Rahul Bajaj
Chairman, Bajaj Auto
I liked many teachers during my school life but two were really special. The first was Mr CJ Olliver, who used to teach us English Literature. Once I went out of the class-room and came back to ask, “Can I come in, Sir?” He looked at me sternly and said, “I am not aware if you can come in or not, but if you want my permission, the language to be used is, ‘May I come in, Sir?’” Olliver was strict about the lexicon and passed on that sense of pride in whatever we did.
The other teacher was a person who became our principal for a short while. I forget his first name but he was known as Nix James. Good ol’ Nix encouraged his boys to become all-rounders and taught us one important thing – ‘hope for perfection but do not expect it’. I have much to thank these two gentlemen for.
Sasha Mirchandani
Director, Imercius Technologies India ltd
I studied at the Kodaikanal International School, where my favourite teacher was Mrs Gwen Rampal, who taught us English. Mrs Rampal was not only very knowledgeable in her subject but was also very endearing to her students. Outside class, she was never a teacher but more of a friend. I remember an interesting thing that happened...
We used to have something called a ‘tardy’ if we got late for class. If you got four tardies, you missed all the weekend activities. I ended up getting four once and I was due to miss the weekend activities.
That particular weekend we had our annual formal and that would mean that I couldn’t attend. I requested Mrs Rampal to help me, and she refused. However, the next day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my name was not on the list. It was only later that I found out that Mrs Rampal had gone to the dean and requested he take my name off the list as she had made a mistake while sending in the tardy list.
He was not convinced, but Mrs Rampal stuck to her guns and I got to go to the formal. This example, for me, best illustrates how a teacher like Mrs Rampal took the blame for one of her students while putting herself on the line. When Mrs Rampal stood up for me, she taught me a great lesson. I realised that the problem wouldn’t have existed if I had been on time to my classes in the first place. I have, since that day, striven to be on time for anything I do. I think this has benefited me immensely.
Habil Khorakiwala
Chairman, Wockhardt Limited
I vividly remember my school principal, Mr Marzban, who also taught us English. I still remember his vast knowledge and passion for the English language, which was at its best when he discussed Shakespeare. It was one of the most difficult subjects to understand and keeping the students’ interest alive in the subject is no small task – but he excelled at it.Even today, I can recall his intense involvement, eloquence and strict discipline.
He expected the best from his students and did not tolerate any nonsense in his class. At the same time, he was extremely kind-hearted, humane and supportive of each and every student. The most important lessons that I learnt from him were the benefits of being disciplined and always giving your best. Mr Marzban was a teacher par excellence, one I will never forget.
Dipali Goenka
Director, Welspun India Ltd
My favourite teacher at the Maharani Gayatri Devi School at Jaipur was the late Mrs Vijaya Bist. She taught the class geography, but taught me much more. She created an excitement around the subject that helped us learn better. She always said that books are great but your environment can teach you more. Today, I recommend the same to my children. She taught me to be sensitive to nature and my surroundings.
But perhaps the most important lesson was how she influenced my personality. I was a very tall, geeky kid who was unsure of herself. One day, she had asked me to make a presentation on the different climates of the world. I was extremely timid, shy and hesitant and my expressions showed this.
Mrs Bist called me before the whole class and said, “Dipali, if you are not confident, your body language will show it, and no one takes an unconfident person seriously.” That was an epiphanic moment in my life and it was then that I underwent a slow but steady metamorphosis and emerged a more confident and secure person who can handle any situation with panache. Today, my job requires me to interact with myriad people from various walks of life, which I would not have been able to do had it not been for Mrs Bist.
Geetanjali Kirloskar
Chairperson, Kirloskar’s India-Japan
Initiative
I still remember my teacher, Mr Sandhu, from Lawrence School, Sanawar. He would never punish or scold any of us if we failed to do our homework. He would simply reason how we were wasting our parents’ money and that we would be the ones to blame if we did not fare well in the exams... It helped me appreciate the benefits of being responsible early in life. Thank you Mr Sandhu, for teaching me the lesson of my life.
Pritish Nandy
Chairman, Pritish Nandy Communications
I had no favourite teachers in school. Yes, I found some of the lady teachers very attractive, very sexy. But that’s only natural for any young kid coming to terms with his hormones. But since I found education a loathsome idea and very, very boring I resented the rest.
The teacher I truly admired had nothing to do with my school. He taught in a college and his name was Prof P Lal. I met him at some essay contest where I had won a prize. He called me home to attend his Writers’ Workshop, where the finest minds of that time met on Sundays to hang out and chat over cups of tea. It was adda at its finest. And it was Prof Lal who encouraged me to write, and published my first books of poems and translations. His is a debt I can never repay. What he taught me most was self-confidence.
He taught me to walk with my head held high and believe that I was the greatest poet around. I may have actually been the greatest poet around. Or, on the other hand, I may not have been. But who cared? What mattered was that, at 16, I felt I was the best and it is that self-confidence which made me a writer – in less than sixmonths, he published my first book of poems.
Today, that is the only skill I carry with me – my writing – and all that I am I owe to this one great teacher who never, ever taught me. He simply inspired me to discover myself.
