Maths class for Diploma students of Engineering and GATE Aspirants by NIT Alumni

Find out more about Nikunj

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  I'm a civil engineer and I teach all civil engineering subjects, including mathematics. When you become a Civil Engineer, you help society get drinking water; irrigation water for farming; shelters without which you can freeze or burn; lush green gardens for children; roads for transport; sewage treatment to reduce pollution; and much more. All these things give you motivation to keep doing good work. That's why I'm a Civil Engineer.

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  Teaching is an art. During my undergraduate studies, my friends were used to learning many subjects from me instead of professors because I gave them easy explanations. So that was the first time I thought that I could be a good teacher and that I could really help students understand complex concepts with simple explanations.

• How does your work help society?

  As I said earlier, I am a civil engineer, and I have completed my Masters in Water Resources Engineering. For everything around us, like infrastructure, residential, industrial, and recreational developments, civil engineering is helpful. If I talk about water resources engineering particularly, then water is a precious thing for human life. In this climate changing era, this precious element has to be taken care of so that future generations can survive.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of & why?

  A role model for me is someone that inspires me to do something or to develop myself further. I do not have one person as a role model, except my parents. I have a lot of people who have inspired me, and they still keep doing it. I would say that role models are everywhere to be found. A friend who faces a lot of challenges to move forward, a colleague who is still successful despite everything, an old person who doesn't stop learning new things and new technologies. Everywhere we can find role models, we just have to see and get the best of them.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  One of my extracurricular activities is to keep up with my professional development and continuing education responsibilities. By reading professional journals, attending seminars, and taking the occasional class, either online or in a traditional classroom, I keep up with my area of expertise. I also often serve as one of the officers for our professional association. I do sketches and drawings, play sports, and talk to random people on the internet sometimes.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  I've always been willing to do whatever it takes to help students succeed in their academies, but one time does stand out in my mind. One of my colleagues who teach aptitude for engineering students has been admitted to the hospital and has not been able to take classes. The students had a placement drive and an interview next week. So, I volunteered to help students. I prepared detailed class notes on the subject and presentations with best learning examples. I needed to work several evenings until midnight to help students while performing my regular duties during daytime. I'm glad it helped students, and they got very good scores in their aptitude exam, and many of them were chosen for the job.