“Do you remember the definition of ‘consideration’ I taught you? His voice still had that thunder, his physical appearance still imposing, the mustache had lost its upwardly edges, but that hadn’t lowered the power of his presence. And that was probably the only visible change I noticed in him, despite his prolonged illness. I gently said, ‘yes sir’ and as I proceeded to fumble out the definition of ‘consideration’ in contract law, he stepped in to complete it, stressing every bit firmly. ‘I am glad you remember it, you better do’: that was Professor Jose Thayyil, when I met him 3 months ago at his home in Vaikom. Biju was sitting next to us, watching with a smile. The erudite, stately professor of law who thousands of students reverentially remember, and adore.

Professor Jose Thayyil passed away. He was 78.

At his room on the south-side of the central hall of Ernakulam Law College, he would often find time to talk to us. Mostly those conversations were about his former students, many now Judges, senior lawyers, civil servants and at least one, a prominent movie actor! In between explaining to us the complex constructs of laws of contracts or laws of property, he will share his classroom experiences over the years with his characteristic élan. He had an inimitable teaching style. Those were the days when we, as student-beginners of law, were figuring out how to decipher the real principles hiding behind the complex ways of law’s language. Professor Jose Thayyil knew the art of breaking them down to simple constructs. And that elevates him from a regular law professor to a Guru, a teacher who leaves everlasting imprints of learnings in his students.

We the Vaikom gang – Rajesh, Biju, Murali, Jose Kadavan, Shanti and myself, used to return home as day-scholars every evening by bus from Cochin. Kadavan was the craziest of all, the prankster he was. He will inevitably irritate one passenger or the other. And one day it went out of control when one passenger came close to hitting him. Those days of college ways, as we ganged up to beat up that hapless passenger, came that familiar thunder from the front seat. It was Professor Thayyil. ‘Stop the nonsense’, he said loudly. We thought he was angry. Instead, he roared again: ‘if anyone fights with my boys, before they get to hit him, I will give him a tight slap’. Everyone including that passenger went quiet. That was Professor Jose Thayyil and his way of stopping us from that nonsense, without hurting our ego.

One afternoon on a weekend seeing me sad as I visited him, he asked me what was wrong. I told him, I got selected for LLM in IP at national law school, but I won’t get admitted without the mark-sheets or a provisional degree. He knew I was passionate to study IP. But the broken MG University’s exam system used to delay provisional degrees almost by a year. He went inside, took a good 20 minutes to return, but carried a sealed envelope when he came back and passed it on to me. He asked me to go and attend the admission process at NLS and hand that letter over to Professor MPP. Knowing him, I didn’t ask anything further, neither opened that letter ever. I went to attend the interview. I met Prof Pillai at the academic block in his room. Handed that letter over, and said ‘sir, I am carrying this from Professor Jose Thayyil who I presume you know’, he didn’t speak a word, stared at me for a moment!, took that letter from me, read it taking a good 10 minutes, asked me to accompany him as he walked to the Director’s room. That was when I first met Professor NR Madhava Menon, the Father of modern legal education in India, who later on became a deep influence in life. Professor Menon read that letter and said gently, we will make an exception on the strength of this one-line, knowing Jose Thayyil wouldn’t say this casually, you are admitted, I will let the Registrar know’. Whenever I went back to visit Professor Thayyil, he used to remind me that I owe my career in IP to him. I do.

Sir, we will always remember you for teaching us. You were among the most outstanding law professors of your times. You have left behind indelible impressions in the minds of thousands of your students. We will carry that light in our lives. In us you live on.

Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya |
Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya |
Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya |