Absolute salute

By Vinod Kumar Gupta

Teacher is that person in our life, who teaches us many other important things along with good education. A teacher means a lot to his students. It plays a very important role in our life from the initial stage of development till we mature. Education is very important in the life of all of us. Only an ideal teacher can show this education the right path. The ideal teacher is assessed by his character and academic ability. A student's life is incomplete without a teacher. My effort is also to show the various works done by such a great teacher for the society. Their sacrifice and duty cannot be ignored. It is also the duty of our society that keeping that selfless service in mind, special status should be given in the society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers
• Release date: Dec 8, 2022

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First Words

The meaning of the word Guru made up of two letters - the first letter Gu means darkness while the second letter Ru means The one who removes it. That is, the one who removes darkness and leads towards light is called Guru. Guru i.e. Teacher is the one who removes ignorance or Teacher is the one who shows the path of Religion. The Teacher removes the dust lying on the Soul and inner light.

The great Indian poet Kabir said that the human being is engrossed in the mud of poor intelligence; the teachers have knowledge like water. Teacher washes all such mud from our mind with the help of knowledge like water.

Education is the most suitable and necessary medium to be sussessful in life and teachers play the most important role in shaping the furue of the country and the line of entire youth. Since ancient times, the greatest contribution of the teachers in our life has been going on.

One can reach the pinnacle of success only with the knowledge and guidance received from the beloved Teachers. That’s why it would not be wrong so say that more important than the God, there is teachers in life because knowledge helps a person to become an ideal person and gives shape to a life worth living.

Even after taking birth in the Royal house of King Dashratha, Shree Rama, an incamation of Lord Vishu, accompanied his Teacher to ashram to get special Education. Teachers have an important place in everyone’s life, whether he is an ordinary person or a special person……

The alarm rang at five o’clock in the morning and I woke up. When I got up and saw it was dark all around outside. Because the winter season was going on and it is well known that the nights are long in winters. Because of this, the light comes on only for a short time. With folded both my hands, I prayed to God for my comingtime. Sitting on the bed there for a while, then after got up and kept water on the stove to heat for himself.

It is getting very cold today ! I asked myself…..

When I opened the door, I came to know that it was raining very heavily, so it was getting a little cold today. I closed the door again and came to my bed and sat down with a blanket. Thought I would wake up in a while and take a bath. Until the wife also wakes up. Thinking this, I lay down on the bed again. But it was not known when the eyes fell, when I woke up it was already six o’clock. Suddenly got up early and after picking up the wife too, then after retiring from morning's work.After worshiping got ready and sat down for waiting of breakfast.

After a while the wife brought breakfast and tea along with it. I started flipping the pages of the newspaper while drinking tea and then after some time looked at the clock. It was time to go to the office. By this time the rain had slowed down a bit and only light rain was falling. I put on my rain coat, so that the effect of rain is minimal, I can avoid getting wet.

Due to Monday, there is a lot of traffic on the roads and due to rain people use their vehicles a little more. Due to which there is more congestion on the road. Because of this, it takes a little more time to reach the office. Keeping that in mind, I too left a little early. I was driving my bike slowly. There is a Government School about two kilometers from my house. From where I also did my class XII and I go to my office every day passing through the same school. As soon as I reached in front of that school, I saw that there was a huge crowd there. Seeing which I asked myself, what is the matter today ? Why is there so much crowd outside the school ? Is there any special event or is there be doing any public dialogue by any leader in school? Because some policemen were also visiblethere. I got there and thought of finding out by putting my bike aside and trying to go to school. Due to the huge crowd, I had some difficulty in going inside but somehow I had some difficulty in going inside but somehow I reached there. Saw that Police Inspector and some of policeman standing there.Police Inspector know me too because I used to keep coming to the school to meet principal Sir, that too him, for some work or the other from used to come and go.

Hello, Inspector sir ! Why is the school so crowded today? is there anything special today ? I asked him….

Yes…..Rakesh, there is very bad news for all of us or if I say it is very bad news for our whole area also! Police Inspectorsaid…..

What's the bad news, Sir ? Tell me soon…..

This morning that I was at my house then got a call from my police station. He told that this morning around five o’clock Narayan Sir has passed away ! He said…..

What……! Sir, what are you saying ? I asked him in surprise…..

I went to meet him yesterday and his health was look also fine. I said …..

Yes…. I also went to meet him and he did not talk to me in any such way. I was feeling fine too !

I then called his house to find out what happened. At first thought that there was no rumor but there was no one at home except his wife. But she was not in a condition to tell anything. His neighbour pick up the phone…..

He told that at around four o’clock in the morning…..he had complained of chest pain, but due to no one being at home, he could not take him to the hospital and at five o’clock he breathed his last at home.

This is very sad news….. then what to do, Sir.Can I help you ? I asked the Police Inspector…

Yes, of course you will need a lot.

Alright Sir, I will call in the office and tell that I will not be able to come to the office today.

Ok, tell me Sir, I see all the arrangements here. Then both of us will go to his house and make arrangements to bring his body here with respect, so that people can also have their last tribute to him. He said ….

