"Because He Is My Role Model"

It was the first day of our class when he joined our institute as a faculty member. I was waiting for my class to start when to my surprise he called me in for a talk. He spoke with me for a while and when I was about to leave he made a statement- “So you are this year’s ‘Somya’ for me“. At my confused expression, he explained that each year he has had a bright jolly student, called Somya, to teach.

My mentor- when I was preparing for my MBA exams, he came across as a very learned and experienced person. His down-to-earth nature and ease of approachability made him everybody’s friend. Having learnt from his mistakes, he urged us to make mistakes as well for a better learning experience. Each interaction with him was an experience in itself. I, having lived a sheltered and protected life throughout, lived my life lessons through his stories.

He is that one person who has influenced me in a positive way. He has always been there for me not only when I was looking for someone to guide me, but also to understand me. I have learnt from him to make our own mistakes, our own decisions, to follow our dreams, and to not regret anything in the end when you are on your deathbed. I try to follow his footsteps and try to be him by imbibing what he taught us. His sense of humour and ability to adapt to any situation always inspired me and I incorporated the same in my life. He has finesse in his approach, clearance in his vision, rationalism in his thoughts and mixture of emotions in his teachings. He is a versatile person and an inspiring figure in each of his student’s life.

That first day’s interaction made me understand an important thing; that he had a lot of expectations from me. I have today finished those classes and enrolled in a prestigious MBA institution but Sir continues to be my mentor.  I do not know up to what extent I am going to fulfill his expectations but I hope to make him proud someday. One day he will be showing my achievements with proud to his other unique Somya of that year. 

Somya Rishishwar is a first year MBA student at Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune. Here she talks about her teacher and mentor, Mr. Gireesh Parker.