BANGALORE: Having made the choice of studying journalism, I marched off to the University to master the art of reporting. All was well, till I learnt that folks in the English Department were studying Dostoevsky. Knowing that I would be breaking university rules, I decided to sit in the English classes. All I needed was a teacher who would understand my desire to study Dostoevsky despite not being a Literature student. I approached the iconic professor who was teaching the class. And for the next six months, twice a week, I was lost in the world of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, trying to fathom what divides the moral from the immoral. Today, when I work with a group of sex workers, my reference point is always Sonia Marmeladov, who took to walking the streets to feed her siblings and I realise how important it is to have teachers who look at the world in a non-judgmental fashion. I thank my stars to have come across one such teacher who took in a student, who wasn’t even supposed to be in his class, and taught her with kindness and generosity. Dr U R Ananthamurthy, thank you. You are being missed.
Asma is an activist and a media consultant.