My Ex Teacher

My ex teacher Dr. Vijaya Samaravickrama was featured in the Sunday Star. After 50 years of teaching Dr. Vijaya has decided to retire though the desire to teach still burns bright within him. Read the full article on this link below:

http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2007/10/21/education/18942639

To Dr. Vijaya, I say thank you for all the knowledge that I have gained from you. Enjoy your retirement and may god bless you with the best of health.

Read my earlier blog about him here.

Friday Oct, 26 2007

He had just switched on his handphone to call his wife in KL since he had switched it off during the flight from KL to Kota Bharu. I managed to call him after failing to reach him since 8.30 am when he was supposed to reach Kota Bharu. How surprised he was when I identified myself and he was wondering how on earth I managed to get his phone number. (He admitted that he forgot that he gave me the number via email 2 days ago. Age must have caught up with him I guess).
Mr. Vijaya immediately came out from the venue where he was scheduled to lecture on Buddhism at 10.00 am. He gave me a warm hug. After 45 years of seperation, the meeting was definitely nostalgic. It was then 9.15 am and I know at the most I have 30 minutes of his time.
After the usual how are you and all that preliminaries, I updated him on who is still around in Pasir Mas that he once knew. He was happy to know that En. Mahmood Yaacob, En. Zain Mahmood his former teacher colleagues at Sultan Ibrahim Primary School Pasir Mas and fellow Kirkby mates are still around and so is En Ahmad Rahman the former HM of Sultan Ibrahim Primary School. He was sad to know that Mahmood Mohd Zain who played The Witch in his MacBeth has passed away some years earlier.

Though he would be staying back in Kota Bharu for the night, his schedule of lectures was full till the night. He promised to allocate the evening to meet his friends and us his ex-students the next time he visits Kota Bharu which is done twice a year.

By his admission, he is not internet savvy and was arm twisted to use the email by his boss at Taylors' College that all future notices will be via email only and if he fails to attend meetings, he will have to face the consequences. A staff of Taylors' was assigned to assist him to learn how to email.

Sir, its only your refusal to learn that prohibit you from enjoying the good of the internet. If only you would open yourself to it, there is so much more that you can contribute to society and your religion via the net especially on the subject of World Religions which you specialize in.

Mr. Vijaya tried to dissuade me from addressing him as Sir, just call him Vijaya as we are now friends he said. I told him that he is the rare few that I will call Sir in this life, so please allow me to address him as that.

The staff at Taylors College addressed him as Dr. Vijaya when I was trying to first get in touch with him. So I have been presuming that he had done his Doctorate which doesn't seem to be the case as he admitted during the meeting. My apology to Mr. Vijaya and everyone else for the misrepresentation.

Taylors' College wont be retiring him just yet. They failed to find a suitable replacement to this teacher called Vijaya Samaravickrama to teach on Drama and World Religions. Thus he will contribute to society the way he knows best, by teaching.

Need I tell you who is the man in the white shirt?