The Universe Conspires-IV

“How many PhDs have you guided till date?” the chairman of the committee for the selection of Professors at Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad asked me.  

“Seven. Three as the sole and Principal Supervisor and four as Co-Supervisor”, I replied to the question.

“All from Assam University?” A lady member of the committee asked.

“Yes, Madam. It was all during my stay at Assam University”, I responded to her query.

An interview was going on for the selection of Professor and one of the essential qualifications was successful guidance of at least two PhDs as sole supervisor. I guided a total of seven PhDs, three as a sole supervisor and four as co-supervisor in my career.

I joined Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad as Associate Professor in May 2013. At that time, 4 PhD research scholars were working under my supervisor at Assam University. They were about to be delisted from my name but in the meantime, some disputes arise at IIITA and I joined back at Assam University and they were allowed to pursue PhD under me. One international scholar was also given to me to pursue his PhD under my guidance. I stayed back at Assam University for almost three years and during these years I guided 7 PhDs. 

Another criterion for the selection of Professors was to publish at least three papers in SCI or ABDC listed journals and needless to say that most of my publications in such journals is the result of my association with Assam University.

Professional Life at Assam University was very tough as I spent three years of my second innings running after the files and other official matters. My relationship with the then Dean was also at its lowest level. At the reception party of his son’s marriage, he has invited everyone in the University and not even a peon was left out other than me. I am mentioning this incident just to make the reader understand the kind of bad relation we had during that time. Basically, there was a trust deficit fuelled by some people and it was due to this reason, our relationship was never cordial. I remember, on the very first day of my joining back at Assam University he had given a long lecture criticizing me and putting some allegations on me which were not true and since then there were many occasions when he tried to stop me or deviate me from my research work. But all these things had boosted my confidence in myself that there is something good in me that the Dean cannot ignore. He might love me or hate me, it was his choice but he cannot ignore me. It was my moral victory and morale was very much needed for me during those days to continue my struggle and fight. Everybody in the Department was given some responsibility. This responsibility also makes them visible in the department. I was not given any responsibility. The idea was to make me irrelevant in the Department. I took advantage of that and made myself absolutely irrelevant. So much irrelevant that nobody should ask me about my whereabouts. Whether I am present in the department or not, none used to take note of that. It was an advantageous situation for me. I focused fully on my research work and the legal matters pending at that time.   

Now, when everybody is congratulating me for becoming ‘Professor’, I humbly feel that it was all made possible due to my stay at Assam University from 2014 to 2017 which had helped in shaping my bio-data and making it more attractive and remember, going back to Assam University was not my choice rather compulsion. in normal circumstances, I would not have gone back there. Which would have lead to not guiding an adequate number of PhDs considering the situations prevailing in the Institute at that time. Indeed the Universe had conspired for my success.  

The Universe Conspires-III

“Sir, I have something to tell you”, the peon of the office of Registrar, Dibrugarh University said to me in a very low voice. I turned towards him. He has an affection towards me and generally, I use to maintain a very cordial relationship with any of my junior level staff. He came closer to me and said, “I have seen the advertisement that will come out for the recruitment of regular faculty in CMS”. CMS stands for Centre for Management Studies (CMS), Dibrugarh University (The Department of Business Administration is named as CMS in Dibrugarh University).

It was the second week of October 2008 and I went to the registrar office for some work and the time was around 5.30 pm. Needless to say, most people had departed by that time and very few people were present in the building in which the office of the registrar was situated. CMS was established in the year 2003 and five years of its existence has not seen any permanent faculty in the Department. All the teachers in the department were contractual. There was news that three permanent posts were created for the three oldest surviving faculty members. These three faculty members were me and two other colleagues of mine who joined CMS right from its beginning. The required specializations were also designed accordingly. So, there was one specialization for ‘accounting and finance’ as well which my specialization was. The procedural formalities were being completed. The peon was talking about that advertisement.

“Yes, I know that by the next week that advertisement will be released”, I said to him.

“But I have to tell you something else also”, he said in the same soft and low voice.

“Please tell”, I was a little irritated this time. I was thinking that what else he will tell me about this advertisement, the previous day only the Director and Vice-Chancellor was telling us about this new advertisement for recruiting faculty members for CMS and me and another colleague of mine were present in that meeting. Is this peon who knows more than me who is senior faculty in the CMS, though contractual?

“Sir, don’t you have finance specialization?” he tried to confirm my specialization.

