Farooq Sahab: A Teacher, a Mentor, a Lifelong Inspiration
From a Mathematics classroom in Zirhama to postgraduate studies in Physics, the journey of Lecturer Farooq Ahmad Pir reflects a lasting commitment to education and the enduring bond between a teacher and his student.
By Dr. Mohd Iqbal Malik Sr. Assistant Professor department of higher Education University of Kashmir.
There are teachers whose lessons remain with us long after we leave the classroom. Their influence is not always measured by examination results or academic qualifications; sometimes, it lives in a familiar phrase, a childhood memory, or the respect we continue to feel whenever we meet them.
For me, Lecturer Farooq Ahmad Pir, fondly known as Farooq Sahab, is one such teacher.
I first knew him as our Mathematics teacher at Government Middle School, Zirhama, when I was in Class VII. At that age, I could hardly have imagined that years later, after completing my own higher studies and entering professional life, I would still remember those lessons with such affection.
One instruction from those schooldays remains particularly vivid: “Open your Hisab Kitaab!”
Those words take me back to the classroom, our Urdu-medium Mathematics lessons, and the exercises we worked through in our textbooks. What seemed like an ordinary instruction at the time has become a treasured memory of the teacher who introduced me to the fundamentals of Mathematics.
Looking back at his professional journey, I find another reason to admire him: his willingness to continue learning even after establishing himself as a teacher.
A Family Rooted in Knowledge
Farooq Sahab hails from Zirhama, a place that remains central to his personal identity. His father, Ali Sahab, was deeply devoted to the Qur’an and the pursuit of knowledge. According to the family account, he lived for more than a century, leaving behind a legacy of faith and learning.
The paths followed by father and son were different, yet both reflected an appreciation of knowledge and its importance in human life. While Ali Sahab's devotion centred on the Qur’an, faith and moral values, his son pursued formal education, teaching Mathematics and Physics and helping students understand the world around them.
A person's commitment to education is often shaped by the environment in which he grows up. Family values, parental example and the habits developed at home can influence how one approaches professional life. In Farooq Sahab's case, I see his dedication to education as an important part of a life shaped by an enduring respect for knowledge.
The Mathematics Teacher I Still Remember
My earliest memories of Farooq Sahab belong to Government Middle School, Zirhama, where I studied in Class VII.
Our Mathematics lessons were conducted in Urdu. We followed our textbooks, worked through Mashq Number 1 and the exercises that followed, and tried to understand the concepts being taught.
Farooq Sahab had a familiar way of bringing us to our books. “Open your Hisab Kitaab!” he would instruct us.
Even today, recalling those words brings back the atmosphere of our classroom. They remind me of a time when Mathematics was a subject I was learning step by step and when my teacher's explanations helped me become familiar with its fundamentals.
As students, we do not always understand the effort behind a teacher's work. We attend classes, complete exercises and prepare for examinations without fully appreciating how an explanation, a word of encouragement or a teacher's patience can influence our learning.
That understanding often comes later in life.
My own academic journey eventually led me towards Islamic Studies, a discipline different from the Mathematics and Physics associated with Farooq Sahab's career. Yet I have never forgotten the teacher who introduced me to those early mathematical lessons.
A Teacher Who Continued Learning
Farooq Sahab's interest in education extended beyond the classroom. While serving in the School Education Department, he continued pursuing his academic interests, particularly in Physics.
He subsequently pursued an M.Sc. in Physics at the University of Kashmir as an in-service teacher. He had also completed a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from the College of Education, Srinagar.
What I particularly admire about this phase of his life is that he returned to university at the age of 45, according to the account of his academic journey.
Returning to postgraduate study after years in professional life requires determination and a willingness to embrace new academic challenges. University lectures, examinations and coursework demand time and effort, even more so when one must balance them with existing professional responsibilities.
Farooq Sahab's decision to pursue further studies demonstrated that professional experience need not bring an end to intellectual curiosity.
