Happy teachers day!
REPOSTING FROM LAST YEAR….
Immaterial of your age..just go back and see who are the people whom you remember fondly?
It is the people who taught you something – a teacher. This teacher could have taken any form. My mother who made me read Ramayana in 3rd standard (in an till then alien language called Tamil!) – now I am trying to read Valmiki’s work (translated for anglophiles like us who cannot understand Sanskrit..keep wondering why I did not learn Sanskrit from her!), a teacher who inculcated the love of maths (http://www.subramoney.com/2009/09/vijayadashmi-dussehra-story/), or Uma Shashikant with whom I did a one week workshop, or really many authors, sisters, brothers, daughters, wife, parents, uncles, aunts, friends, students, colleagues, kids in the office, clients – the list is endless. Even today every sales call is a fantastic opportunity – thanks to xbrl and Iris for the opportunity.
So here is a Michhami Dukkadam to all my teachers – and lots of love to all of them…wherever they are. Last time at the school alumni meet we realised that many of them had died..so may their souls rest in peace.
Also a big thank you. Not only to the teachers – but also to the social system which allowed me to be educated at such a low cost that it is unbelievable. Recently I told my dad – the Return on Investment on my education is so cruel! He spent and I am earning….that apart..without adjusting for inflation I have got returns of 450% IN A DAY of the SUM TOTAL that my dad spent on my education -through college and school. So thanks to that also…
However, learning happens only when there is no ego…I tell my students
When you come into a class, come like you are coming to the temple. If you see all temples, they have a LION and AN ELEPHANT image created at the entrance.
The lion is the symbol of power and the elephant is the symbol of wealth. Power and Wealth are normally the cause of ego. The message is ‘leave your ego outside and come to God’. Exactly how you approach learning…
Jagadguru Shankaracharya is an amazing Guru…and it is but natural to remember him on Gurupurnima day. Of course so is Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, Isha foundations Jaggi Vasudev…but this story is worth reading…
When Jagadguru Shankaracharya was asked why are you calling yourself a Jagadguru? Are you a guru to the world? He said, no the correct interpretation of Jagadguru is
the Jagad is my guru!
It is really true. When you start teaching / try to teach you realise that there is a lot of learning. One big international big ticket professor (who teaches in some of the best colleges) told me ‘True teaching happens only till class 3 or 4, after that teachers are busy OBSTRUCTING learning’. I hope I do not do that in my class.
Thank you teachers (agree with Jagadguru Shankaracharya – the Jagad is my guru), love you all..and of course Dr. S Radhakrishnan, happy birthday!
Ronak Shah
Its so good to see your article the first thing in the morning. I live in Singapore, so the time I reach at work, I start my day with reading your articles. I guess you publish your article very early in the morning between 5-6 AM.
I have been learning a lot from your articles, not just about finance, but about how other disciplines can be intervened and how same principles are applied in each of them.
Happy Teachers Day to you Sir..
SAM
Subra,
Lovely article. Thank you for writing this one. If only we learned to value of school teachers enough to pay them well – the Chinese dragon would be simpering for mercy before the Indian tiger!
arjun
Absolutely lovely article – I attribute my love for my profession ( doctor ) to the amazing way I was taught by my biology/chemistry teachers in school.You have to love the subject to be able to teach it!
Guruprasad
Hi Subra,
Have started following your articles recently and am loving it. Please let me know how I can reach you for some help on personal financial planning.
Raja
Of late i’m kind of amazed by what another teacher named Chanakya did (continue to read more about him).
He picked up a kid from the road, (based on his own assessment) with a dream of making him the king of ‘Akhand Bharat’ one day and throwing away the most powerful and most morally corrupt King of his time. Of course the kid went on to become ChandraGupt Maurya, historically acknowledged as the first unifier of India.
I wonder why, there were no stories about Chankya in school text books or did i forget those stories?
Regards
Raja
Pankaj KC
Hello Subra sir,
I regularly read your articles and learn a lot about discipline, savings, compounding, investment etc…
Hats Off to you sir!!!!
