Bibhuprada Acharya
2017-2020 Brindavan

As I try to come to terms with the fact that our dear Ruchir sir is no more in this world, my mind brings me so many images and scenes wherein I had the good fortune of sharing some moments of my life in the presence of sir.

Though I was not a Commerce student, I was fortunate to be part of the cooperative stores in my Brindavan days (2017- 2020). And this gave me ample opportunities to interact and observe Ruchir sir and receive some lessons from him. Today I am reminded of how sir would be sitting at the computer in the store, working continuously till all the tasks were accomplished. I am reminded of how sir would never mind lending a helping hand to us, the store boys, in lifting heavy things, applying price tags on items and so on. If he could sense the need for help anywhere he would always be there for us.

I am reminded of how he would surprise me by shaking my shoulders from the behind when I would be arranging some stuff on the shelves and when I would turn, he would just smile and ask, “How was your day?” If I had given a good talk in college or hostel he would sometimes land a light punch in my stomach and would say, “You spoke well today. ” And such sweet little memories are not just mine but all boys who have been touched by sir will have similar experiences of how he would make them comfortable and show genuine care for them.

As much as sir was in appreciating any good work that we did, he was equally expressive of his disappointment if we could not complete our tasks to the expected level of perfection. He pushed us hard to strive for perfection. My respect for him was such that I never wanted to disappoint him. But, when I did make him feel bad I felt extremely guilty and with each of my mistakes I became increasingly alert to correct myself… just because I did not want to disappoint Ruchir sir. I always wanted to make him proud of me and this passion for perfection is the value he has added to my life. I can only be grateful to Swami for giving me a chance to spend time with such a noble soul.

In our farewell session in stores in March 2020, when sir was asked to give a talk, he asked us to Remember Swami and make the Institute proud of our actions. That was his aim all the time, to make students worthy products of Swami’s college. I pray to Swami that I can follow the lessons that sir taught through his words and actions and live up to his expectations.