“Yes”, I said in an irritating tone.

“That the post is reserved for ST”, he said in the same tone this time too.

“What?” I said in anguish and surprise both.

“Yes Sir, I just saw the file where the distribution of the post is mentioned and against the post which was marked for the specialization of Finance, it is reserved for ST. I have seen it from my own eyes and just now”, he said to me. He then took his bicycle and left for his home.

I was speechless and was not able to understand what to do next. If he was speaking the truth, it means I won’t be able to apply for that post once the advertisement is issued.

I came home and sat silently without talking to anyone. My elder daughter was playing with me but I was not able to involve with her. I opened the drawer and took out one envelope. It was an interview call from ‘Assam University, Silchar’. Though I had applied for the post of Assistant Professor at Assam University, Silchar I made up my mind not to go for the interview because at that time I was hopeful that our contractual positions at CMS would be regularized and since that place was very near to my home town, it would have been the best for me to serve remaining at my birthplace. Often people asked me about my decision to appear for the interview at any other Institutions and I use to tell them that given the chance I would remain at CMS if the post is regularized. I was not able to think of a situation of working at any other place other than my hometown. 

But today that dream was looking impossible due to the fact that the post of finance specialization was reserved for the ST category. The contractual post on which I was working was also expiring in the month of December 2008 and meaning thereby the chances of becoming jobless if the contract would not be renewed after that which again would depend upon a lot of other factors and uncertainties. I have the family to take care of. My father was retired and my brother’s job was still not certain. The whole family’s responsibility was on me.

I had decided to appear for the interview at Assam University, Silchar. The interview was scheduled to be held in New Delhi. It was almost after 5-6 days from that date when this incident happened. I opened my laptop started searching for a train ticket to New Delhi. I got one confirm ticket through the tatkal scheme. After two days, I boarded the train to Delhi, reached there and appeared for the interview.

After a few days, I got the news of my success in the interview. In the meantime, the advertisement for the regular positions was also released and as expected, the post of assistant professor with finance specialization was reserved for ST. I had no other choice but to join Assam University, Silchar. Definitely, it was not a pleasant decision to be made. Leaving my hometown, my own people, I had to relocate to a place which was totally unknown to me and I was not at all happy with all these developments but I had to accept all those changes out of compulsion.

Initially, I was not enjoying my stay at Assam University but I gradually got some very interesting and good friends over there. I started enjoying their company. Soon Assam University started looking charming to me and I started to get myself involved in most of the activities of the University. During that time I got some most valuable friends, who are Gem and I learned a lot in their company. One thing that helped me most at Assam University was its heterogeneity and heterogeneous culture which was totally missing at Dibrugarh University. There were people from all corners of the country who came to Assam University with their own understanding of the subject and merit. Often a rich discussion happened and many of the concepts of mine got cleared during those discussions and the discussions were rich because everybody has learned the subject from different places and have their own understanding. Soon this started to be reflected in my publications also. I was able to write some very good papers due to the inspiration received from the company of my friends at Assam University. Moreover, I did not know any person at Silchar so the only way to pass time was to involve myself in writing a research paper. More than 4 years have passed and then I applied for a higher post at the Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad and got selected. A large part of the credit to this success goes to the fact that I was having some very good quality research papers and serving in a Central University.

Now I often think what would have been had the post of Assistant Professor for finance specialization was not reserved for ST. the answer is very simple I remain would have been Assistant Professor at CMS which is still a self-financing department.     

 

The Universe Conspires-II

The landline phone installed at my home (Mobile was not introduced in Assam at that time) rang and I took the call.

“Hello”, I said.

A known voice touched my ears, “This is Prof Bezborah Speaking”. It was the call from the then Director of Centre for Management Studies (CMS), Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh Prof. Pranjal Bezborah. It was the first week of December 2003 and time was around 8.00 pm. Previous morning only I appeared for an interview for the post of Assistant Professor (Lecturer at that time, because the post of Lecturer was re-designated as Assistant Professor in 2008) at Centre for Management Studies, Dibrugarh University. I greeted him. Then he said, “Your interview was good and I am happy to see your performance at the interview.”

I was not able to frame correct sentences due to the mixed feeling of anxiety and happiness and with the fumbling voice, I asked, “thank you, sir, it was all because of your teachings. Please tell me what should I do next?”

It would be important to state here that Prof. Bezborah was my teacher at the Master degree level and needless to say that he has a natural love and affection towards me which is still there.   

