Ennakkad (Allappuzha): This is the story of a teacher who is a student. Who is a beekeeper. A karateka. A ration shop owner. A Lieutenant in the NCC. A cattle breeder. A coconut plucker...
To put it simply: a man who dons a new role every few hours during the 24 hours that go to make up a day. Every single day. A man for whom every moment in life is an opportunity that is waiting to grabbed. Who strives to learn something new — all the time.
This is the story of Gopakumar VK, better known as Gopan sir, hailing from Ennakkad village in Alappuzha district.
On the eve of Independence Day, Team Onmanorama travelled to Ennakkad to meet the 46-year-old, who has redefined the idea called dreams. And for whom life is laboratory that lends itself to interesting experiments all the time.
Physics teacher par excellence
Gopan sir’s primary identity is that of a teacher. A higher secondary Physics teacher with Nair Samajam Higher Secondary School in Mannar for the past 19 years, Gopan sir says he chased his favourite subject right from the time he was a schoolboy at Sree Karthiyayani Vilasam High School, Kuttemperoor.
"Physics and Mathematics always fascinated me. I knew that the universe was held up probably by the might of Physics and Maths. I fell in love with Physics in school, though I was just a very average student. Initially my interest was in automobiles, and I thought pursuing Physics would get me closer to my dream."
Having taught for almost two decades now, he feels new-gen students have different styles of grasping what is taught: "Better to go with the flow, though I sometimes feel I am an old-style teacher. New-gen students lack depth. They are very distracted. A teacher has to have tonnes of patience to be an effective tool that can inspire the students of today."
NCC officer after school hours
From morning to early evening, Gopan sir is a teacher. As the evening progresses, Gopan Sir takes on the role of a Lieutenant of the Senior Division NCC wing at his school. He took up the challenge of leading the senior team when he found there were no takers for the post.
"It is a huge responsibility and involves lots of planning and dedication. I underwent compulsory training for three months before taking charge at my school. Some of our students have participated in the R-Day Parade in Delhi," he says with pride.
NCC motivates youngsters and he has seen behavioural changes in many of them after they joined NCC, he says.
The 10 Kerala Battalion at his school is one of the vibrant NCC wings under the Kerala and Lakshadweep Directorate.
"When I don the NCC uniform, the teacher in me vanishes. It is a great feeling to train students in early lessons of military discipline. NCC transforms youngsters and inculcates a sense of nation-building. Ours is an Army Battalion," he adds.
3rd dan black belt in karate
Gopan sir is also a karateka. After 20 years of rigorous and regular training, he holds a 3rd dan black belt in karate.
Learning karate has helped him to tackle with calm, the challenges thrown constantly at him by life. "In karate, you have to earn everything... nothing comes free. It is only through pure concentration, dedication and regular practise that you master this art of self-defence."
Karate, he says, tones down aggression and increases alertness: "I feel a karate student is more aware of situations. The more alert you are, the more efficiently and swiftly you can deal with difficult situations. Learning karate is not for attacking someone and it is not about kicking and punching alone. It teaches you how to be stronger."
Today, Gopan sir has around 200 shishyas and he often steps into the shoes of his masters ('Sensei' S Pushparajan and 'Shihan' N Sajeev Kumar), when he they are out on work.
Yoga, for inner peace
Gopan sir says he started learning yoga while doing for his BEd at Ramakrishna Institute of Moral and Spiritual Education in Mysuru. The sessions were conducted by teachers from the Vivekananda Kendra based out of Bengaluru.
"The sessions were mandatory for all the students, and they changed my life. Now, after 22 years of practising yoga every day, I feel it is the best solution for most of the troubles we face today. Be it stress, anxiety, sleeplessness or anger – yoga can help you," he says.
He did an advanced course at an ashram near Pollachi in Tamil Nadu.
"I feel every teacher should be a yoga expert. It creases the flexibility of body and mind. A fit teacher can inspire his students better," he adds.
Up above the world so high...
