Review of My Sir
Book: My Sir
Writer: Shefali Martins
Self- published , India, 2018
Price 250 INR
pp280
ISBN 978- 93- 5291- 492- 0
“Always leave the world better than you find it”, emphasized the man, Gilroys Martins, who was father to the author, ‘papa’ at home, and ‘My Sir ‘in the school, St. Stephens ,which he lovingly established after quitting a job as lecturer in a government college, to follow his childhood dream, and in which she was the first student.
This book is a labor of love of a loving daughter, who used to be called ‘My dool’ by her beloved father, because, as a toddler, when asked by her father to say, ‘Shefali is papa’s little doll, she could not pronounce the word ‘doll’ properly, and hence became her papa’s ‘dool’.
Ms. Shefali Martins, a journalist and writer with more than ten years of experience with the country’ leading dailies, has done full justice to the book, which is edited crisply and researched thoroughly.
After the initial hiccups and teething troubles of buying land, the threats that he received and the financial problems; with the support of his friends and well- wishers, he eventually succeeded in laying the foundation stone of St. Stephens and gradually, the school became a formidable institute, spearheaded by a strict but amazingly proficient man, whose impeccable English, wit and humor were exemplary, and commitment to education revered.
Embellished with some heart- warming nuggets about the father – daughter relationship, the warm relations between her parents and between the students and her father, the book is a delight to read .After I finished reading the book, some incidents remained etched in my mind and heart. The way he clung to the bars of the train to reach Dausa from Ajmer, so that he would not be late for the morning class, one cold October day and how, his intercaste marriage to Deepa, who hailed from a Kumaon Brahmin family and won her new Roman Catholic family with her warmth, and how ‘the acts of respective faiths began to coexist beautifully in a household deeply rooted in religious customs.”
An L. K. G student, due to a special physical requirement, used to be carried to and from school [p 252]. At the end of school, Gilroy would affectionately shake hands with him. After Martins’ sudden death in the year 2005, the tiny boy felt lost, and his eyes kept searching for his beloved Sir.
“Why can’t I shake hands with Sir? Is Sir angry with me? Why doesn’t he meet me now?” On seeing the author’s brother, Anupam, working in his office, the tiny boy was pretty impressed and shook hands with him too.
“This is the new Sir? He is nice. But, where is our sir?” He asked the maintenance staff member who was carrying him. This part in the book left me with a tingling sensation in the eyes, and I kept going back to it.
Writer: Shefali Martins
Self- published , India, 2018
Price 250 INR
pp280
ISBN 978- 93- 5291- 492- 0
“Always leave the world better than you find it”, emphasized the man, Gilroys Martins, who was father to the author, ‘papa’ at home, and ‘My Sir ‘in the school, St. Stephens ,which he lovingly established after quitting a job as lecturer in a government college, to follow his childhood dream, and in which she was the first student.
This book is a labor of love of a loving daughter, who used to be called ‘My dool’ by her beloved father, because, as a toddler, when asked by her father to say, ‘Shefali is papa’s little doll, she could not pronounce the word ‘doll’ properly, and hence became her papa’s ‘dool’.
Ms. Shefali Martins, a journalist and writer with more than ten years of experience with the country’ leading dailies, has done full justice to the book, which is edited crisply and researched thoroughly.
After the initial hiccups and teething troubles of buying land, the threats that he received and the financial problems; with the support of his friends and well- wishers, he eventually succeeded in laying the foundation stone of St. Stephens and gradually, the school became a formidable institute, spearheaded by a strict but amazingly proficient man, whose impeccable English, wit and humor were exemplary, and commitment to education revered.
Embellished with some heart- warming nuggets about the father – daughter relationship, the warm relations between her parents and between the students and her father, the book is a delight to read .After I finished reading the book, some incidents remained etched in my mind and heart. The way he clung to the bars of the train to reach Dausa from Ajmer, so that he would not be late for the morning class, one cold October day and how, his intercaste marriage to Deepa, who hailed from a Kumaon Brahmin family and won her new Roman Catholic family with her warmth, and how ‘the acts of respective faiths began to coexist beautifully in a household deeply rooted in religious customs.”
An L. K. G student, due to a special physical requirement, used to be carried to and from school [p 252]. At the end of school, Gilroy would affectionately shake hands with him. After Martins’ sudden death in the year 2005, the tiny boy felt lost, and his eyes kept searching for his beloved Sir.
“Why can’t I shake hands with Sir? Is Sir angry with me? Why doesn’t he meet me now?” On seeing the author’s brother, Anupam, working in his office, the tiny boy was pretty impressed and shook hands with him too.
“This is the new Sir? He is nice. But, where is our sir?” He asked the maintenance staff member who was carrying him. This part in the book left me with a tingling sensation in the eyes, and I kept going back to it.
The book is
suffused with a daughter’s love for the perfectionist, idealistic, principled,
compassionate man, whose students loved him unconditionally and the very
affectionate father who could go to any length to see his children happy. A father, who promised to be a doting mother
to his children, when his wife expired suddenly. It is a poignant story, which has the power to
resonate with every daughter of a doting parent. When I closed the book, I was
left with a lingering yearning. If only I had met this unique man!
In a world steeped in selfishness, this man’s story can prove to be a beacon, inspiring us on the path of compassionate and empathetic altruism. When one closes the book, one finds that it has left you with a lump in the throat and a blurred vision. But even through this blurred vision, you can see it very clearly that if this topsy turvy world with skewed priorities were peopled with more people, like the amazing Gilroy Martins, the world would be less suffocating and more worthy of living . This man ‘believed in doing small things right, in the best possible way’, which he did, till the last moments of his life, leaving behind a huge legacy in the form of St. Stephens, which has now become a hugely respected landmark in Ajmer. Hats off to the fond daughter, who, as a writer, has brought alive the remarkable man for the world.
A book to be cherished.
In a world steeped in selfishness, this man’s story can prove to be a beacon, inspiring us on the path of compassionate and empathetic altruism. When one closes the book, one finds that it has left you with a lump in the throat and a blurred vision. But even through this blurred vision, you can see it very clearly that if this topsy turvy world with skewed priorities were peopled with more people, like the amazing Gilroy Martins, the world would be less suffocating and more worthy of living . This man ‘believed in doing small things right, in the best possible way’, which he did, till the last moments of his life, leaving behind a huge legacy in the form of St. Stephens, which has now become a hugely respected landmark in Ajmer. Hats off to the fond daughter, who, as a writer, has brought alive the remarkable man for the world.
A book to be cherished.
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