 |
Amit Hans. I call him Master Ji. I adore and respect him the most in my life. An ideal man, my superhero. He taught me the language of life, how to balance emotions, how to listen to people, how to get others to open up and most importantly, how to smile. I have learned to be joyful from him. I have always seen him giving time to his students, understanding them, acknowledging their limitations and guiding them how to identify their goals and the necessary steps. I am sure I took him to my classroom in the past two years; I wanted to be an as able teacher as him. He was the only person who was happy and positive about my decision to quit my job and become a Teach For India Fellow. He taught me to care for others, acknowledge their beliefs, how to support others and how to always wear a smile.
Vandana Sandhir. She is the head of the public relations firm where I was working before I joined Teach For India. She taught me the language of work. I have set high standards of professionalism for myself after working with her. She is and will continue to be my favourite leader. I learned from her to look ahead, have a plan B, be humble, grateful and how to support people in the team. I have hardly seen her let go of her composure in times stressful. She gave me and my manager ample space to grow and manage the business in our city. She once mentioned that work never ends and one has to take care of self – something that ever since become my mantra. She hired me with little experience in the industry. I will never forget how she, the country head, patiently helped me write my first press release which was initially bad – a moment etched in my memory and the basis for each time I have to guide someone else.
Supratip Banerjee. Anyone who is close enough to me is aware of the impact the guy has had on me. He teaches me, every day, the language of love and how to do it effectively. I have seen him balance his and everyone’s emotions around him or connected to him such dexterously, that I sometimes find it unreal and him a saint. He forgives, he cares, he rejoices in love. The love he has for his close ones, including me, is immense and something to be grateful for. To have him in my life is a blessing. He also taught me to love myself. Supratip is a loved man and he knows how to acknowledge that love.
Ma Faiza. My first interaction with her was only a few weeks ago as I sat with her to cover her coming out story. She is a living manual in the language of courage. Her honesty, the casual throwing around of truths, her coming out tale. Everything is a reinforcement of my own belief in holding truth as the foundation of a relationship and operating otherwise. A brief interaction with her pushed me to strive to believe more in myself and choose my own way of living as the only way forward.
What is common in the four of them is that are themselves all the time. They create a safe, comfortable space for everyone around them. They listen and ask for what you need. Their words and actions are worth the world’s wisdom. In the bittersweet journey, of all the kind and brave people I have met, they are the most kind, the bravest. I bow before them.
