Gratitude diaries -30

For someone who enjoys learning, I have made very poor educational choices. I chose to study B.Com for undergrad and I chose to do an MBA for post-grad. I knew even as I was doing it, that Commerce was not for me, that I had no interest in business. I feel sad when I look back and see that instead of sitting in classrooms and listening to interesting lectures, and opening my mind to new disciplines, I was lounging on the parapets of my college with my friends, idly gossiping. Till I was 25 years old, I think the only classes I enjoyed were my French classes at Alliance Francaise (which I attended for one year so that I could get good marks in French at my twelfth board examinations and then blithely abandoned. It was when I turned 26, went on a sabbatical and decided to take the UPSC that I stumbled on the subject that I truly enjoyed, and loved madly, for a time at least- sociology. I have Upendra sir to thank for it. Upendra sir was a stud prof who taught students preparing for the exam. His classes were in Delhi and I lived in Mumbai. So I had to take a break from Mumbai and my husband and go live in Delhi with my sister for four months so I could attend his classes. I remember those four months well. especially his classes. They were held at a basement in a building in Safdarjung enclave. If Delhi was cold in winter, his class was freezing cold. My body would be uncomfortable but my mind was on fire when I attended his classes. Rarely have I felt my brain working so well. Rarely have I felt so comfortable intellectually in a class. More importantly, understanding sociology validated many of my beliefs and values. I could see how my father and Upendra sir held the same values, but Upendra sir could articulate and justify them so much better with his understanding of sociology. It's a little weird but I think that in those classes I had  best time of my life- I was alone, but yet with people, confident in my ability to understand complex concepts and extremely pleased when I could answer difficult questions and got admiration from sir. I even feel nostalgic about the tea I'd have during the break, how good the warmth of it felt, against my numb fingers and going down my throat. Thank you, Upendra sir. I really admire you as a person and as a teacher. Thank you for making me enjoy learning.