Gopan sir not only has his feet firmly on the ground, but also is equally at home high up on a tree! And for this, he thanks the man who used to come home to pluck coconuts. Rather, he thanks him for not turning up one day. "One day I took leave (from school) and waited at home to help him pluck coconuts which was normally a day-long affair. He didn’t turn up. I had wasted a day’s leave. I told my mother that his services must be stopped and promised that I would learn this craft soon," he recalls.
He enrolled with the Coconut Development Board (CBD) for a seven-day crash course to learn all aspects of coconut tree climbing and what he calls 'dressing up the tree.'
"The classes were in Kottayam and they changed the way I looked at coconut trees. The CBD scientists who handled classes taught us a number of things one need to know while handling coconut trees. In addition to mastering the art of climbing the tree with the help of a machine, we were taught how to ‘dress up’ the tree after plucking coconuts, using the right kind of fertilizers, the correct watering schedules and even the benefit of talking to the coconut trees," says Gopan sir. The awe is palpable.
Today, Gopan sir easily climbs all the coconut trees around his house with the help of the special machine that can be operated even during rain or heavy winds.
"Now I am a certified coconut tree climber, approved by the Central government. It is a great experience to hug the tree and stay up for a while when heavy winds blow, making the tree sway like a ship, from side to side. Coconut trees are man’s best friend," says Gopan sir.
The shopkeeper checks in
In the late evening, Gopan sir dons yet another hat. The Onmanorama team hit the Ennakad market at 7.30 pm to catch a glimpse of Gopan Sir, the ration shop owner.
In his shop, Gopan sir had metamorphosed into a typical villager, dressed casually in a lungi, chatting with customers.
"I was forced to look after the ration shop — my father’s business — after his demise. We sell rice, wheat atta and kerosene. I come to the shop after school hours and become a shopkeeper between 5.30 and 8.30 pm. Here I help my mother, who generally sits at the cash counter. She is 72. I help her with packing and weighing the items. We are just keeping our father’s dream alive," he says.
Gopan sir says he learned the art of business at a very young age, just accompanying his father to the ration shop. "I was my father’s assistant and I learnt a lot from him. In fact, I picked up early lessons in Physics and Maths from this ration shop. It was a sort of a laboratory for me..." he says.
In the middle of his hectic schedule, Gopan sir has started an apiary. He already has 11 beehives. "Yes, 11 colonies so far. Next time, when you all come there will be many more," he promises.
Bonding with cows
Twilight is devoted to his cows. Gopan sir has cows of the indigenous Kasargod Dwarf breed. Interestingly, they are never tethered, either during the day or at night. The cows and an ox he has are not cross-breeds and can survive without any shelter, he says.
"I have the Kerala Government’s approval and these are raised as per the Livestock Development Board regulations. The idea is not just to have milk. There are many other benefits of breeding cows. Cow urine and dung are extremely useful," he adds. Spending time with his cows is the last thing he does before retiring for the night.
The family man
Finally, at the stroke of 9 in the night we reach Gopan sir’s house, where his wife, Preethy CK, is waiting with tea and homemade snacks.
Their sons Sooryanarayanan (Plus-1) and Karthikeyan (Class 7) have started chasing their dreams like their father. The boys have already earned their brown belt in karate.
Gopan sir, unassuming as ever, gives all credit to his mother and wife.
Preethy, a higher secondary English teacher, feels her busy-bee husband should slow down a bit. But Gopan sir demurs.
"Everything comes at a price in life. My family is definitely missing my presence and there are often complaints from their side. My wife and mother take care of the home and children. To me, life is a marathon and we must keep running and not stop," he shrugs.
As we ready to leave, Gopan sir’s childhood friend Renjith Panicker, a creative brain working in Kuwait, drops by.
"His story is amazing. Great energy levels! The rise of this very shy village boy is inspiring," says Renjith. "The people of Ennakkad are very proud of him," he says.
So...
So, what’s next for Gopan sir? "Well, I want to be a farmer after retirement. A farmer who respects Earth. May be, I will do organic farming..." says Gopan Sir contemplatively.
"I also want to be a mechanic," he adds as an afterthought.
It is obvious that life holds endless possibilities for Gopan sir. So what if a day has just 24 hours? No problem.
(The writer is an independent aerospace, defence journalist, who blogs at Tarmak007 and tweets @writetake.)
