A Teacher Who Inspired Me…

On the occasion of Teacher’s Day, celebrities share personal experiences of a teacher who inspired them

 

Sidharth Bhardwaj, Actor and VJ
Teacher’s Day has always been special to me as to I am sure all the kids in our country; may it be to trouble some teachers in good spirit or to take inspiration from them. Growing up as a cricketer, a cricket coach will always hold value in your life and so did my coach, Mr. Madan Lal, with whom I started playing cricket and learnt the skills and art of the most popular game of our country. Mr. Madan Lal was always an inspiration and I hoped someday I would play brilliant cricket like him. He was a major part of the World Cup winning Indian team in 1983 and has really set an example for me. I have literally grown up with him and even now, though I am in a totally different profession, I still sometimes go and practice with him at the Sirifort Club in Delhi with the same enthusiasm which I had when I was a teenager. Due to an injury that I had suffered, I had to give up my dream of being a cricketer, but Mr. Madan Lal never gave up on me, he still tells me to get back to cricket whenever I meet him. Mr. Madan Lal is not only my teacher and my inspiration, he is much more than that, he is what I would call a perfect example of a teacher – someone who believes in you when you don’t believe in yourself. His lessons to me extended beyond just cricket. This Teacher’s Day I’d like to thank my teacher Mr. Madan Lal for all the memories and for teaching me the art of cricket and everything else that I have got from him. I wish him and all the awesome teachers a very Happy Teachers Day!

 

Shernaz Treasurywala, Actress
It was quite recently that I discovered Seth Barrish in New York City. He is a very different kind of teacher. An awardwinning actor, director, and artistic director, he has spent the last two decades focusing on techniques that maximize spontaneity and bring performances to life.
But I joined his class not for acting but writing. It was a solo show class. This class focuses on storytelling, writing and performing my own show. I have taken writing classes before but none have been as inspiring. I learnt not only more about writing but about comedy and performance.
Everyone in the class was talented and a strong performer and writer. Seth cares. He cares about stories and writing and the integrity of the craft. He teaches not for the money but for the love of creating. Now, I have my own solo show and I couldn’t have done it without him.
Thanks Seth!

 

Vatsal Sheth, Actor
Throughout my school life, I was an introvert. Every year, we would have a personality contest in my school and the winner would be titled ‘Mr School’. My English teacher, Mala Mehta nominated me as a contestant for this competition, without my knowledge. When the names of the contestants were announced, I was shocked to hear my name. I was petrified but my friends forced me to go on stage. When I reached backstage, I saw my teacher standing there. I nervously approached her and said, “I’m not going on stage. I can’t do this. I’ll end up stammering in front of everyone.” She didn’t listen to me; instead, she pushed me on stage! I stumbled onto the stage and was relieved when the nightmare was over. To my surprise, I actually won second prize at that competition.
I would like to thank my teacher, who spotted the potential in me and helped me overcome my stage fright. It is because of her that I am an actor today.

 

Volume 2 Issue 3