"If you are a teacher's daughter and if you want to marry,
You would marry a teacher's son more than anybody..."
These are lines from a picnic and party song which was popular when we were in school. The song goes on to say that a farmer's daughter would marry a farmer's son, and how a milkman's daughter would have no choice but to marry a milkman's son, and so on.
In the 60s,70s and 80s, many people from our hometown of Vasai took up teaching careers to explore new job opportunities in and around Mumbai city. The earlier generations had led a more agrarian lifestyle till jobs in Indian railways and Mumbai Port Trust hired people with basic school education. Some had taken up practical occupations like carpentry and construction.
However, with the growth in education, thanks to the priests and nuns who ran strict schools, a teaching job in a government-aided school offered a favourable option. Many young men and women in the 60s became teachers. Among them were my parents. Their academic lifestyles, moral values, and a light but regular pay packet at the end of the month attracted many youngsters into this noble profession.
During the 80s, almost every school in Mumbai had at least one teacher from Vasai. The culture of studiousness and the confidence that this crop of teachers instilled in their own offspring led to the next generation aspiring for diverse professional courses. Presently, in Vasai, you will come across physiotherapists, dentists, engineers, air hostesses, sailors, builders, interior designers, architects, and so on. But by and large, for the girls, a teaching career is still a popular option.
On a personal level, I started my career as a journalist and eventually walked in my parents footsteps to become a teacher. On the other hand, my brothers and husband chose the technical field.
As the song above goes I did marry a teacher's son, after all.
You would marry a teacher's son more than anybody..."
These are lines from a picnic and party song which was popular when we were in school. The song goes on to say that a farmer's daughter would marry a farmer's son, and how a milkman's daughter would have no choice but to marry a milkman's son, and so on.
In the 60s,70s and 80s, many people from our hometown of Vasai took up teaching careers to explore new job opportunities in and around Mumbai city. The earlier generations had led a more agrarian lifestyle till jobs in Indian railways and Mumbai Port Trust hired people with basic school education. Some had taken up practical occupations like carpentry and construction.
However, with the growth in education, thanks to the priests and nuns who ran strict schools, a teaching job in a government-aided school offered a favourable option. Many young men and women in the 60s became teachers. Among them were my parents. Their academic lifestyles, moral values, and a light but regular pay packet at the end of the month attracted many youngsters into this noble profession.
During the 80s, almost every school in Mumbai had at least one teacher from Vasai. The culture of studiousness and the confidence that this crop of teachers instilled in their own offspring led to the next generation aspiring for diverse professional courses. Presently, in Vasai, you will come across physiotherapists, dentists, engineers, air hostesses, sailors, builders, interior designers, architects, and so on. But by and large, for the girls, a teaching career is still a popular option.
On a personal level, I started my career as a journalist and eventually walked in my parents footsteps to become a teacher. On the other hand, my brothers and husband chose the technical field.
As the song above goes I did marry a teacher's son, after all.
(Photo courtesy: Pearl Ferreira and friends)
