A role model in the making

The morning was hot and humid. We were grumbling about the summer internship as we made our way up the class. What we did not anticipate was the man who was standing inside the class when we reached. I looked at my watch and exclaimed out loud,” wow, I am on time. That means he is early.” I was surprised. I was inspired. The lecturer who was to conduct the photography classes for us this internship came ahead of time.

I settled down in my chair and looked at him. He was tall with grey hair in the sides. He was some where in the mid fifties, I guessed after doing my math. He wore a long red line on the middle of his fore head. He wore glasses and smiled a lot. He said “This is not a class room. This is a place where both of us will learn and explore.” He smiled down at all of us. I was beginning to like his entry.

From then on, the 12 day internship classes with him were a blur. From teaching us the techniques of photography to showing us his beautiful pictures of tsunami and cricket, he bowled us over. He was funny, he was genuine, he was humble, he was honest. I started looking at him with awe. Nobody had it all in them. He did. He made learning a new and exciting experience. He is my role model. He is my guru. He taught us what photography is. He taught us what life is.

I know most people will not understand how anybody could become so attached to a person in such a short span of time. But I did. 12 days were enough for me to know him and revere him.

“Life is a race, thum nahi baagoge tho ….” He said that in Virus style and the class burst out laughing.

There were assignments, there was lots of work to do. But there was enjoyment and a kind of enthusiasm that cropped up inside me and sat in the middle of me during the internship.

I wanted to make something for him on the last day of the internship. I drew a camera on a big piece of paper. My friend wrote a brilliant poetry for him. We made the class sign. When we gave the hand made card to him, he read it for about 5 minutes. I could see it in his eyes. He was moved. He said “even if you had bought a card and given it to me, it wouldn’t have had the same impact. I am so moved. Thank you so much.”

When he left, I had tears in my eyes.

I know life is fast. I know people move on. I know some day you might not even remember me. But you will remain my favorite teacher and my role model for ever. Thank you so much for deciding to take classes for us in your bust schedule. Thank you for making us feel special. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

Cheers,

Aishu