My first teacher
the one who taught me
the basics- was not from school
she was very much at home-my mom
she taught me not only the 3rs (read, rite,r'thmetic)
but also about the birds and the bees
the sun- the moon
of what s right,what wrong
she told me of tales distant
from the Ramayana,Mahabharata
folklore of kerala, Arabia, panchatanthra
and the morals and learning from them
She continued to handhold
long after I started school
was clear on her priority-
education first
all else afterwards!
If I can lay claim today
to any success or achievement
I owe it all to the clarity
of my first teacher- my mother
the one who taught me
the basics- was not from school
she was very much at home-my mom
she taught me not only the 3rs (read, rite,r'thmetic)
but also about the birds and the bees
the sun- the moon
of what s right,what wrong
she told me of tales distant
from the Ramayana,Mahabharata
folklore of kerala, Arabia, panchatanthra
and the morals and learning from them
She continued to handhold
long after I started school
was clear on her priority-
education first
all else afterwards!
If I can lay claim today
to any success or achievement
I owe it all to the clarity
of my first teacher- my mother
Very well written and it reminded me of my mother as well - I guess it would do so to anyone who reads your poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks Abhra. The contribution of mothers to making us whom we are is immense,
ReplyDelete