Writer: Dr Shahla Gondal
Today was an unusual day. The junior section’s maths teacher was on leave due to a sore throat, and the responsibility for his class was handed over to me.
Maths has always been my favorite subject, and as an engineer, I’ve always seen a certain beauty in it. But teaching maths to junior students was a completely different experience.
As soon as I entered the classroom, my eyes fell on a bright-eyed child who was intently writing something in his notebook. I approached him and asked, “Do you need any help?”
Smiling, he replied, “No.”
My gaze suddenly landed on his notebook, and I was taken aback. There, written on the page, was a calculus problem:
He had already solved it, and it was absolutely correct!
I was stunned. This was a question meant for the senior classes!
“Who taught you this?” I asked.
“I have a passion for it, and I solve the maths problems from the senior section,” he replied. “Our teacher says that understanding maths is like understanding the world.”
“And your name?”
“Roshan, I’m from India.”
Roshan’s words deeply impressed me. His intelligence and passion for maths reminded me of my own past. I remembered the moment when I was at NTNU, and my professor, while walking down the corridor, had remarked:
“I know that Indians are really good in Mathematics.”
As I was still engrossed in his notebook, I noticed another child struggling with an algebra problem. His notebook had this question written on it:
I helped him in finding the value of x from a simple algebraic equation.
“Thank you”,said the boy, though my mind was still preoccupied with Roshan’s notebook and his brilliance.
I told him, “Roshan, if you ever need help with maths, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”
He smiled and replied, “Can you teach me integration by parts?
I couldn’t help but smile in amazement. “Why not? Next week, I’ll bring a special problem for you, and whenever you want, you can come to me to learn new things in maths.”
Hearing this, I was reminded of the famous story of Dr. Abdus Salam.
After winning his Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979, Salam took the Nobel Prize medal to the house of his former professor, Anilendra Ganguly, who taught him at the Sanatan Dharma College in Lahore, and placed the medal around his neck, stating “Mr Anilendra Ganguly this medal is a result of your teaching and love of mathematics that you instilled in me”.
Looking at Roshan, a strong desire welled up in my heart—perhaps I, too, could do for children like Roshan what Dr. Salam’s teacher had done for him. I am certain that one day, this child will illuminate the world with his brilliance.
I wish, if only I could become a small lamp in the story of his illuminated journey.
