Foundation Day, Independence Day and Teachers’ Day – these three events have shaped the past three months. They have taken us to the origins with gratitude and to the future with hope. They have strengthened our roots on one side and have fortified our wings on the other.
The Foundation Day on 16 July I am sure has made you walk down the memory lane towards the humble beginnings of Bethany in 1921, beckoning you to recapitulate the foundational vision of the Servant of God RFC Mascarenhas, the Founder of the Bethany Educational Society. Many of you might have made gigantic efforts to make our Founder appear on stage in various size, shapes and costumes, feeding words into his mouth to utter immemorial words. What would be his message to the students of Z generation? What would he expect of them at this confused times in a conflict ridden world? Dear students, it’s worth listening to this sagacious man who with a penetrating vision will take you beyond the century.
Secondly, the Independence Day I am sure had its beauty and glamour in itself. The day’s activities must have carried you back to 1947, the day on which the tricolour flag flew triumphantly for the first time. It must have reminded you of the sacrifice and allegiance of our leaders who passionately fought the fight without heeding the wounds and won freedom, liberty and victory. The day must have retold of your responsibility to protect what is earned and promote what is handed over.
Thirdly, the celebration of Teachers’ Day might have been very special whereby every student walked-into their classrooms with a flower or a greeting card to manifest their innocent love towards their teachers whom they hang on during the year. They must have made you – teachers - feel great on that day. It reminds me of an incident.
It was the teacher’s birthday. Little Johnson studying in fifth standard planned to write something special to his teacher and place that note in her hands. He walked into his classroom and handed over the letter to her and kept watching her as she began to read. It read, “Dear Ma’am, Happy birthday. I love you because you love me. I want to tell you that my school is my second home. You are my second mom. My classroom is my place of dreams, place of imaginations. You guide me rightly and tell me what I should do and what I should not. You tell me how I should behave and how I should not. You give me most cherished lessons during value education class through stories and pictures. It would be been difficult for me to know what is right and wrong on my own without you in my school. Keep pace with me until I grow up and can stand on my own. I need you not only when I am in the classroom but also when I grow up. I count on you.” The eyes of the teacher began to swell and tears rolled her cheeks while reading such emotional lines. She hugged little Johnson and said, “I never realized how beautiful it is to be a teacher. I never knew that I mean so much to you. You made me feel great today.”
Dear teachers, you are anointed to be educators, mentors, guides, gurus to your students today in the context of erroneous doctrines and false ideologies. They look up to you for model and wait for your encouragement. They count on your compassionate gaze and await your patient accompaniment. They trust in your leading power and therefore entrust their future in your hands. I pray that you fulfil their deep aspirations and transform them as enlightened citizens with a good blend of head, heart and hands! As you go along, remember the words of our beloved Founder, “Education is a holy work…It is not merely a service to the individual and the society but a furtherance of God’s design.”
With God’s blessings,
Sr Mariette BS
Secretary, BES Mangalore