His journey offered me an important lesson: education is not merely a stage of life that ends when a person enters employment. It can remain a lifelong pursuit, driven by the desire to deepen one's understanding and develop professionally.
When My Teacher and I Became Fellow Students
An especially memorable part of this journey was the period when both of us were pursuing postgraduate studies.
While Farooq Sahab was studying Physics at the University of Kashmir, I was pursuing an M.A. in Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Science and Technology.
Our disciplines were different, but our experiences as postgraduate students gave us something in common. Whenever we met, we often discussed our studies. I would share the difficulties I encountered in my coursework, while he would talk about his own academic experiences.
For me, these conversations were unusual in the best possible way.
The person who had once guided me through the basics of Mathematics was now someone with whom I could discuss the demands of university education. I was working through the challenges of Islamic Studies, while he was managing the academic requirements of Physics.
Our conversations gave me a more personal understanding of his life beyond the classroom. He was not simply the teacher I remembered from my childhood; he was also a student, continuing to learn and confronting the demands of advanced study.
His example strengthened my respect for lifelong learning and reminded me that a genuine interest in knowledge can remain alive throughout one's professional journey.
From Schoolteacher to Lecturer in Physics
Farooq Sahab's progression to a lectureship in Physics was a proud moment for me.
I had known him when he was teaching Mathematics at the middle-school level. To see him advance in his professional life after pursuing further studies was meaningful because I knew something of the journey behind that progress.
His achievement was not simply about obtaining another qualification or reaching a new position. It represented continued academic effort and a willingness to develop beyond the boundaries of an established career.
For students growing up in Zirhama and neighbouring areas, his journey offers an encouraging example of what sustained commitment to education can look like.
I do not remember Farooq Sahab only because he later became a Lecturer in Physics. I remember him because I knew him before that stage, when he was the teacher helping us understand Mathematics in a school classroom.
Knowing where his professional journey began makes his progress all the more meaningful to me.
Tangdhar, 2016: A Reunion I Will Always Remember
Life brought Farooq Sahab and me together again in Tangdhar in 2016.
I had received my first appointment at Government Degree College, Tangdhar, and was beginning my own professional journey. It was there that I learnt that Farooq Sahab was also posted in the same area.
Meeting him in those circumstances was a special experience.
I was no longer the schoolboy who sat in his Mathematics class. I had completed years of study and had entered the teaching profession myself. Yet, when I met him, the old feeling of respect returned.
The years between my schooldays in Zirhama and that reunion in Tangdhar seemed less important than the simple fact that I was standing before my teacher again.
Our professional circumstances had changed, but my regard for him had not. I was beginning my career, while he had already spent years serving in education and pursuing his academic interests.
We could now meet as members of the same broader teaching community, but in my heart, I remained his student.
There is a special kind of respect that survives the passage of time. A student may grow older, earn qualifications and take on responsibilities of his own, yet continue to hold a former teacher in the same high regard.
My meetings with Farooq Sahab in Tangdhar reminded me of that enduring bond.
Serving the Region He Calls Home
Farooq Sahab's professional journey has also brought him back to the educational setting of his home region. As described in my account, he has been serving in an academic and administrative capacity at Government Higher Secondary School, Laderwan.
For me, there is something meaningful about seeing an experienced educator continue contributing to the region from which he comes.
Teachers who understand their students' local circumstances can often appreciate the challenges and aspirations that shape young people's educational experiences. Alongside subject knowledge, students need guidance, encouragement and the confidence to pursue opportunities beyond what may initially seem possible.
Farooq Sahab's own journey—from school-level teaching to postgraduate study and a lectureship in Physics—gives his professional experience a particular relevance for young people in the region.
I hope students in Zirhama, Laderwan and neighbouring areas recognise the value of education and learn from the example of teachers who continue to invest in their own development.
