Values of Guru

Ramakant Acharekar was not a better cricketer than Sachin Tendulkar. Yet, it was his coaching that showed Sachin Tendulkar to Sachin Tendulkar and in turn showed him to the world. Tim Gullikson could've never defeated Pete Sampras, but it was Timmy who revealed Sampras to himself. O.M.Nambiar was no match for P.T.Usha, but it was he who presented India with one of the greatest athletes this land has seen. The glory of Dronacharya was to have developed Arjuna to the point where Arjuna was able to win the battle with his own teacher. Your nursery school teacher may not have made it as big as you in life, but she gave you the very foundation of knowledge on which your life was built. The professors at the IIMs, the IITs and the Harvards may not be world movers by themselves, but they create the world movers. We need the lighthouse to steer us in the right direction - someone outside of us to guide us. They are the mirrors to reflect us to ourselves, to fine-tune us a wee bit, to show us the strengths with which we can fight our weaknesses. That's why even world champions and world-class teams have coaches, and world-class organisations have consultants and mentors. Even the world's best political governance is aided by advisory intelligence… so that even the best can become a little better.

We need coaches to deepen our skills. We need teachers to expand our knowledge. We need mentors to reveal us to ourselves. We need gurus to realise our spiritual self. We need them - the beacons, to go beyond the horizons. Let us not compare ourselves with our guiding lights. Let us not attempt to coach the coach, teach the teacher and mentor our mentors. If you remove the sun from the sunrays, nothing remains. If you remove the mud from the pot, nothing remains. If you remove the cause from the effect, nothing remains. If we remove the teachings of our teachers from us, nothing of us will remain.

The maths teacher wrote '1000' on the board and asked the student who was constantly disturbing the class, “How much is this?” Confident, yet embarrassed by the simplicity of the question, the boy replied, “One thousand.” Now the teacher added a zero to the right and pointing at '10000' asked, “How much is this?” “Ten thousand,” came the prompt reply. Now the teacher added another zero, but this time to the left of '1' and pointing at '010000' again enquired, “Now, how much?” “The same… ten thousand,” the boy replied. The teacher smiled, winked and then said, “When an insignificant number follows a significant number, it gains value. When the same insignificant number tries to go ahead of the significant number, then it has no value.

So is the relationship between a teacher and a student. When a student follows the teacher, he gains value. The other way round… I don't want to state the obvious.” The greatness of a coach is to show the player how capable he is. The greatness of a player is to live up to the capability he has been shown.

Tongue Twisters

Peter bought a butter,
The butter Peter bought was bitter,
So Peter Bought A better butter,
To make the bitter butter better.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
and chuck as much wood as a wood chuck would
if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Which witch wished which wicked wish?

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.
Said the flea, "Let us fly!"
Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Betty Botter had some butter,
But, she said, "this butter's bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter, it would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter that would make my batter better.
So she bought a bit of butter,
better than her bitter butter,
And she baked it in her batter,
and the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.

A big black bug bit a big black bear,
made the big black bear bleed blood.

Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.

A bitter biting bittern Bit a better brother bittern,
And the bitter better bittern Bit the bitter biter back.
And the bitter bittern, bitten, By the better bitten bittern,
Said: "I'm a bitter biter bit, alack!"

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See's saw before See sawed Soar's seesaw,
See's saw would not have sawed Soar's seesaw.
So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
Just because See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw!

Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed shilly-shallied south.
These sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack;
sheep should sleep in a sack…