He paused for a while and said very swiftly, “You will have to join CMS now as faculty”.

His words were like the dose of fresh air entering the room which was locked for many days and did not see fresh air for many days. There was no limit to my happiness. It seems it was the moment for which I dreamt of since my childhood. My previous appointment was in the Department of Commerce, Dibrugarh University but that job was very uncertain because the contractual job had to be renewed every six months. Though the offer at CMS was also contractual there were two advantages. Firstly the salary was 50% more than the previous job and secondly, though it was contractual the contract was of regular nature meaning thereby, it need not be renewed after every six months.

Though I appeared for the interview on the previous day only but the decision to appear in the interview was not so easy.

One month back

I and my friend Bipasha Chetiya were doing examination duty in an exam. Bipasha was also serving the Department of Commerce in the same capacity as that of me. In fact, we were given the same appointment order where the name of both of us was mentioned. During the examination, we used to have some discussion. She said, “Are you going to appear in the interview for the post of Lecturer at CMS?”

“When is the interview?” I asked with a surprise because I was not aware of the fact.

“Last week, the advertisement came in the Assam Tribune. I saw it and thinking to appear in it. You can also appear because there is a post of Lecturer in Finance as well. The interview date is 17^th November and still, there is time to apply”, She said to me along with her suggestions.

“Are you not happy with this job? The new job in CMS will also be contractual”, I asked her and also tried to get some clarity over the issue.

“The salary there is more than this and moreover, that contract will not be like our present contract which needs to be reviewed after every six months. So there is more certainty in that job at least better than this one”, she explained and tried to convince me to apply for the new job and I was convinced with her words. Immediately I made up my minds to apply for that job at CMS. But still, I asked her, “What about the application which we had submitted against the advertisement for recruiting a lecturer (On leave vacancy) in the Department of Commerce?”

“That we can always appear whenever that interview will be conducted. No one can stop you from appearing in that interview”, she again convinced me.

After I joined the university in a contractual position, there was an advertisement for a regular scale but that vacancy was a leave vacancy. But at that time these things (regular/leave/contractual) did not matter for me. I used to submit an application for all kinds of vacancy if it was in any college or University. I also applied for that post, and on that day I was referring to that advertisement only to my friend, and she again convinced me to appear for the new interview.  

16 November 2003

The natural environment at Tinsukia, Assam in the second week of November 2003 was mild cold, but the political environment was very hot. Northeast Frontier Railway has issued an advertisement for the recruitment of its grade 4 employees and people from all over India have applied for it. A large number of people from Bihar had also applied for it and All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has shown its protest of recruiting people from outside the state of Assam to work in Assam and to register its protest, AASU has called “ASSAM BAND” (Strike) on 17^th November 2003, the date on which the interview was scheduled.

I thought to go to Dibrugarh on 16^th of November 2003. I called one of my junior who was residing in a private hostel near the University. He has agreed to host me for one night. I took the bus to Dibrugarh and went there. It was a dark evening by the time I reached the hostel. He welcomed me and I spent the night in the hostel.

Next day was the interview. I went to the Vice Chancellor’s office where it was scheduled. A good number of candidates were there. But after some time a person from the office of Vice-Chancellor came out and informed that due to strike the interview was postponed and the next date would be announced later. We dispersed from the place but I could not come to my home at Tinsukia because due to strike not a single mode of transport was functional. I spent that night also at the home of another friend and the next day I came to my home.

5^th December 2003

The interview was rescheduled on 6^th December 2003. I took all types of preparation such as keeping all my testimonials properly in a file, print out of my resume which was just one page at that time so that I could appear for the interview smoothly.

Suddenly I received a call from my erstwhile HoD. He said in his trademark loud voice, “Are you going to appear for the interview at CMS which will hold tomorrow?” 

I said with an enthusiasm, “Yes sir”.

“See, you are working in our Department and your contract has to be renewed for the next six month. If you got selected then we have to find some alternative for you. But why are you applying there? That post is contractual and it will remain contractual. There is no hope that in the near future it will be regularized. Moreover, you have submitted your application for a regular post in our Department and here is a chance to get a regular pay scale”, he said. 

I was not able to speak anything. All my enthusiasm had gone. I was, in fact, fumbling.

After a pause for less than a minute he went of speaking, “See Ranjit, as you are my student, I have affection towards you and you are a bright student of mine. So, I like you and I am interested in the well being of yours, so take any decision very cautiously”, he said and this time he was little soft.  

