We Failed Him: A Tribute to My Teacher, Dr. Pravin Jha

I write this today with tears in my eyes and an ache in my chest that words can never fully carry. My life, whatever I have achieved, whatever praise I have received, has always been because of the unwavering support of my mentors, my teachers, my friends, and my batchmates. I am not, and will never be, a self-made person. I am the sum of the people who stood by me, who believed in me, and who encouraged me when I stumbled.

Among them stood a man who shaped not only my skills but my spirit — my English teacher, Dr. Pravin Jha.

If ever I have been appreciated for my writing or my speaking, it was because of him. He saw through my eccentricities, my over-enthusiasm, and still chose to encourage me, to refine me, and to remind me that words can move mountains if spoken with honesty and respect.

Today, that same man, my mentor, my teacher, has been silenced — not by time, not by illness, but by human cruelty.

A Brutal End to a Gentle Life

The news still doesn’t feel real. On a quiet Thursday night, over something as trivial as a car parking dispute, he was brutally beaten to death with bricks and rods by three men. A man who gave his life to shaping the minds of young people — a man whose words and lessons will echo for decades — was killed in a fit of rage, under the influence of alcohol, by people who could not even see the humanity in front of them.

I cannot help but ask — what have we become as a society? How is it possible that the very people who should respect a teacher as a guide, as a mentor, as an elder, instead dehumanised him to such an extent that they could crush his head with bricks?

This is not just a crime. This is a collective failure. It is my failure as his student, our failure as his community, and society’s failure at large.

We Lost More Than a Teacher

Since I passed out of school, I never got the chance to meet him again. And yet, he was always with me — in every speech I gave, in every article I wrote, in every conversation where words carried dignity. Because that is what teachers do — they leave imprints that time can never erase.

But what breaks my heart today is not only that I lost my teacher, but that the world lost a rare human being. He was not just a man of grammar and literature. He was a man of patience, of encouragement, of humanity. He was someone who believed in the power of words, not fists. Someone who taught us how to express ourselves, not suppress others.

And yet, he was silenced by those who could not value what he embodied.

Where Did We Go Wrong?

This tragedy is not only about three men and one teacher. It is about all of us. It is about a society where anger outweighs dialogue, where ego outweighs respect, and where life itself is treated as disposable.

Where did we go wrong?

We went wrong when we allowed education to become only about marks and degrees. We went wrong when we measured success only in money and possessions, not in kindness and character. We went wrong when parents and schools forgot to teach the value of human life.

If our children can grow up to think that parking is more important than a person’s breath, then we are failing not just as educators but as human beings.

What We Must Do — The Responsibility of Education

Dr. Jha’s death must not become just another news story that fades in a few days. If we are to honor his memory, we must change how we teach, how we raise, and how we live.

Our schools and homes must:

• Make Value Education Non-Negotiable: Respect, empathy, patience, and the sanctity of human life must be taught as seriously as mathematics and science.

• Teach Conflict Resolution & Emotional Intelligence: Children must learn how to disagree without hatred, how to walk away without violence, and how to channel anger into dialogue.

• Celebrate Humanity, Not Just Achievement: Teachers like Dr. Jha should be celebrated not only for results but for the lives they touch.

• Hold Parents Accountable Too: A child learns more from what parents do than what they say. If children grow up watching intolerance and arrogance at home, no book can undo that damage.

Education must create human beings who can live with dignity, humility, and kindness — not just professionals who can make money.

My Promise to You, Sir

Pravin Sir, I am ashamed that society failed you. I am ashamed that your students, myself included, could not protect the dignity of your life. But I promise you this: I will not let your light go out.

Every word I write will carry the discipline you taught me. Every conversation I have will carry the respect you reminded me to uphold. And every child I meet — whether my own or in the communities I work with — I will remind them that no success in the world is greater than the value of human life.

Because that is what you taught me, Sir. That is your legacy.

Rest in Peace, Sir

Sir, may you rest in eternal peace. May your family find strength in the love and respect your students carry for you. May your sons always know that their father was not just a teacher, but a light in the lives of so many.

And may we, as your students, rise to the responsibility of carrying your values forward — to build a society where no teacher, no human being, is ever dehumanised like this again.

🙏 Rest in peace, Dr. Pravin Jha. You were more than my teacher. You were my mentor, my inspiration, my compass. And though we lost you, we will not lose your lessons.