MATHEMATICS, EGO & ME

आओ बचपन सींचें - 5

चाहे कितने भी बड़े हो जाएँ, फिर भी हम सब हमेशा थोड़े-थोड़े बच्चे ही रहते हैं l नए कपड़े पहन कर बड़े भी इतराते हैं l जन्मदिन पर गिफ्ट पाकर बड़े भी खुश हो जाते हैं l 
जरूरी है बच्चा बने रहना और बच्चों से जुड़े रहना l  


Dear friends,

Hope you are happy and enjoying your life.

Today, I am posting an anecdote for you all. This incident changed my life. I hope you will like it. 







        MATHEMATICS, EGO & ME

It was 2006, six years after I gave up my job and was contended teaching in my institute.I was aware that people thought that I was haughty and had an intolerably irritating superiority complex. I, however, considered it their covetousness.A good friend of mine, who lives in Pune, telephoned me one fine day and apprised that some Mr. Apte, also from Pune, was conducting a Personality Development workshop at Faridabad. 

"Mr. Apte is a celebrated motivational speaker and trainer," he told me and insisted that I should attend the workshop. I gave all sorts of excuses- my busy schedule, my parent’s health, and other lame and inadequate pretexts. 

Although it was May, which is comparatively relaxing for teachers, I didn’t want to go as I thought that my personality needed no rectification. Finally, he said that he was coming to Delhi for attending it and I would have to accompany him.I had to agree to oblige him. It was a three-day workshop in some Motel in Faridabad. The fee was Three-thousand-eight-hundred rupees which I painfully parted with, just for the sake of my friend.
During the introduction at the start, elucidation came that among the eighty men present, I had the most humble social status. There were Chief Medical Officers from renowned hospitals, ACP’s of Haryana and Delhi Police, CEOs, highly placed Government Officers and many more.
The rumbling ghost of superiority took a backseat and consented to wait and watch why those refined gentlemen had gathered there.The post-lunch session on day one itself was the most significant period for me that changed my life.
Mr. Apte drew a square on the board with four vertical and four horizontal lines inside it that divided it into smaller squares. He asked the trainees to count the number of squares it had. Some found 16, some 17, few others found 20 while few could see 24 squares in all.

My answer was 30 which was the highest number (of the squares) anybody had quoted. Mr. Apte came to me and asked if I was sure. My ego replied to him on my behalf, 'Yes sir, pretty sure. I’m a Mathematics Teacher. It's a routine thing for me.'‘Oh, I see," said Mr. Apte, 'However, I advise you to recount.’ 
‘No, Sir. I can't be wrong with this. I dedicate ten hours a day to this subject,’ I said, smugly.
Mr. Apte smirked and asked me to follow him to the podium.‘Mr. Sharma, we will talk about the squares later. Let’s have fun exercise before that. And, gentlemen,’ he addressed the others, ‘I’ve chosen him for this exercise because he is a Mathematics teacher.’
He took an A-4 size sheet of paper, held it from two opposite corners and asked me to tear it off with a punch.As I punched, he withdrew his lower hand foiling my attempt. He asked me to give another try and did the same, letting it loose just before my punch landed on it.The third attempt failed too. I stood exasperated and exhausted because of repeated failure.
‘No sir, it will not tear off if you keep doing so,’ I said when he asked me to try again.Hearing my reply, he smiled smugly and looked at me, ‘And you realized that after three blows?’ I sheepishly gazed into his eyes feigning the shame.
He continued, ‘Each blow was deadlier than the previous one; enough to knock me down if I had been in the way,’ he paused and smiled and looked at the amused audience, ‘Actually Mr. Sharma, you had realized that right after the first hit. However, your ego forbade you to accept failure so early. It stopped you to concede defeat even though you knew it was impossible. You thought that I might not do it the second time.’
I wanted to run away from the hall. He had not finished, ‘And, coming back to the count of the squares, I can prove that there are more than thirty squares in it even though it’s not my routine job.’
My arrogant mind was still not ready to accede to his challenging my knowledge of mathematics. Nevertheless, I decided to hear him patiently. I didn’t want more embarrassment.
He said, ‘Count all the squares including the black outline and then count them leaving the outline. That would double the number of squares that you counted.’Mr. Apte placed his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Mr. Sharma, there will always be something more to learn. Remember, improvement has no finishing line.’
Years after the incident, I always try to keep my ego in check and always try and still trying to be a better teacher and a better human being,Thank you, Mr. Apte, for the valuable lesson you taught me.


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


Keep watching this space for the announcement of the winner of 'LET'S TWIST A STORY' - the contest held last Sunday.