Back To College!!!

I love teaching and after completion of my D.Ed course(Diploma in Education) I began my journey as a teacher.I was teaching at an elementary school at a reputed institute for about 14 years.Yet,there was something missing.I was not getting the satisfaction I desired.I wanted to push myself further,take up new challenges and explore new avenues in teaching.Being a teacher in the S.S.C Board school for so many years had made me feel stagnant and hence I decided to do my B.Ed course.(Bachelor in Education) Even after so many years teaching in that institute ,I was not granted a years leave for my course (their loss completely!) so I quit.I gave my entrance test and secured admission in the reputed B.T.T.C (Bombay Teachers' Training College) at Colaba. I looked forward to a years training and more importantly, going back to college!

The head of the college was Mrs Mintu Sinha and it was a government -aided college so thankfully,the fees were not sky-high as in the private colleges.There were a hundred students,all aspiring teachers in my class.I fell in love with my class room which was on the fourth floor and which over-looked the magnificent Gateway of India.My class-mates were great fun to be with and the teachers who taught us were a class apart.With all the rules and regulations in the college it was more or less like a school,only without the uniform.The training was rigorous and it really made me a better teacher than what I was.That one year of training made me a more confident person and I developed many new skills.I was greatly inspired by my teachers like Deepti Mehta Mam,Richa Mittal Mam and Meenakshi Lath Mam. They had a novel approach to the teaching-learning process and I hoped to follow their footsteps.Even today, they are remembered with utmost respect.

The course was hectic and demanding.There were many who cribbed each day due to the workload but I enjoyed myself in spite of all the hard work involved.At the elections I was elected as the General Secretary of the class and it was a proud moment for me.I made some great friends during this course and there were innumerable moments that I will forever cherish.We all enjoyed the numerous programmes like the college and inter-college competitions,the zonal special days,festival celebrations and the talent shows.Even the time spent in the class ,the library,the canteen,staffroom,the local photo-copier,the nearby sandwich -wala and the restaurant will be remembered.We also spent some wonderful moments of togetherness at the nearby gateway of India,Marine Drive, McDonald's and Colaba Causeway.We had great fun and so many a times, were a source of exasperation for the teachers.We dreaded the tests,vivas and the journal submissions.We had fun at the teaching schedules at the nearby schools and earnestly prayed for good remarks from the teachers for our teaching lessons.Sports day ,campus interviews and the welcome of the new batch was exciting  and so was our Farewell programme.

Thanks to this training programme,I made some wonderful friends and I am in touch with some of them even today.I cleared the examination and am working at a well-known ICSE Board school.My B.Ed degree made it possible for me to experience teaching at an I.B (International Baccalaureate) school too,which I will always cherish.I was glad to be a part of this college and I hope there are more training colleges like this so that we have better teachers in our schools.Three cheers to my wonderful B.Ed college!

Here are some of the memorable moments spent during my B.Ed course.

The presentation at the Farewell.

The dancer and athlete of our class-Ganesh Khandagale.

On the terrace for the photo shoot.

The 8 Class Council members and the staff members.

Wonderful moments at Marine Drive

At the picnic-Who dares to tease!!!

All set for a class picture.

Enjoying with close friends.

At one of our many zonal functions.

The library where we spent hours searching for the right notes.

Sports day......was beaten at the finals.

At the water resort with the teachers.

Dancing after the sports events.

proudly wearing our Council badges at the programme.

Extoling the virtues of our college through a song which I penned.

In the heats.......pushing myself!!!

My friends at the potato race.

Long jump finals.

Enjoying my place in the sun!

The LTL (Late to Leave)group and its antics!!!

Bidding farewell to a wonderful teacher-Richa Mam.

Performing on the 'Dhol bajne laga' song.

Ramp walk at the water resort with the teachers.

Our wonderful teachers at BTTC!!!

Performing the salsa dance at the function

Two sides Of Obsession.

My cousin from the States was on a short visit and I decided to take her to Colaba Causeway for shopping.After that we went to the nearest theatre for a movie as she had to rush for her work commitment later.Regal was the movie theatre and the movie was Nashaa. Reviews for this movie,as expected, were bad but we just wanted to while away our time.The movie hall was filled with men of all ages and a very negligible women audience.(Not that I expected anything different)The main female lead was Poonam Pandey who became infamous after she promised to bare all if and when the Indian cricket team won the World cup.The team won but Poonam did not keep her promise.So here she was with another obscure young male lead doing what she did best-baring herself in this sleaze film.

Cut back to the story(if you can call it that) A young boy studying in a college is obsessed with his sexy drama teacher and he yearns for her day and night.He has a young girlfriend yet he pines for the older woman and leaves no stone unturned to make it known to her.The scenes of masturbation,sex scenes and the voyeurism was appreciated with cat-calls and wolf-whistles.There were so many comments passed and they really made it clear that we live in a sexually charged,repressed and deprived society.The film was supposed to be a platform for Miss Pandey to bare her 'talents' for all to see.What we all saw was her total lack of it.She cannot mouth her dialogues coherently and she is awful  at the scenes in which she has to cry or vent her anger.The film clearly shows where exactly her real talent lies.......in revealing without inhibitions.There is much demand for such 'actresses' in Bollywood so she will get more film offers for sure.Moving  back to the film, the obsession and lust of  the young lad for the older woman was misconstrued for love!!!I understand that he did not know it given his age but his object of interest also played along and rewarded him with one night of lust/sex with him.Obsession over, she leaves the school never to return(I hope) while the now-satiated young lad goes back to his young sweetheart for making out with her with renewed vigour!The young lass dutifully forgives and forgets her boyfriends waywardness  and accepts him with open arms.Deplorable!

After reading the rave reviews of the move Bhaag Milkha Bhaag I had to catch it at a nearby theatre.It was a tax-free movie.The movie really bowled me over!It was a biographical about the national athlete Milkha Singh who was called the 'Flying Sikh'. An ordinary boy from a small village goes on to become the most famous runner in the world due to his obsession for excellence in his field.In order to achieve his goal he meets many hardships and succeeds in the end.Some scenes remain etched in my mind like the one where a young Milkha returns home during the aftermath of the partition of India to see his whole family massacred and the other where he continues running in spite of severe injury.The love angle in the film was inconsequential and Sonam Kapoor  has nothing to offer in this role.The movie is truly inspiring and makes us salute the greatness of the athlete.It teaches us that when we put our mind and heart in anything we can and we will achieve it.After the movie I was eager to know more about Milkha Singh and wondered why such people are not idolized anymore.

Two films,two obsessions.Both totally opposing in nature.One was solely for self-gratification and the other was for glory of the nation more than personal gains.Of course in the process the athlete did win accolades and recognition for himself.
The youngsters of today need to channelize their energies in the right direction. If they put their mind to it they can achieve miracles. Genext can bring new hope to the present situation in our country.Our country has the highest percentage of young population as compared to the other countries and so if our young population decides we can go back back to being a country to reckon.The problem is that the younger lot is not as inspired as it should be.The urge to do something for their country should become an obsession.The will to do so is lacking.Hope that day is not far when we have more people yearning for the betterment of the country more than personal gains.