Math Maniac

The world is divided into two kinds of people – math lovers and …………….

Today let me introduce you to a Math maniac in my family –

As a young child I loved mathematics.I don’t know whether I loved the subject more or my tutor.My love for math stems from learning it with my father. He did not focus on rote memorization but on live examples and relatable facts.It was never a boring session with him.The examples are still so fresh in my mind that I use it while tutoring my kids.Well he was not an easy tutor but very strict,disciplined and super passionate.

(I hate to say was but I lost him 22 years back)

He had a significant influence on me and other children he tutored to develop an unique level of interest for the subject.He always chose to tutor average or below average kids after his working hours.He not only tutored them but changed their mindset towards the subject.He believed that you need to fall in love with the subject first.Those were the days when bread earners did multiple jobs to run the house.He held a BE degree,was a Mechanical Engineer.Teaching math was his passion so after office hours he would go the child’s house to teach.He was teaching a few kids from the Bollywood families where he received a handsome fee and simultaneously also taught kids from not so well off families where he took a nominal fee.He had only one aim spread love for mathematics and grow his clan 😊.I used to find it strange when his friends called him on the landline (he never saw the mobile phone era)to seek help solve trigonometry sums for their children.He would patiently solve it in a paper and write down a detailed explanation and read it over the phone.My chest would swell with pride every time I witnessed.For me he was no less than a Hero.

Similarly I remember the days when I was studying in a school in Mumbai and he worked in Vishakhpatnam.How much I missed my tutor!

We had inland letters then -I used to write my queries to him and he would reply back with detailed explanations both in written and pictorial format.If it was urgent he would call me and explain.Where do you get Fathers like this???

His children who scored less than 50% passed out with more than 85% and a fully changed attitude.

They still carry very high regards for him.

(Some more about him)

His mornings began with solving cryptic crosswords from the newspaper and the day ended with a good read (mostly Readers Digest).He also had his unique habit of teaching us one new word everyday – meaning and how to apply it.

His height of craziness is beyond imagination.Let me share an incident with you-

Once he was traveling alone from Mumbai to Vishakhpatnam in a train and accidentally hit his head on the upper berth just before he reached his destination.There was a cut and he started bleeding,luckily a co-passenger came to his rescue,gave him first aid and told him to see a doctor immediately after getting off.

Normal people surely do not behave in this manner.So here my crazy papa meets the doctor and gets a few stitches little above his forehead.People normally ask for pain killers but he asked for a plain paper and here he is writing down all possible math formulas just to be sure that the bang hasn’t harmed his math memory.

Well I can’t even imagine what thoughts doctor would have got 🤪.This incident was proudly shared by him to me over the phone.

That was little bit about my papa’s crazy side.He was surely one of a kind.

I keep him alive in my memories and writings♥️

More for next time..