I Joel

While writing about Anshi and Abhy, and having mentally written about Shabab, I thought about Mr. Joel, or Joel Sir, or Sir Joel [as Kawther addressed him].

Where do I start telling about this man? A multi-faceted personality, he has a remarkable memory, and an absolutely awesome understanding of most of the subjects. He is perhaps the only person I have ever interacted with who could speak on almost all the subjects discovered by the learned people.

At first I used to get irritated, for I thought he knew when to start, but to stop was something he needed to learn. Or maybe he never could get hints on when the listener got bored. But, we all were used to it, and later I appreciated his deep understanding of so many things. I am sure the other sensible souls have picked up something or the other from the vast knowledge he shared with them.

He remembered each and every student’s name: old or new. Talking to him and sharing personal issues with him was never a problem. No hesitations at all. Yes, he talked a lot, but he was also a good listener. He took classes for students of some British Columbia MBA students, and a couple of them had remarked that, hearing him talk was a sheer joy. When a teacher is good, a student wants to learn more. It is another story that when I was there just three students could complete their degree! No, no, not because of his classes, but more out of the less effort they put in to study and clear the exams.

A good singer, he used to hum at times. I knew a couple of songs he used to sing while sitting at his work place, but could never sing along with him because of hesitation. He remembered by rote the lyrics of Sound of Music and My Fair Lady – that’s just amazing!

He was an active member of the church. Sometimes we wondered if he was working for the church or for the institute. Obviously, as a first time faculty, and without having any knowledge of management, I thought he should have been slogging like us. It’s only later I realized what all I had learned from him:
· handling chaotic situations and angry people
· keeping quite where it was required
· assuring people of meeting their requests
· getting repeat business
· organizing things

Let me admit, I despised his way of working. I wanted him to work the way I thought it was right. But was I right, was something even I was not aware of. Much later I realized that the problem with most of us is that we know what the other should do, and are either unaware of simply ignorant of how we have to contribute at work/personal life. Some things that I learnt from him and applied later in life, I call them as ‘the joel technique.’

He once told me that he had misplaced his keys somewhere and was frantically searching for them. His father commented something like, “you remember everything that is happening in the world, and can’t remember where you kept your keys!”

Mr Joel was quite encouraging in different ways: he had made us talk on different subjects of our interest and present our knowledge to others. He took one or two of us to his Toastmaster’s meetings just in case we found it interesting and worth joining. He also encouraged us to conduct classes the way we wanted to, and not go by the examples prescribed in the books. The ultimate objective was the learner to absorb information.

Some days he entered office with a sense of urgency written on his face. We used to wonder why he would be so serious. Invariably we used to think perhaps the senior people would have said something which took away his happiness for the day. But he was never serious for too long. Or if he was, I just had to talk to him about something from literature; he used to be back to his normal self.

Unlike many senior people, bosses to be precise, he had no airs about his position. He joined us in the villa for a small chit chat every once in a while, came along with us for dinner or lunch to lantern, KFC, and Century. When we were busy shopping at Geant Mall, he would offer to drop us back home.

Mona, who was the most outspoken of all, once commented on India’s partition saying it was Gandhi and Nehru who were responsible for it. Mr. Joel for a change did not comment on this but just asked her if Gandhi and Nehru were his classmates, and therefore she took the liberty of taking their names without respect. One other incident I remember is when she declared that something relate to something was mentioned in the Bible. Mr. Joel very patiently said, “Being a devout Christian, and an active member of Church, I have read the Bible several times over the years, and I never came across what you are talking about.” This was quite hilarious.

Mona told someone that Mr. Joel had flunked the driving test 7 times before he got his license. Mr. Joel was a little angry and said, “When I have no hesitation telling people that I did not clear the test 3-4 times, why do you add extra numbers.”

His love for Hyderabad and Deccan Herald erupted once in a while. According to what he told us all, we were in no doubt that for him DH and Hyderabad were the two best things in the world. Once I approached him and told him that I had picked up few words in Telgu, his native language. He was a little disgusted to hear me say ‘picchi kukka’ and ‘koti’ – mad dog and monkey. “Of all the words you found just these two good to learn,” was his comment.

I also liked the Hyderabadi accent in which he spoke to us in Hindi. It was quite amusing.

He now teaches in university I heard. I am sure his students love him for the kind of knowledge he possesses. For me he will always remain as a person who is creative, competent, good communicator, considerate, and always curious.