From the day I joined the SR lab, Ramachandran sir has been a mentor, a guide and a friend. He has always been there for us, not just as a supervisor but as a well-wisher. His kindness, compassion and wisdom have been a source of inspiration for us and we have learnt so much from him.
I still remember the time when I was going through a tough phase in my personal life and he is the one who stood by me and supported me. His words of encouragement gave me the strength to face the challenges and move forward. He has been much more than a supervisor to me. He has been a role model, a confidant and a source of comfort.
We cannot thank him enough for all that he has done for us. I have written a poem as a tribute on his farewell which still does not encompass everything Dr Ramachandran is, but best justifies what we feel about him.
Who you are and what you are?
It’s difficult to express with limited words
Still want to enlighten a few of them,
Which make you different from anyone else.
Since you have been important part of us
Your guidance was all the way in journey
Could not forget the way you planted
The seeds of learning along with creativity
The way you nurtured with water of knowledge
It was different from many schools or colleges
You made us think in all possible ways
By giving us wings to fly away from cages
You pruned us whenever we got off the track
And shined the sunlight of your faith on us
We hope, we never had let you down
As we always tried to see your faith on rise.
You always lend your hand to help
After every fall we faced in life
We enjoyed the moments shared with you
Every time with new thoughts and some clues
Remembering the words of my late mother
And understood it later why she used to say
Above the parents is the place of teacher
As they teach us things in crucial phase of life.
Now the time came to reap the harvest
You tended carefully throughout the career
You have earned your retirement
We are your garden, so sit back now and watch us grow.
SR lab is that source of ray
That brings us life in many beautiful ways
It has that place in our heart
That is the foundation for the rest of life.
In our life your place is still so high
No, not want to make any of us cry
It’s just a farewell, from office only
Sir, it’s not the time to say goodbye.
Firdaus Fatima is working in the Department of Informatics and Big Data under the mentorship of Dr. S. Ramachandran. She focuses on the role of phytochemicals as therapeutic agents targeting Breast Cancer. When away from computers, she picks up a pen to express her unique understanding of the world.