I with my wife (also an Ex-NTTFian) were enjoying our chat after our dinner in my Sister-in-law’s place, two years ago exactly at the same time this tribute gets published, when we received the news that felt impossible to believe. I vividly remember the dreaded call from my then Colleague Sudharshan – shocking moment when everything around me became unbelievably standstill. That was a sharp, sudden blow that didn’t just report an irreparable, irreplaceable loss; it stopped my time in its tracks.
It was unbelievable because I had spent ~3 hours with him earlier in the afternoon. Dead tired that I was due to an overnight travel, I checked with him if our meeting was online (he generally insists on use of technology to refrain from avoidable travel), but for some prophetic reason, he wanted that to be in person. I had another meeting early that morning in Electronic City, after finishing which I rushed to Peenya with a driver as I was too tired to drive myself.
It was unbelievable because he emphasized on taking care of health, getting adequate rest, so that you can contribute more to NTTF. He was particular that overnight driving are avoidable risk, not just physically but also to the health. Request client to bear with you for a few hours instead of risking life and limb (the words he chose).
It was unbelievable because he told, “Suresh! Covid taught me to express positive feedback and hand out praise right away and postpone criticisms and he wanted to compliment me for two Government orders bagged on a single day. I was driving back from Chennai when he called me to come over to Peenya next day by 11am and he insisted that it has be in person. Did he foresee what was coming later that evening? With benefit of hindsight, had this meeting been postponed or I had not been able to make it, this would have never happened ever again – Unbelievable, isn’t it?
It was unbelievable because we also clicked a Photograph together (don’t know why, maybe the only one in his office – I have chosen not to share this personal treasure and saving it for me and me alone). Though as a Principal of NEC and with him working out of this campus more often in the past. I have a lot of pictures with him, but looking back this one turned out to be very very special. Thanks Ms Freeda for capturing it for me.
It was unbelievable simply because…. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
A flurry of phonecalls while driving to Vikram Hospital (Manipal Hospital Millers Road) and it was just a collective sense of denial, a hope that it was all some terrible mistake, because the person we lost seemed far too full of life to ever truly be gone.
That shock has since settled into a quiet, enduring ache, but today is about more than just remembering the day the music stopped or the lights went out. It is a day to celebrate the immense space he occupied while he was here. He lived with a kind of intensity and purpose that most people only dream of, leaving behind a trail of inspiration that hasn’t faded even slightly in his absence.
While the world is a bit quieter without his voice, his influence is still everywhere I look. We see it in the work of those he mentored, in the stories people still share with tears and laughter, and in the way his name still commands a certain kind of respect and warmth. He had a rare gift for making people feel seen and understood, even those who only knew him from a distance. While meeting bureaucrats and other educationists and the glowing tributes they had for him and their description of the impact he has made on the society at large, I now realise how blessed many of us were to have directly associated with him.
He was no flawless deity or paragon of impossible virtue. Like any man, he carried his own share of human frailties, yet his immense contributions consistently eclipsed those shortcomings. He possessed a rare, almost prophetic foresight that remains startling in its accuracy even today. For fifty-seven years—a staggering tenure in an era where mere months are often considered a milestone—he served as the bedrock of the institution he built. He steered the organization through its most turbulent troughs and triumphant peaks, along with a few trusted lieutenants, but he shielded the rest of the organisation from hardships while keeping the engine running. Again, for those with a jaundiced eyes, a lot of flaws can be picked and he blamed for it, but can do it only standing on the platform he built, not from something they were incapable of building themselves.
Though he officially joined in 1967, he functioned as a living repository for every moment of the NTTF journey since 1959. His door remained perpetually open. Whether a colleague arrived to vent grievances or sought genuine mentorship, he listened. Those who entered with an open mind left enriched by his deep understanding of the philosophy and DNA that defined the organization. To sit with him was to receive an education in the “why” behind every epic decision, gaining insight into a history that became synonymous with the man, an Institution by himself.
Beneath the outward facade of a micro-managing taskmaster lay his most significant flaw, an incredibly humane heart. This spirit of empathy trickled down to every level of the hierarchy, embodying the Gita’s wisdom that the world follows the standards set by a leader. His philanthropic impact was a saga in itself, reaching the polio-affected, the hearing and speech impaired, tribal communities, and the underprivileged. He led by doing, and while many later shirked responsibility by blaming his “dictatorial” nature for undesired outcomes, the truth was often a matter of individual courage.
In my own first week during my 1st tenure here, I challenged a major equipment order he had already approved. After an initial, shock-induced outburst, he actually listened, recognized the logic, and pivoted the entire investment. It was a testament to the fact that he respected reason and spine; if others chose to pass the buck rather than engage with him, that was a reflection of their own flaw, not his inability to evolve.
It is two years now since he decided to move on. The pain of that initial news has been replaced by a deep sense of gratitude. We were lucky to exist in the same era as someone who moved through life with such grace and impact. Today, we don’t just mourn a death; we honor a legacy that continues to grow, proving that even though he was taken far too soon in my 2nd tenure, the mark he left on me was permanent. He was the perfect example of someone who, “Lived Life to its Fullest!!!”
Koti Koti Pranams, Mahodaya Dr. Reguraj N. Your impact is immeasurable, and your legacy will continue to inspire generations.! You are once in a Yuga figure. Guru, Mentor, Critic and most importantly a FRIEND dearly missed (taking big liberty with the label here). You are irreplaceable.
