Dr. Nitesh Rai
Your Words, My Treasure
When you surpass expectations, one of two things can happen: either you are humbled, or you become overly confident.
A prayer before beginning any new work offers an assurance—you are not alone. Your success or failure is now surrendered to the Almighty, and you become only the doer (Kartha), detached from outcomes. When success arrives repeatedly, you remain undisturbed, for you know it does not belong to you. You no longer get swayed by it.
Swami Vivekananda once said: “A beggar cannot claim to have given away all his wealth. He must first accumulate something before surrendering it. That is true donation.” One who has nothing cannot truly surrender. This suggests that we must first reach a stage, do our work to a level where our surrender has meaning. Put your best into preparation and execution, but do not hold on to the results. That is surrender.
Even Krishna declared that He accepts anything offered by one who is pure and self-controlled. The statement seems simple, but attaining that state is not. In simpler words, do to the best of your ability or raise your abilities, and then surrender the results.
With that spirit, I sincerely surrender these overwhelming testimonials from my students to all the great preceptors who have guided me. I was only an instrument through which their teachings reached the next generation. I feel humbled by the faith my students have placed in me.
Though not perfect, I have seen remarkable transformations in students who graduated long ago, yet continue to keep alive the flame that was once kindled here. I am confident that they, too, will become instruments of goodness for generations to come. This, after all, is the stream of the Gurukul. We are merely torchbearers, carrying the flame forward.
Reading these testimonials has moved me deeply.
My purpose of staying in the institution as a professor has been fulfilled. It gives me confidence to know that there are people who care, who appreciate, and who found value in what was offered.
People come to educational institutions and hospitals with immense faith. That delicate faith must be strengthened. We may not bring about massive change, but small changes are absolutely achievable. Let us be rays of hope. Let our conscience and actions be examples worth following. These testimonials are now a benchmark for the coming generations of mentors—to remind them that “That world once existed”
For me, the walk continues. Whatever lies ahead is His will. Platforms may change, but the method shall not. For it has proven to work. My outreach will remain.
Institutions are not merely places of education. They shape minds. Minds that shape society. Minds that shape cultures. Minds that serve humanity.
To me, it has always been about genuine contribution, not joy or sorrow brought by changing circumstances. My greatest joy here has been the company I kept and the thirst for knowledge it satisfied. The work speaks for itself. And when that work is complete, nature gently moves us to new responsibilities. I am grateful that I remain in this profession as a teacher long enough to both learn and contribute.
A dear friend once said, “It is not salary, it is Gurudakshina.” And Gurudakshina cannot be measured in money. What matters to me now is that the next generation receives the right guidance—to view every patient as an opportunity to serve and learn, and to treat everyone with respect, even when they cannot give all that is being asked.
What will always stay with me is the joy in knowing that my contributions mattered—and that my efforts now live on in the good work and character of my students. The affection they continue to show, even years later, makes it all worth it.
As a student, I witnessed the kind of negativity that hinders growth. As a teacher, I’ve tried my best to protect my students from such experiences. My teacher once told me during my post- graduation: “I learnt how not to be a teacher.” He instilled in me not just knowledge, but love for learning. He was the silver lining in a sky full of dark clouds.
More than 25 years later, those values still endure. Even when I feel tempted to relax, I hear his voice reminding me: “No Chalta Hai attitude.”
For me, it is about empowering people, creating a place where one would love to belong and feel fulfilled. Seniors who guided me embodied this spirit of devotion.
A line I carry with me every day by Sir M. Visvesvaraya –
To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money.
I don’t just admire that sentence, I made my efforts to live by it. And our students saw its value in action.
All of you have been kind. I carry that kindness in my heart.
With the promise of always being your guide, in learning and in life Forever cheering you on, beyond the classroom
With you, always learning – Dr Nitesh Rai
