In today’s metaverse, where knowledge is googled, the relationship between teacher and student has become distant and formal. The tribe of teachers who walked their talk and lived a simple but highly principled and value based life, is slowly diminishing. This article is deliberately not posted on Teachers’ Day – as – Late Prof. Mohammad Hussain disliked celebrations of earmarked days and would rarely take credit for anything he had done. For the contemporary teachers and students, his story is inspiring as well as exemplary. So here’s about the person who was my loving father-in-law, a social reformer, a saviour of the needy and above all a ‘dedicated teacher’ to his beloved students.

Christian College gets a gem!

One afternoon in the mid 1960s, Mohammad Hussain saw his teacher, Prof. Batham, enter his grocery shop in Siyaganj, Indore. Prof. Batham, had come with a proposal – he wanted his sincere and knowledgeable student who had completed Masters in Economics, to take on the mantle of teaching Economics at Christian College – from where he had completed his masters.

Initially reluctant, Mohammad Hussain agreed, and Christian College and Indore got a gem of a teacher who gained respect, recognition and immense love of the student fraternity and of the entire Indore city.

An avid reader, an ardent follower of Islam in all its principles and a great social reformer, Prof. Mohammad Hussain was so dedicated to teaching that he never missed taking classes. If for some personal reason, he had to skip class, he would compensate by taking the class on another day which might be even a Sunday. He would share his knowledge freely with anyone who was thirsty to partake from his reservoir of knowledge of religion, economics, and business.

He encouraged and supported sports activities among the students of Christian College and would accompany the team to national and regional tournaments – taking care of the student’s meals, their stay and ensuring they get proper facilities during the competitions.

The teaching faculty of Christian College have a lot to thank him as during his tenure, the retirement pension scheme got into place and the Professors started getting pension on retirement. While serving as the Bursor, he left no stone unturned to get funds from the government for pension and thus Christian College became an ‘aided’ college. The student community also got benefitted as scholarships, lower fees and financial assistance to the economically disadvantaged started pouring in.

a just and loving teacher

One of his students Prakash Purohit (editor – Dainik Prabhat Kiran) writes in an article that Prof. Hussain’s style of teaching was so unique, that students from all divisions of the B.A. class used to crowd in the class where he taught ‘Economics’. As word would go around, that Hussain Sir was taking class, the students from other classes would flock to that classroom. The benches would get filled quickly and many would attend his lecture standing and use each other’s backs to jot down the notes.

Mr. Rajeev Bhargav ( founder of CHL hospital, Indore ) now settled in Seattle, reminisces how Prof. Hussain fought and got his answer sheet rechecked as he had full confidence that his student had not been given the marks he deserved. After revaluation, Mr. Rajeev was declared first in the D.A.V.V. in his final year of M.A. Economics.

A staunch supporter of equal rights for women, he strongly decried exploitation of girls and women by the society. There are countless stories of how he helped many of his female students, to gain a firm ground through their education or in remarriage after divorce or getting widowed.

He established the Chamkor Singh building in the memory of a student who was killed in political skirmishes in the college during election time.

As compassionate and kind he was, he had no tolerance for unfair practices and practitioners. The echo of the thunder of the tight slap which landed on a student’s face and the clatter of the knife as it fell from the student’s hand to the ground, reverberated many years after the incident through Brownson Hall of Christian College and served as a sharp reminder to the cheaters and thugs that nobody could fool around with Prof. Hussain.

simple living high thinking

His personal life resonated the principles he followed – he wore a simple white shirt and trousers throughout his career, he never owned a suit coat. He had bare furniture in his house, his wife never wore gold jewellery, he rode bicycle to the college, he sent his children to government Hindi medium schools, his salary from the college used to get exhausted in charity before he reached his house, he helped widows, the poor, the needy, the sick, the infirm but without letting them know from where the money had reached them.

Anyone in distress knew that if Prof. Mohammad Hussain came to know of his difficulty or need, he was sure to get help. His friends trusted him so much that whenever he approached them for money to help someone, they would open their cash counter and turn the other side, and ask him to take out as much money as he needed.

Prof. Hussain showed the same chivalry and nonchalance to all, irrespective of their position/status in society, who challenged or threatened his values of truthfulness, honesty and justice. He even questioned the leaders of the Bohra community, when he found discrepancies in their handling of financial matters. He demanded transparency and accountability even from the highest authority.

He and his family were threatened, targeted and expelled for having questioned the religious leaders. It was at this time, that the student community he had served so selflessly came up to his protection. They offered their homes to Hussain Sir’s family and swore their lives to protect their beloved teacher from the wrath of the community.

Many of his students are no more, but those who have now grown up to be grandfathers themselves, still remember him with reverence and tears in their eyes!  

Prof. Hussain is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and their families.