“Yes sir, I will definitely take care of your advice, and it is very important to me”, I said.

“And one more thing I just wanted to convey to you if you go to the other Department, my interest in you will be reduced”, this time there was a kind of warning in his voice and then he put down the call.

I was much tensed after this conversation. Till then I was thinking that if I could not be selected then I had a job though temporary in nature to fall back with. But I was worried after this conversation about the continuity of the contractual job. All my family members were tensed and finally, we have decided not to appear in the interview scheduled for the next day.

 

6^th December 2003

Next day, I got up early in the morning and after having my breakfast I was sitting idle. All of a sudden I thought to call one of my Professors who later on became my PhD research guide. I called him and told him that I was not going to appear in the interview which was scheduled on the same day and also the reason for the said decision.

“You are not appearing in this interview due to the fear of losing the present job. Are you certain that this job will not end after some time and this will continue till eternity?” he asked.

“No sir”, I said.

 “So this job will come to an end anyhow after some time. But if you succeed in that interview then that will be of regular nature through contractual and later on, there are chances of getting it regular. Even though it is not regularized but your experience of working in Management Department will have more weightage and you will have access to IIMs also”, he said with a suggestive tone.

He went on speaking, “Now most of the new regular posts are coming for the Management Department. So according to me, there is no harm in appearing for the interview and taking a chance. Moreover, appearing in an interview itself is an experience”, he said in the same flow.

His words worked like a miracle and all of a sudden I was fully charged to appear for the interview. Since I already had a preparation to appear for the interview, it took little time for me to get ready and I left for the interview.

I appeared in the interview. There were many candidates. All were from very good and reputed institutions, however, the person who has initially inspired me to appear for the interview, Ms Bipasha Chetiya, did not appear. My interview went well and after the interview, I came back to my home.

Next day, Prof. Bezborah called me (the call which I referred to in the first paragraph) to inform me about my success in the interview. I joined CMS after a few days and served there for almost 5 years. CMS has given me almost everything which a person desires in the early phase of his/her career. I did my PhD in Business Administration while working at CMS and today I am serving in a management department is large because of the fact that my PhD is in Business Administration. I completed one sponsored project sponsored by UNICEF, published many research papers and much more such academic and professional assignments. Prof. Bezborah was a fatherly figure for all of us working in CMS and he had given us all kinds of freedom to explore ourselves. He nurtured us especially me for all kinds of future academic and professional assignments. Today, I feel confident in resolving any big issue and the credit goes to the teachings of my teachers especially Prof. Bezborah who has given me free hand and shown his trust and confidence on me. The regular post advertised in the Department of Commerce was given to Bipasha in which the salary was much higher than that of CMS. However, as stated by my teacher, the experience of serving in a Management Department took me to complete the FDPM from IIM Ahmadabad and finally to the Department of Business Administration, Assam University and then to Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad. Had Bipasha not informed me about the advertisement and convinced me to appear for the interview, it would not have been possible. It confirms the saying of Paulo Coelho “We warriors of light must be prepared to have patience in difficult times and to know The universe is conspiring in our favour, even though we may not understand how”.    

 The Universe Conspires

“Mr Ranjit, we cannot give you a full-time appointment in our college and giving part-time appointment in college to a fresher is against our policy”, the Principal Mrs Surjit Singh said in a soft voice but rudely. Her words were very disappointing to me but I had no other way than to accept it and to leave her office. It was a week before that I was called for an interview at G S Lohia Girls College, Tinsukia. One day I was conveyed a message that I had been selected and the Principal had asked me to meet her in her office during the office hours. There was no telephone at my home, nor it was the era of emails so one person came to my home to convey this news. I was thrilled, and everyone in my family was very happy that soon I was going to join in a college.

I went to her office and meet her. She said, “Ranjit, will you mind if we offer you an appointment in school instead of college and you have to take a few classes in college as well because we do not give full-time appointment in college.”

“But mam, I applied in college”, I said with an exclamation mark on my face.

“Yes, I know, but in college, we can offer you part-time appointment only which can give you only Rs 2,000/- per month and in school, we offer full state government prescribed pay scale”, she said firmly.

Actually, the college in which I applied has an integrated school also and she was asking me to join in that school, but I dreamt to be a teacher in a college and I was not going to give up so easily.

I said, “Madam, I don’t think that I will be comfortable to teach school students, so if the full-time appointment is not possible in college then I am okay with a part-time appointment.”

