The influencer
She did
Her graduation
And
Post graduation
————-
Her exams
Campus interview
She bagged her job
Research assistant
In a multinational
Pharma company
————–
Her heart
Wasn’t in it
She missed her dream
—————
To be a teacher
To mould young minds
Her parents aghast
————-
You’ll leave your job
With a multinational
To be a lowly teacher
You won’t make money
Or marry
A rich
Husband
What’s gotten
Into you?
————-
Her friends
They say the same
Her colleagues
Her bosses too
————
But in her heart
She knows
Where her happiness lies
————-
The colleges
They wouldn’t take her
No experience
She turned to schools
Get a B.Ed. Degree
So she does
————–
At last
A job
She cherishes
————–
The headmistress
Welcoming
The teachers too
The children
Not
—————
The first day
They sit
On their benches
Chattering
Throwing
Erasers
At each other
Flying paper planes
————-
The next day
Is no better
The laughing
The shouting
It continues
————-
She takes a duster
Wipes out the scribbles
She takes the chalk
In her neat hands
She writes
I want
To be with you
————-
The children
They notice
They go
Silent
They look
At their teacher
Anew
———-
Someone claps
Everybody follows
In that instant
Things have changed
————-
She’s on a roll
Making them happy
Teaching them
Cajoling them
To work hard
————
Her legs ache
From
Standing all day
But never mind
She loves them
They love her back
—————
She knows her subject
She’s mastered it
She loves her kids
Loves the creativity
Her job brings
————-
They have to organise
Elocution competitions
Ready the ground
For the sports days
Teach them dance
For Republic Days
Write speeches
Train the kids
For Independence Day
And the grand celebrations
To prepare for
The Annual days
____________
The weaker kids
To be taken
Care of
Solving their doubts
Extra coaching
____________
Then there are
Inter-school
Examinations
Elocutions
Completion
Revelling in the glory
That kids bring
To the school
___________
Consoling those
Who don’t make it
————
Her greatest joy
Is when
That little girl
That special child
Who could not
Understand mathematics
Gets a D
She’s passed!
—————
Her parents meanwhile
Are after her
Get a decent
Job they say
So we can get
A decent son in law
For us
————
She smiles
She ignores
Years pass
And there’s this guy
From her old job
He proposes
He’s doing well
At the multinational
His parents
They’re after him
To marry
A girl
From their caste
A professional
_________
He tells them
He’s found
His soulmate
She’s not of his caste
She isn’t working
For a multinational
She’s a kind girl
With a big heart
A teacher!
__________
There’s opposition
From every quarter
She’s not
Of our caste
She’s not
Fair
She’s not
Tall
She’s not even
Pretty
Moreover
She’s a mere teacher
In a government school
———–
Her parents
Are reconciled
Someone
Is better than none
They marry
__________
Her children
Witness
The solemn occasion
—————
She has no kids of her own
But she has
So many
————-
They grow up
They work
In big multinationals
————-
Her greatest joy
Is when
That little girl
That one
Weak at maths
She influenced
Has now returned
To the school
To become a teacher
————
She is now
Due for retirement
With her retired
Soulmate
But she has
No regrets
This influencer
But contentment
————
Substances hurt people^ hurt people 