HAPPY TEACHER’S DAY 🙂
subra
Thanks Ronakbhai! I write in advance and it gets posted at a time of my choice. Normally it is Indian time 7 or 8 – so you can knock of 2.5 hrs for Sing. Thanks, nice words.
SAM: we can still remedy the situation. Go to your school and see if any of the teachers need financial help, just step in. Teachers being smart have ensured that their kids are no longer teaching – most of these kids are earning well. This is great news – the fact that people you love DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP is amazingly good news, is it not? Or like a friend does distribute the ‘gifts’ that you get from vendors at Diwali to a nearby school – just give it to the teachers. NOBODY gives gifts to teachers, because parents think schools are fleecing them anyway. Tch, Tch. Rs.5k for eating out one evening is fine, but an ANNUAL fee of Rs. 50k is fleecing. Well if that is how we think, the dragon will eat the elephant and not even burp.
Yes arjun anybody who is happy with his/ her profession HAS TO ACCEPT that the love for that subject was sown in SCHOOL and very rarely at home. So completely agree. Read the link – we talk about it EVERY TIME WE meet in the alumni. And we are all 50 years of age. How many people can you remember so FONDLY – without being a blood / marriage relative?
Guruprasad do send in a mail subramoney.rich@gmail.com – I am tardy, but do reply.
subra
Raja, there is a whole movement based on Chanakya…run under the umbrella of Mumbai University, check it out. Works out of their Kalina campus…at Mumbai.
Milind N
Subra …You are our Guru and Hence Thanking you sincerely .God Bless You
Raja
Thanks for the info about Mumbai University.
Regarding the Dragon and tiger talk. Some time back i read this one
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/business/global/india-looks-to-china-as-an-economic-model.html
Chinese ppl too have huge respect for their teachers and pay them well here (In Taiwan at least). Even a primary school teacher earns somewhere around 1 lac, almost similar to the amount a technical engineering fresher can expect to earn here. Unlike majority of Indian private schools where the annual fee per child is 50k but teachers earn 10-12k per month and are considered as part timers. I think most of the parents are grudgy about that too. Gone are the days when parents used to know the teachers of their kid’s school by name and family.
I also learn that in higher courses here in Taiwan, the grades a student can get, depends to a great extent on the teacher.
My opinion is, there will be an interesting showdown between the Tiger and Dragon in the coming years.
May the tiger be well prepared 🙂
Ashish
Subra Sir,
Wishing you a happy teacher’s day too. Whatever trifle I have of investing gyaan – I have learned a lot from you.
Michhami Dukkadam to u too.
Ashish
Mani
Sir,
Nowadays reading your blog is real pleasure.
Great work Sir, keep it going.
aditya
Dear Subra,
For me every day is a teacher’s day, we owe so much of our persona and thoughts to them.
Although, our gratitude to you as a guide cant be expressed in words.
“Thank You” for your wise inputs . Please keep them coming..
Smiles
Aditya
Visvanathan
Not sure if you are realising the impact you are causing. When I told an advisor (who was selling ULIP to me) that I read your blog, he said he reads too! His enthu waned when I said I will not buy ULIP..poor guy. Happy teachers day sir! to me you are the financial teacher i never had at school or college or office! How can I pay you?
Sanjay
I also have a lot from Subra Sir.
Happy teacher’s day!
Sanjay
I also have learnt a lot from Subra Sir.
Happy teacher’s day!
Shiva
Happy Teacher’s Day Subra sir!
Thanks a lot for all that we’ve gained from your writings!
Rakesh
Subra Sir,
Wonderful article, remembered my childhood days.
But the quality of education the teacher imparts these days is not the same. From my experience, Until the year 2000 the level of education was very good. Since last few years its been going down. Teachers take for granted that students join coaching classes and don’t teach well and they themselves take private tutions. And then you find university teachers who leak papers for money. Low salary is the main reason. Though all are not like that. God Bless the honest teachers.
Happy Teachers Day,
Rakesh
Dheeraj
Happy Teacher’s Day Subra…
You are guru for many followers like me…