Kobi Sir

 ****************************************************************************************************************

Kobi Sir

1996: IIIT KGP:

When my son came up to his Class XI at the Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) at IIT KGP, I was already 3 decades old as a physics teacher at IIT. 

And from his first day in his math class he used to talk about one Kobi Sir who taught their section. I am sure my son still remembers him with great pleasure. And later on I used to hear about this Kobi Sir from my son's classmates and my own students who graduated from KV and joined IIT KGP.

And I used to ask them what was so special of Kobi Sir. And they all said that he wouldn't stand nonsense in the class. Whenever he finds a student trying to pinch his neighbor, he would ask him to step up and give him a couple of memorable thappads on his spine. 

But still they all loved him.

Once my son's section complained that they couldn't hear him well since there was a lot of noise from the next room, from a different section...maybe because their teacher was late.

And Kobi Sir apparently jumped out of his seat, ran to the next room, and slapped whomever he could catch indiscriminately. But still no one complained to their HM...Kobi Sir was excused many such transgressions.

I could understand why, from my own teaching experience. It was precisely because Kobi Sir was indiscriminate...he never played favorites...an acid test of a popular teacher. 

But everyone said that when he settled down in his lecture, he was about the best math teacher they ever had...they didn't need to go home and revise...he made math as soothing as Coke on a hot day.

I was naturally curious to have a look at this Kobi Sir. And it happened at the Harry's coffee-cum-paan-cum-cigarette shop.  

By the time my son reached his Class XI, I was friends with him and used to take him to Harrys for sharing coffee. And I would occupy a cement bench, give him Rs. 2 and ask him to fetch our coffee glasses. And we sat side by side, drinking our coffee and indulging in chitchat. 

One day, when my son was fetching our coffee glasses in his hands, he was accosted by a lean, balding, gent chewing paan and spitting. And he stopped my son and started banging him like from his facial expressions. As my son answered his queries, the man's expression changed suddenly and he looked at me and smiled like million dollars.

My son told me that that was their Kobi Sir about to beat him for loitering at coffee shops meant for adults.

And apparently my son told him:

"Sir, I came with my father...there he is, sitting on the cement bench"

"Who is he?"

"Professor G P Sastry of the Physics Department"

That did the volte-face.

And our next and last meeting was when I was compelled by my wife to go KV to attend the Parent-Teacher Meet which I always outsourced to her. She said she was scared to meet Kobi Sir...and so was I.

But as soon as my son's name was called and I entered his room, I embraced Kobi Sir, and told him that I had no intention to look at my son's answer script and haggle...I just wanted to let him know how well I heard of him and how much I wished I was like him.

I am sure that made Kobi Sir's day.

And mine too!  

It is a different matter that there was a hefty hike of 7 marks....

:)

***********************************************************************************************************