Playing teacher-teacher

I taught at various places over the decades. My longest stint was teaching journalism and cinema at the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, for a decade, from about 1990-2000

I've always wanted to be a teacher, since I was about five or six. Other kids wanted to be doctors, engineers (yawn!), postmen or engine drivers (theek hai). Or, if your parents were buying you British or Russian children’s books common then, then fire engine chief was the hot thing to be, roaring off to save the world.

At that age, my teacher chukker was mostly about the opportunity to hold a ruler in my hand with authority, and boss over others. No noble intentions kit-kit. I grew up in a modest house in Santa Cruz with three rooms and an asbestos roof. But we had a lovely garden in front of and behind the house. I’d teach mathematics in the front garden to all the trees and plants, a subject I knew the least about, simply because I understood early on, that power flows from the barrel of a foot-long, plastic ruler. I couldn’t possibly whack the tender jasmine creepers tumbling over the gateway arch, or the delicate aspidistras. So the poor mango tree, with a solid wooden trunk, bore the brunt of my whacking, for never doing its homework. Kneel down, I’d order, parroting my teachers’ favourite punishment. The crows commented archly on my class from the mango branches. 

My favourite teacher in school was Ms Elba Fernandez, whom we fondly called Nonny. She gave me lovely marks in English and made me read aloud my essays to the class, and later, through the Principal Sister Patricia, I read aloud my prize-winning essay before the whole school at assembly. At St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, my favourite teachers included Prof Avadhoot Nadkarni, who taught economics, the late Fr Juan Macia, a most darling, popular Spanish Jesuit who taught sociology, Fr. Terence Quadros, director of the Counseling Centre, and our principal, the late Rev Fr John Correia-Afonso; the last two were teachers in an Ekalavya sense.

Later I taught at various places over the decades. My longest stint was teaching journalism and cinema at the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, for a decade, from about 1990-2000. I was with the Times of India then, so I would hop across to St Xavier’s College, conduct my class, then dash back to help make pages for the Sunday Times of India, then take the last, 1am local home. I wore sarees to class to look older: I was only a little older than my students. But I soon realised I had to be tough, or the students were quick to take advantage of you. 

When I got a scholarship to work in Paris as a journalist for a year in 1995, a whole gang of XIC students came to see me off at the airport at an unearthly hour, loaded with farewell gifts, including a card with Hitler drawn on it, and melting messages inside. I was deeply moved—and realised the value of being tough. Since then, I’ve taught cinema at Whistling Woods International and Indian School of Design and Innovation (ISDI), and lectured on cinema and/or journalism worldwide, including at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Indian Institute of Management (IIM Ahmedabad), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), City University of New York (CUNY), Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), Kuenstlerhaus (Vienna), University of Technology (UTS Sydney) and University of Melbourne. Mostly, my experiences have been deeply enriching. One high profile institute turned out to be rather shady: they would not allow me to share corrected assignments directly with students but “review” them, so that everyone got bright, shiny marks, in order to suck up to a partner in the US or get funding, etc. My fellow teachers tell me this is rampant; the well is poisoned, which saddens me. 

My last teaching stint was the online Film Curating Course I conducted for FTII last month, that was very satisfying. Still, my work with the underprivileged teenagers of the Patuck Junior College, Santa Cruz, teaching them English and Lessons for Life over five years, has been one of the most deeply rewarding stints of all. Most teachers impact their students, but here, it was not just about scoring marks in a subject, but the opportunity to directly impact another’s life. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity: only very lucky people get such gifts in life.

Meenakshi Shedde is India and South Asia Delegate to the Berlin International Film Festival, National Award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist. Reach her at meenakshi.shedde@mid-day.com

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