Prof. Govind Sowani

They say Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to simple. If this adage is to be believed, then “G” in Prof. G Sowani’s name stands for Genius; although for official purposes he uses Govind Sowani as his identity.

There is nothing more fascinating than sitting in a class listening to a learned man talk about the intriguing facts of the financial world that names and shapes everything we do; everything we are.  It is within the epitome of “college lectures” to get bored at one point of time or the other, no matter how interesting the subject. However, with Prof. Sowani, the situation is totally different. It seems he is bestowed with an ability to keep up the interest of the bunch of students till the very last moment, leaving us wanting for more gyan, more knowledge to absorb.

Experience speaks for itself. I have the pleasure of meeting a man who seldom smiles but whose words make the mind smile. He is a Science graduate with 27 years of experience in the financial world and 7 years of enriching the lives of BMS/BBA/MBA students through teaching. Prof Sowani’s many assets include his ability to make us imagine in the right direction. He may be termed a conventional teacher who does not use PowerPoint presentations to drive home his points but remarkably makes use of diagrams that stay in mind even for a person with the worst photographic memory.

I had the opportunity of being taught Banking and Insurance in semester three of BMS by Prof. Sowani and I made the most of it by attending every single lecture of his. For the first time in my academic life, I felt that the grass is not greener on the other side; the greenest grass was where Prof. Sowani taught-in my classroom. Then there was a dry spell of one whole year when we did not have any subject that he would teach because Prof. Sowani is not one jack of all and master of none; he’s a master in Finance and Banking. Now in semester six, he’s back to amaze us with his knowledge. No prizes for guessing the subject-International Finance.

On two occasions so far, other than the course subjects, Prof. Sowani has made me grateful to him. He is my University project guide, so also for 15 other students of my college and additionally to many more in other colleges (lucky chaps who are guided by him). He can foresee what problems we could face in doing what we plan to do and has all answers ready with him but it would be wrong to believe that he gives us those answers. He makes us find them-“Question yourself and think. You will have the answers. If you’re still stuck, I am there to help.” He means business, you see.

Another instance was when he came to my rescue during the campus placement process when I was offered a job as Graduate Trainee from a company but I was unsure whether the sector the company operates in is consistent with my long term career aspirations. I shot an email to him and his one reply cleared all the fog around the decision and today I am quite sure of what I need to do; thanks in no less measure to Prof. Sowani.

He has the answer to every question in the field of his expertise. And all right ones. A great proponent of Economic Liberalisation, he holds back no words to criticise the wrong and praise the right. At the same time, he ensures that he does not enforce his opinion on us, but delivers the understanding that he has of the situation and how he reached at a conclusion. Now that’s whom I call a good professor.

I can count on fingers the number of times he has smiled or cracked jokes in our class in the entire period he has taught us. That by no means implies that he has no sense of humour but fortunately or unfortunately the subjects he teaches leave little scope to add humour to the talk. But when he does tickle our funny bone, it feels nice. He is far smarter a person than most people in our college but has subtle ways of showing his smartness. So subtle they cannot even be described. In terms of smartness, he beats everyone else hands down.

His pedagogy is primarily teaching through words and handmade diagrams on the blackboard. No book ever had the pleasure of being read from whilst he teaches and that reflects on the level of preparedness he comes with into the class. It is of paramount importance that a teacher knows what he is going to speak about and save precious minutes by avoiding looking at and reading from a book. Clear sense of purpose is the hallmark of Prof. Sowani.

His English is impeccable. Rarity; given the acute shortage of good English speakers in the BMS faculty. Even if there is a dud who does not understand the technicalities of what Prof. Sowani speaks, he would definitely gain some vocabulary simply by hearing him.

I am sure if he were to read this essay, he’d show no expression on his face at all. He might smile in his mind at most. He is not insensitive but his priorities are different. This sets him apart as he knows what to focus on and what to, ahem, ignore.

All I am jealous about is that he distributes his knowledge as a visiting professor to the students of HR College, NM College and NMIMS. Wish I could get to hear all that he speaks, over and over again!

Submitted by-

Umang Khetan

(N.M. College)