Teacher' s Day

On this occasion of Teacher's Day cannot help but reproduce this heartwarming news item.

In a unique gesture of gratitude and love for their guru, over 4,000 students who had learnt Tamil from octogenarian S.C. Venkatraman over the last 30 years at a school in Namakkal and are now living in different parts of the country, have come together to collect a million rupees to build him a house.

The teacher will shift from his rented thatched hut into this new home that his students have aptly named as Guru Nivas on Teachers’ Day on September 5.

Eighty-five-year-old Venkatraman retired in 1985 after teaching Tamil for three decades at the Senguntha Mahajana higher secondary school at Gurusamipalayam in Namakkal district.

He used to be an iconic figure for the students due to the concern he showed not only towards their studies but also their general well being.

Two years ago, a group of students of the 1957 batch held a ‘reunion’ at the school and amid all the joy and back-slapping, discovered to their shock that their favourite guru, Venkatraman was living in a little hut sans electricity.

A ‘student committee’ was instantly formed and a project announced to build a house for the vaathiyaar. “He was reluctant, even embarrassed when we told him about the planned gift.”

“When we announced the house project, contributions from his students poured in from all over. We even received cheques from former classmates now settled abroad,” he told this newspaper.

“This house does not merely reflect our gratitude; it shall remain as a reminder for the future generations about our beautiful tradition of guru-sishya paaramparyam,” she said.

Due to his advanced age, Venkatraman has confined himself to his house but continues to see students dropping by to clear doubts and share happy stories.

“I am proud of my students. Though many have settled abroad in countries like England, America and France, they call me up every year on the Teacher’s day. I can’t explain to you my feelings seeing this luxurious two-storied house,” said the guru, his voice cracking with emotion at his students’ gesture.

Another ex-student Ms M. Alamelu, who retired as a teacher and is living at KK Nagar in Chennai, said, “Venkatraman sir inspired me to take up teaching as my profession. He used to explain our lessons through stories from the epics and hardly used the blackboard. Apart from lessons, he taught us to keep time and be sincere at work.”
“This house does not merely reflect our gratitude; it shall remain as a reminder for the future generations about our beautiful tradition of guru-sishya paaramparyam,” she said.
Due to his advanced age, Venkatraman has confined himself to his house but continues to see students dropping by to clear doubts and share happy stories. “I am proud of my students. Though many have settled abroad in countries like England, America and France, they call me up every year on the Teacher’s day. I can’t explain to you my feelings seeing this luxurious two-storied house,” said the guru, his voice cracking with emotion.