Remembering my teachers on “National Teacher day” … (Part 4th )
( Recap – in this concluding episode of my experiences as a student of the Post Graduate (degree College), an another picture of student life, I witnessed.)
After passing the twelfth standard from the Intermediate college, I qualified to seek admission in the graduation bachelor degree course. My next halt was but natural, the same post graduate degree college, I already mentioned as “Miniature University.” The building of the college was like a monument for the students with humble background like me, who ventured to seek admission there. Specifically, for the students with “art side subjects” from the rural background. Since, they happened to pass their twelfth standard from some backward located colleges. This new post graduate college astonished them with its old, grand building. Along with, facilities of hostels with the big tenements and its diversities in all aspects. Be it, number of multitude of faculties in various subjects or in extra-curriculum activities.
National Teacher day : Baffling ambiance
As far as, my personal case is concerned, being an old student of Intermediate college, I had already occasionally visited this place with a sense of curiosity. Specifically, during the ” students union election” time, that occurred once in a year. This college made us feel, if it was an ocean of students, who poured in from all the directions. The poor, simpleton students with rural background, when ventured to seek admission in this grand college, the ambiance baffled them in the beginning.
They found themselves mired in confusion. It was a mind boggling situation to them, when and from where and from what section of the building to avail the facility to seek the admission. Obviously, they knew not, even from which counter to get the admission form. A big crowd of students they encountered everywhere. The multicolored varieties of students, from every cast, religion and status, they witnessed in life for the first time. The students who belonged to affluent society, speaking fluent English language, attired in mod costumes shattered their confidence.
The students with rural back ground, though they too attired in poorly dressed pant and shirt. But inside assailed with an inferiority complex, whether looking presentable or not, this sense ever took hold of their mind. Besides, an atmosphere of liberal co-education air too prevailed over there. The freely chatting girls with giggling demeanor with boys amazed them. No doubt, some hesitant, shy, blushed type girls too were part of that crowd.
National Teacher day : Miracle
For these students with humble back ground, now some miracle awaited. There appeared on the scene, some students like Angel to them, who provided them a free helping hand. These were the petty students leaders, who had had some intervening hand as a participant in the student Union election. Some of them might be emerging, aspirant new political leaders. These petty leaders had their own categories, as per the predilection for some political ideology. One category was of Left Youth Wing Student leaders. These Left Wing leaders had a hawk eyed rather vulture eye vision to catch the new entrants. Such type of leaders, often fixed their eyes upon these poor students who ventured to seek admission here.
They were well aware of the fact that these humble, simpleton, rustic boys were already fraught with inferiority complex before Urbanized students. These leaders, truly counted them at par belonging from ” have not class.” These students leaders at once happened to get intermix with these new entrants. They helped them to seek admission properly. In the next stage, they helped them to get issued “library membership card.” Not only this, at the next step, they happened to arrange for them the facility in the name of concession in ” tuition fee.” That might be in the shape of ‘half discount’ or ‘full discount,’ enough to enslave these students.
National Teacher day : Captives
These poor students, never could ably comprehend, how and when they got indirectly enrolled as the member of this left youth wing’s “Student Federation of India.” Knowing not even the meaning of “comred,’ they began to address one another, ‘hello comred” instead of ” hello friend.” The same procedure got adopted by leaders of ” right wing” and “congress wing” youth leaders, in their demeanor. In short, it was a practice to add new voters for the coming ” Students’ Union Election.”
In true senses, the ” admission session’ was a landmark stage for these leaders, in their initiating political carrier. I took my bachelor and post graduate educational degree from this college, but I am unable to recall any teacher by name of that student life. Of course the names of Students’ leaders remained vibrant in mind. They helped me to seek the admission, arranged for ‘fee concession,’ and availed my vote in the Union election. In old time election system, what so ever malpractice were followed and practiced in all kind of election, this college was an evident paradigm of that.
