Malegaon, MAHARASHTRA :

Ansari Mohammad Ayyub, popularly known as Ayyub Ansari Sir, passed away in Malegaon on Sunday June 30, 2024. Read on as one of his students pays tribute to this admired teacher.

Malegaon: 

Ansari Mohammad Ayyub, popularly known as Ayyub Ansari Sir, passed away in Malegaon on Sunday June 30, 2024. He was 83.

Ayyub Ansari Sir retired as Assistant Head Master in 1997 after more than 35 years of service at A.T.T. High School and Junior College, Malegaon.

Ayyub Ansari Sir is survived by 07 sons, 04 daughters and hundreds of students who are spread across Malegaon, and also in other parts of India and abroad.

Early Life and Education

Ansari Mohammad Ayyub was born to Haji Abdus Shakoor Allah Rakhu, a resident of Angnu Seth Ka Malla in Fateh Maidan area of Malegaon. Ayyub Sir’s father Haji Abdus Shakoor was in the business of textiles and yarn trading.

The very first batch of Pilgrims from Malegaon that went to Makkah was in 1881. Ayyub Sir’s father Abdus Shakoor was among the second or third batch of Pilgrims who went to Makkah. Family remember does not remember the exact date, but said he performed Hajj about a decade before his death in 1960.

Ayyub Sir completed his early education at A.T.T. High School in Malegaon. He later went to Ismael Yusuf College in Mumbai. Ismael Yusuf College at that time was the preferred institution for the students of Malegaon.

For, after Matriculation the only institution in Malegaon for Pre-University (PU) or Inter was M.S.G. College where medium of instruction was Marathi. English Medium Ismail Yusuf College hence was suitable for the Malegaonians.

After completing graduation from Ismael Yusuf College, Ayyub Sir joined the Government College of Education Mumbai for B.Ed. Two years later, a teacher was born who later became one of the finest Mathematics.

Ayyub Ansari Sir’s Journey as Teacher

Ayyub Sir joined A.T.T. High School, his alma mater, sometimes in 1962 as Assistant Teacher. Mathematics was his forte, and he soon became the students’ darling.

“Ayyub Sir was a teacher of class. He was gifted with a very good hand writing and drawing skills, and used to explain his topics with artistically drawn geometrical figures”, Jameel Karanti, Vice Chairman of A.T.T. High School told ummid.com.

Jameel Karanti is one of the hundreds of students who learned Mathematics and Geometry from Ayyub Sir.

Colleagues recall, Ayyub Sir was very polite yet very strict and would always like to maintain discipline in classroom.

“He had a unique style of teaching, and had total control of the class and complete grip on the topic. He had smartly prepared his lessons to finish them in the allotted time”, Mushir Ansari said.

Mushir Ansari is one of Ayyub Sir’s students who also had a chance to teaching with him in the same school. He said Ayyub Sir was a master in time management and class control.

“He was neither very fast nor very slow and used to satisfy almost whole of the class. He was the one who will complete the syllabus with the end of the term. After taking charge as Asst HM, he used to say a teacher asking for Extra Class means he did not efficiently utilize the time allotted to him as per the time table”, Mushir Ansari Sir recalled while talking to ummid.com.

Personal Tragedy

Ayyub Sir would spend most of his time in the school. After school hours, he would be at home with the family and come out only for daily prayers.

In 1981, he lost his wife. The sudden demise of his wife changed Ayyub Sir further and he would now spend more of his time in the school and less at home.

“His wife’s death was a great loss for him. But he never expressed his grief in public. People would suggest him to opt for second marriage so as to fill the gap. He however never agreed. He in fact reprimanded a friend when he insisted him to marry again”, said Abdul Khalique, retired officer at Janata Co-Operative Bank and a colleague of Ayyub Sir’s eldest son Ashfaque.

A man of helping nature

Besides his unique teaching style and his commitment to duty, Ayyub Ansari Sir was also admired for his helping nature.

“He was the one to stand by the school and the students whenever they needed him. He was always ready to go an extra mile to help the school progress and students shine in the local and board exams”, Jamaluddin Abdullah, his colleague of 30 years at A.T.T. High School, recalled.

Jamaluddin Sir, one of my father Mohmmad Anwar Faizee’s best friends, was my patron at A.T.T. High School. I had topped the school in classes 8th and 9th. In 1985, when I was to appear in the SSC Board Exams, the target was to register a place in the Maharashtra State Board Merit List.

Ehtesham Sir was very kind to take the responsibility of preparing me in Social Sciences. English, General Science and other subjects were taken care of by Shakeel Ansari Sir, Abdul Latif Ansari Sir and others. Mathematics and Geometry were tricky as the board had introduced the new syllabus and the board exam pattern too was changed.

Jamaluddin Sir and Ehtesham Sir wanted Ayyub Ansari Sir to give me tuition. But, the problem was that after his wife’s death Ayyub Ansari Sir had lost interest in private coaching.

While working together, the two – Ayyub Ansari Sir and Jamaluddin Sir, had developed a special bond. It was because of this bond, Ayyub Ansari Sir, against his will, accepted Jamaluddin Sir’s request to provide me private tuition in Mathematics and Geometry.

The efforts of these noble souls bore fruits. Though I missed the Merit List by just 06 marks, I emerged the topper of the Nashik District scoring the highest marks in all subjects except Hindi and Marathi – Marathi being the subject introduced in the board exams for the first time.

Seven sons and four daughters – Ayyub Sir had a big family to take care of. He was living in a joint family where his brothers too had large families. The family’s ancestral textile business was not doing well. Neither was the salary Ayyub Sir was drawing enough to feed his children and other family members.

“We joined the service at a salary of INR 3,000 and the last salary we drew was a little over INR 12,000”, Jamaluddin Sir recalled.

With this salary, Ayyub Sir not only managed the routine expenses of the family but also made sure his children complete their education. The result is that his eldest son Ashfaque joined as an Officer at a bank, the younger son Altaf and daughter Aafiya became doctors, Khaleel Ansari and Naeemurrehman are teachers whereas Ataurrehman, Shafeequrrehman and Hifzurrehman are good at business. His grandchildren and granddaughters, in plenty, too are well educated, about half a dozen pursuing MBBS.

Besides the family members, a large number of colleagues and students were present for the final journey of Ayyub Sir. There was a somber yet tearful atmosphere, with light shower pouring down the sky, as the admired teacher was laid to rest Sunday night, in the same grave where his wife was buried 43 years ago at the iconic Bada Qabristan of Malegaon.

[The writer, Aleem Faizee, s Founder Editor of ummid.com. He can be reached at aleem.faizee@gmail.com]

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Obituary / by Aleem Faizee, ummid.com / July 01st, 2024