Defining Moments

21st century society looks past at the culture of inheriting the lifestyle and means for livelihood of ancestors. Growing up in an extended family with most of its men working in middle east countries, I never imagined myself to even consider less popular career choice of becoming a teacher. Most of my classmates headed for engineering when I decided to trudge the road to civil services through an undergraduate degree in Physics. The optimistic adolescent me was being naive and impulsive.

The vibrant life of college took away my unrealistic dreams but gave me a sense of achievement whenever I had an opportunity to impart knowledge. The defining moment of my life's one of the biggest decisions came soon after college. At my grandfather's funeral, the priest made a remark that I would carry on my grandpa's legacy. I vividly remember feeling proud.

He was a headmaster at one of the government schools in our village admired and respected equally by family and community. Fondly addressed as 'Govindan mash', he lived a simple life with high morals. Achachan (Grandpa) gave me this unique name, held my hand to trace through the rice to write for the first time, and set an example by keeping both his and his wife's family names as surnames for all his children. It might explain my stance on equality.

This year marks a decade for me in this noble service. I only aim to emulate the standards that my Achachan lived by.