National Teacher day : Malpractices in Union Election
The thirty percentile, out of hundred students who sought admission there in the college, never they appeared in person during the education session. They happened to register their presence only and only, when exams conducted. On the name of these absentee thirty percents students, duplicate Identity cards these Students leaders got prepared. They mentioned the original data but with different photographs. The tempering and fabrication of voters identity was so common. Relying on these fake Identity cards, the fake voters who even not saw the college in their life, earnestly did cast the vote and never shown up again.
Although the city where this post graduate degree college located, couldn’t be categorized as a big city. But city had had a moderate noticeable population of civilized and educated citizens.This made this college saturated enough regard the numbers of students. No doubt, an easy going process to get admission too helped in this factor. Prior to the election campaign and during the election period scuffle and incidences of strife among the various groups was not uncommon. It worked as maneuver to establish one group’s dominance over other.
National Teacher day : Election processions
The prepole procession as a display of the man power strength were frequent in practice. Though, this kind of display should have been confined within the college campus. But this being the part and parcel of “power display” of the future leadership of the city, were but to pass through city main roads and market. After the announcement of the election result, same type of “victory procession” were arranged. These procession were the tumult oriented and tormenting to the city people.
A good number of rebellious students, ever happened to loot chattels of barrow vendors. Even sometimes, the shops of “hard liquors’ too were reported to be targeted by “free loader hooligan” type students. In total, the news of coming procession sent a chill sensation down to the spine of one and all vendors and shop keepers in the market.Often they observed a total shut down of the market, when procession was scheduled to pass through the market.
National Teacher day : Election fruitful to students’ leaders
Some Student leaders too were elevated to a renowned position as politician from these election. They made a good political carrier. Some of them succeeded to get elected as MLA ( member of legislative Assembly of the province.) Some registered their presence in the Central Politics as the Member of Parliament in near future. Despite of all this, one thing was appreciable, the teaching session ever remained uninterrupted for studious students.
National Teacher day : Dubious facilities
Another so many facilities for “do nothing” too was available. In the open market, some guide books were sold. These were sold in the name of “hundred question series” or “thirty question series” on the counters of stationary mart, about every subject. These were so helpful for idlers. It seemed, whether writers of these books were some professors from the college side, who wrote them with ghost names. The reason for suspicion was, almost the question papers of the exams, in all certainties contained the questions expatiated in such series books. Meanwhile, the trend of leakage of question papers in advance was not uncommon.
Despite of all these facilities, if some student got failed in the exams, he was provided with the facility of “scrutiny of exams” copies.” This was a part of the corruptible practice. You merely have some extra- money to spend for that. The clever clerical staff in the University head office was there ready to to issue the soothing marks sheet. That was an old period of time. Everything got maintained manually. Not only the failed students, even some leader type students obtained the degree certificates with first grade marks from this facility. In fact, never they turned over the single leaf of the course book during the education session
National Teacher day : My own experiences
To me, in the name of education session, I can recall only the “class room” structure. There followed a practice in the teaching session. All the students, be they with Hindi medium or English medium, were bound to attend the same class. The professor who presided over the class, ever used to deliver the lecture in English language on the subject. The students like me, who whole through the life got schooling with Hindi medium , never comprehended an atom of the lecture. We remained sit there idle like an owl. Tired by this practice, students with Hindi medium almost gave up attending the lecture room. We happened to prepare notes at the home and some how passed the exams.
As for as my personal experiences are concerned. I was an immature, adolescent one. During the entire education session of student life there, I remained in a delusive state of mind set. I ever remained grateful to those student leaders, who helped me obtain the passing marks in the practical examination. It was mandatory to qualify the practical exams for science students. Not only this, if it chanced to get exam paper leaked, these student leaders too handed over that to me in advance. By the grace of them, today I am a degree holder. In fact I recall them with a veneration, and take them as my teachers in true sense. Penned by — Vinay Pharasi …..
