.
With love,
Annie D’souza.
That day after returning at home, I couldn’t express myself to anybody, not even to my mother. I silently kept all her gifts given to me in a separate closet. I could now very well sum up all her reactions on each of my simple actions.
Many years have passed. Till date I couldn’t refrain myself to wish Ms. D’souza on her birthday, greet her on teachers day and to visit her grave on her death anniversary. I know wherever you are Ms. D’souza, you will always there with me and shower your blessings upon me.
Thank you God for making me able to get such an unconditional love…..Till date….
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