PRANAM SIR! (SALUTATIONS TO MY DEPARTED TEACHER)

I once read in a cemetery “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones.”  A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you. The memory of Prof. Amulya Ranjan Sarkar, my teacher of Medicine in King George's Medical College. is one such legacy! 

As a teacher, I have seen him wear many hats. I have seen him being a communicator, a disciplinarian, a conveyor of information, an evaluator, a Unit manager, a counselor, a member of many teams and groups, a decision-maker, a role-model, and a surrogate parent.  Each of these roles requires practice and skills that are often not taught but are acquired by nurturing appropriate temperament, skills, and personality. Professor A. R. Sarkar had them in abundance.

He was a wizard of Internal Medicine and his insistence on the correct way of eliciting a physical sign, repeating the sequence with his students individually till they got it right was absolutely admirable. He loved being with his students and trainees and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. He had unfathomable patience and knew that little steps in learning will go a long way for his students. He provided a non-threatening and welcoming environment in his classes and ward rounds and nurtured each of his students, irrespective of their learning capabilities. Trainees were comfortable and at ease with him, they enjoy having him as their mentor.

I feel he was a very special teacher because he knew what motivates the trainees and also how to scaffold activities to ensure that maximum learning occurs. He would take each trainee from where they are and provide experiences that will maximize success. He was always discovering new things about your trainees and was a teacher both for exceptional learners and learners with diverse needs. He would thrive on challenge and could easily build relationships with his students.

A life-long learner, he was committed to the twin profession of a teacher and a doctor. He had a never-ending willingness to ensure that all his trainees reach their maximum potential. He would constantly strive to 'reach and teach' every student under his care. It was a true privilege to be his student!

Discipline and order came naturally to him. I remember once while teaching he picked up some whisper mongering in the back gallery of our Pharmacology lecture theatre and asked the entire bunch of students to stand up. But instead of scolding or marching them out of the class he asked them individually what they would the like to be known ten years from then, the offspring of successful parents or good doctors. Needless to say silence prevailed thereafter. We were firmly tested on our knowledge almost on a day to day basis. And should we fail to produce the expected results in oral quizzes each morning, we were let known about it… loudly and clearly… often in front of the rest of our entire class.

His class notes and his bed-side teachings were priceless! It is because of teachers like him that learned to read more carefully. A lot more carefully. We learned to pay attention to detail. While case presentations he made us realize that words had power and precision and clinical signs have no substitutes. To the students from vernacular medium ( usually Hindi medium) schools he even taught how to construct sentences, how to put them together in an effective and sometimes, affective sequence, how to create an effective case presentation that would have to stand them in good stead for the rest of their life.

Form Prof. A. R. Sarkar I have learned that when you strive and work to become a good teacher, the four core qualities essential are: knowledge, the skills to convey that knowledge, the ability to make the material you are teaching interesting and relevant, and a deep-seated respect for the student. On countless occasions he had helped his students to set up their practice. He set examples and framed the mind-set of his learners. He had this amazing quality to read the faces of students, be considerate to them, to stand by them in their hour of need and even provide supports to students with financial problems.

I am of the firm opinion that teachers are Nation builders. They are candles which illuminate a society by not just burning themselves but by lighting up several baby beacons! When the teachers render their services with dedication in the making of a nation, it is certain, the younger generation would become better human beings and tomorrow would then be better than today. But the question is how many teachers in schools and colleges teach with dedication and sincerity? The government of the day is opening medical institutions in the drop of a hat, where will they find teachers like Prof. Sarkar, who would teach with passion, love the students like his own children, and provide both academic and emotional supports to the students.

As the teacher in charge of the Clinical Society and Dramatic Society he would encourage us to widen our horizons live life in large scale. He was the main stay of the Sri Sri Saraswati Puja celebrations in our college campus for years together. His teachings away from the confines of wards and classrooms were far more important. He truly believed that medicine was not just a discipline but a way of life and education was what remained with you once you have forgotten the syllabus.

Sir, the effort which you made to have a positive influence in all your trainees by your words and deeds only highlights that who we are and how we show up in life matters, our devotion to brilliance matters, our attitude and levels of passion matter, our good manners and honesty matters and what we are becoming matters …………..more than we can imagine!

Pramam Sir! You will live in our hearts!!