?I?d rather not call it a sabbatical,? says Sharukh Taraporewala jokingly. ?This job is much more tougher than what I used to do at Axis. It?s a full-day job and you even take homework back,? he adds. Intrigued to know what could prompt a banker to talk like this? Well, his job at the moment is to teach Class IV children at the Divine Child High School in Mumbai.
On a two-year sabbatical from Axis Bank, his stint as a teacher at this under-resourced school in Malad East began in May last year. Most of the parents who send their children to this school belong to the working class?some are auto drivers, some street vendors, some milkmen… They have a firm conviction that only education can emancipate their children from the vicious cycle of struggle they themselves are trapped in. This is where Taraporewala steps in.
Yes, he finds his job challenging, but at the same time gratifying in the true sense of the word. ?Teaching has been my passion. Each Sunday I took out time to teach the boys of the Zoroastrian Scout. And even now when I am teaching full time, I continue to do that. It?s something close to my heart,? he says.
As a teacher he makes sure he is accessible to the 50 students in his class all the time. ?They call me even at 10 in the night to discuss their homework. At times their questions stump me. Honestly, I have no answers for them… they ask me ?why is the earth round…?
Personally, Taraporewala likes teaching history the best?told like a story. ?The children also find the subject very interesting. Today, I was teaching them about Sivaji when the lunch bell rang. Would you believe it, the children refused to leave the class. Nor did they allow me to go out until I finished the lesson,? he says laughingly.
Taraporewala has sensed the pulse of the students?learning must be made fun for students to internalise the lessons. He narrates an incident when a student requested one of the fat teachers in the school to ask him ?why he doesn?t have lunch?. The teacher asked him and was surprised with the answer the student gave: ?I don?t eat my lunch because you eat for both of us.? The student created this episode on the basis of one of the lessons he learnt on Gandhi. When King George asked Bapu why wasn?t he wearing enough clothes, Bapu is known to have said: ?you are wearing enough for both of us?.
?This is a life-changing experience for me and I am glad I took this sabbatical. To begin with, I shared my decision only with my wife and she supported me in the endeavour. On the other hand, my parents were very apprehensive; they felt that my career will hit a bump. Some of my friends also told me that I am ruining my career. I have spent a good seven years in the banking sector. But I managed to convince them,? he says .
Taraporewala has one predicament though. His four-year-old daughter Khushnaaz has started going to school. ?She keeps asking why don?t I see papa in school if he also goes to one.?