Gurus of my life...

I have always wondered how I have grown to do what I do anyday. There's been an awful lotta things added on to me, dimensions multiplied from the young, scared, crying kid who just stood there after the assembly got dispersed in UKG in Loyola school to the systems engineer today working for Siemens Information Systems Limited. A small retrospection, coz of lack of things to do, provided me some few memories. A few memories that I believe have moulded me, caressed me and educated me into being who I am today...Mrs. Remadevi Ramamoorthy: My mother is the single, most influential contributor to who i am. Her independence and adjustment in life has tremendously affected me in my life. She's as independent as women come. And yet, she made enough adjustments in her life after her marriage to raise me, my sis, and contribute to building a family, inspite of many restrictions and offense from many sides. Furthermore, she lives her life, a day at a time, rarely worrying about things in the past, things to come and always thinks that nothing is really impossible for anyone in life, as long as they believe in themselves, the people who they care for, and God. That's pretty much my philo in life as well ;-)!Mr. Renganathan Iyer: One of the earliest teachers in my life I remember is my grandfather. He still teaches me new things, but he impressed upon me the need to know the English language, the "gerunds" and the "homonyms", and "classification nouns" I remember were his favorites. He's a maestro with the language and can weave magic with the same in his writing and oratorial skills. He still maintains a notebook, in which he writes any new word, usage etc he finds by reading even The New Indian Express, which is his favorite daily btw. He claims that he reads the newspaper, not to improve his language, but to get an unbiased perspective on the things out there, and stands strong by his choice.Mr. Ramamoorthy Renganathan: My dad had his own contributions in the form of a very meticulous life he has led. Everything is in order for him. He knows where the tax returns for the year 87-88 would be kept under which file and which tab. Which color code was he using in that year and has a journal that maintains ALL his meetings, plans and what he has done on each and every day! An amazing documentation expert! I respect his punctuality, ability to remember things @ the right time and the degree to which he really learns the things. He was a scientist and now is an engineer, but still remembers his 4th standard physics with crystal clarity!! :O I know :-D!!Pushpa Ma'am, Kendriya Vidyalaya Pangode, Trivandrum, Kerala: She was my 7th standard Science teacher. The only year in which I had 100% marks in all but exam in the class. Was ranked 9th in an All India Talent Search for Mathematics and Science conducted by some institute, and received a gold medal from the Govt of India for the same. But, what I remember about her is how much she believed in me as to how I can perform. I didnt have to do any special effort! Her belief in me itself was more than the motivation :-)! Furthermore, she also made me realise that I yawn a lot, a lot, even when I am paying attention. :-D!! I remember one day, during the annual school inspection, she told me - "Renga, you better stop yawning that day, else it will reflect bad on everyone, although I know you are actually paying attention!" I thank you for all the encouragement ma'am!My athangs - cousins - Archana and Harini - They got me reading stories. Whenever I used to travel to Chennai, they used to be stuck with some book or the other. It made me start reading as well, and soon I started devouring books there. The month or so in Chennai used to see me reading about 20-30 stories. They dragged me through Enid Blytons, Hitchcocks, to Archer and Wodehouse. They still devour books, whilst I have taken a fancy to writing :-D!Dr. C.V. Rahulan - Principal - part time Math teacher, Kendriya Vidyalaya Pangode, Trivandrum, Kerala: My principal then and the guy who got me interested in Math. He taught me Sets and I still remember the basics only coz he taught me. Amazing prof. He had finished his PhD in Math from London! It also helped him that he was a looker, coz all our mums they would be so chatty with him :-P!Mr. Sharat Chandran, Kendriya Vidyalaya Pangode, Trivandrum, Kerala: He taught me English on and off. I still remember. "It was raining cats and dogs. What is this in English?", he asked. I had just read about idioms the previous day. And with complete confidence I told him, "Idiom, Sir". "Idiot, sit down", pat came the reply. :-D!! He was good with his diction, his intonations, the way he had his half moon specs. He was too cool. I learnt how to talk from him!Ms. Carol Maturo - 10th grade World Cultures II Hons - Rocky Hill High School, Connecticut: She was the single person who prompted me to start writing. Till then I used to suck at writing. In her class we had to write a research paper. She taught me the basics of researching, and presenting in a good paper. The very first paper she graded of mine, I got 75%. At the end of the term, when we had to turn in our papers, she graded mine as the top paper, along with another one! She got me into writing, with panache, flare and style :-)!! I love you Ms. Maturo, and maybe I did consider your proposition of adopting me >:D<!!Chem teacher - 10th grade Advanced Chem - Rocky Hill High School, Connecticut: She was the person who introduced me into analytical thinking. There are some very special things she taught me about how scientists never use a pencil. Coz, being truthful and honest, they use a pen to note down everything they see. They cut, and rewrite, but they never change what they have noted down. :-) Simple things, but made an impact into my mind then :-)!!Engineering, not many to mention save for Mr. Vinod Chandra - The don't care attitude. Dude, I know what I am saying, so cut ur AC with CC attitude. [All Cock with Complete Cofidence]. But, he did know his subject thoroughly and one of the people who was genuinely upset, when I decided to become a corporate whore than a student for life :-D!!There are a lot of other things that I have learnt, and I respect in my friends, in people I have had an acquaintance with. That's for another post but I guess. Anyway, wanted to round up all these people and gain their blessings and goodwishes. I love, adore and respect you all for helping me make my life!!