Somebody please deliver this to him!

Arun Kumar
BTech Final Year
Dept of CSE, IITM

(Late) Prof. D. Veeraraghavan
Dept of HSS, IIT Madras

Dear Sir,

At the outset I would like to express my heart-felt gratitude for the affection and wonderful guidance you had given me in the two years for which I have known you. It is difficult for me to think of a class in my life that was as enjoyable and as educational as yours on constitution. I still remember how in every class, you used to provoke discussions and healthy arguments on governmental and constitutional issues. Your depth and breadth of knowledge, including current affairs, used to amaze me. Not to mention your ability to immediately recognize a student, with just one utterance of a word. Your classes were on a different plane from any other I have had here. For the term presentation, you listened to each and every statement of the speakers and even correct them instantly, when most of the class wouldn't even have had an idea of what was going on! I still remember how you appreciated the performance of our team, Sharath, Vivek an I, onthe topic of reservations. We even used to have wonderful discussions on this and many other topics when I came to meet you in your room, including the then developments of anti-reservation violence. You are the only teacher I know, who involved the students themselves in their evaluation. I still vividly remember that evening, when we collected everyone's marks and opinions on the presentations and you asked us to give our suggestions on the marks given. I have never come across such an open, fair and democratic evaluation scheme. Of course, you were more than just a class instructor for me. You got to know about me as a person, my family, my interests and so on. Your valuable advice and guidance changed my outlook towards life. I am sure it has profoundly influenced many of my peers as well. We used to visit you sometimes to discuss about various things, including the landmark Supreme Court verdict regarding the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. I still remember that visit, when I gave you some chocolates that my brother had brought from the US! Speaking of which, I am reminded of Prof. Muraleedharan, who was like a brother to you; I admired the camaraderie you two enjoyed. Many times, he even dropped by during your classes to catch the sleepyheads red-handed!

As time flied by, I heard one day that you had fallen ill with stomach ulcer or something similar. I tried to visit you, but your room was locked. I was concerned for your health but I didn't know whom to ask. Unfortunately, things became extremely busy in my third year. I thought you would be back this semester, fully recovered and healthy. I wanted to visit your house at least once, before leaving this institute. Sadly, fate had something else in store on that Thursday morning. I was shocked when my friend, Mahitha told me about your demise and the fact that you had cancer. I couldn't believe that you had such a serious health problem. If only I had known earlier, I would have at least had a chance to visit you, at the hospital or wherever you were. As Vivek and I came down to your house, I saw so many students and professors, all united in grief. It is a pity that I had to meet you in this situation. As you lay down on the floor, sleeping peacefully, the crowds circled around you to pay their respects. Your family was inconsolable; so were your friends. After the ceremonial rituals, they had taken you to the Kannammapet crematorium, the same place where we cremated my grandpa. I felt guilty for not having known about your condition, for not having met you, for not having spoken to you for so many months. I could only compensate by putting a fistful of rice on your mouth as you lay in your deathbed, Sir. As the ceremonial duties were being performed by your bereaved father, I prayed to God to give him and your family the strength to overcome your loss and that no parents should ever undergo the trauma of having to lose their child. As we watched, you were pushed into the electrical furnace and your body was ablaze. Amidst dignified tears, I returned, recollecting the times I had spent with you and the impact you had on me as a person. I will forever remember you as one of the best teachers I have had in this institute, indeed one of the best I have ever met. The fact that despite your physical limitations and all odds, you have managed to achieve so much and rise to this level, will continue to serve as an inspiration for me and countless others throughout our lives. Though life will have to go on for everyone you have left behind, you will continue to persist in the thoughts and hopes of many, for whom you are a symbol of courage, determination and achievement.

Yours sincerely,
Arun Kumar