For the mentors of mind

 In 1979, Pakistani scientist Abdus Salam won the Nobel Prize for Physics for unification of electric and weak forces .His remarkable work in particle physics laid the groundwork for the discovery of the Higgs Boson.

When Dr Salam won the Nobel Prize in December 1979, he issued a request to the Indian government seeking to locate his teacher Professor Anilendra Ganguly, who had taught him mathematics at the Sanatan Dharma College in Lahore.

However, following Partition, Professor Ganguly had migrated to India.

Finally, two years after winning the Nobel Prize, Dr Salam went to pay his respects to Professor Ganguly at the latter’s residence in South Kolkata on January 19, 1981.

“The teacher was feeble and unable to sit up and greet him when Dr Salam visited him in his house. Dr Salam took his Nobel medal and said that ‘Mr Anilendra Ganguly this medal is a result of your teaching and love of mathematics that you instilled in me,’ and he put the medal around his teachers’ neck,”

According to   journalist Sanobar Fatma , in 1981 the University of Calcutta decided to award Dr Salam the Debaprasad Sarbadhikary Gold Medal to honour his achievements. Instead of accepting the award, Dr Salam refused and said it was his teacher who deserved it.

“The University later held at an award ceremony in an ailing Anilendranath’s South Calcutta residence in 1981, Dr Abdus Salam was present to see his revered teacher getting his due respect at last. A contented Anil babu died shortly thereafter in 1982,” 

This was in line with the famous guru-shishya (teacher-disciple) tradition that many around the world, particularly Indians, hold dear.

It’s a real shame Dr Salam never received the same regard back home from his people in Pakistan except for a few students because of his faith, something which he held very dear.