16 years & counting...

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That step was me getting 1 extra mark somehow to become a CA in 2004. And that 1 mark made it possible for me to teach Financial Management at Enkay's Classes. My CA Final total marks were 400 & I still believe it's the most difficult mark to obtain - dot 400! :D

A week after I cleared my CA, I took my first lecture in the May 2005 CA Final batch on August 1, 2004. I was super nervous & I got ragged by some of the students. I had to study lot more about the subject than I did as a student. I do not know how, but 16 years have passed since that lecture & I'm still teaching at this amazing institution. Any one who has been a part of Enkay's knows that it is not just a coaching class for CA. It is way beyond that. It's an emotion, to use a cliche. Getting to be a part of the faculty here (after being a student) has been an absolute privilege.

Goes without saying that NK Sir is the reason for this. A lot of times I just 'teach for him'. He has backed me completely, even at times I did not want to push through. To hand over a critical subject to a 21 year old fresher needs courage & he took a leap of faith with me. 

For him to have that confidence in me, a large part of the credit goes to Shiva Sir. He made me love finance. He convinced NK Sir to give me a chance. He is my original finance mentor. His passion for finance & teaching rubbed on to me. Another person who supported me big time was Divyang Sir. During those days in Enkays Classes; NK Sir, Divyang Sir & Shiva Sir were the rockstar Trimurtis. To get a chance to be a part of that trio was an awesome experience. 

I had a fabulous time with some brilliant minds & amazing human beings in this journey. Thank you Sirs Sachin, Shreeram, Sanjog, Hari for all the support. Watching IPL matches inside Sir's office on that small TV was super fun (of course Sir took off the TV soon after hehe). I had an awesome time with all of you. There are many other members of Enkay's family whom I have not named but they know they mean a lot to me.

A big thank you to each & every "Enkayite" whom I could teach. I may not be the best teacher but I loved most part of the journey with all you students. I don't have a count of the total students over 16 years but it surely must be in thousands. I guess most students did not like my frank & harsh career advice. I haven't yet learnt how to sugar-coat things or how to be loved by students :) One thing I sincerely hope is that I could demonstrate my passion for finance when I taught you all. Sincere gratitude.

P.S. - If you are reading this & I have taught you, I would love it if you can comment mentioning your batch and attempt/year :) 

One more P.S. - This is not a retirement speech :)

One last P.S. - A meme on me made by a current CA Final Student (to jog your memory)