The latest salvo from Dr. S. Sadasivam is the pamphlet on toilet etiquette written in Tamil. “Our country needs toilets and each one of us should know about the manner in which we should use the same. It’s quite important for it has a lot to do with both individual and public health, “smiled the septuagenarian teacher from the precincts of his home at Coimbatore.
The latest salvo from Dr. S. Sadasivam is the pamphlet on toilet etiquette written in Tamil. “Our country needs toilets and each one of us should know about the manner in which we should use the same. It’s quite important for it has a lot to do with both individual and public health, “smiled the septuagenarian teacher from the precincts of his home at Coimbatore.
Dr.S. Sadasivam was born to Sankaranarayanan and Rajamani at Kunnathur near Madurai. Their Kuladeivam happens to be Gomathi Amman of Sankarankoil. He did his primary education in his village school and thereafter had to move to Sholavandan for his high school education. Sadasivam is grateful to his elder uncle Chelliah and his son Kulandaivelu for taking care of him and several others while they pursued their education in Sholavandan.
He moved over to the Madurai Thyagarajar College for doing a bachelor's course in chemistry before reaching the Madras University for his post-graduate education and beyond. Sadasivam did his Ph.D. in Bio-Chemistry at the Madras University after having completed a postgraduate degree in the same subject from the same institution. It was a time when just 12 seats were available for all the people wishing to pursue M.Sc Bio-Chemistry in South India!
On completing his education, young Sadasivam began to work under a research scheme from the year 1968. A lot of grains were being brought into India due to a severe shortage that had existed those days because the Government had failed to harvest the skills of the landlords before undertaking land reforms post-independence. The great statesman Sardar Vallabhai Patel was of the opinion that the knowledge and involvement of the landlords were essential to ensure food security and it was simultaneously required to ensure that the landless but skilled farm workers were adequately taken care of but his advice was overlooked.
Finally grains had to be recieved in the form of aid and Sadasivam was involved in trying to analyze the problems connected with the grains storage and his position gave him a princely salary of Rs.450 per month and even this compensation was met out of the grant recieved from overseas. The young man used to save up and this eventually helped him to cover his wedding expenses when he married Gowri in the year 1970.
Subsequently, he joined the Madras Medical College in the year 1970 and began teaching clinical biochemistry to the students.
“Wherever there exists biology, be it medicine or veterinary sciences, agriculture or fisheries there is a need for a biochemist. Analyzing food consumption in the food chemistry angle as chemicals - processing, absorbing, utilization and the discharging of residue can be studied through the eyes of the biochemist. It was a time when the scope for research at the Madras Medical College was limited and therefore I quit my position and joined the Tamilnadu Agricultural University in the year 1974. I put in about 29 years in TNAU and spent about 10 years in the campus itself with my wife Gowri and our two sons, Rajashankar (who works in Bengaluru) and Dr.Vijay, a pediatric heart surgeon. I retired as the Director of the Bio-Technology Department and later joined Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) in the year 2003. I served KCT for 8 years and then decided to step down in the year 2011 in order to spend time on reading, writing and playing bridge. I am what I am because of my school teacher Gurunathan (father of the famous public speaker Gnansambandham and my biochemistry teacher Prof. E.R.B.Shanmughasundaram who lives in the USA these days. They used to involve the students in the process of teaching and the students used to learn faster due to this approach, “shared Sadasivam.
Sadasivam was an avid reader, teacher, and writer. He has presented more than 200 papers in a number of publications and has authored 22 books so far. Out of them, 12 books are on his subject and he has rendered them in both - English and Tamil. The book on biochemical methods written in 1990 continues to be used by researchers in the fields connected with biology.
His book on plant biotechnology which was published in 2003 is being used by researchers concerned with agriculture. In this book, Sadasivam has brought out the details of the inherent mechanism in a crop that resists pests and how this knowledge can be used in a variety of crops in order to safeguard them from such attacks. The other 10 books are on general subjects and poetry. He is one of the few who have had the chance to teach in a medical college, agricultural college and engineering college.
