A message in our college WhatsApp group on March 24 delivered the devastating announcement about our colleague, Dr Irshad Ahmad Mantoo, sending a wave of shock through the group.
Dr Irshad Mantoo, the charismatic young contractual Assistant Professor at GDC Hajin, lost his battle with blood cancer at the age of 39. He was at home, surrounded by his father and sister. Born in a small, remote village (Buchro) of south Kashmir district Kulgam and hailing from a unresourceful and humble family, we called him Mantoo sahib. True to his profession and having strong commitment towards the upliftment of students, he was a thoughtful, insightful scholar and teacher.
For me, he was genius with in-depth knowledge of modern history in general and Kashmir social history in particular. After his Masters degree from Kashmir University, he moved to Ujjain University for about six to seven years to pursue his M.Phil and PhD degrees. I had known him for barely six months but he left an indelible impact on my mind due to his intellect and his humanity.
His indomitable strength while he battled blood cancer, with which he was diagnosed three years ago, was inspiring. Mantoo Saheb stands as a testament to human strength and dignity. His life was not a story of sympathy, but a profound narrative of quiet courage. Battling unseen health challenges, he never once surrendered to weakness. Living in a simple rented room, he carried on with remarkable determination, handling every responsibility with unwavering resolve. Despite his failing health, his dedication did not wane and he continued to deliver four to five lectures a day.
His face might have appeared tough but beneath that exterior beat a heart of extraordinary kindness.
As a teacher, he was nothing short of extraordinary. His passion for academia burned bright, undimmed by personal hardships. Each lecture, each interaction was a masterclass not just in subject knowledge, but in life's most valuable lesson: resilience. To his students, he was more than an educator—he was a living inspiration.
A voracious read and a well-read historian, he continued reading books and discussing them till the end. His passion ignited in me an ability to read and analyse books differently. Despite my brief association with him, I can say he was a mentor in many ways. His wisdom, knowledge and integrity will always occupy a space in my heart.
He was not just a teacher but a sound intellect mentor, guiding us with patience and wisdom. He was torch bearer and his kindness was clearly reflected from his face, he showed us the power of resilience, struggle and passion. His towrds profession and teaching will continue to inspire us. Dr Mantoo was a mobile library with full of wisdom, knowledge and integrity, his everyday life was full of lessons both spoken and unspoken. As a colleague he has left a wonderful legacy of love and care for us all.
It was a shame that a person with his kind of wisdom that made him a mobile library of a kind – one who radiated knowledge and wisdom where ever he went – enriching both colleagues and students had to battle not just his ailment but the injustice of the system. Someone who deserved to be appointed as a full-fledged professor had to make do with a contractual assignment that offers neither the job security, nor a respectable status.
The academic system may have labeled him as a "contractual" or "need-based" lecturer, but those were just words that could never capture his true essence.
He was always more than a label. A true professor in every sense. As I recall his intellectual wisdom, his academic honesty and his relentless hard work which he pursued his passion, I would like to formally recognize him as an Assistant Professor.
And as I write this, I wonder how he would have reacted to this categorization. I can almost imagine his smile, a smile of quiet triumph. A smile that says that his worth was never determined by administrative classifications, but by the lives he touched, the minds he inspired, and the knowledge he passionately shared.
Rest in Peace! My dear Assistant Professor Mantoo.
(Suheel Rasool Mir is a sociologist working on the borderlands of Kashmir and Ladakh, the sociology of Ethnicity and sociology at the margins. He is the author of the Cultural Encyclopedia of Dard Tribe. The author can be contacted at mirsuhailscholar@gmail.com)
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