( ...can't think of any title to this one! :( ...)

 I remember the first day of standard ten in school ( a decade ago!), when the class teacher warned us that the following days and months will "determine the course of your life!". Those words pierced the ears and minds of us- the fifteen year old C.B.S.E board exam aspirants- who listened to the teacher with all the attention in the world. The teacher somehow seemed to know all the essential ingredients of a successful and glorious future. Why then, one may ask, that the teacher ended up being a teacher and not a civil servant or a surgeon or an astronaut. Well, the teacher as a fifteen year old wouldn't have probably paid much attention.
I come from a family of teachers and I respect and love the profession. But if  ever I get a chance to walk into a class of standard ten to give an 'inaugural lecture', I'm afraid I won't talk about scoring brilliant marks in mathematics or science.

I would rather wish them all good luck and ask them to continue learning with the same old curiosity and enthusiasm they had as a child; and to be fearless in approaching different knowledge domains.
 I would talk to them about the power of education that can turn things around in ways they cannot imagine. I would also tell them that the shrines of education are not just a medical or an engineering school. And that their worth as an educated individual would garner equal respect even if they find themselves in an art studio studying the history of paintings or sculpture or a dance school mastering nuances of an ancient art form. I would ask them to try and love what they do and inspire others through it.
I will also tell them, as an aside, that the marks scored in the upcoming board exams "do not necessarily determine the course of your life!" :)
Thank you!



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