Adieu Professor, Adieu!

“Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.”

-Aristotle

Professor Aniket Jaaware, simplicity and generous at heart and fondly known as ‘Aniket Sir’ or sometimes only ‘Aniket,’ in the department of English, SPPU, passed away in Delhi on November 30, 2018, at the age of 58 years. It is with great sadness the English fraternity announces his passing. The untimely death of Professor Aniket Jaaware is a huge loss to the English Literature and Language studies in India and in the world. He is survived by a life partner Urmila Bhirdikar, a well-known translator and the students’ fraternity.

Prof. Aniket Jaaware started his teaching career from Fergusson College, Pune. He earned his PhD in 1991 from the University of Pune. In 1993, he joined the Department of English, the University of Poona, and taught until he took a VRS in 2017. He had also taught at Eberhardt Karl University, Tuebingen, Germany. Until his sudden death, he was teaching at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi.  

He was well-known for his teachings, especially for the literary theories, fiction and science fiction, film studies and so on. Who can forget his Hamlet? It was this beautiful and luminous mind who started many creative courses like ‘film studies, writing for media, history of the book, technical writings and so on’ at the department of English, University of Pune. All of us have acquired something of him. Some of us have started teaching ‘literary theories.’ Some have ventured into the cinema. Many teach Hamlet and so. His teaching illuminated many young and beautiful minds in English Studies across the country. While it is true that there will never ever be another Aniket Jaaware in the field of English studies, we dare say that there is something of Aniket in us.

Professor Jaaware will be remembered for his wonderful teaching as well as creative and critical writings. His book entitled ‘Simplification’ lucidly explained the most difficult structuralism and post-structuralism. ‘Neon Fish in Dark Water,’ a collection of short stories set in the future, 2050, interestingly foresees the future of our world. Aniket Jaaware had extensively written in the field of literature and social sciences in English and Marathi and translated between both. His‘Foucault and Ambedkar’ is a scholarly piece in Marathi which has changed our methods and understanding.

There are many things about Aniket. Aniket is a myth. Many people say ‘this and that’ about him without ever personally knowing him. None can ever understand or know him fully. He’s, indeed, a myth. An enigma. Not that easy. He’ll continue to be in our thinking, teachings and writings. Many of us have followed his style. Many of us have chosen to carry forward his legacy. Although not as an Aniket, but certainly of Aniket.

I know he wouldn’t like us to mourn for him. Yet a dear word for my dear professor Aniket Jaaware.

Adieu Professor, adieu!