Tribute

Shri Amar Asrani: A rare soul who lived up to his name

(10^th May 1940 - 2^nd May, 2022)

“If you want to find God, serve man. To reach Narayana you must serve the DaridraNarayanas – the starving millions of India.”

- Swami Vivekananda

There are many who are inspired by these words of Swamiji, some who seek to put these learnings into practice, and a very tiny handful of people who not only succeed, but make “service to humanity” their joyous “swadharma” of life. By doing so, they attain immortality, living on through the impact of their work in the lives of others. Such a rare gem of a person comes into the world but once in rare while. Shri Amar Asrani lighted the world around him, by being such a person, and hence lived up to his name, “Amar”, in full measure.

Born in Shikarpur, in the year 1940, in a family of five siblings, Shri Asrani-ji grew into his youth with strongly manifested strengths in reading, analysis, oratory and teamwork. However, the foundation of all his activities was service to society, specifically, the upliftment of the underprivileged and the disenfranchised, in the post-partition days. Inspired by the visionary ideals of late Karma Yogi Shri HashujiAdvani, Shri Asrani chose to channelise his keen intellect in nurturing young minds and hearts. He joined the Vivekanand Education Society (VES) in 1962, as a teacher, working at the grassroot level to bring values and the pursuit of excellence to the children of those who had lost their homeland in the wake of Partition. He was also closely associated with RochiramThadani School since 1987, and worked to empower children challenged by hearing loss, helping them find a life of dignity and self-reliance.

Shri Asraniji was closely associated with the responsibilities of the schools of VES in the Kurla campus from 1987, and from 2011 onwards, he held, at different points of time, the posts of Treasurer, Secretary and President of VES.He was also very closely associated with the inception and progress of RochiramThadani School and served as a Managing trustee, shaping policies, guiding several state-level initiatives, pioneering numerous projects, building systems, and ensuring that the government, the education system, large corporate bodies and society worked in a collaborative manner in order to empower these young, challenged children.

However, irrespective of the designation of the formal posts, his values and vision were akin to the lighthouse that spreads its unwavering illumination to ships and sailors that might otherwise have lost their way or crashed against hidden rocks. His vision enabled his peers, and later, his juniors, to steer the direction of growth with an unswerving commitment towards integrity, values, and service towards those who most need help in society.

Over the years and decades, Asraniji would go on to assuming roles with increasingly higher responsibilities, and would fulfil them in his usual calm and unflappable way, his smiling demeanour always consistent even in the presence of the ups-and-downs that come with administering an ever-growing family of educational institutes.

As a teacher, he knew the travails and challenges of the education system only too well. Hence his policies and guidance were that of a “practical idealist”. The teaching fraternity of VES with its 24 schools, colleges and academies could always relate to his advice, rooted as it was in his own experience of teaching. His approach was that of “vichaar-aachar-prachar” (thought – action – speaking) and hence others were inspired to adopt the pursuit of excellence, gently nudged by the sharing of his own experiences and examples of life.

Shri Asraniji was known for a unique combination of traits: conviction in education as a means of upliftment, commitment to ethics, and a strong, underlying foundation of spirituality. His awe-inspiring oratory and purity of the language, especially Hindi, indicated not only an incisive mind that used words with precision and care, but a heart that had a deep reverence for Indian culture and “sanskruti”. This, in turn, helped the listener shed a little bit of his or her “tamas” and move towards a more “sattwik” way of thinking and living.

It is said that the wisest are the humblest of people. Shri Asraniji was certainly a man in this category. His connection with people was such that be it an eminent dignitary or the cleaning staff of an institute, a former President of the country or the man on the street – everyone was comfortable in his presence; nobody needed to pretend to be something other than what he or she was. One instinctively knew that he would not judge anyone. This was a gift that very few people can claim to possess, and his ability to connect beyond the “labels” was tremendously inspiring.

Rare is the person who doesn’t hold a grudge, doesn’t give way to anger, and doesn’t have others holding any grudges against him or her. Shri Asraniji was one such person. It would be next-to-impossible perhaps, to find anyone who would speak ill of him. For a person in the 21^st century to be thus can only indicate a superlative level of empathy and compassion. While conflicts may be inevitable in one’s life, one has the choice to respectfully and silently withdraw, thus reducing verbal or other forms of aggression. Shri Asranijisometimes chose this approach, demonstrating how silent action becomes rich with dignity, even when one may not agree with a certain decision. This also meant that whoever interacted with him would need to ‘read’ between the lines and understand the nuances of his pauses and silences – an exercise that calls for a fine intellect and a discerning mind.

At the same time, any perceived threat to his beloved students and the education community would bring out in him the instincts of a warrior, who would then draw the lines at what was acceptable and what wasn’t – a much-needed trait for a leader. However, his gentle smile that accompanied every sentence that he spoke, would win over the hearts and minds of even those who might have otherwise resisted his advice – one knew and understood that he spoke from the perspective of the greater good, with no personal axe to grind, and therefore, one walked away with increased respect towards him and his way of approaching life’s challenges.

A man of myriad interests, Shri Asraniji delved into the works of Swami Vivekananda, the Sufi saint Rumi, and the works of MirzaGhalib and the poet-saint Kabir with equal gusto, picking, imbibing, assimilating and sharing the vast richness of learning from many enlightened minds. Anyone who met him even for a few minutes would therefore come away feeling richer and more inspired – his words carried the distilled essence of many sources of wisdom.

Shri Asraniji was a keen student of the Indian scriptures and never lost the opportunity to correlate the insights of our Shastras with our day-to-day lives. He thus demonstrated that the most sublime of learning isn’t a matter of occasional exploration – it can and should be a part of every living moment of waking, breathing, thinking, speaking and doing.His guidance to the teachers and staff of VES, and RochiramThadani School, to encourage them towards holistic education of students, emanated from this conviction. Through his persistence and ethical approaches, he proved that it is indeed possible to bring about systemic change without compromising on principles.

Further, he showed, through his own depth of learning, that it is not just possible but essential for every human being to work with spirituality as the foundation of daily life, in order that the path to success be paved with principles. Most important, as a constant learner, Shri Asraniji lived the truth of the adage that one is an “eternal student” in the journey of life.

It is said that a wise person lives in the manner of a lotus-leaf in water – being in the water and yet not getting wet. Through his words and deeds, Shri Asraniji showed how to live in this manner in the world, combining zeal for service and kindness towards all, with an ability to go with the flow of circumstances, and accepting what must be accepted – a state of “vairagya” or dispassion.

Piya Mukherjee

Director – Vivekanand Education Society’s

Leadership Academy and Research Centre.

VESLARC