Face –to-Face
...with Mrs. Kavita Mathur
November 11, 2020
Mrs. Kavita Mathur is an educator. She’s a person of varied interests, great knowledge and deductive skills. Her ability to organize to perfection and search solutions to problems makes her ‘much sought after’. She’s an inspiration to those around her.
Elvira: Ma’am, you’ve inspired thousands of young minds as an educator. Had you not ventured into the field of education how else would you have contributed to society?
Mrs. Kavita: From the beginning I was interested in Chemistry as a subject so if I had not become a teacher I would have been in the field of research. But teaching is in my genes. Both, my grandfather and my father were lecturers in their respective fields. Both of them were great educators surrounded by their students. I love being an educator. The day I don’t interact with my students I feel something is missing.
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Elvira: And, I’m one proud student who has had the privilege of having the best memories of your lessons. I can never forget the beautifully drawn biology diagrams and neatly written chemical formulas on the blackboard. Hence, I wasn’t surprised when I came to know that you also sketch and paint. I’ve myself seen your paintings and I believe they’re brilliant. Tell us something about this cherished pastime.
Mrs. Kavita: Painting as an art is something which I have seen my elder sister indulge in throughout my childhood. I have been artistic even as a child that’s what I have been told (laughs). So, for me putting colours on a canvas is like bringing my imagination to life. It’s so relaxing and rejuvenating to have a brush in my right hand, colours in the left hand and a white, plain, blank canvas in front of me. It is definitely a stress buster and brings out the colourful, optimistic side of me. I can spend hours painting but being a lecturer I don’t get much time in this direction and whenever I do, I never miss the opportunity. (smiles)
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Elvira: Very true Ma’am! Being an educator is no easy task. It’s a vocation and demands undivided attention. Now, my next question to you is apart from being creative with the brush and the pen, you’ve ‘Green Fingers’ too. From where does this love for Gardening come? What does it mean to you?
Mrs. Kavita: Ahhh... yes! (laughs) This is an interesting question. I still remember when I was a child I used to see my father working in the garden during the morning hours. I remember there were lots of mango, guava, mulberry, chiku, jackfruit and lemon trees. He used to spend his time watering and taking care of these trees. It was such a happy feeling to spend time in the garden and the backyard. I used to especially love it when these trees used to bring forth their fruits. And yes, (excitedly) there was a huge kitchen garden also that my father tended with great love. He would grow potatoes, maize, turmeric, ladyfingers, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, groundnuts, spinach and the seasonal vegetables like carrots and radishes too in well prepared and organized beds. I remember my mother telling me to pluck fresh vegetables for the day’s meal. It was so exciting to collect the required vegetable and wash it thoroughly before my mother cooked it.
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To be very frank I love to be surrounded by greenery which is very refreshing, motivating and relaxing. A bud blooming or a leaf popping out and unfurling, in my garden, brings a smile to my face. I spend most of my time in my terrace garden. Let me tell you another secret... I have a keen interest in growing bonsais of different kinds.
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Elvira: Really? Now this is something I never knew. It’s lovely to hear these stories from your early childhood days Ma’am. This is the first though about your daddy’s garden and bonsais. More often I’ve heard stories from you about your School days in Lucknow. Please share any one cherished memory of your School life with us here.
Mrs. Kavita: (laughs) Stories from School! Oh, how I cherish my School days! Discipline and punctuality has been inculcated in me by my School. I remember whenever we used to be late to School, we were handed detention slips by our Captain. Let me first tell you what Detention meant for us... Getting detention meant that the next day you would have to stay back for one hour after School ends. And, in that one hour we were monitored by none other than the Principal. We were given a variety of social activities to perform around the School campus or some academic work to complete in that hour. We used to dread that detention hour and so we used to make sure we never got late or did anything wrong. Each wrong action meant a detention slip. (gestures with her hands, bangles tinkle pleasantly)
This is one memory among others that has stayed fresh in my mind even after all these years and it’s quite close to my heart as it has helped me a lot in life, to grow as a person. It has taught me the values of punctuality and discipline which are very important to me.
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Elvira: Wow! Your School days stories so remind me of Enid Blyton’s books. You, yourself are an avid reader. You’ve read Enid Blyton’s school stories, you’ve lived your days at school also and you’re a witness to today’s system too. Times have changed and are constantly evolving. If you have to share a few words of encouragement with today’s children and youth, what would your message be?
Mrs. Kavita: Hmm... (with a thoughtful look) yes much has changed. With an increase in digitalization and new technology coming in today’s youth is getting more impatient and drifting away from their traditions. I would like to tell our youth to stay rooted to our culture, traditions and values. They must respect and cherish the relationships they come across in their life – be it their parents, family or friends. Today, when we look around us we see that relationships are built on individual self- interests, this shouldn’t be... We must cherish our close bonds. It takes a lot of time and effort to build true and strong relationships, so value them!
And, I would also like say that stay humble in nature; be polite, patient, empathetic, respectful and down to earth, always! You see these qualities never go out of fashion because they’re scarce to find. So be trendy, stay in fashion by adopting these good qualities in life! All the best!
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Elvira: Thank you so much Ma’am for this wonderful interaction. I’m sure we all will try to stay in vogue by imbibing the good qualities that make us trendy and much wanted!
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