Journeys that matter

On Friday, Ms Lakshmi touched base with her old student in Mumbai. And when the student pressed her to visit her home, she did not hesitate much. Even if that meant a long bus ride from Thane to Borivali, and from there southwards to Goregaon.

She had her college-going son and school-going nephew for company. And made sure she bought a box of sweets and some spiced mixture for her student. A bus ride from Thane to Borivali takes about 45 minutes. The route from Borivali to Goregaon by Western Express Highway is shorter, but not easy when traffic stops, stopping everything that moves on the road.

Still, she made the trip. It was a journey that mattered like nothing else did. To her, and more to her student who had married another student of hers. She was my teacher, who overwhelmed me on Friday with the sheer effort she put in to come home. She, was my teacher, Mrs Lakshmi Jayaraman (me prefers the more standardised Ms) , who taught my husband and me when wew were at school and whose painstaking efforts to pump in some creativity into our lessons, we remember to this day. 

My programme to go towards Thane did not work out thanks to visiting near ones and their three month old baby at home. She had come to visit her mother who underwent a surgery recently, and her brother with whom she was living this Dasara vacation. I insisted she make it and said I would be very happy to have her home. A minute later I did feel guilty too.  Who was I to make her do this? I mean what right did I have to? But she took time off to meet me and my husband. 

Not that my home was in great shape. As a homemaker I do not rate myself highly. Am more of the kind who gets hooked to reading online and writing. Blabbermouth me would talk non-stop with all that excitement. I even bombarded her with our wedding snaps viewing ritual.

Am sure I hardly left any room for her and the kids to talk. We touched her feet and she blessed us! Am still wondering how many teachers would do those extra miles to meet their students. The distance did matter as she could not stay longer. Returning to Thane meant a two hour journey again. 

Thanks to the north-bound traffic on the highway, they did get stuck for quite a while. But managed to reach home. Her gesture has still left me touched! Thank you ma'm! Thanks again.