Daily Times

This article is dedicated to Professor Dr Abdul Qayyum who held the hands of many students in pain and those going down. He was always there for students in need.

In this world, when a child starts the learning phase, parents become teachers and a child becomes a student. The very first thing, which as a child, everyone learns is to have a voice, walk and adopt some habits to continue in your life. This approach, thus, becomes a legacy for few and a child is known by the acts in history, taken from the parents.

After some years, a child enters the school and starts learning from the teachers. There are some extraordinary teachers, some good teachers and some teachers who are only remembered for a particular period. The extraordinary teachers are the ones with whom a child at any age remains and through his approach towards life, he starts working on different things in life.

This was the approach of the former Joint Director of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics Prof Dr Abdul Qayyum (late). A person who through his extraordinary approach has changed the life of many and a person who was there for the ones in need. As a teacher number of lessons were inculcated into the life of students by him.

First and foremost, the thing is the respect and care for people through acts and use of the tongue. A person of such nature never thought of any negativity and has always taught this to his students through his actions.

Secondly, always do good even if it harms you. Good acts always bear fruit; those fruits have their taste in one form or another. Thirdly, never think of any negativity as it will harm you at any cost. Fourthly, if you work hard even on simple things there is a possibility that you may innovate and you may be remembered through your work.

These were the lessons, which every student, who went through any form of a relationship like a student only or have worked on research can feel and will now feel for life. This is how being a parent any person treats his child.

Several students who have lost a father, mentor and guardian in the form of Prof Dr Abdul Qayyum, will be carrying the legacy and his torch of behaviour, torch of good work and torch of wisdom. Primarily going into the new day what needs to be done and how stepping into the footsteps of the teacher of this nature requires so much toughness as behaviours cannot remain the same for everyone across the life. What now can be done is to adopt life-changing habits.

The first and foremost thing is to be patient in the toughest times. Patience leads to success and makes your life an easy one. This can simply be explained by taking into the account if a person X creates hurdles for person Y in the life either by his actions or through his words; hurting sentiments (abusing, teasing and other forms of personal attack). Patience is the only key to success. Leave the case to nature as “What goes around, comes around, just focus on your mission and your objective as it will only lead to success and it will only give you respect.”

As a teacher number of lessons were inculcated into the life of students by him. First and foremost, the thing is the respect and care for people through acts and use of the tongue. A person of such nature never thought of any negativity and has always taught this to his students through his actions

Secondly, be wise enough to choose your path. I will narrate a friend’s discussion with Professor Dr Abdul Qayyum. Once, during the short span of his teaching career, he was asked by some colleagues to adopt unfair means. He consulted Professor, who, through his wisdom, just answered the query by saying, “You are wise enough, I will just say there is one straight path and there is one path of corruption. Choose yourself which suits you.” This simply shows he showed him the direction, which should be adopted. Now, it was up to him to decide.

Thirdly, address the true challenges. If anyone else is facing, there is always a need to extend a hand. This act covered most of the part of Professor’s life. He had his hand as a father on the head of parentless students. He was always there to protect and cover such students from odds, winds and challenges.

Fourthly, there is always a need to make life simple and easy. A person needs to be true to him or herself. A person’s life should follow the motto of “simpler the better,” and this way, things can go in a very smooth way. This won’t not only make you a good human being but always make you spend life in a very easy way.

In short, these are the advices, which a parent should give to his or her child for spending a good life so that the child, in the long term, can be a good human being. This makes him a parent for many of his students.

The life of Professor Dr Abdul Qayyum cannot be covered in a short document. He was the person who always taught his students honesty, sincerity and dedication towards work. He, as a person, first led by the example and held the torch of knowledge and wisdom. Now his approach towards life, the words that he taught and the actions that his students observed will be the ones taking this torch forward.

The writer is associated with the Beijing University of Technology, China, and Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Pakistan