A Teacher’s Day tribute

The world of education has grown and expanded exponentially into diverse areas. So have institutions and facilities. But it’s important to remember that sound foundations of young minds are best laid in pre-teen and teenage years. Therefore the school years are a very crucial period in every child’s life. Infrastructure and other facilities in a school are highly prized, but high-quality teachers are the most valuable asset of a school and the most critical evaluation parameter. Every Teacher’s Day (September 5) I vividly recall an exemplary teacher. Jagan Nath Grover was a highly respected and committed teacher at the DAV School, Lahore, and after India’s partition, at Ludhiana’s Arya High School. History and geography were the subjects he taught. He also authored books in both subjects which were widely read for decades by students in Punjab and beyond preparing for the matriculation examination before and after India’s independence. Grover Sir was invariably attired in a kurta, narrow pyjama with an achkan crowned by a turban, all white, simple and elegant. Noisy classrooms became dead silent as he entered, imposing and on the dot. Boys stood still at their desks, until he gestured to them to take their seats and walked briskly to the blackboard. Quite effortlessly, he would chalk a neat and accurate map of India or Britain — depending on the lesson — which would have done even professional artists proud. Thus began his history lessons. I still recall his evocative recitations of India’s evolution from ancient, medieval and modern times to its partition and independence. Essential facts about kingdoms, dynasties, rulers, religions, languages, customs and much else concerning India were gently, but firmly, infused into young minds. His bilingualism — command of English and Hindi — was outstanding. This enabled his descriptions and portrayal of the tipping points of history to be so forceful and dramatic that students imagined themselves to be part of the narrative. Although a committed nationalist, no bias ever clouded his mind while teaching history. Grover Sir praised the likes of Bentinck, Curzon among others who, he felt, despite their imperialism, enriched India and its people through administrative reforms. His assessments of Akbar the great and Shahjahan the builder — if not emperor — and many others whose origins were not Indian, were equally objective. Unfolding events and happenings had little space in his lessons. He felt they were not yet history, although he often expressed the hope that much of what was going on in Indian politics and society would not be perpetuated. Outside class, Grover Sir kept to himself. With his colleagues he was polite but somewhat aloof. He had no interest in gossip or small talk. In school few, if any, could claim to be his close friends. This was not due to eccentricity or a sense of superiority, but the consequence of his adherence to sound principles and values with which many of his colleagues didn’t feel comfortable. Those who did, tried to emulate his example. This exemplary teacher was…