Remembering the Professor

It was late evening of 26^th of December 2024 when the news of the demise of Prof. Nazir Ahmad Gilkar, a great academician and an academic administrator, broke. As the shocking news came, a pall of gloom descended on the academic community of Kashmir in general and the commerce education fraternity, in particular. As a quick and natural reaction, for a moment, I couldn't believe, but was soon forced to accept the truth as the deceased was unwell for quite some time. Alas! I had lost my close companion in academics and research. A companion, alongside whom, I had started my academic career in 1987, with whom I was in close association for over three and a half decades.

Born in 1954 at Pandaan, Nowhatta, an area of the Srinagar's historic downtown, to parents with underprivileged background, Prof. Nazir A Gilkar had a humble beginning. Soon after passing the 12^th standard, Prof. Gilkar took up a job in Govt. Arts Emporium. Despite the compelling circumstances to lend a helping hand to his parents in managing the affairs of the household, he left the job to fulfil his longing for further studies.

After giving up his first job, Prof. Gilkar took admission in the historic Islamia College of Science and Commerce as a student for B. Com Programme. Soon after graduating from the college, Prof. Nazir joined the then iconic central PSU, HMT, at its Zainakote unit in Srinagar as Accounts Assistant. Notwithstanding, the fissiparous pressures that would have ordinarily forced an average person to yield to, Prof. Nazir stood tall and as a sequel to the persistent quest for further studies, he enrolled himself for M.Com programme of the University of Kashmir under distance learning mode. Subsequently, in 1984, he joined the LLB (Academic) Programme of the university again through the distance mode only.

Driven by the passion for higher studies, he eventually bade farewell to the routine and monotonous accounting job in HMT, Prof. Gilkar took up the trajectory for a better career-person fit. This relentless pursuit ultimately landed him in the teaching career when in June 1987 he said good-bye to his accounting job in HMT and joined the J&K School Education Department as the Lecturer in Commerce ( 2 Lecturer). Posted in Higher Secondary School, Bhaderwah, Jammu, Prof. Gilkar joined the Higher Education Department as Lecturer (now Assistant Professor) in Commerce in December, 1987 and was posted in Degree College, Bhaderwah. Ever since 1987, Prof. Gilkar served in the higher education sector across the colleges of J&K.

Owing to his unabated quest for knowledge seeking, creation and dissemination, Prof. Gilkar continued his educational pursuits and during the course obtained several other degrees including the Ph.D in Commerce.

Prof. Gilkar's career in academics and academic administration reached the pinnacle when in 2010-11 he took over as the Principal of the prestigious S P College Srinagar. After his superannuation from State Higher Education Department in 2013, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Gilkar joined Central University of Kashmir as the first Controller of Examinations in 2013-14. During his active services in the higher education sector spread over almost three decades, Prof. Gilkar has left an indelible mark wherever and in whatever capacity he worked. Known for his novel and unique perspectives, Prof. Gilkar is largely regarded as an institution builder. Prof. Gilkar was an epitome of exemplary commitment, dedication, hard work, honesty and integrity.

Prof. Gilkar was an educational reformist and throughout his active services and even beyond. He was a critique of many educational policies and practices and would advocate for fresh and novel teaching pedagogies and methodologies aimed at improving the teaching-learning processes. Endowed with a keen eye for identifying the loopholes in the higher education system, he possessed a great flair for organizing gatherings of academicians and academic administrators, not only to highlight the issues but also suggesting the effective solutions thereof.

It may sound exaggeration though, Prof. Gilkar pioneered the culture of holding educational workshops, seminars, conferences on topical themes, a tradition, relatively scant in Kashmir in the 1990s and 2000s, at least in the college sector. Despite lack of adequate support, both material and human, Prof. Gilkar would continue with such activities. His such academic initiatives would sometimes even face stiff opposition from the forces around. Such hostile atmosphere would, however, not deter his determination as his commitment to the cause of education was relentless and selfless. Besides, Prof. Gilkar would never be swayed by the petty interests of some individuals in the institutions. His vision was always colourless and his canvas always shadeless.

Prof. Gilkar’s conversations would always revolve around academics and academic matters. Even a general interaction with him would eventually slip into a focussed and serious discussion on academics and education. During the course of discussion, one would generally find his arguments loaded with reason and logic. He would invariably inspire his audience by his magnificent and unique perspectives on any subject related to education, academics and research.

Being an academic activist, Prof. Gilkar was very sensitive to the happenings in the world of academics and education. During the last few years when his health would not allow him to actively participate in the formal academic gatherings, Prof. Nazir A Gilkar would inevitably discuss the proceedings with the colleagues in his long phone calls. As a matter of fact, academics and academic matters were Prof. Gilkar’s first and only love. All other affairs, including domestic and personal, came second. In the death of Prof. Nazir Ahmad Gilkar, Kashmir has lost an educationist, a scholar, a researcher, an author, a columnist, an educational commentator, a great teacher and above all a humble human being. His demise has, indeed, created a vacuum that is difficult to fill up.

By: Prof. Farooq Ahmad Shah

The author is a senior faculty at Central University of Kashmir and President, Kashmir University Commerce Alumni Association (KUCAA). Views expressed are personal.