Bhubaneswar: Prashant Kumar Patnaik, 77, teacher of former defence minister and Goa chief minister late Manohar Parrikar , on Monday recollected memories of Parrikar’s IIT Bombay days. He taught the senior BJP leader from 1975 to 1978 when the latter was pursuing his B Tech in metallurgical engineering in IIT Bombay.Patnaik was all praise for his student’s honesty and simple living. “I cannot forget Parrikar’s respect and affection towards me when he paid a visit to my Bhubaneswar residence on June 26, 2016. Hundreds of people had queued outside my home to have a glimpse of the then defence minister. I feel proud that people, including our milkman, remember me as teacher of Parrikar. It has become my second identity,” he added.The BJP leader had eaten samosa and home-made cake at Patnaik’s residence. “He was a very humble person,” the retired IIT professor said.Reminiscing about a candid moment with Parrikar in his laboratory in 1978, Patnaik said, “I had warned every student of my class to wear shoes while entering my laboratory as a safety measure. One day, Parrikar had entered the lab wearing a sandal. I did not allow him in. He went back to the hostel and returned after wearing shoes,” he added.After he became Goa chief minister in October 2000, Parrikar had visited Patnaik’s IIT Bombay staff quarters once. “While entering our staff quarters on the campus, he had sought my permission to enter my room just like he used to do while entering the laboratory in college. When Patnaik called him, Parrikar immediately said he had put on his shoes. We had a hearty laugh over the matter. I get emotional when I remember his words,” Patnaik said.Parrikar was known for his leadership skills. As the mess secretary of the hostel in IIT Bombay, he had fought for mess workers because they were getting wages for eight months only unlike other employees. He took up the matter with the authorities concerned and solved the issue finally. Later the mess workers received salaries for 12 months. “He was a decent, organised and disciplined student with leadership skills,” the teacher said.A disciplinarian, Patnaik joined IIT Bombay in 1969 as a faculty member in the department of metallurgy engineering and materials science. This Dhenkanal native had retired in June 2004. Like Parrikar, he is also an IIT Bombay alumnus. He was teaching iron and steel making in metallurgy engineering.“Parrikar was honest in giving answers. He would simply stand up and say that he could not understand the theory or some portions of a chapter,” Patnaik recalled.

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