"Humour me," she used to say. "Why don't you share the anecdotes with the rest of us?" she would mock me. Once I shamelessly cracked the best in line joke, and she burst into laughter. "I am glad you're learning satire by practice," she said. She was one of the best I learnt from. On the occasion of Teacher's Day, Friday's Google doodle is here to remind us of our favourite ones.
Teachers have always been complex personalities. Inside the wraps of uncanny discipline, power-packed knowledge and 'eye of the eagle', so to speak, even the toughest of them had a warm heart. Google's homepage today explores and celebrates the different personalities of teachers we all loved - more or less.
The letters stand for different areas of expertise.
The 'G'-we all had one like her-is the 'silent watcher', her spectacles adding more power to her excessively sharp vision. Even the slightest mischief was duly noted. We did her assignments on time.
The first 'O' is the mathematics genius - formulas and calculations is her thing. But remember, an Indian was behind the invention of the number 'zero'. And, some of us even managed to proceed beyond the 'zeros'.
The next 'O' is dedicated to the one who grabs the most attention in a classroom; the language teacher, who lives and breathes poetry. Who delivers dialogues with a subtle passion - as though "all the world's a stage". But even so, Shakespeare doesn't make her forget Wren and Martin.
The letter 'g' is the sports teacher. Masculine male or petite female, they are about fitness regime. And more than playing the game, they taught us how to be a sport.
The letter 'I' depicts the one teacher who takes us to the chemistry lab, knowing that something might explode. The chemical reactions are always fascinating and the acids always out of reach. She was the one who taught us how chemicals should be handled with care. In other words - about caution and precaution.
The 'e' that completes the Friday's Google Doodle is dedicated to the harmonious one, our first guide to the world of sounds and scales, and the discovery that musical notes make for the most scintillating language in the world. A music teacher has been and will always be the eternal favourite.
Here's the Google doodle, reminding us of the teachers we dearly love and undoubtedly respect.
Do not forget, if you are able to read this, you know who to thank. Happy Teacher's Day!