For me, it was a feast for my eyes, when I read in HT of May 24, 2011, CBSE results of Class XII. Now, teachers are same in each school and students are different in every aspect some want to excel and work seriously to outshine themselves and others are so-so. Many get attracted by temptations of modern living yet some remain focused.

Let me be quick to add that life does not end with a bad score in Class XII. Life is long journey─for boys 80 years+ and girls five years more!

Whatever profession you decide to get into, never forget that there is always a good possibility of achieving excellence in it through innovative and creative thinking and acting upon it─over the next 10, 20 to 30 years! Patience, passion, jugaad, josh, junoon, and lage raho, lage raho lagan se!

Recently I came across a letter, which follows, and after reading it, my eyes got “misty” and I sincerely wish that may be you and I can do something like it someday which makes a “little difference” in the lives of people. We have many years ahead to start thinking and doing, good luck!

“Why Teaching Is Called A Noble Profession? Because It Gives An Opportunity To Make Human Beings Good

One day a teacher asked her students to list the name of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. ‘Really?’ she heard whispered. ‘I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!’ and, ‘I didn’t know others liked me so much,’ were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in combat and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. ‘Were you Ranjeet’s math teacher?’ he asked. She nodded: ‘yes.’ then he said: ‘ Ranjeet talked about you a lot.’

After the funeral, most of Ranjeet’s former classmates went together to a luncheon. Ranjeet’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

‘We want to show you something,’ his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket ‘They found this on Ranjeet when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.’

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Ranjeet’s classmates had said about him.

‘Thank you so much for doing that,’ Ranjeet’s mother said. ‘As you can see, Ranjeet treasured it.’

All of Ranjeet’s former classmates started to gather around. Varun smiled rather sheepishly and said. ‘I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.’

Anoop’s wife said, ‘Anoop asked me to put his in our wedding album.’

Then Vikram, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. ‘I carry this with me at all time.’ Vikram said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: ‘I think we all saved our lists.’

That’s when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Ranjeet and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don’t know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.


Please Remember, “you reap what you sow.” What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

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Promod Batra B.Com:- Shri Ram College Of Commerce, New Delhi (1957),MBA:- University Of Minnesota, USA (1960),D.Litt.:- From Rani Durgavati Vishwavidalaya, Jabalpur, MP (2007). Started his professional career in India in 1963 with Escorts and retired from Escorts in 1996 as the Chief General Manager and now is CEO of Think Inc.