From Math Guru to Rickshaw Rockstar

Twenty-seven years ago, when my parents received a marriage proposal for me, they, like any concerned parents, decided to learn more about the boy's family.

- Sonika Sethi

The prospective groom's father was a professor of mechanical engineering at Thapar Engineering College, Patiala. Naturally, my parents turned to my cousin, who had recently graduated from the institute, for insights. His response was simple yet profound: "Thapar College wich saare Sethi Sir nu 'Rabb' kehnde ne," (At Thapar College, everyone reverently calls Sethi Sir "God").

Last month, unfortunately, we lost my father-in-law to a brain tumour. In the days since, messages and calls from his former students have poured in, each echoing that same sentiment.