reflection-1
Suruk, one of the remote villages, located in the southern part of the Kalimpong Sub-division in Darjeeling hills is a relatively unknown place to the majority of the Darjeelingays. The village accommodates a number of sparsely scattered hamlets across its yet relatively green spaces. The village survives mainly on the subsistent agriculture. When the world has already entered the cyber age Suruk is yet to see the light of the day. Some of the basic parameters of human survival like safe drinking water, electricity, primary health centre, efficient primary school, minimum motorable road network etc are yet to make their ways to Suruk. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have been the part and parcel of this historic village. My very existence, behavioral pattern, intellectual orientation, and the way I perceive this world, have all been shaped and reshaped by this village. Whenever the wind of the so-called post modernity attempts to persuade me I reflect back to my root, and the spaces of Suruk, to which I belong.
I, vividly, remember some specific periods and personalities that inflicted a lasting impression on my overall personality.
First, 1981 was the year when I first stepped into the formal education system in Kalimpong. King Nursery School, popularly known as Mrs. King (the name of the founder headmistress) was one of the finest Nursery Schools in Kalimpong during those days. My days in this school between 1981- 1985 were among the most fruitful ones that I remember so far. It was this school that built within me a confidence to face this world, otherwise so competitive in nature. The headmistress of the school late Mrs. King was an authority in herself. One of the best teachers in Kalimpong, she guided us not merely as a teacher but as our mother and moulded us towards ever higher pursuits. Whenever I conquer success, I remember her and be grateful to her scholarship and guidance extended during those formative years.
Second, in 1987, Dr. P.N. Mallic declared me as a victim of fibroma (later the finding was updated to fibrometosis), a deadly tumour that normally attacks the minors and often re-occurs (approximately up to the age of 13 yrs). I regard the period 1987-1993 as the dark patch of my life. I exactly remember the days and nights I passed through these horrible years. To mention the least out here, I didn’t experience the golden teenage years. Many felt I would die. I was quarantined across the hospitals in Kalimpong, Siliguri, Calcutta, and ultimately Vellore during the period. When my classmates were nervously wandering around with their girl friends I was either under active medication or under major surgery. After undergoing three major surgeries and one major radiation treatment I became capable of interacting with the normal world but not without numerous physical and psychological constraints. My academic life suffered tremendously during the period. There were no academic years when I was not absent from my class for less than two to three months. I, gradually, overcame these limitations with the dint of my hard work, patience and the support of my family members & friends.
Third, I regard the year 1999 as a turning point in my life. This was the year when I cleared the National Entrance Test to study Postgraduate at Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Two years of rigorous academic training in JNU brought out a scholar within me. Besides, interaction with the students and scholars from across spaces of the country and abroad made me relatively dynamic and taught me to observe things from much larger perspective. It was in JNU that I discovered my inner self, my advantages and drawbacks. JNU is a melting pot of the ‘land of unity in diversity’ representing almost all the cultures from every nooks and corners of the country.
Fourth, apart from the above specific circumstances, I regard myself as the product of three great personalities- my father Mr. D. S. Khawas, Dr. Shrawan Kr. Acharya and Prof. Mahendra P. Lama. My father, a semi-literate farmer who still ploughs the fields in Suruk is no less than Mahatma Gandhi to me. Popularly known as ‘Panchgothay Saila’ across the hamlets of Suruk he left no stone unturned in facilitating me to reach where I am today. Given his level of education and economic background I do not hesitate to regard him as a ‘visionary in disguise’ and a man much ahead of his time. Once he wrote a letter to me in Delhi. It had the following points, which I still remember “chora, always remember that you are a son of a poor farmer; never get swept by the superficial wind of the city. Money is always an issue for us, so think appropriately while spending them. We all love you son”. Even today these words are my guiding forces, towards which I reflect upon whenever I am disorientated in the sea of Delhi.
Dr. Shrawan Acharya, a scholar of repute, was instrumental in orienting me towards the field of development planning. It was on his advice I left JNU in 2001 and joined Urban and Regional Planning course in Ahmedabad. Little did I knew then that I was in the process of changing my career for all time to come. Himself, a senior faculty in the School of Planning, Ahmedabad, Shrawan Daju not only taught and guided me academically but also cared me as his younger brother throughout my stay in Ahmedabad. I still fall back to him whenever I am in dilemma.
