Everyone has that one teacher (or teachers) who stand out in
their life and they never fade. It is very rare that you meet your teacher
after three decades. I am talking about Mr M G Ghokale who taught us Engineering
drawing when we were undergoing training at Telco
(now Tata Motors)
Met him today at a friend’s son’s wedding.
It is said that if you can master the art of reading an
engineering drawing, then designing a component is an easy task. This will be
vouched by all those who underwent tutelage by Mr MG (that is what we used to call
him) He was very particular about the letterings and the dimensioning practices
that are used in engineering drawings.
At the bottom you can see the
date and MG’s signature. That is almost
44 years ago. (I still hold on to my old journals) I remember the piece of advice he gave “always carry a small diary and a pencil
in your pocket. Ideas will hit you at the most unexpected time. Jot it down immediately
as you are bound to forget it later” This is so true.
I also admire (and practice) the method he taught us about “remembering
things” He demonstrated this in our class. He asked each one of us to name any
two objects. He said he can later reproduce what each one of us named (at
random) There were 30 of us in the class and he did deliver what he promised. I
had mentioned Typewriter and Rose. He said the trick to it was “I just visualised Joe sitting in front of a
typewriter with a rose on the typewriter. That picture was frozen in my mind so
its easy to reproduce it if you mention any one of these three things”
Somewhere along the way he left the nine to five job to pursue
his passion “creating special surgical instruments” He is now 79 and still
indulges in his passion. I am told that surgeons take him to the operation
theater where he can actually see the requirement of the doctors and then
design and create the instruments. What a wonderful way to live a retired life.
Every day is a challenge.
He has won the Industrial Merit Award in 1990 and the Bharat Gaurav in 1996.
He has won the Industrial Merit Award in 1990 and the Bharat Gaurav in 1996.
Coming back to the Engineering drawing, I think it is no more
required now as everything is created by the computers and there is no thinking
involved.
But I am happy I learned it the hard way as it helps me in my
day to day life.
He looks good for his age, probably because his mind is constantly working and creating.
ReplyDeleteYou post is a nice tribute to the person who was your teacher and had a significant impact on your life and career.
Yes, there is always that one teacher. I am trying to remember what we called such classes. It was either tech drawing or mechanical drawing. His notebook advice is very wise for anyone who writes.
ReplyDeleteNot all the teachers have the passion or patience to make sure that the wards under him understand the concept of what is taught.Those few remain etched in our memory..The post is a rich and glowing tribute to a well deserved teacher.It is nice of you to write about him
ReplyDeleteHi Joe,
ReplyDeleteLike the blog.
MG Sir still looks good for his age. I think I might still have my Engineering Drawing Journal somewhere. Nowadays AutoCad does all the things he taught us to do.
Regards
George Mathew
Yes George, AutoCad came in which was further replaced by "ProE" and "Catia"
ReplyDeleteRecently (before my retirement) I had pointed out to one of my colleagues "if you give that drawing you made to the shop floor, you will get the mirror image of actually what you want" He was flabbergasted and said "but there can't be any mistake, this a drawing created by ProE. It has to be right" Actually what had happened was that he did not set the Angle of projection right in the system. I could easily spot the mistake, thanks to MG who taught us how to read a drawing by using First Angle projection and third angle projection. So much for the new generation who completely depend on machines!!
He is an Icon in our lives. A lot of what I am today, I owe it to him. Electronics was an odd ball trade at that time. ITI did not cover and NCTVT was sort of on the edge. I recollect how he led us thru this. Nevertheless, he ensured that we received the highest quality of oriention to this. Our basic text books by Paul Malvino and another one by Donald Knuth in Electronics now are regarded as fundamental. He played an instrumental role in getting these books assigned to our trade. I am at a misfortune not being able to interact with him because I am dealing with a multitude of technologies that drives robotic surgery.
ReplyDeleteJoe, I am not an FTA hence I don't know MG sir.
ReplyDeleteSince I have worked for long 38 years I could recognised some stalwarts ex FTA's. Nice seeing old friends.
Thanks regards Joe.
