Sura, as he was affectionately called, was a gem of BITS Pilani. He was one of the best individuals I knew - able administrator, diplomat, brilliant professor and a decent person to the core. He always had an ear for everyone, be it a student, parent or hostel assistant. Even after changing posts from Chief Warden to Dean, Administration, his was the office to go to, if you wanted your case to be heard. He understood students, was generous with praise and recognised their faults too. I always loved listening to him speak on the dais because he spoke briefly with simple words, yet managed to inspire.
I'm still trying to believe that one of the pillars of my college life is no more. I knew him first when I was a college kid in first semester, fresh and eager. His was a presence that was always there for me, even if we didn't talk for months. I saw him last on 5th August, 2012 sitting in his home. We talked for almost an hour with his young daughter playing on the carpet.
Many of us remember him with a bicycle tyre in LT, demonstrating how the gyroscope works. That is the role in which I saw him first, a Physics professor. He painstakingly explained waves concepts to me in his office a couple of days before Physics I compre. I was, and still am, a complete novice at Physics, but he gave me the confidence to attempt to solve those problems.
I next knew him as BITSAA coordinator and he became Sura for me, a relic of his Pilani days. He was genuinely interested and involved in all activities. I see him sitting with Vishrut bhaiya and others discussing the Director's Tea Party menu with Sharath Babu. In second year, I got involved in too many things and no longer had time for BITSAA. When I was given my walking papers, albeit nicely, I remember his canny comment while passing by in the corridor "They booted you out? "
In March 2009, he succeeded Prof. A. V. Kulkarni as Chief Warden. I worked with both of them as part of Election Commission. Sura always made time for the team. We even had meetings sitting on the stairs outside B Dome so that we could get work done after his office hours. This was the first time when the whole responsibility of the elections rested on the Chief Election Commissioner. He did not impose his decisions and let the team do its work. Because of his genuine understanding and assured support, I knew that if my decision was right, I could've told a candidate to do their worst. He came to each audi debate, never intervened, but for me, he was like the wall who would be there if things went awry.
In March 2010, a group of friends and I were in a bus accident. I lost my sight for a few minutes but was conscious. My vision was wavering between dark and light on the way to the hospital but I managed to dial his number. I thought of him first because I knew he would care about the 8 students in the bus and also, because he had the authority to ensure we were taken care of. He came promptly with the hostel superintendents to the Chicalim Cottage Hospital and stayed with us for the whole day in GMC. He talked to each of our parents on the phone, reassuring them that their wards were being cared for.
I thought my last interaction with him would be in the Director's Tea Party in 2011. I was speaking as a going-out student on the dais where I had compèred three years before. But I ended up attending another Tea Party in 2012. To my surprise, he remembered what I had spoken about a year ago. He wasn't one of the professors who just nodded and smiled.
Despite all that he had achieved at BITS, Sura was the epitome of humility. I asked him for a recommendation to HBS and GSB in July 2011. He frankly told me that he'd never written a business school reco and to tell him what's the format. When he saw me at the convocation in August 2011, the first words out of his mouth were "Sorry, I didn't get the time to write your recommendation letter". I was astonished. The reco wasn't due till October, it wasn't even on my mind, but he remembered! Out of the three professors I asked, he was the only one who did not ask for a write-up. He was the first one to upload the recommendation letters, despite being pressed for time as the Dean, Administration.
As I am writing this, there are many more memories which come tumbling in. I always admired him. Looking back, I realise that he was the only professor I came close to adoring. He was vital to BITS Pilani K. K. Birla Goa Campus. My mind is still refusing reality. I keep thinking what will Sura think when he reads this.
