Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
Who was my most influential teacher?
I wish I had a simple, respectable answer.
Like a name. A subject. Maybe a life-changing lecture.
But no.
My life clearly didn’t believe in “one teacher theory.”
It went for a full faculty.
My two sons?
Oh, they are my senior professors —
unpaid, unpredictable, and permanently unsatisfied with my performance.
One teaches me patience.
The other makes sure I practice it. Daily. Intensively.
And then there are others…
Some people came into my life just to test my emotional stability —
and left after completing their assignment.
Some taught me practical things…
like where files are saved.
(Let’s just say… that lesson had to be repeated. Multiple times.)
Some introduced me to recipes,
and some to reality checks.
A few taught me how not to overreact —
which, honestly, felt like a very personal attack at the time.
Someone taught me to laugh loudly,
without worrying about who’s watching.
And someone else had the audacity to prove
that it’s never “too late” to start again —
which is inspiring… but also mildly inconvenient.
Some held my hand when I needed support.
And some didn’t —
which, in hindsight, was their way of saying,
“Welcome to the advanced level. Figure it out.”
From embroidery threads to iPad tools,
from breakdowns to breakthroughs —
my education has been… extremely hands-on.
So no, I don’t have one “most influential teacher.”
I have a whole syllabus.
A slightly chaotic, emotionally charged, occasionally uninvited syllabus.
And life?
It didn’t ask me to enroll.
It just started the class.
—Rajeshwari🧿💕
© Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved
Your article naturally touches the soul of Nihshabd by Rajeshwari, where life itself speaks as a silent guru.
This is not merely a list of “teachers,” but a living classroom of experiences where every person, every situation, and every turning point becomes a chapter in itself.
Your greatest strength lies in the fact that you have approached life with the spirit of “learning” rather than “enduring.” Referring to your sons as “senior professors,” and describing life’s challenges as a “syllabus,” reflects a beautiful balance of humor and depth.
These lines, in particular, deeply resonate:
“Some held my hand when I needed support.
And some didn’t which, in hindsight, was their way of saying,
‘Welcome to the advanced level. Figure it out.’”
This is the true essence of life where support is also a lesson, and the absence of it is equally instructive.
Your reflection beautifully conveys that no person or experience in life is ever in vain; each one comes to shape something within us.
In essence ;
You have gone beyond the search for a “single teacher” and embraced life itself as the ultimate guru, which is true self-realization.
A deeply beautiful, heartfelt, and inspiring expression.
This piece compels every reader to recall their own “unseen teachers.”
-Vijay Srivastava
Thank you so much Vijay ji for such a beautiful and thoughtful reflection.
Honestly, I just wrote what I felt… but the way you’ve understood it and expressed it, it adds so much more meaning to it. Yes, somewhere I’ve always felt that life itself keeps teaching us—sometimes gently, and sometimes in ways we don’t really expect. And maybe that’s where the real learning happens. I’m really glad those lines connected with you… Grateful for your words and for reading it so deeply.
This is such a delightful and deeply relatable piece. What makes it truly shine is the way you turn an ordinary question into a rich, humorous, and heartfelt reflection on life itself. The idea of life as a “full faculty” instead of a single teacher is both clever and beautifully honest.
I especially loved how your sons become “senior professors”—that blend of humor and truth instantly connects with the reader. The flow from light, playful observations to deeper realizations about growth, resilience, and self-learning is seamless and engaging.
There’s warmth in your words, wisdom in your experiences, and a quiet strength beneath the humor. It feels real, unfiltered, and gently profound—like a lived-in story rather than just a written one
Thank you so much Verma ji for such a warm and thoughtful response. Honestly, I just wrote it the way I feel and live… but the way you’ve described it makes it feel even more meaningful.✨ I’m really glad the “full faculty” and my little “senior professors” made you smile because somewhere that’s exactly how it feels in real life too.🙂 For me, it’s always been a mix of small moments, little learnings, and experiences that slowly shape us… nothing grand, just real.✨ Grateful that you could connect with it so deeply and see that quiet layer beneath the humour.🤍✨
Awesome!
Glad you liked it 😊✨
Beautiful, wonderful, and marvellous.
Brilliant metaphors.
Bravo!
🌝
Thank you so much 🌝 Your words feel like a reflection of the piece itself gentle, generous, and deeply kind. Truly grateful. 💫