Sathya
1990-1995- SSSHSS & SSSIHL

There is a saying – “Acharya Devobhava”. To this day if someone asked me who were your teachers, I would boldly say that I am what I am because of Ruchir Sir, Ramakrishna Reddy Sir(SSSHSS) and Sanjay Sahani Sir. They are my Gods. I learnt my basics in accounting, finance and taxes from these 3 Gods. When I heard about Ruchir Sir’s physical condition I was deeply shocked. How could this happen to someone who I had a long chat with just a month prior.
Ruchir Sir and I had a very special relationship. During college, when I scored low in the internal exams and took up a challenge to do really well in the end semester exams, he told me that his respect for me would go up. When I achieved that, he was genuinely happy and said if I don’t do an MBA, I should consider doing CA as I was strong in numbers. He could easily identify what his students were good at and accordingly guided them well. When I went back after my CA degree and told him I completed my aimed qualification, he was so happy. I always felt he wanted me to succeed.
He wanted the students to know a lot more of what is happening in the outside world. He would ask me to address the students about various topics and also tell them things which are more practical. He wanted his students to be the best. He was so happy that I started out on my own and eventually co-founded an angel investment platform. His had such a zeal to learn about how startups and early-stage companies operate that he too became a member and started experiencing first hand. He brought great energy and thirst for knowledge.
Words are not enough to describe this man. In Kannada there is a saying “Murthi chikkadadaru keerthi doddadu”, which means even though the physical structure is small, the fame is everywhere. That is what Ruchir Sir is to me.
The dasas have written, you should fight with God when you are not happy. I am going to genuinely fight with Swami for taking him away from us so early.