During my 10+2 years which ran from July 2002 to March 2004, we had a very interesting person as our chemistry teacher. He would speak less than any average person, and would speak in a soft voice while teaching, a voice that almost bordered on being unclear. But if you would listen to him carefully, you'd absorb some of the finest chemistry lectures. Back in those days, we had to study chemical thermodynamics, kinetics, a bunch of organic chemistry stuff, gas laws and what not. Quite a few students would fall asleep in his class or not pay much attention, given his style of teaching. And if you did pay attention, you would easily learn enough to score very well in the board exams.
His name was Ajay Sahu. His surname notwithstanding, he was out and out an Assamese person, and probably wrote better Assamese than I did! He was bachelor when we were in our 11th standard, and lived in a tiny room of a paying guest or a boys' hostel where he would conduct his tuition* classes in the mornings and evenings. (Given the enormity of the course content, going for an hour of tuition every alternate day was a norm of most of us, to learn more and to solve more numerical problems). We used to call him 'Sahu sir'.
Sahu sir lived alone in a tiny room, his food was probably supplied by the landlord who owned the boys' hostel. He had a small bed, totally untidy with dozens of chemistry books strewn all around. A few books would be lying on the floor at any given time, scattered randomly. And there was a long table adjacent to his bed where two or three long benches would be attached for us to sit during tuition classes. The table also had several chemistry books lying haphazardly, loose sheets flying across the room under the ceiling fan in a summer day.
And it wouldn't be uncommon to find him lying on his bed, with his head resting on the then-famous 'IIT Chemistry' by O.P. Agarwal, the book being made a makeshift pillow. I wondered how a person could sleep with a book serving as a pillow! We (the guys) used to make fun of his room in a good humoured manner. And Sahoo sir's reactions, his dialogues and his indifferent manner of living made us wonder if he would ever get married!
Sahu sir's voice was deep, though soft. And oftentimes, he would deliver funny comments and hilarious dialogues in a deep, serious tone. Outwardly, he would appear quite serious, as if he wouldn't care for you. But in reality, he did care for his students. Once, I left my book in his room and so in the next tuition class, I scanned my eyes all across his bed and table to see if I could find my book, but to no avail. So, I told him - Sir, I think my book is here in your room, Could you please take a look? And he didn't even look at me. His immediate reaction was "boys, what was the last topic we studied?" And I felt he didn't care at all for my book, he didn't even acknowledge my question! After the class was over, as we were leaving, I saw he got down on his knees, bent and kept looking beneath the table, beneath his bed for something. And then pulled out my book from a corner. It touched me. So, I remember it vividly even today, after 18 years.
Once, a student saw him sitting in front of the boys' hostel, and wished him "Good morning, Sir". Sahoo sir didn't even acknowledge the 'good morning'. His immediate reply was - "Close the gate as you go" in a truly funny tone. I can't do justice to his comical personality unless I show you his style of speaking :)
Later on, when I was in my 12th, Sahu sir had built a house close by. It was not fully painted yet, and certainly not furnished. He was still unmarried. And the house felt much bigger than his 1-room apartment. And he was so carefree and laid back that he'd leave the front and the back doors of his newly made house wide open during the day. Stray cows would walk in, and walk out of his house often, dumping fresh cow dung on newly polished concrete floors! I know it reads like a story, but it's not bull shit at all. It was literally cow shit on the floor of his living hall, some dried and some fresh, beside which he would pull a chair and sit with parents of prospective students! He wouldn't give a damn to anything or anyone. Not even to Principal sir of our junior college!
Once he organized a dinner party at his house and invited all of us (boys and girls) for cooking and eating. Local pork curry was the main item to be cooked. I played a passive role, because I didn't eat pork. Others had much more enjoyment! Sahoo sir asked me in his characteristic funny tone "You don't eat pork?" And i was like "No, sir". And he said - "Ok then, just have the curry, not the meat."
Later, he did get married, I believe right after we passed out in 2004, or somewhere around that time. I visited my college only once or twice after 2004, and probably met him twice in the last 18 years, the last time perhaps around 2008 or 2010. He was currently the Principal of that college/academy.
He was a real gem of a person, a truly selfless and pure heart. He helped build the careers of so many generations of students.
Covid took him away last week. You'll forever live in the hearts of so many of us, Sir.
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