Remembering My Great Teachers

Like a sculptor, a good teacher can change the course of your entire life. Most people can recall at least one teacher in their life who was instrumental in shaping them. It may not be easy to pinpoint one or two key areas where he made a difference, but if we think carefully, a teacher helps us in the following ways (and more):

• He imparts you with the knowledge that you need
• He is an able guide who shows you the right direction
• He inspires and motivates you towards action
• He monitors your progress and corrects when necessary
• He understands you well as a person, your strengths, weaknesses, what motivates you and what puts you off. 
• He has strong belief in your abilities and affirms you, even when you have self-doubt

I consider myself fortunate that I got a chance to come in touch with several people who played the role of teacher for me and shaped me in different stages of life and I have very fond memories of the time spent with them.

Devidayal Sir (1972-74)
Devidayal sir, a soft-spoken school teacher had a vital role in setting the foundation for me. I came in touch with him when I was a 6th class student, struggling with the transition from primary school. My parents called in Devidayal sir to help me with tutions, and within a year he managed to transform me. The most important lesson I got from him was the importance of working everyday towards your goal. With a small step taken everyday, even the most difficult target becomes possible to achieve. During his first week, after he taught me some subjects, he left me some exercises to do. Next week when he asked about it, I drew a blank. Obviously I did not think that there was any hurry to complete the exercises. I still fondly remember the look on his face on that day, but he did not scold me. He gently nudged me to complete the assignment next week, and while doing it, I could see that it is not at all difficult to take one step at a time. When I came to 9th standard, he told me, “It is time for me to say good bye now, you will be on your own, but remember to keep studying regularly as you do now.”

Bhattar Sir (1977-78)

Bhattar Sir taught me mathematics in 12th standard. He was a passionate teacher of his subject, but for me he was more like a mentor, who believed in my potential even more than myself. He was the one who used to constantly encourage me to try for engineering degree, and the strong affirmation was visible in all his interactions and expressions. While it gave me a good feeling, I also used to feel scared at times and unsure if I can come up to his expectations. I still remember how he used to barge in the board practical tests for Physics and Chemistry and urge the external examiner to hold my viva first. No doubt I was his favorite student, and during last few months of boards preparations, he called me home and helped me negotiate the tough territory of maths with his expert touch. I believe without him, I would have not made it to Engineering.

Shivanand Sir (1972-78)

Shivanand Sir was the principal of my school, and he used to inspire all the students with his own personal example. He taught me the importance of living a principle based life. I got to interact with him regularly as I was in the music team who used to go to his office every day for prayer recital. That’s how I also got to observe him from close quarters and if there was one thing that I desired strongly at that time, it was to be like him when I grow up.

Prof B. C. Gargesh, IIT Roorkee (1980-82)
Prof Gargesh taught us medical electronics, and made it so interesting that it got me started on the path of exploring this subject more. I had studied biology in school, but it never clicked for me at that time. Now when I found out about the electrical pulses involved in the functioning of heart and brain, it suddenly became a very absorbing topic, and I ended up doing an interesting final year project in this field.

Dr Bishnu Pradhan (1982-90)

Dr Pradhan was heading the Tata Electric labs when I joined it as my first job. I have never seen a better people manager than him. We were in a batch of 15 fresh engineers hired from the different campuses around the country. He held an orientation session with us in which we introduced ourselves to him. To my amazement, whenever he met me after that day, he always addressed me by my name. It was amazing how he remembered names of people. This was my first invaluable lessons from him about people management. During my 8 years stint with him, I got a chance to observe him closely in different situations, and each such encounter left me little wiser about how to be a good manager and a positive person. Being a young engineer, this teaching was not very useful for me at that stage, but I realized its value when I became a manager later in my career. After he left Tata Electric, we realized in his absence that he was a visionary leader. I always used to see him as my mentor since I always saw in his eyes a positive support and affirmation. During the collaboration with US based Taurus Technologies, which was his dream project, I got a chance to have extensive discussions with him and I cherish those moments.

Shirish Deodhar (1983-90)

I worked with Shirish in Tata Electric, and he had a significant influence on me. As a young engineer, I learned the importance of being systematic and organized from him. He presented a nice example of someone that I aspired to become one day. He is the one who encouraged me to come out of my comfort zone and go for higher education. I can never thank him enough for just this one. After he left, and the team management responsibility fell on my shoulder, at times I found myself unequal to the big responsibility. On such occasions, I used to ask myself, “How would Shirish have handled this situation?”, and the answer gave me the clue. I continued to be in touch with him for several years and we got to spent extended time together in US in 1989 when we worked together on Taurus project, and it is one memory that I will never forget.

R. Muralidharan (1982-99)

Muralidharan was my manager at Tata Electric, and he taught me key lessons with his action-orientation and dynamism. He showed me how to take risks and aim high. My stint in his team was one of the most satisfying period of my career. He helped me develop from a young engineer to a manager and leader. Every meeting with him used to be an opportunity to learn, and I am glad that I got to spend those years with him.



Prof S.S.S.P Rao, IIT Bombay (1985-88)

Prof Rao (affectionately called sprao) was Head of Computer Science department of IIT Bombay in 1985 when I joined the M. Tech course there. Very soon we developed a close relationship in which he was my guide, teacher, friend, philosopher, and ideal. It is difficult to express my relationship with him in words. He used to have a healthy respect for me as I was from industry, but did not hesitate to put me in the right place when needed. Working with him I realized the true meaning of technical knowledge and excellence. I will always be thankful to him for seeing the potential in me and supporting me with strong affirmation. He gently persuaded me to stretch myself and do things that I would not have imagined myself doing – like addressing a seminar organized by Intel, or preparing the coursework for a teacher training program, or teaching parallel processing to IIT students. 

Dale Carnegie (1982..)

When I started my first job in 1982, I was living alone in Mumbai, far away from home. This loneliness started taking its toll on me at one point in time. At that very time, a friend gave me a book, “How to Stop Worrying” by Dale Carnegie. I read the book with interest, and the teachings of the book changed my life forever. I have never met Dale Carnegie personally, but I consider him my guru, because I learned the importance of positive thinking and right attitude from him. Later I also read his book, “How to win friends”, which has practical lessons about social skills. If I could write a blog on positive thinking later, it was only because of what I learnt from him.

Stephen Covey (2000..)

After a 17 years stint at Tata Electric, I made my first job switch and joined HCL in 1999. This was the time when the technology was evolving rapidly, and the successful approach of 1990s seemed no longer adequate in this age. Suddenly I found myself in an unenviable situation with numerous problems and endless challenges facing me every day. I slogged day and night, but the work seemed to keep expanding even more. Obviously I could not go on like this, so I desperately looked for a solution to the puzzle – what do I need to do differently to cope with the situation. That’s when I came across the book, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. It took me some time to grasp the ideas in the book, but it not only helped me overcome my current crisis, but taught me such vital lessons that my life changed forever. I consider myself fortunate that I got to meet Stephen in person in 2007 when he came to India.

I am thankful to have such wonderful gurus. They may not have been teachers by profession, but have still played the role for me. I will remain forever indebted to them for their love and support. A big Thank You to my great gurus without whom I cannot imagine my life.