Memoirs of a Sail that Saved...Part 1

This happened a few years back, when I had touched the lowest point of my life where I lost my health, my job, my identity, above all, my very self. There I stood wondering what I had been a few months back. I could only recollect that I was a person untouched by people and events that went around me and realised that I have become a different personality which I couldn't accept myself.

I had to save me from that dangerous pit of self pity but I failed. Then I thought of my old student Harini who used to watch me so closely and ask me so many questions about life. I was at the right door. She remembered every bit of me and her letter was the only reminder I had of my past. Till my recovery which took more than 5 years, whenever I lost hope, this letter was my sail on the rough sea.

With my deepest love and gratitude, dear Harini, I dedicate this blog to honour you and your courage to save your teacher. Let this letter be a motivator for the readers of this blog and may you be an inspiration to them...

This is what Harini wrote....

“I would like to write about the Sindhu whom I knew...

Well, when I knew her for the first time, I saw that she was a unique person, not one among thousands; what made her unique was the way she looked at things and her attitude towards others. She would always look at things from a broader perspective, always getting the 'bigger' picture. She could discern what really mattered and what didn't. She lived by what she believed in, irrespective of how others looked at her. She knew what she was and what she was doing, that is to say, she had integrity within herself. She was surrounded by criticisms but she was the least moved by them as she knew how much reality was behind them and she knew exactly what to get influenced with. Her biggest strength was her focus on what she really wanted. She didn't want to get influenced unnecessarily by others and so she didn't. She just wanted to sow knowledge and love in her students and so she did. She did what she wanted to without the noise and confusion of the outside world. 

Of course there were times she would fall but she would rise on her own. I always wanted to tell her why she fell..She fell because she didn't realise the 'quality' and 'nature' of the people around her. She was tricked into thinking that others would be good to her and let her be her own self. She let them enter her inner territory, considering them to be good souls. And so when they pushed her into the pit, she 'reacted' instead of 'responding'. But every fall taught her what others were, she would quickly adapt herself to her surrounding, knowing the changed faces of others.

She wasn't a weak person..the so called weakness was not weakness at all; it rather was a trigger to her growth. I would just watch her growing and fighting. As a teacher, she never let the external turbulence influence the classroom atmosphere for she knew what mattered most. Nothing could take away her courage and spirit from her. In all situations she has only manifested goodness and righteousness, never have I seen her talk out of selfishness or frustration. Every time I spoke to her, I could see the infinite potential in her; I could see the indomitable strength in her eyes. At the end of the day, she would be proud of what she was, grateful for what she has learnt and wise enough to stay focused on what she wanted. She taught me to think freely and walk with my head held high. She inspired me a lot...This is all I know about her.”

Her letter didn’t end here...with all her love and concern, with the power of her young mind, she stretched her arms towards the depth of the pit where I ‘thought’ I was...(To be continued...)

Read Part 2 of this blog in the link below...

WAYSIDE JOURNAL: Memoirs of a Sail That Saved Part 2