Candles That Light Other Candles
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| Release of NET, SET, GO... by my kindred spirit Dr. Ganesh and my dear brother Dr. Franklin, and dedicated to my mentor Dr. Manalan |
A Teacher’s Day Tribute to My Mentor Dr. Manalan
#memories #gratitude
Very often we’ve heard this inspirational quote, ‘A teacher affects eternity, as you can never tell where their influence stops’, attributed to eminent Professor Henry Adams.
Be it their exhortations, their encouragement, their advice, their suggestions, their love, their guidance, or their gentle mannerisms, their way of interacting with you, the grace in their voice, the refined elegance in their behaviour, in the way they influence our character, in the ways in which they give us that newfound confidence!
I guess each and every one of us would be able to recall that one teacher who means a lot to us, ain’t we?
The one who saw potential in us when we felt so invisible,
The one who saw merit in us, even when we completely lacked in self-esteem or self-worth,
The one who challenged us to think bigger, when we couldn’t think beyond the pages of our syllabus,
The one who simply offered a safe space for our problem on a difficult day,
The one who imparted to us such valuable lessons for life beyond the four walls of the classroom!
Well, one particularly noble aspect of a teacher is that, our teachers do not expect to see the final masterpiece in us, when they give us those vibrant life-lessons. They just plant those noble seeds in our garden with such love, care and concern, and hope for the best!
In like manner, for years they might have spent their bestest energy on a student, to proudly watch them move on to their next phase in life, confidently!
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| Release of the book Aura of the Other by our Principal Dr. Alexander Jesudasan, dedicated to my mentor Dr. Manalan |
Still…
Their influence on our lives continues to bloom! It blooms in our workspace, it blooms in our social space, it blooms in our family space, it blooms in our speech, it blooms in our actions, and what not!
Today on the memorable occasion of Teacher’s Day, my thoughts instinctively travel back to my memorable time in Bishop Heber College, to the teacher who shaped not just my academic journey, but my very approach to life and learning: our beloved Librarian, Dr. Jesudoss Manalan.
“A true mentor is someone who giving you the opportunity to create yourself” and Dr. Manalan was exactly that. To call him a librarian would be a vast understatement! He doubled up as a parent, a counsellor, a friend and a local guardian to so many of us.
I still vividly remember my days preparing for the NET exams. I had spotted a brilliant Cambridge book that cost Rs. 4,500 (back then, in the late 1990s), and an exorbitant amount for a student to afford three decades ago. When I casually mentioned this to him, impulsively, with his ever-cheerful smile, he simply said, “Rufus, next week you’ll have it in the Reference section. Don’t worry.” And true to his word, he ordered it all the way from the UK.
This selfless act of support literally moved me to tears, and it became the very reason I promised myself that if I ever wrote a book, it would be dedicated to him. Years later, when I co-authored the now-popular NET preparatory book titled, NET SET GO, I dedicated it along with two other books – so yes three books - to my guiding light – Dr. Manalan!
His belief in his students extended far beyond the walls of the grand library at Heber! When I first took my baby steps into the world of writing, it was Dr. Manalan who stood by me, motivating me to write consistently. In fact, he taught me that, all meaningful achievement is the result of doing something repeatedly over time – the power of consistency!
Whether it was typing out those regular letters to the editor for The Hindu or The Indian Express, or drafting articles for the college magazine, he was my biggest motivator. I can still recall the sheer joy in his voice when he called me up one morning in 1998, while I was reading the newspaper in the hostel, just to congratulate me on an article of mine that had been published in The Indian Express. To my absolute surprise, he had already taken the time to compile a sweet little file of all my articles.
It is a profound truth that a guru is someone who takes the greatest pride in even your littlest achievements.
Dr. Manalan didn’t just love books; he loved humanity. He transformed the Bishop Heber library into a living, breathing sanctuary for learners, firmly believing that a library is a growing organism. I still marvel at the memory of a night walk through the campus, finding the library brightly lit at 9:30 PM, packed with fifty to sixty students deeply engrossed in their studies. He deliberately kept the doors open late for hostellers and day scholars alike, even arranging dinner for those who couldn’t afford it, just to make them devour the amazing stacks of knowledge lined up in the library.
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| Dr. Manalan on his mentee - me! 😊 |
Dr. Manalan was a person who worked tirelessly to bring the student to the library. He used to famously outline his simple but profound “four steps to developing a healthy reading habit.”
Step 1: Pick up a book with less number of pages.
Step 2: Read non-stop for fifteen minutes a day.
Step 3: Avoid distraction while reading.
Step 4: When you finish a book, reward yourself with a new book.
That’s because ‘A Reader Today! A Leader Tomorrow’, he used to say very often.
From keeping the library doors open late into the night, to being one of the first people to turn up with a happy and contended proud smile on his face, for my PhD defence, Dr. Manalan has been a steady, unwavering beacon of light in my life.
Through his boundless passion, he taught us that reading is for the mind what exercise is to the body. But through his life, he taught us an even greater lesson: candles that light other candles never lose their brightness.
Happy Teacher’s Day, dear Sir. Thank you for seeing the potential in us, for nurturing our dreams, and for making us what we are today!
Even as we celebrate our beloved teachers today, let’s take a moment to pause and look back at our own life-journey thus far. All of us may have our own Dr. Manalans in our lives, ain’t we?
A teacher who bought that lovely book for you, the teacher who celebrated your smallest wins, the teacher who kept their doors always open when you needed it the most, the teacher who did not lose hope in you even when everyone else had!
Well, today is the perfect day to remember them! 😊
PS: You may want to read a few of my past posts here below, on Dr. Manalan, my inspirational mentor! 😊
1. On how the now popular NET Preparatory
book NET, SET, GO happened… HERE
2. Four Steps to a Healthy Reading Habit,
by Dr. Manalan… HERE
3. The memorable day when Dr. Manalan called me to his Cabin... HERE
4. My great mentors... HERE
5. Dr. Manalan on Libraries... HERE
6. Dr. Manalan on Consistency then, is the Key... HERE
7. On my dearest Librarian Dr. Manalan... HERE
8. Candles that Light Other Candles... HERE
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