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.

Then I suddenly realized that while doing a training in a factory, the Safety Head taught me a lesson or two in safety. A fellow runner taught me a few things in daily discipline and diet. A young 22 year old girl attending my financial planning lecture asked ‘is your blog only for people who know everything in finance’. God sends people to your life to teach you something – and once their role is over, they move on. So ‘teacher’ is not JUST the person who was introduced to you as a ‘teacher’ -but just anybody from whom YOU choose to learn.

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!