“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
–William Arthur Ward
We have all heard this adage an umpteen number of times but how many of us have been fortunate enough to experience it? I belong to the latter few. All thanks to my professor, Mr. Shriram Deshpande.
I had joined Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management in the hope of expanding my knowledge and learning from the college’s much acclaimed and qualified faculty. Little did I know that I was not just going to learn there, I was going to be inspired and transformed!
Of all the fabulous experiences I have had, one that stands out is the interaction and learning I have got from our Professor Mr. Shriram Deshpande.
It is an added advantage to have a professor barely 30 years old, one who can feel the pulse of the youth and relate to our concerns. However, youth doesn’t mean compromise on merit. Prof. Shriram has done his Masters in Commerce in Business management from University of Mumbai. He has qualified the National Eligibility Test and cleared Ph.D. entrance test by University of Mumbai. With his keen interest in research, he has presented papers at multiple occasions at national and international conferences. Has a teaching experience of over 3 years and 6 months of industry experience in marketing.
He is a permanent faculty of our college and teaches a variety of challenging subjects across five semesters such as- Business Communication, Business environment, Public Relations, Strategic Management, Human resource Management for BMS. As he puts it himself, his motto while teaching is, “To make students learn and learn from them as well.” Making intellectual conversations in class is his modus operandi and “Walking into the class with the attitude of giving knowledge and at the same time seeking knowledge”, is his philosophy of teaching.
There has never been a lecture where we have come out of the class without an expansion in our knowledge or with any doubts. Every concept is simplified, every “difficult sounding word” is made sense of and every theory is made pertinent to real life.
Shriram Sir is one teacher who absolutely believes in a fruitful dialogue in class rather than a one-sided hundred minutes of pure lecturing. His lectures always give us the confidence that we have the ability to apply logic and our knowledge to management-pertaining situations. We use variety of techniques such as case studies, debates, group discussions and role plays. Interesting concepts in presentations are always welcomed as he lauded our effort to create a mock Press conference as our PR project. He always prods us to think beyond the syllabus and come up with our points and solutions. He pushes us to ask critical questions about every topic and to attempt to answer those ourselves. He would throw a topic like, “External factors affecting business environment” at us and first ask us how would we approach it before guiding us with his insights.
He is the one who has encouraged us to stay on top of all current affairs, as who would want to miss being a part of the discussions we have in class? Be it reservation in education, global recession, China as an upcoming super-power, we have discussed and debated it all!
He is also the one who brings all the facts and statistics to the table. We are always awe-struck by his abundant knowledge about seemingly everything, right from the fourth Prime Minister of India, the years in which every industrial law was enacted, losses alleged in every scam to every detail about national and international political scene. Phew, it’s a wonder how someone can know so much! But it is only good for us as we always try to match pace with him and remember every piece of information he dishes out at us.
I see him as a crusader against rote and mindless learning. His assignments and tests always stress on application of knowledge. His test would rarely ask you something like: “Define PR and give ten points on why it is important” rather it would challenge you, “Design a PR strategy for your college citing three events that you would host to strengthen its brand.” What about all the cramming I did last night, u might ask? Well, nothing. This is where the buck stops, how much sense you can make out of all the theory and this is what he seeks to test.
We know what Alexander meant when he said, “I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.”
The more I keep on writing, the more there is that comes to mind about him. But one striking feature you just cannot ignore is how incredibly fun his lectures are. Even after a tiring and taxing string of lectures none of us would contemplate bunking his lectures even for jobless hour in the canteen. That is because it is so much fun! His easy going temperament lets us interact with him and share our many jokes without hesitation. Also, there is no scope for sermonizing; he talks about issues in a matter-of-fact way which only benefits our comfort levels with him.
At a RAW event with his students
He is one professor who practices what he preaches. He not only encourages his pupil to take up extra-curricular activities for wholesome development but also leads by example. In the college, he captains many initiatives such as; Sports Committee of the college, RAW, Aahan- UPG’s annual fest, Discipline committee and Anti- Ragging committee of the college. He is always trying to bring a change- not hollow words but concrete actions.
He led the way for our first nature club- RAW to promote adventure and to bring his students closer to nature. An interaction that I will always cherish is one on the same subject.
River rafting with his students
I had been toying around with the idea of creating a Mentorship Program for our college, one where senior students would guide and interact with the younger lot. I was clueless about how to begin with it but I knew Shriram Sir would definitely support any initiative that calls for a change. I confided in him about this idea. And as anticipated, he was gung-ho about it! We used to have long drawn discussions and debates about our approach and plan for the program. He has supported the program to ensure it got best reception from not only the students but also the faculty and the management. Though he is not an official part of the program, he is always there when we need any support.
I find his passion to teach AND to learn exemplary. There are some people who change the way you think and instil the energy and confidence to do better things in life. I shall always count my Professor, Mr. Shriram Deshpande as one of them.
Submitted by –
Sheetal Ninne,
(Usha Pravin Gandhi College)
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