Source : ET
Chairman, Bajaj Auto
I liked many teachers during my school life but two were really special. The first was Mr CJ Olliver, who used to teach us English Literature. Once I went out of the class-room and came back to ask, “Can I come in, Sir?” He looked at me sternly and said, “I am not aware if you can come in or not, but if you want my permission, the language to be used is, ‘May I come in, Sir?’” Olliver was strict about the lexicon and passed on that sense of pride in whatever we did.
The other teacher was a person who became our principal for a short while. I forget his first name but he was known as Nix James. Good ol’ Nix encouraged his boys to become all-rounders and taught us one important thing – ‘hope for perfection but do not expect it’. I have much to thank these two gentlemen for.
Sasha Mirchandani
Director, Imercius Technologies India ltd
I studied at the Kodaikanal International School, where my favourite teacher was Mrs Gwen Rampal, who taught us English. Mrs Rampal was not only very knowledgeable in her subject but was also very endearing to her students. Outside class, she was never a teacher but more of a friend. I remember an interesting thing that happened...
We used to have something called a ‘tardy’ if we got late for class. If you got four tardies, you missed all the weekend activities. I ended up getting four once and I was due to miss the weekend activities.
That particular weekend we had our annual formal and that would mean that I couldn’t attend. I requested Mrs Rampal to help me, and she refused. However, the next day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my name was not on the list. It was only later that I found out that Mrs Rampal had gone to the dean and requested he take my name off the list as she had made a mistake while sending in the tardy list.
He was not convinced, but Mrs Rampal stuck to her guns and I got to go to the formal. This example, for me, best illustrates how a teacher like Mrs Rampal took the blame for one of her students while putting herself on the line. When Mrs Rampal stood up for me, she taught me a great lesson. I realised that the problem wouldn’t have existed if I had been on time to my classes in the first place. I have, since that day, striven to be on time for anything I do. I think this has benefited me immensely.
Habil Khorakiwala
Chairman, Wockhardt Limited
I vividly remember my school principal, Mr Marzban, who also taught us English. I still remember his vast knowledge and passion for the English language, which was at its best when he discussed Shakespeare. It was one of the most difficult subjects to understand and keeping the students’ interest alive in the subject is no small task – but he excelled at it.Even today, I can recall his intense involvement, eloquence and strict discipline.
He expected the best from his students and did not tolerate any nonsense in his class. At the same time, he was extremely kind-hearted, humane and supportive of each and every student. The most important lessons that I learnt from him were the benefits of being disciplined and always giving your best. Mr Marzban was a teacher par excellence, one I will never forget.
Dipali Goenka
Director, Welspun India Ltd
My favourite teacher at the Maharani Gayatri Devi School at Jaipur was the late Mrs Vijaya Bist. She taught the class geography, but taught me much more. She created an excitement around the subject that helped us learn better. She always said that books are great but your environment can teach you more. Today, I recommend the same to my children. She taught me to be sensitive to nature and my surroundings.
But perhaps the most important lesson was how she influenced my personality. I was a very tall, geeky kid who was unsure of herself. One day, she had asked me to make a presentation on the different climates of the world. I was extremely timid, shy and hesitant and my expressions showed this.
Mrs Bist called me before the whole class and said, “Dipali, if you are not confident, your body language will show it, and no one takes an unconfident person seriously.” That was an epiphanic moment in my life and it was then that I underwent a slow but steady metamorphosis and emerged a more confident and secure person who can handle any situation with panache. Today, my job requires me to interact with myriad people from various walks of life, which I would not have been able to do had it not been for Mrs Bist.
Geetanjali Kirloskar
Chairperson, Kirloskar’s India-Japan
Initiative
I still remember my teacher, Mr Sandhu, from Lawrence School, Sanawar. He would never punish or scold any of us if we failed to do our homework. He would simply reason how we were wasting our parents’ money and that we would be the ones to blame if we did not fare well in the exams... It helped me appreciate the benefits of being responsible early in life. Thank you Mr Sandhu, for teaching me the lesson of my life.
Pritish Nandy
Chairman, Pritish Nandy Communications
I had no favourite teachers in school. Yes, I found some of the lady teachers very attractive, very sexy. But that’s only natural for any young kid coming to terms with his hormones. But since I found education a loathsome idea and very, very boring I resented the rest.
The teacher I truly admired had nothing to do with my school. He taught in a college and his name was Prof P Lal. I met him at some essay contest where I had won a prize. He called me home to attend his Writers’ Workshop, where the finest minds of that time met on Sundays to hang out and chat over cups of tea. It was adda at its finest. And it was Prof Lal who encouraged me to write, and published my first books of poems and translations. His is a debt I can never repay. What he taught me most was self-confidence.
He taught me to walk with my head held high and believe that I was the greatest poet around. I may have actually been the greatest poet around. Or, on the other hand, I may not have been. But who cared? What mattered was that, at 16, I felt I was the best and it is that self-confidence which made me a writer – in less than sixmonths, he published my first book of poems.
Today, that is the only skill I carry with me – my writing – and all that I am I owe to this one great teacher who never, ever taught me. He simply inspired me to discover myself.
Source : ET