The teacher cum researcher is frank while talking about scientific research in India, “Our international ranking concerned with higher education is quite poor and needs improvement. This can be improved through the involvement of dedicated teachers and researchers. Sir C.V.Raman is perhaps the only Nobel Laureate who was born, educated and employed gainfully in our country. His research was also done in India. Sadasivam was awarded by the Pune University in recognition of his contribution in the field of biochemistry. He has been an innovative teacher who has used a slide projector along with a pre recorded cassette containing his lecture in a synchronized manner for the purpose of teaching highly imaginative subjects like molecular biology at a time when such techniques were unheard of.
Sadasivam added further, “Teaching is both an art and science. I learned the methods from my teachers who had impressed me. I have elucidated on this in my book ' Teaching and Beyond ' for the benefit of college teachers who can use it as a manual. In the pedagogic model of teaching, the teachers assume responsibility for making decisions about what will be learned, how it will be learned, and when it will be learned. In this method, teachers direct learning.
However, the great teachers of ancient times like Confucius, Plato, Socrates and the ones at Nalanda or Vikramashila Universities along with the brilliant teachers in cities like Kanchipuram did not pursue such authoritarian techniques. They saw learning as a process of active inquiry, not passive reception.
Considering all this it’s surprising to observe that teacher focused learning has come to dominate the system. As a result, many students lose interest in learning. Sensing this development, the educational technology experts have now substituted the word andragogy for Pedagogy. Andragogy refers to learner-focused education. The andragogy model puts forth certain issues which could be considered and addressed in formal learning. They include letting learners know why it is important to learn, showing learners how to direct themselves through information, and relating the topic to their experience. In addition, students will not learn until they are ready and motivated to learn. Alwin Toffler has said that the illiterate of the 21 st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. “The famous artist and illustrator Venkatachari has enriched the work of Sadasivam with his lovely illustrations. Sadasivam talks about the art and science of learning, classroom management, chalkboard management, curricula and syllabi, motivation, research-enhanced teaching, and competency-based question papers, time management, presentation and code of ethics in his work. This book is sure to be a reliable companion for every college teacher and is sure to help them to become better teachers.
The teacher cum researcher has also rendered a small pen portrait of his father on the occasion of his centenary. He talks about his father's proactive nature and the regard that was held by him in connection to his uncle. We get to learn about his father bringing up native dogs like Sippiparai and Rajapalayam.
However, the underlying message states that though many men sire children only a few become fathers. The most recent book of Dr. Sadasivam ' Koduthu Vazhvoam ' talks about sharing our resources with the needy. This short book has been written on the request of S.Selvaraj of Selva Gold Covering and the forward has been beautifully rendered by M.Krishnan of Sri Krishna Sweets. In this simple but thought-provoking book, Sadasivam has really gone beyond teaching. He gives the story of P.S.Kumaraswamy Raja, the past Chief Minister of Madras Presidency wherein he talks about the charitable quality of the great man. Incidents connected with M.G.Ramachandran, Kalaivanar N.S.Krishnan, Carnegie, the founders of Stanford University, Sangeetha the class nine girl from Madurai who had shared her Rs.10000 with the needy, Kabir etc., are part of this book. The story of the seventeenth-century philanthropist ' Seedhakadhi ' Sheikh Abdul Khader is really touching in this rendition.The quotes of Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates etc., are part of this interesting publication. It’s amazing to learn about the devout Abhirami Bhattar (Author of the 100 verse Abhirami Andhadhi) seeking a boon which will enable him to do charity without obstructions.
He completes the book with a quote of Charlie Chaplin wherein the great actor-comedian had stated that if we are happy life will smile at us but if we keep others happy it will revere us. Sadasivam really touches the chord of his readers while sharing the story of Kamakshi who was brought up by a kind leper who got her married to another alms seeker like him. She loses the kids born out of her marriage but brings up two other poor kids who land up in her care. Eventually, she sold strands of flowers made by her at the entrance of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam shrine at T.Nagar in Chennai in the interest of the two girls, brought them up and got them married. Later on, she got the kids of her fosters daughters educated and made them graduates in her old age.
Dr.S. Sadasivam and his approach to teaching and life are surely more than ' Teaching and Beyond '. This bridge player is a holistic mentor who will continue to invoke self-inquiry which will yield knowledge, wisdom, and kindness among one and all.