The Lasting Value of a Good Teacher
My memories of Farooq Sahab begin with Mathematics, but his professional life has also been associated with Physics. Both subjects require patience, practice and clear explanation.
For students who struggle with mathematical problems or scientific concepts, a teacher's approach can make a considerable difference. Sometimes, understanding comes through a familiar example, a different explanation or the patience to revisit a difficult concept.
Having entered the teaching profession myself, I now appreciate more clearly the responsibility involved in helping students learn.
A lesson that seems routine to a teacher may remain in a student's memory for decades. An explanation that helps a young learner gain confidence can become part of that student's wider educational journey.
I cannot speak for every student Farooq Sahab has taught, but I can speak with certainty about my own experience. His early Mathematics lessons remain part of my educational memories, and I continue to feel grateful for them.
That personal connection is the foundation of this tribute.
The Man Beyond the Classroom
My admiration for Farooq Sahab is not limited to his academic achievements or professional progress. I have also come to appreciate his personal qualities.
I have found him warm, approachable and gracious in his hospitality. His simplicity is one of the qualities I value most about him.
It is easy to describe someone through degrees, appointments and professional responsibilities. These are important, but they do not tell the whole story of a person. The way someone welcomes a visitor, speaks to a younger person or makes others feel comfortable also matters.
Over the years, I have known Farooq Sahab in different circumstances: as my Mathematics teacher, as a postgraduate student pursuing Physics, as an experienced educator and as someone with whom I have shared conversations about academic life.
These are not separate people in my memory. They are different parts of the same person.
His academic achievements deserve recognition, but so does the warmth and simplicity that have remained part of my association with him.
What Teaching Has Taught Me
My own academic path took me into Islamic Studies, and I eventually entered the teaching profession. That experience has changed the way I look at my former teachers.
As students, we often focus on textbooks, examinations and the lessons before us. We do not always recognise the preparation, patience and responsibility required to guide a classroom.
Once we begin teaching ourselves, we start to see the profession differently. Teaching is not simply a matter of knowing a subject. It also requires the ability to explain ideas clearly, understand students' difficulties and remain willing to learn.
When I reflect on Farooq Sahab's journey, I think of his early Mathematics lessons, his decision to pursue postgraduate studies while working, and the conversations we shared as university students.
His example has strengthened my respect for the teaching profession and for educators who continue developing themselves throughout their careers.
No single teacher shapes every part of a student's life. Education is the result of many people, institutions, experiences and personal choices. Yet certain teachers occupy a distinct place in our memories because they were present at an important beginning.
For me, Farooq Sahab is one of them, My Teacher Forever.
When I look back at my educational journey, I often return to Government Middle School, Zirhama, and the days when I was in Class VII.
I remember the Mathematics lessons, the Urdu exercises and the familiar instruction that has stayed with me for so many years:
“Open your Hisab Kitaab!”
I could not have known then how our academic paths would develop, that I would pursue Islamic Studies, or that we would meet again in Tangdhar in 2016. I was simply a schoolboy learning Mathematics from his teacher.
Life has since taken us through different experiences. Farooq Sahab has continued his work in scientific education and administration, while I have pursued my own academic interests and begun my career in teaching.
Our paths have differed, but my regard for him remains rooted in those early schooldays.
A teacher may guide a student for only a few years, yet the memory of those lessons can remain for a lifetime. In my case, that memory is not of a grand speech or an extraordinary event. It is of a Mathematics classroom in Zirhama, a teacher explaining the basics and a familiar instruction that continues to bring those days back to me.
Farooq Sahab, thank you for being part of my schooldays, for introducing me to the fundamentals of Mathematics, and for giving me memories I continue to cherish.
I wish you good health, peace and continued success in your professional and personal life.
I write these words not merely as an academician acknowledging a former teacher, but as the student I once was and, in many ways, still am.
With respect and gratitude,
Dr. Iqbal Malik A Student Forever