She responded very quickly, “Don’t take any decision in such a hurry. Take some time. Discuss with your parents and then come to me after 12 noon.”

I said, “Okay madam.” I greeted her and silently left her chamber.

I came to my home where my parents were waiting for me in excitement. After all, their son was going to be an Assistant Professor in a local college which is a very reputed college in the locality. They felt pride in this. But when I told them this condition, they were shocked and sad. The job was the extreme necessity for my family as my father was retired from the job of a school teacher. I told them about the outcome of the meeting.

They supported my decision. I went to the Principal’s chamber once again at 12.00 noon as asked by her. I said, “Mam, I have decided to work in college only, salary is not that important for me. So, I can manage with a lesser salary also”.

“This is not possible. The part-time appointment is not given to any fresher”, again she was very rude, and she said these words without looking at my face and continue to read something in the files.

I came out of her chamber and told the developments to my parents. They were sad but not disheartened. Life kept ongoing.

When I passed out my Master degree, my friends were applying for a job at different places. A few of them have got the job of a school teacher. I also came to know about those job openings but I did not apply for them.

2

"Ranjit, Our Head of the Department has asked me to tell you to call him, so please talk to him", One classmate Ms Antara Chanda said to me over the phone at around 8.00 pm on June 16 2003.

I said, "Why?"

"I heard there is one contractual position for Lecturer in the Department and therefore, he wants our batch of students to apply for the same. He must be calling in this regard only so far I could guess". She said.

"Has he not asked you to apply?", I asked her. 

"He has asked me also to apply but since I am working in a school  which is more or less a regular type of job and this offer will be purely contractual and that too only for 5 months, so I told him that I will not apply for this job", she has given her decision on that proposed job offer. 

"If we go by this logic then most of our batchmates are working in some schools or in some organisations and their job is at least better than this offer in terms of regularity and therefore, they should not apply", I said. 

"They should not apply, if you ask for my opinion", she said. 

After putting down the call, I dialled the number of HoD. He was my teacher in my Master degree classes. He had a natural love and affection for me. He told me that there is a requirement of a teacher in the department and if I am interested in the job. I immediately said, “yes sir, I am interested in the job”.

He said, “If you are interested, then tomorrow please submit your application, bio-data and copy of testimonials in my office”. He took a small pause and then said, “This will be a contractual appointment initially for six months only and depending upon the performance of the candidate, it will be further renewed for next six months. At this time we will no be able to pay you a full salary. Anyone who joins at this post will be paid Rs 5,000/- per month only”.

I said, “Sir, at this time, getting any opportunity is more important than salary”. After that, I put down the call.

Immediately, I took my bicycle and went to a cyber café. It was the time when having a personal computer was considered to be a luxurious item and not many people could afford to have a personal computer of their own. Internet was also not very common. The only place to access the internet and computer, for people like us, was Cyber café. I typed one application and CV of mine, got the photocopy of my testimonials.

Next day, when I went to submit the application, I came to know that the Head of the Department had made a similar call to my other classmates also and they had also submitted their application for the same post. Again, I was unhappy and anxious about my chances of getting selected. But nothing was in my hands but to submit my application.

After a few weeks, I came to know that my candidature was considered by the committee members and I was asked to join on the very first day of the opening of University after summer vacation. Later on, I came to know that in the meeting of the committee held to decide the candidature of the candidates for the post of lecturer on contract, the committee members were of the view that since this was contractual employment for six months only so only those applications would be considered who are not working anywhere. It was because that job was very uncertain. What would have been the fate of that employment after six months was not known to anyone. So if anyone working somewhere else was given that offer and if the contract could not be renewed after six months, then it would have been very unfair to the candidate and in that case, he would have lost his/her earlier regular job.

Since all other friends of mine were working in some schools at regular positions, their candidature was not considered. I was not working anywhere, and therefore, my candidature was considered, and I was offered that contractual offer.

It was my first job. While working there, I gained some experience, and on the basis of that experience, I applied for the post of Assistant Professor in the Centre for Management Studies, Dibrugarh University and got selected. From there I went to Assam University, Silchar and then Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad.

The reason for my present state of being is given differently by different people, but I think if I would have been selected at G S Lohia Girls College, Tinsukia, I would not have made it to this point. It confirms the saying of Paulo Coelho “We warriors of light must be prepared to have patience in difficult times and to know the Universe is conspiring in our favour, even though we may not understand how”