Then I called and told to my officer that my respected Sir has passed away. So I will not be able to come to office today and may have to take leave for a day or two as there is no one at his house. They have a son and a daughter who live outside the city.

The officer also allowed me to do this.

Come on, Inspector Sir, let's go to his house. Do you know if there is any work there ? I told him ……

All right, you alone reach their house… There is some work left here, after finishing it, I will also come there.

I reached there and saw that there was a lot of people geatheredin front of his house. I went straight to the mother. who was sitting at the Sir's head in a very sad condition.

I greeted with folded hands, she put his hand on my head and I sat with her also.

Look son….what has happened!Till yesterday in the evening your Sir was looking fine. Mother narrated all the details while crying….

Mother….. Be patient, whatever is acceptable to God that is what happens. Without his will, even a leaf cannot move and whatever he does, there is some goodness hidden in it, we all believe this, mother. I consoled my mother and said…..

You are right …. son !

Mother, don’t you worry at all ! I am always with you. I said…

A man was sitting with him, who seemed to be his distant brother. I asked him how happenedwas it ? He told everything. He too had reached there just a while back.

Then I asked his relative whether there was any work left or not ? He told that no work has been done yet.

Don’t worry, now I have come, I will take care of all the work. I told him….

Has anyone called Sir's son and Daughter ? I asked again…..

Ye, have called him in the morning only and he will be able to reach around 3-4 o’clock in the afternoon. He told …

Then I took a boy from there and first I went to my house.

What happened today ? Why did you come back from office earlier? My wife said during opening thedoor…..

I’ll tell you now, first come inside.

As usual, I was going to the office in front of my school. It was getting very crowded in front of my old school ! Seeing the huge crowd there, I inquired and came to know that Narayan Sir has passed away. I said …..

What……? Upon hearing this, tears flowed from her eyes. She cried for a long time. How did this happen ? You came to see him yesterday ! Pooja wiping her tears from her lap and said…..

All that, I’ll tell later. Now do this that you too, take a rickshaw and go to the Sir’s houseand take care of the Mother. By the time, we reach there early with all the stuff. I told her……

Narayan Sir and his family knew me and my wife very well. Because I did my schooling till class XII from his school and he also considered my wife like his daughter. In every happiness and sorrow, he always remembered us. We used to comeand go to his house sometimes and he also used to come and go to our house also.

We are going to the market to get the items for their rituals. I told the wife and took some money and then we went towards the market to get the ritual items.

In no time, we reached Sir's house with all the belongings.There saw that Inspector Sir was standing and some policemen were with him.

Inspector Sir, I have brought all the goods item from the market. Tell me what should I do next ? I asked him….

After performing the ritual of the last journey, then keeping the body in the vehicle, we will take it to the school. So that there, those who have to have last tribute, they will do it. Sir's son and daughter-in-law will also come in that time. After that his last rites will be performed. I have talked about everything with Sir’s wife. Inspector Sir said…

Ok Sir, as you wish. I said ……

Then holy person and I got busy in settling all the ritual works. It took about an hour and all the workswere done in time. After sometime Inspector Sir has also came.

Is all the work done…Rakesh ? He asked me…..

Yes Sir , all the work is done.

Then he ordered his fellow policemen and the body of the respected Sir was placed in the well decorated carcass vehicle. Eight policemen were walking in front of the vehicle. Sir's ride slowly reached at the school building. The view of the school was very emotional. Whoever heard it, came here to have their last tribute to thebeloved Sir. The students who had got education from him had also come there, there was a lot of people have geathered in the school premises. Some students were crying. Seeing him, my eyes also getwatered and some people were shouting slogans in respect of Narayan Sir. The atmosphere had become very sad. Sir's body was kept on a platform near the main gate of the School, so that people would have took their last view of the Sir’s body. There was a wait for people to come and they were having their last view.

After some time Sir's son, daughter, daughter-in-law and his grandson also arrived. They all met their mother and then started talking to Inspector Sir about the program ahead. The crowd of people was not decreasing and the line to see them was not ending. Inspector Sir told the further program to his son.

After some time, the visitors have to be stopped. Because there was little time left to perform the last rites. Sir's body was placed in the mortuary vehicle, which was very well decorated with flowers and the Inspector Sir raised the National Flag over him and again eight policemen were walking ahead, till the cremation ground. There those policemen played a condolence tune and turned their gun upside down and gave the last salute to the Sir as is done in state honors. Many people along with me were surprised to see that till date no teacher in the history of the country was given a state honor. May be Inspector Sir has taken a very big risk, by doing all this and I don’t know what Inspector Sir must have thought while doing all this !

After reaching the cremation ground, his family members and his school colleagues paid their last respects. After that the flag was taken off from his body and then his son lit the fire to him. After staying there for a while, everyone went towards their respective homes. I also came to my house with my wife and after some time my wife and I took bath and went to the Sir's house. After reaching there, I went to the nearby market to arrange Tea and dinner for the family. When I going there and saw that none of the shops in his street