Page 78 - Synergy 17-18

MINDSPACE

Reminisces W O RD FA CT O R Y

‘25 years! Now that’s a lifetime’ is the first thought that occurred to me when I completed 25 years was now the torchbearer of Guru Nanak College and should excel in his M.Sc.(which he did) so that
in service at Guru Nanak College. Looking back it feels not so very distant probably because the the name of the Institute would be well entrenched in the minds of the people with whom he would
memories associated with all those years are still very fresh in my mind. associate in future.
I can vividly recall the interview in which I had a great interaction with the subject expert who was very Even today when I meet up with my students pursuing higher education or working, the greatest joy
keen that I take up this opportunity though I had some trepidation about the same. Being interested in that I get is, knowing that they will carry forward the legacy of having studied at Guru Nanak College
research (with a Ph.D. from I.I.T. Bombay) and having worked in the industry, I was not very keen to and achieved success. For me that is the true Guru Dakshina to be given to any teacher.
take up teaching as a profession and was in fact very disdainful about it. I had also decided that I would As Winston Churchill said ‘We make a Living by what we Get, We make a Life by what we Give’. I hope
do anything but teach! Well the Almighty had other plans for me and having entered the profession and that I have been able to live up to this adage and hope to continue giving to society in whatever way
enjoyed the experience thoroughly, my advice to the younger generation is ‘Never say Never.’ possible after my superannuation.
The initial days of teaching involved more of studying; something I absolutely love (for which I have
been labelled as a weirdo by my sister). The joy of reading up on all the basic branches of Chemistry
with a fresh set of books delighted me and I took to it like a duck to water. What I found tedious was the
making of notes which involved a lot of time as writing was a laborious process as we had yet to get the
luxury of a PC in those days.
I clearly remember my first lecture to the Third Year students wherein I had to explain the ‘Scope and
Importance of Analytical Chemistry’. Being a devout fan of Analytical Chemistry, I explained to them
how anything and everything is related to Analytical Chemistry. By narrating personal anecdotes of Dr. (Mrs.) Pramoda S Pillai
my student days and my tryst with Analytical Chemistry I could connect with them and from there on Head of the Department, Chemistry
there was no looking back. The Practical sessions that I conducted were a learning process for me and
my students. Reactions and tests that have been written in the Practical Manual show up in different
hues when performed in the laboratory. With each experiment my students and I learnt the principles
involved in the methods used for an experiment.
My efforts bore fruit as was evident when my Third Year student passed out with great marks and sought
admission to a postgraduate course at the University. When he was filling the admission form and wrote
that he had completed his graduation at Guru Nanak College, the clerical staff looked confused as she
had no idea that such a College existed under Mumbai University. I explained to my student that he

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