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”