I walked in unsure and silent… He taught me to stand straight and look up.

When a kid met an experienced HoD, he didn’t really understand what was happening that day.

I had just passed my B.Tech. I was naive, underconfident and honestly quite lost in my own thoughts. I spoke less, observed more and tried to stay unnoticed. That was my comfort zone but maybe life had something else planned.

The first day at SIT was already a little eventful. The confusion with Sudeep da, being mistaken as a student, standing outside quietly… all of that now feels funny. But at that time, it was just another moment where I chose silence over explanation. Then came the real moment.

Alok Basu Sir arrived!

I still remember the first impression: simple, sharp, confident with a presence that you couldn’t ignore. Sudeep da introduced me and Sir asked a few basic questions. I answered in my usual way, short, careful without much expression. I don’t even know if I sounded confident or just… blank. Then, something happened which I didn’t fully understand at that time.

He asked Sudeep da, Debaditya da and Mithun da, to arrange a place for me to sit and said in front of me, “Choose a seating area for him… and remember his mind did not ripe yet, so choose wisely. He would become the individual how you want professionally.”

I stood there… almost frozen. I didn’t know how to react. It sounded strange, almost embarrassing but today, when I think about it, that line carries so much depth. It was not about where I would sit. It was about what I would become.

At that moment, I was just a kid stepping into a new world. But he saw a possibility. He gave me time. One full semester just to observe, understand and grow. No pressure, no rush. Just space to settle. That itself was a rare kind of trust.

Then came the next semester. He told me to take Computer Organization for ECE.

That moment felt like lightning struck inside my head. I was not ready. I didn’t feel capable. I didn’t even know if I could stand in front of a class and speak properly. But before I could say anything, he calmly said, “You would do well. I believe in you. You will be praised as a teacher.”

That belief… was something I didn’t have in myself at that time. So I started preparing. Nervously, sincerely and when I entered the class for the first time, something changed. Slowly, unknowingly, I started enjoying it. Teaching didn’t feel like a task anymore. It became something meaningful. That first batch… they were not just students. They became a part of my journey.

Somewhere in that journey, I started changing. There were many small moments with AB Sir. Conversations that didn’t feel like lectures, but always left something behind. Sometimes he was strict, sometimes humorous, sometimes very difficult to interpret. But there was always a purpose behind everything he did.

One day, I was walking in the corridor, head down, lost in my own thoughts. I didn’t notice him coming. He stopped me, held my shoulders, and shook me slightly, “What are you thinking? Stand straight and look up.”

At that time, it felt like a simple instruction. But today I understand, it was never about walking and posture. It was about how to face life.

Years passed, I moved on, left SIT, started my PhD and life kept evolving. But conversations with him never really stopped. At different points of life, I would still reach out, still listen, still learn.

Few months ago, he called me and spoke about his health. That conversation was different. It was calm, deep and strangely reflective. We spoke about life, about handling difficult situations, about how to think and respond. It almost felt like… he was preparing me again, just like before.

And today… he is no more. It feels unreal.

There are always some conversations left incomplete. Some thoughts left unshared. We always assume there will be another day to say things. But sometimes, that day never comes. When I look back now, I realize something very clearly.

That kid who walked into SIT: silent, unsure and hesitant, did not remain the same. Somewhere along the way, shaped by moments, by trust, by words… he grew.

A big part of that growth carries the imprint of one person.

AB Sir. He was not just a HoD. He was a guide, a thinker, a silent force who shaped people in ways they understood much later in life.

Even today, when I walk, I remember, stand straight and look up. Maybe that is how he stays with us.