Teachers' Day

Ajay Dewal, age 12, is a Class VII student at Saloni International Academy, village Chak Charanwas, district Jaipur, Rajasthan. This is a rural, Hindi-medium school about 45 km from Jaipur city. Ajay comes from a poor family background but wants to succeed. This poem is about his teachers at the school.

Prerna Sharma, age 12, is a Class VII student at Saloni International Academy, village Chak Charanwas, district Jaipur, Rajasthan. This is a rural, Hindi-medium school about 45 km from Jaipur city. Prerna comes from a poor family background but wants to succeed. This poem is about her favourite teacher, Ms. Meena.

Keshav Prasad Misra completed his post-graduation in Mathematics from the University of Allahabad and also served there as Lecturer in Mathematics for nearly four years. Subsequently, he joined Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Central Excise) and served Government of India in the Department of Revenue for 36 years.

Kavita Batheja holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and has served as assistant professor of Chemistry in various private higher education institutions. She is passionate about teaching, writing and the environment, especially on issues related to groundwater — its contamination, scarcity and misuse. Presently on a break from her teaching career due to family responsibilities, she likes to write in her leisure time.

Abir Ramchandani is a 2 year old toddler. He attends Mace Montessori Nursery School in London. While he is still learning the alphabet and numbers, he love building things with his hands. This essay has been written by his parents, Shilpi and Ritesh.

Thakur Kesari Singh is an alumnus of St. Xavier's School, Jaipur and a veteran of the Sikh Regiment, the most decorated regiment of the Indian Army. He holds an M.Sc. degree in Defence Studies.

Sunita Prajapat, age 13, is a Class VII student at Matysa Bhawan Senior Secondary School, Khalda village, Shayari Tala Mod, district Jaipur, Rajasthan. This is a rural school about 50 km from Jaipur city. Sunita comes from a poor family background but wants to succeed. This poem is about her favourite teacher, Shri Gopalji, who teaches English.

M.P.V. Shenoi, a civil engineer and MBA, rose to the rank of Deputy Director-General of Works in the Indian Defence Service of Engineers. He has also been a member of HUDCO’s advisory board and of the planning team for Navi Mumbai. After retirement he has been helping NGOs in employment-oriented training, writing articles related to all aspects of housing, urban settlements, infrastructure, project and facility management and advising several companies on these issues.

R C Mody is a postgraduate in Economics and a Certificated Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. He studied at Raj Rishi College (Alwar), Agra College (Agra), and Forman Christian College (Lahore). For over 35 years, he worked for the Reserve Bank of India, where he headed several all-India departments, and was also the Principal of the RBI Staff College.

Bal Anand was born in 1943, in a village about 20 km south of Ludhiana, in a family of saint-scholars who practised Ayurveda. Graduated from DAV College, Jalandhar, and did Master in English Literature from Govt. College, Ludhiana. After a stint for a few years as lecturer, joined the Indian Foreign Service. Served in nine different countries and retired as India’s High commissioner to New Zealand. Now reading, reflecting and writing in nest in Delhi, on the East Bank of Yamuna.