A tribute to my favorite professor...

गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरुरेव परंब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥

The shloka above portrays your guru (teacher) as the param Brahma, the supreme reality. I was never a very religious person, but this chant stuck to my heart since 8th grade. It depicts how influential a teacher can be in shaping the lives of his/her students. Therein lies the biggest strength of a guru. Today I lost my most beloved and cherished teacher.

I will forever think of him as the greatest professor, I was fortunate enough to be a student off. His ability to take the most complicated spectroscopic phenomena in physics and break it down to the level of a 12th grader always astounded me. The twinkle in his eyes when he taught was unmistakable. It was he who instilled in me that hard-work is indeed the key to success. Despite his busy schedule and being bogged down by non-academic workload,he never came to the class unprepared. I have known him refusing to meet anyone at least half an hour before the class starts so that he can prepare. I don't remember him dismissing the comments of a student as wrong. Even if someone did gave a wrong answer or made an incorrect comment, he always taught how to correct it without demoralizing. He was a professor, who apologized profusely at every exam for setting the paper too tough. The trust he placed in his students was so extreme, that he even allowed us to drop our papers in his office hours after the scheduled time was up.

The encouragement he gave, made you believe that you can be whatever you want to be. He was not only a teacher but a great mentor, who taught me how to be good at what you do. An academic idol as my friend aptly describes him. He was one person whom everyone respected, irrespective of whether he taught them or not. All the while I was a student under him, I have never seen him lose his temper. Logic and common sense were always his friends while dealing with unfavorable situations. He touched my life in more ways than one.

A true gentleman and an ideal teacher, he sets the standard not only for other teachers but every human being. Despite being loved and revered as one of the best, he was humble and unassuming.  I believe, he made the world a better place for many, me included. I never knew a teacher can leave such a deep impact in your life.

I cannot even imagine the pain and hurt felt by his wife, Radhika Ma'am. We always thought they had the perfect love story. I offer my condolences to his family and friends, and all my fellow students, for whom he will always remain the best, always.

The list of angels in heaven grew by one more tonight.... Rest in peace, Ramaswamy Sir.