My first Teachers’ Day as a teacher took me on an unexpected journey back to my school days—my first Teachers’ Day speech, old classrooms, and the teachers I once imitated in 2013.

Now, standing on the other side of the classroom, I’m realizing that my students watch me the same way I once watched my teachers. Between the pressure of teaching, the struggle with syllabus, being called a “Diligent Teacher,” and students touching my feet, I found myself asking: Am I really ready for this responsibility?

A raw, nostalgic and slightly humorous reflection on the strange moment when the student becomes the teacher. Don't miss the typical RJ style finishing touch.

Some poems you read, and some poems stay with you.

I first heard If— by Rudyard Kipling in Class VIII, back in 2010, when my father narrated it to me. Almost two decades later, I find myself teaching the same poem to another Class VIII, and somehow, standing on the other side of the classroom has changed the way I understand it.

From my father’s voice, to my own narration in 2020, to this recording six years later—If— has quietly remained a part of my journey.

This time, I recorded it during an evening walk, surrounded by nature, simply talking about the poem, life, failure, dreams, teaching, and the person I am still becoming.

Maybe If— isn't just a poem I teach anymore.

Maybe it's a poem I keep learning from.

Thank you for listening.