Professor G D GABRIEL U C COLLEGE ALUVA ALWAYE

 He was the Shashi Tharoor of those days.

A no nonsense man. If only the College had utilised his talents to the full, those who had passed out of UCCOLLEGE would have easily been the Kerala equivalents of  Loyola and MCC products. Unfortunately it was not to be.

The malayali sense of false pride did its best and most to belittle his capabilities. They relished  the conversion of the  sublime to the ridiculous all the time. But nothing affected the great  Gabriel Sir. He definitely had a real sense of humour. When I had introduced myself after a gap of four and a half decades he couldn't recognise me as his former student. I responded it was obvious because I never had been a troublemaker or an exceptional achiever who would always have been in the limelight.He commented at  once, " Oh! You were a gentleman." I really liked that. 

 He never flinched from the path he had set out and remained forever what he was.  

I write from almost half a century old perspective.

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Babykutty Ammamma, my cousin's wife wrote after reading this.

I have fond memories of Gabriel sir. I worked as a junior lecturer for a year in the English Department in U C. College after I graduated. He joined the department that year, in 1964. He advised me on what books to read. He introduced me to A.J. Cronin. I got hooked after reading ‘The Judas Tree’. I remember his wife and baby girl. He was very well respected by everybody.