It's a day without rules. On Teacher's Day, a little disorderly behaviour is allowed.
The fourth floor of Friends Cooperative Education Society Limited School in Mulund is bustling with close to 80 Std X students. A teacher arrives and is immediately surrounded. All smiles, the students touch her feet, and then run away giggling. Soon, they are ushered into their computer lab for a virtual lesson with the new teacher on the block: prime minister Narendra Modi.
The lights are dimmed and the chatter dies down as Modi appears on the projection screen. The teachers, exhausted but happy, take a back seat.
Unlike his usual sharp speeches, the children witness Modi's softer side. The speech, more of a conversation full of anecdotes, life lessons and childhood experiences, manages to engage its target audience. On being asked what they know about the man on screen, they shy away and point at each other as someone yells, "Tea seller!". Finally, one gathers the courage. Sham Mithiya hesitantly says, "His name is Narendra Damodardas Modi. He was previously the chief minister of Gujarat." His classmates let out a series of "Oohs!" and "Aahs!"
Rupali Patel, who teaches the students Marathi and History, is quite happy with the speech. "The PM has created a lot of awareness about how there is no dearth of teaching talent in India," she says.
Modi pays a tribute to the country's teachers, but gradually, the focus shifts to students. The students listen patiently, but occasionally disappear on the pretext of a loo break. Asked what they would ask the PM if they got a chance, a small hand is raised from the back row. "How will you eradicate corruption?" asks little Yash Sonawane, as his teachers smile at him approvingly.
The students have a lot of expectations from Modi. "We want more flyovers. Ahmedabad is so developed. We want Mumbai to be the same. Sports should be given more importance in schools," says Sham again, clearly in the mood to make his own speech. "Wealth should be distributed equally," says Harsh Patel, adding that he wants to join the merchant navy, and not his father's business.
The post of prime minister as a career option does not have many takers. Akshay Thakkar wants to be a DJ, while Sneha Jaiswal wants to join an NGO. Asked why she does not want the coveted post, she says, "I don't want it to be a job. I want to help people because it is my wish, not my duty."
"I love being taught by Kalpana ma'am (the school's principal). We can talk to her about anything under the sun. She makes us feel so comfortable," gushes Urja Bhayani, who wants to be a journalist.
Kalpana Ghodke, the school principal, looks relieved at the end of the speech. "There was not much clarity on the event, so everything was arranged at the last minute. But we managed," she says, smiling.
As the students move out of the lab, Urja gives a last-minute soliloquy despite a dwindling audience: "His speech has motivated us to work hard to get to our dreams and be more confident."
As Modi rightly said, in another 10 years, he may just meet his match.
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