Dear Sir,
As you stand at this significant juncture, having dedicated over 24 years of unwavering service to the Dnyanprassarak Mandal’s College and Research Centre at Assagao, your short term at Goa University as Registrar, and about 10 years at Government Sankhli College must have given you immense good, bad, and neutral experiences. Mind you, with a selfish motive, I feel your journey is far from over.
Over the course of your career, you have proved to be the best teacher, a good leader and administrator, and a guide and mentor to many, and have shaped lives in Goa and India. Many of our faculty members and students are in different parts of the country and the world, who vouch for your impact on them. Many admit, “At that time, we felt he was strict,” but we know how it was your firmness that directed us; begrudgingly then, and with an open heart now, they admire you.
Under your leadership and vision, with strong backing from the then chairmen first Dr. Gurudas Natekar and followed by Shri Shrikkrishna Pokle and other MC members, “Bandekar College” metamorphosed into Dnyanprassarak Mandal’s College & Research Centre — it just didn’t grow, it flourished, achieving the prestigious NAAC ‘A’ grade and securing a place among the top 150 colleges in India. These are not merely administrative milestones; they are reflections of your vision for excellence.
Though you have not been my teacher in the classroom, I have learnt a lot from you. Your face is so transparent that many of your colleagues and I knew exactly when you were happy, displeased, disapproving, or appreciating. At times, not words but a glance from your spectacles spoke volumes.
When you joined, I was in my 40s, but I still had remnants of a teenage rebel in me. Not that I do not have it now. But I learnt different ways of dealing with or expressing myself when I felt something was not right. Your red lines on my reports and letters helped me develop official administrative writing skills. (This was before the age of AI, and I am glad we didn’t have AI at that time.)
I learnt, and am still learning, protocols and different itineraries required for functions. It’s not only me, but teaching and non-teaching staff also learnt from you — the order, the discipline, the cleanliness, and the management. I am not worried about my DMC, now that you are superannuating from there, because you have put the right systems in the right places. Luckily, the majority of colleagues share your vision of putting the institution before self.
We are also fortunate to have a young Managing Committee that believes in the overall development of human resources, including students and staff, the growth of infrastructure, the protection of the environment, and the re-creation of greenery, which has always been the hallmark of our campus since 1975.
Beyond the institution, your role assumes an even larger significance.
So DMC may not need you, but we Goans need your expertise. You are the first geology student of Goa University. From the lengthy conversations that we have had, I know you understand every inch, every rock, and the ecology of Goa. There is a profound sense of urgency in the air when we speak of our land today.
We are in dire need of a protector, a sentinel for our soil, our ancient rocks, our water, and the very environment that sustains us.
You need not come down to the streets, but we need your knowledge of our land. Create awareness by writing articles in English, Marathi, and Konkani. Let Konkani writers write books. The literature that you create will give fodder for writers like us to create literature for children, young adults, and the public at large. Students at the college and university level will get reference material.
I don’t think that the bucket list that I am imposing on you is new to you. I have always been expressing my intent. This is another quality that leaders can pick from you. Though there was a boss-employee relationship, you handled strong-headed, rigid, opinionated, rights-believers. I don’t know how you tolerated our bossiness, but you did most of the time, graciously. The underlying idea was “agree to disagree,” which comes when there is respect for each other.
At the same time, this is also a moment to pause for yourself.
Wait, I am holding my bucket list horses for now because you need to prioritise yourself and your family. You have been lucky to have a companion, a life partner, like Ms Lucy James and son, Nikhil. I know both of you love to travel, watch theatre and films, and enjoy music, reading, and your photography. Wishing you happiness and togetherness in exploring all these things that you must have put on hold. Giving oneself time is not selfish; it is self-love.
And finally, there is something that must be said.
You have been, and consistently remain, one of the finest teachers our academic community has ever seen. It is a stark irony that the state did not bestow the “Best Teacher Award” upon you. Yet, the reason behind this omission is perhaps the greatest testament to your character. You were not recognised simply because, according to the official mandate, you did not apply for it.
I want to tell you how deeply proud I am of you for that choice. In an era where many chase accolades through paperwork and self-promotion, you chose to hold on to your values. You remained a teacher in the truest sense—one who seeks to enlighten rather than to be decorated. Your integrity remains unshaken, and your legacy is written in the lives of the students you have mentored and in the preservation of our earth, rather than on a framed certificate.
There are still many miles to go, and many promises to keep to the land you love.
