Nitin Naveen's Column: How to express gratitude to the teacher who shaped your life?

Hangal is a town and taluk headquarters in Haveri district, 335 km from Bengaluru in Karnataka. Situated on the left bank of the Dharma River, one can sit in this place and admire nature peacefully for hours. But on May 30 this year, this quiet town suddenly appeared to be completely transformed. There was a different energy in the atmosphere, especially at Kumareshwar High School. More than a thousand people like engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs and corporate executives had gathered at their old playground. They were laughing, hugging and even wiping away tears in emotion. They had returned from different cities to where their life began. They had all gathered there to celebrate the retirement of the man who gave them everything. This was his teacher C.S. Textiles. Teachers rarely make headlines, especially from small towns, unless they are associated with the 'SIR'. They continue to work quietly for a salary that their family can barely sustain. Yet day after day, year after year, they also support the dreams of other people's children with their limited income. They buy extra books from their own pockets, sacrifice their holidays to teach for free and at times silently pay the fees of students who would otherwise have to drop out. Vastrad was also a similar futurist. For decades, strict discipline and deep attachment to students were the hallmarks of his life. One of his students, Naveen Hulihalli, was also in the huge crowd. Today, Naveen is a successful professional working in a large multinational company in Bengaluru. But his journey to reach the corporate world was full of difficulties. When Naveen was young, his father passed away. In an instant, his family fell into extreme poverty and the dream of education was almost over. It was not possible for his grieving mother to afford school fees, uniforms and books. Then Vastrad took on the role of a guardian. With the limited income of a high school teacher, he decided to pay for Naveen's education. They didn't just stop at financial help. He also skipped school holidays and arranged extra classes for other struggling students, including Naveen, so that they would not lag behind in studies. For Naveen, Vastrad was not just a teacher teaching on the blackboard, but became a surrogate parent. He guided and supported them till their post-graduation. He not only imparted bookish knowledge but also taught the students how to move forward in the world and how to build a future starting from zero. When the farewell ceremony reached its climax, a wave of excitement ran through the audience. A new, ribbon-wrapped Maruti Suzuki Swift was brought to the stage. Naveen walked over, took the key in his hand and turned to his old mentor. In the presence of local spiritual leaders, trust officials and a thousand of his classmates, he presented the car to his teacher with full devotion. It was a brilliant and tangible sign of gratitude for a lifetime of debt that may never be fully repaid. It proved that the seeds that teachers sow always bear fruit. An emotional Vastrad told the crowd present in a faltering tongue that 'I just did my duty. For him, the greatest reward was to see a thousand successful and honest people there together. The trap is that the best way to honor teachers is to never forget that they carved out our future by living in extremely limited means. He prioritized our progress over his own needs. Accompany him in his "golden years" after retirement. Take forward their teachings and raise the standard of living of others, just as they once raised ours.