5th March 2010 was Rangpanchami – the colour holi. It was a holiday for students but we all teachers were in school, making arrangements of next day's smartclass demo and we got a pleasant surprise. An International fame cartoonist Mr. Mangesh Tendulkar was entering in our school with his wife Mrs. Snehalata Tendulkar. As there were no students in the school, we teachers got an opportunity to spend time & to interact with Mr. Tendulkar. He took everyone to the memory lane and narrated many incidences of his life. He gave some valuable tips to the teachers to strengthen student – teacher relations. The Engineering College incidence was a humorous explosion while the turning point incidence of his life had an emotional edge.
In his opinion parents are hardly spending quality time with their children. It has created loneliness amongst them. If teachers fill this vacuum, children will be more attached to the teachers. Teachers can grab the attention of a child, if they use innovative methods of teaching. Better to avoid age-old boring methods. If student like a particular teacher or hate a particular teacher, he likes or hates the particular subject that teacher handles. Teenagers are creating different sort of problems, so teacher should carefully handle such cases instead of making them more complicated. He said ‘even I used to hate drawing during my school days'.
Mr. Tendulkar shared some of his memories about his own teachers. In his view, we should remember the greatness of our ancestors who invented great things and discovered new lands for us. They did not expect anything in return. Based on their inventions, today our lives have become luxurious. Be it Newton’s laws or Pythagoras theorem, we have to make understand the child the pains these scientists, artists, authors, poets have taken for our civilization.
‘ Teachers will gain respect from children only if they showcase their intelligence & knowledge infront of the students. Kids are becoming more and more intelligent now a days and learning so many things. So many times it becomes a race of intelligence between a student and a teacher. If teachers use intelligence and overtake the student intelligently, only then students will surrender before teachers’ he said.
He advised teachers to gain respect through hardwork , dedication. In this way teachers can create wonders. Two golden words of teachers are more powerful than any other giant forces in the world. He also said ‘teachers are more valuable than any other person in the society. Engineers construct buildings but teachers are the nation builders as they build future citizens.’
Child must understand why he should learn ? What is the importance of education ? Teacher will have to make him realize that the education is the only means through which one can achieve his goal. Education is not just to get success in materialistic world but it helps in our inner growth.
Finally during our interaction I couldn’t resist myself and asked him, ‘ If you hated drawing in your school days, what was the turning point in your life so that you became the world renowned cartoonist ?’ The reply was emotional ----
‘ Throughout my school days I never passed drawing examination. Normally children like to draw cartoons, scenery. I used to hate that object drawing with a bucket, pot, jug and so many such things. Next day there was drawing exam but we didn’t have money to buy a drawing book. My mother collected loose pages, tied with thread and made a book for me. This book was very much precious for me. I drew a clean and neat picture in it and went to my drawing master to show the picture. For him It was hard to believe that it was my drawing. In disbelief my teacher threw this book out of window. I kept my cool, descended down the spiral staircase slowly. It was a rainy season. My book was fallen into a muddy pond. I was in tears. That moment I felt as if my mother is fallen into that puddle. Hurriedly I picked up the drawing book and wiped it with my shirt. I came back slowly with a strong determination that one day I will attain mastery in drawing. I worked hard, untiringly…….. That was the turning point of my life’
Surely we learned so many lessons from the cartoonist who is praised even by our Prime Minister.
Manjiri Ranade
HOD - Dept. of English
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