Teachers' Day - My Learning Still Remains Incomplete Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

Teachings started towards me
Almost sixty years ago
But my learning is still incomplete

On this day
The Teachers’ Day in India
I would like to bow before all those
Who taught me something or the other
And to those who are teaching me at present
And to those who will teach me tomorrow
As I wonder this may be the last time
I talk about and thank teachers

My schooling started at the age of five
I entered school with a bruised lip
After falling flat face down
While rushing through the leading front steps
Tears swelling lips bleeding
I was guided by that first ever teacher of mine
To write the first alphabet of my mother tongue
Elders in the family standing around and blessing
Srinivasan, my first teacher
Remarked at the end “a bright boy”
I managed to maintain this image throughout
My learning period under him

A lot many came in my life to teach
From this elementary school to the college
Teaching a range of subjects
Languages to mathematics,
Science to history,
All sincerely aiming at making us possess
At least that much knowledge to pass an exam
And win a degree

After years seventeen of academic learning
I got exposed to a world
Where yet another set of teachers were
Waiting to teach me
Academic learning is only a gate pass
For an exposure to universal teaching
Where there is no syllabus
Or lesson planning

Everyone came across turned out to be a teacher
And had surprise lessons to teach me
They also taught in a hurry
Giving me least time to grasp

Learning is still on
With new teachers appearing
At regular intervals
My learning, though, remains incomplete