Dear Madam Talat Ahmed,

Recently, someone acknowledged you on social media as "the mentor, the other mother and a confidant". I am writing to endorse these titles and to share some insights into the ways of teaching, seeing and thinking that we learnt from you. For years, you received the freshmen at NCA in sculpture class, where one gets to touch base with the very core of one's existence and reality – crafting with clay. These classes involve problem-solving activities, experimenting and exploring textures, shapes and techniques which are essentially meditative to the extent of self-discovery and channelling one's energy with the universe.

Working with clay connects us to our primal roots – shaping earth, creating something from nothing and tapping into that tactile joy is super therapeutic. It is also restorative with a loud lesson of endurance. And I am not only referring to the trade and trick of handling clay but surviving, performing and passing the test of perseverance and creativity in your course. Yours was indeed one of the strictest........

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