The Teacher : A Fiction Kahaani Short Story

 

THE TEACHER

The class was waiting with a dreaded fear. Professor Karmarkar was about to arrive in few minutes. Students were running helter-skelter and giving finishing touches to their presentations which were due in the lecture. One thing very peculiar about a business school is students searching for information and running to complete tasks, without actually knowing what they have to search for. It’s like a headless chicken on a free run.

The professor was running late today, a rarity for the one in question. The class coordinator had just received a message from the professor that he is about to reach college in few minutes, apparently he had to take a different route today in order to avoid traffic. There was one similarity between all the professors of MVB Business School; they were all busy , they had twenty thousand other important things to do than giving lecture to a bunch of teenagers who were more interested in knowing who "Bebo" ran away with than what the four P's of marketing were.

There were students clicking pictures, some of them yawning and dozing off, while some making last minute changes to their presentations and a majority of them wished Prof. Karmarkar never existed.  He was known to be a rude, in your face happiness allergic retard. And though he had a lot of knowledge and experience, students hated him for endless reasons.

For starters he abused what he didn't like and this majorly included the presentations. Next he made sure everyone who was late got suspended. To add more to the harassment, no mobile phones or laptops were allowed when he was teaching. That's 3rd degree torture for a 20 something social Indian dying to speak out and express.

The moment finally arrived, Prof Karmarkar made an entry into the class and suddenly the world inside the class stopped. Earphones were unplugged, giggles came to an abrupt end, and eyes popped out with a pressure to listen.

His appearance was completely deceptive of his behavior, while he looked calm and friendly; his speech had the power to destroy any soul in sight. He started the class by asking everyone to pack their bags and sit, and with that everyone sensed that he was up to a new massacre today.

"Today the session is going to be very different" and he went towards the door and locked it. Some students felt a sudden urge to pee but the door wouldn't open now until he was done giving his dose of insanity.

"So class good news first, today I won’t take your presentations" and gave a wicked smile to the whole class. There was something very different about him today. The coordinator was missing from the class and he said it was fine if he didn't receive the professor treatment today, everyone was shocked on his sudden saintly behavior.

"OK guys no need to be under pressure. Today I am going to tell you a story. Since all of you are running behind getting a job and making lots and lots of money post this course ends, I think this story is well deserved by you"

Well who's not interested in money and the class was ready to hear from him. He continued while the class listened in sheer amusement...

"The story is about this guy who used to live in a small village in Jalgaon and had big dreams. Born to a farmer he still wanted to study. He wanted to become a doctor, later a policeman and later a politician. He practically wanted to be like every other educated person he came across in his village. He graduated with great difficulty and by that time lost his mother to a serious illness which couldn't be treated due to lack of funds.

He chose to work hard and dreams followed to reality. He wanted to study marketing and he so he did. Financials were taken care of by scholarships he won and the aid he received from his friends. He did his masters in marketing and got himself a corporate job which paid him much higher than he ever had expected. He then went ahead and shifted his father from the village shanty to a furnished home in Mumbai and the smile on his face made him proud. But he wasn't content; He wanted to be the best. On the other hand his father was not content because he wanted his son to get married. And like every other young Indian he was against the idea of marriage at first but then his dad’s persistence won and he agreed for a marriage, an arranged marriage to be specific.

Being married meant more responsibilities. He started working for long hours; made sure he never arrived home earlier than 12am and slept not more than 5 hours. More and more money started pouring in.

The civilization around you is fixated with the idea of punching out fun from your life, so everyone around him was curious about a baby. Soon they were parents and the baby was the center of his life circle.

He left his marketing job and decided a career switch, something which would mean paying back to the society which had helped him to achieve his dreams.  His kids had grown up and flown away with the American dream. Old Age killed his father, but his love for marketing was still alive.

He was hated at work. Everyone thought he was a quintessential blunt and a rude nonsensical person to work around.  And maybe he was, may be achieving your dreams makes you rude and unapologetic"

For the first time Prof. Karmarkar’s students were listening with interest and not out of fear.

He continued, "He was hated for expecting everyone to be perfect. No one is ever ready to push themselves that extra bit and excel but he took the initiative. Though no one where he worked liked him, he had some ex-colleagues who thanked him for being so real and making them face extreme conditions with vigor which made them reach the levels of success they couldn’t have otherwise achieved"

A student was getting an urge to ask Prof. Karmarkar about the career switch the man in the story made; but then chose to keep quite since he disliked interruptions.

"One day while he was running late to work he had an accident and died on the spot. And just when death was approaching him, he experienced a moment of regret. Had he not raced with others, he would have had a life and not just a time table. He realized even money couldn't save him, all of what he ever earned put together couldn't save him. He wished he was around when his daughter was growing up; when his father died; he wished he spent a day with his sadness rather than distracting himself with work. It’s only when you have lost something that you realize its real value. The man from Jalgaon felt a chill running through his spine and lay lifeless"

"I have given many lectures to you guys, but this wasn't a lecture. This is life. The problem with being in a rat race is that even if you win, at the end you still are a rat. Don't be a rat. Learn from him and make yourself a better human being and not just a successful businessman. Swallow hatred and criticisms like medicine and continue to push people around you to excel beyond their limits, but do not forget to live"

The class was silent. No one moved a nerve.

"With that I end my today's lecture"

He unlocked the door and left.  The class which was silent looked at each other with surprise and astonishment. Students went back to their talks, judging the lecture and its usefulness if any. Many of them started complaining of no networks in their mobiles and thus wanted to leave.

The class coordinator finally arrived with a technician. She was gasping for breath,

"Who the hell locked the door and why?" The students who were all now about to leave the class answered,

"Prof Karmarkar locked it, like he always does"

The coordinator stared in amusement. She couldn't believe what they just said and at first considered it as a joke.

"Seriously guys who locked it from inside and why were all of you so quiet for so long. I and the Dean saw you all sitting without any movement for the last one hour. What is wrong with you all?"

A student replied "What are you asking? We were all listening to Prof. Karmarkar's lecture. What else could we do?"

She inquired many times but received the same answer. On listening to what the lecture was about she almost skipped a heartbeat.

“Class quiet, I have news to break. Just when the lecture was about to begin I was called to the main office and informed about Prof. Karmarkar's demise. He died in a car accident while he was on his way for the lecture. I came to the classroom to deliver the news but the door was locked from inside. I still don't understand what happened"

The class was in a shock .The man in the story they just heard was Prof. Karmarkar himself. They could do nothing but stay in dismay and shock. He taught them something they shall never forget...

Life is beautiful, enjoy every aspect of it. Being in the rat race is the most easy option to select, deserting yourself from the race and creating a niche of your own is the most difficult option but also the most satisfying one.

 

Catch the Audio Story on our YouTube Channel on the below link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5-VH3dRgmQ&t=5s