Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, on Monday met his school teacher who lives in Panniyannur Gram Panchayat in this northern district of the state, officials said.
The Vice President, along with his wife Sudesh Dhankhar, met his school teacher Ratna Nair who was overjoyed to see her pupil after so many years.
"There can't be a better guru dakshina than this," she told the Vice President, according to officials.
The teacher and her family welcomed the Vice President with tender coconut water and served him and his wife home-made idlis and banana chips, officials said.
Though many of her students are in high positions, mostly in armed forces and the police, it is the first time that one of them has reached the second highest constitutional position in the country and the teacher was proud of her "Jagdeep".
She also vividly remembered Dhankhar as "a young boy in khaki, sitting in the first row, fully concentrating on the class".
"He was a very active, well disciplined and obedient boy who excelled in all activities inside and outside the class. He was a good debater, a good sportsperson and good at academics too," she said.
Remembering the old days when Dhankar was her pupil at Sainik School Chittorgarh boarding school, his teacher said that as students spend around nine months in a year with their teachers, they develop long-lasting bonds with them.
"Parents used to visit school in between. I remember Jagdeep's father was very regular at these meetings. He used to visit the school every month to monitor the progress of both his sons," she said.
A N Shamseer, Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, was also present.