Hi Joe,
ReplyDeleteI do have my old journals too. I still remember the way Gokhale Sir taught us how to read and draw Engineering drawing which has helped us to elevate my career in Telco ( Tata Motors). Now the days are gone to get such kind of Gurus. The methodic way of teaching drawing has created interest in such a complicated topic. Thanks to Gokhale Sir and to you also for writing such a nice blog.
Regards.
Sunil Dahake
Great! I am from FTA 14, I remember him always telling us to carry a diary and pencil as any idea can strike you at any time. "Ideas are unlimited" was his motto.. - Anant Bhat
ReplyDeleteIdeas unlimited by MGG
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for men and women like him who can pass on their knowledge to others and continue to make life better for me.
ReplyDeleteAlthough throughout my 34 Yrs of my tenure at TML , I had no official contact with Mr MG Gokhale sir but I knew him by face and through admiration you guys (pass outs from TD ) used to do during our official meetings .
ReplyDeleteIndeed ,you portrayed Great life sketch of Mr Gokhale Sir and his qualities as Engg Drg Teacher. I am impressed about his dedication to his profession.
I wish Long & Healthy life to Mr Gokhale Sir.
Regards
UGK
Wow decades later you meet. That is unusual. I need to follow his advice of writing ideas down cause I constantly forget them.
ReplyDeleteBrought back wonderful memories. - Kersy Mehta
ReplyDeleteWow! Such an awesome article about the sweet and inspiring memories you are cherishing! MG has now inspired many through your article, Joe Sir. I felt amazing to know about the memorizing technique MG shared with you. He must be a real hero!
ReplyDeleteThanks,Joe Sir, for visiting my blog because of which I am now able to gain some precious gyan through your posts. Motivated following your write up.
He sounds the best teacher for his students!
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled even when I read the blog and your messages. Feeling fortunate too, had such excellent mentors in our time. Purely golden/platinum days - Sanjay Bhave
ReplyDeleteGood one Joe Sir!!
ReplyDeleteIndeed teacher is one of the most precious jewel who decorates your life with pure knowledge & way of leading into life.
From the post we can imagine Mr. Gokhale’s stellar attitude towards learning & work. His perfectionist kind of approach which reflected on you is well witnessed by us through our rich association with you during the work.
We always relied on you for the guidance on correctness of drawings. Keep sharing!
I am sure you are doing great by indulging in your passion of blogging, travelling & Photography. Have a great day ahead.
Thanks & Regards,
Bharat Waghmode
Computers are only as "smart" as the people who operate them! :-)
ReplyDeleteI have a special teacher, too. My English teacher from college and I still have lunch a few times a year. I moved over 1200 miles away from where I went to college, but it turned out that her in-laws live in the very town where I ended up after several moves. So after 16 years of no contact, we now see each other every time she is in town for a visit with her in-laws.
Marvelous Joe. The way u put the blogs. Undoubtedly M G sir is a stand out person and teacher. The way he was speaking softly with us, The way he accomplished his dreams in middle age with courage. All is extra ordinary. Till date he seems to have maintained his fitness. I wish him long life.
ReplyDeleteOnce again thanks for enlightening our old memories with your hand outs.
He sounds amazing. The way he used visualization to remember is impressive.
ReplyDeleteHi, Very Good Article.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. keep up the good work
Above all of the comments posted, Mr. MGG was a thorough gentleman to the core !!!
ReplyDeleteDear Joe - Hats off to for posting this article on MGG. He appeared so strict, but so soft beneath !!! I still cannot forget when we were in class and no teacher to teach us. My classmates told me why don't you entertain us with a song. You all know I was a singer. While I was rendering my song, MGG appeared in the window. I was pulverised and thought my God, this is it. He came into the classroom and quietly told me to continue, saying you are a very good singer !!! I was mesmerised, but he told me don't worry, nobody will come after you. The song was Mere meheboob kayamat hogi !!!
ReplyDeleteMadhu Kurup
So true and so touchy.. Joe thanks for writing about such an admirable, knowledgable and respected sir in the career flow...
ReplyDeleteHi Joe, nice article on MG sir. MG sir taught us to think out of the box situations and he was different and class apart. we're lucky to have him as our coach and mentor. You have very well captured the crux of his imparting skills to trainees.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Chandrakant Rane