From the last two years, the invisible monster of covid-19 has swollen millions of lives all over the world and given unbearable grief to his loved ones.
Our Professor, Doctor Anil Kumar Thakur also could not save himself from the bloody claws of Covid-19 and left to heavenly adobe on 19 December 2021 just 4 days after his 45th Birthday. This sudden demise of Professor Anil Thakur shocked and saddened the entire department of laws and every person who knew and loved him. The lacuna in the lives of his family can’t be assumed in words. He was survived by his little daughter and wife.
Professor Anil Thakur will always be remembered for his kind, loving, helping, and down-to-earth nature. He was the epitome of knowledge and always been available for the good of students.
He worked as an Associate Professor in the Department of Laws, Panjab University Chandigarh. He was the teacher of Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, Law, and Economics and taught constitutional law to the students in a very articulate and fine way.
Professor Anil Kumar did his B.A in Economics Hons. and secured the first position in the college. In LL.M, he did specialization in constitutional law and submitted desertion on the topic ‘Legislative and Administrative Relationship Between Union and State-A study”. After LL.M, he qualified National Eligibility Test for lectureship (NET). His Ph.D. was on the theme of ‘Human Rights Jurisprudence and Right to Development.
In law, his area of interest was diverse and broadly included “Debates on Social and Normative Jurisprudence, Philosophy of Human Rights & Philosophical Foundations of Right to Development and Human Development, Law and Economics, Right to Food, Environmental Laws and Constitutional Law’.
Before joining the department of laws, he gave his service as a member of the committee for developing a curriculum on legal studies for class +1 CBSE (2012-2013) and gave more than a dozen lectures, television and radio talks. He presented more than 50 papers in various seminars and conferences.
Many of his students lost their best guide and best teacher after the death of Professor Anil Sir. Some students remembered their best teacher. To give a tribute from the side of Students, we are publishing some memorials here.
“Attending Prof. Dr Anil Kumar Thakur Sir Classes was always like taking a deep dive into an ocean full of knowledge and wisdom. In Sir, I found a great person who has taught me not only facts about books but about life itself. I distinctly remember the way he had shown faith in me by assigning me the responsibility of organizing intra department debate competitions and that too when I entered my law college. After which a student-teacher relation turns out to be a friendship one. Sir was the best guide, teacher, and indeed best friend to me. I felt a very clear and personal relation with sir.
Sir was the spark, inspiration, the guide, and the candle of my life. I am deeply thankful that sir was my guru. Sir was the pillar of success and in classroom he was the best. It always seemed that Sir knew each and every student personally, taking a genuine and active interest in their lives and ongoing study. He was a great person, a great teacher, a great guru, and always encouraged me to do my best. I learned a lot from him. Such a wise person left so soon. He will always be my favorite teacher. He taught me, took care of me, and made me the man I am today. I can never forget it. He guided me whenever I got lost. Can,t believe he is no more with us. Sir will forever remain in our hearts.
What a truly terrible loss this is, for the Panjab University, for the Department of loss, and for Sirs’ family, relatives, friends, and students.”
–Prashant Goyal, LLB (Department of laws) [email protected]
“Anil sir was one of those persons in my life who were sent by the God like an angel to guide me for my career and life goals. Being a person who belongs to a town, I just knew very little about Punjab University, I decided to get admission here because its fee was affordable and reputation was high. I did not know what were the difference in the teaching and study level of Panjab University’s main campus and its regional centres which were established to in 4 cities to adjust the force of students.
After consultation with my family, I decided to take admission in one of the regional centers of the Department of Law even after I was in the top 100 in the merit list out of 5000 students who gave admission entrance there. When I and my father were going through the admission process in PU, fortunately, Anil sir met us in corridors and when my father conversed him about my admission, he led us to their office and counseled us about my admission and advised us to take admission in Chandigarh campus rather than the regional center.
Just because of him, my father decided to admit me to the Department of Law. And it was one of the great and big decisions of my life. The life of PU gave me unbreakable confidence, vast knowledge and I met with great people who taught me to think broadly without any prejudice. PU has decided my life and also turned the fate of my life for future. And for this, I will have indebted to Anil Sir throughout my whole life.
I could not get the chance to be taught by Anil Sir because whenever the department scheduled his classes to our section, those classes were always replaced with other teachers. But, despite this, I got chances to work with Anil Sir in department’s activities like seminars, debates. Due to his love for urdu and hindi poetry, he was the patron of our poetry recitation competition where I did anchoring for the competition.
These last two years gave us many shocks and this was one of the biggest shocks when I got the news of his death. I prayed that it should be a rumour but we cannot fight with God. May God give him the highest place in other life.”
–AH Gangohi, (ll.b) Departent of laws, Punjab University Chandigarh
“Anil Sir taught my batch Jurisprudence in the academic year of 2015-2016. A highly motivated individual, he would always make sure to teach the subject in a way that doesn’t seem boring. And what to say about his down-to-earth personality, once he didn’t shy away from apologizing to a student in front of our whole class after he realised that he had wrongly scolded her for using mobile in the class (when she was not using it).
Apart from the academic side, I’ve had an association with him on the co-curricular side also, when we organised an Intra department debate competition on the topic “Uniform Civil Code” in 2016 and again in 2017 for Intra department moot court competition. Even after I passed out from the Department, he would often meet me at the AC Joshi Library and inquire about my well-being.
A magnanimous person, Anil Sir will forever be remembered as a guiding light. Om Shanti.”
Adv. Salil Goel
Punjab & Haryana High Court [email protected]
“There is no substitute to HUMAN LOSS, Thank you for holding up one of the NOBLEST PROFESSION. Well, I am not so much fortunate to learn from you, Sir !! But your students always enrich me with your valuable message. We hope, we will take up your guidelines for our upcoming generation. May the HEAVEN be yours and may to hold your earth at our best.”
–Anonymous.
“I was shocked and saddened when I heard about Anil Thakur Sir’s demise. Words seem not enough to express the grief that his absence has caused. I hope and pray that his family members get the strength and may the consequences of his good deeds pass on to his family members.
This is a huge loss to the Department of Laws. I hear about him through seniors as well, about his teaching and mentoring. Whenever I needed help in taking decisions after joining law, I contacted Sir and he always guided me. Not only he was my teacher but also a guardian.
His absence will be very difficult for all of us to absorb. The lessons he taught me will never be forgotten. He will always be in our memory.
He and his family will always be remembered in my prayers.”
–Benazir Khurshid, LL.B (Department of Laws) [email protected]
The thing I always liked about Prof. Anil Thakur sir was that
Apart from all the illuminating lectures, Anil sir has always reminded us about the value and
the prestige of our Department of Laws.
He always made us proud to be a part of this esteemed
legacy and told us about great personalities that have walked in the halls of this department.
As a student I really believe that a role of a teacher is not just providing facts about the syllabus
it is also about introducing a confident character in your students and Anil sir always tried that.
-Pushyamitra Vyas, LL.B (Department of Laws) [email protected]