Little did I knew, when I returned back to Delhi in February 2004, that I would be working with Professor Mahendra P. Lama. Although, we knew each other when I was studying in JNU my professional association with Prof. Lama started from March 2004. Here is a man whom I regard as equivalent to 10 scholars. The most important aspect I realised in Prof. Lama is his ability to handle multiple assignments at a time. He is a total work alcoholic. For me the term scholar is an outdated concept for him; he is a living institution and whatever he speaks becomes a law for me. He instilled in me that there is no shortcut to success. He says, success is right in front of you but you have to struggle to achieve it. Consistency in work is yet another term that Prof. Lama made me familiar with. Professor Lama often remindes me of the classic quote “30 years from now, it won’t matter...How your hair looked, how many frens you made, or the jeans you bought. What will matter is what you learned and how you used it”. To share with you a secret, Prof. Lama is also a very good cook. You have pork cooked by him and I tell you, you will fall in love with him.
I, vividly, remember some specific periods and personalities that inflicted a lasting impression on my overall personality.
First, 1981 was the year when I first stepped into the formal education system in Kalimpong. King Nursery School, popularly known as Mrs. King (the name of the founder headmistress) was one of the finest Nursery Schools in Kalimpong during those days. My days in this school between 1981- 1985 were among the most fruitful ones that I remember so far. It was this school that built within me a confidence to face this world, otherwise so competitive in nature. The headmistress of the school late Mrs. King was an authority in herself. One of the best teachers in Kalimpong, she guided us not merely as a teacher but as our mother and moulded us towards ever higher pursuits. Whenever I conquer success, I remember her and be grateful to her scholarship and guidance extended during those formative years.
Second, in 1987, Dr. P.N. Mallic declared me as a victim of fibroma (later the finding was updated to fibrometosis), a deadly tumour that normally attacks the minors and often re-occurs (approximately up to the age of 13 yrs). I regard the period 1987-1993 as the dark patch of my life. I exactly remember the days and nights I passed through these horrible years. To mention the least out here, I didn’t experience the golden teenage years. Many felt I would die. I was quarantined across the hospitals in Kalimpong, Siliguri, Calcutta, and ultimately Vellore during the period. When my classmates were nervously wandering around with their girl friends I was either under active medication or under major surgery. After undergoing three major surgeries and one major radiation treatment I became capable of interacting with the normal world but not without numerous physical and psychological constraints. My academic life suffered tremendously during the period. There were no academic years when I was not absent from my class for less than two to three months. I, gradually, overcame these limitations with the dint of my hard work, patience and the support of my family members & friends.
Third, I regard the year 1999 as a turning point in my life. This was the year when I cleared the National Entrance Test to study Postgraduate at Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Two years of rigorous academic training in JNU brought out a scholar within me. Besides, interaction with the students and scholars from across spaces of the country and abroad made me relatively dynamic and taught me to observe things from much larger perspective. It was in JNU that I discovered my inner self, my advantages and drawbacks. JNU is a melting pot of the ‘land of unity in diversity’ representing almost all the cultures from every nooks and corners of the country.
Fourth, apart from the above specific circumstances, I regard myself as the product of three great personalities- my father Mr. D. S. Khawas, Dr. Shrawan Kr. Acharya and Prof. Mahendra P. Lama. My father, a semi-literate farmer who still ploughs the fields in Suruk is no less than Mahatma Gandhi to me. Popularly known as ‘Panchgothay Saila’ across the hamlets of Suruk he left no stone unturned in facilitating me to reach where I am today. Given his level of education and economic background I do not hesitate to regard him as a ‘visionary in disguise’ and a man much ahead of his time. Once he wrote a letter to me in Delhi. It had the following points, which I still remember “chora, always remember that you are a son of a poor farmer; never get swept by the superficial wind of the city. Money is always an issue for us, so think appropriately while spending them. We all love you son”. Even today these words are my guiding forces, towards which I reflect upon whenever I am disorientated in the sea of Delhi.
Dr. Shrawan Acharya, a scholar of repute, was instrumental in orienting me towards the field of development planning. It was on his advice I left JNU in 2001 and joined Urban and Regional Planning course in Ahmedabad. Little did I knew then that I was in the process of changing my career for all time to come. Himself, a senior faculty in the School of Planning, Ahmedabad, Shrawan Daju not only taught and guided me academically but also cared me as his younger brother throughout my stay in Ahmedabad. I still fall back to him whenever I am in dilemma.
Little did I knew, when I returned back to Delhi in February 2004, that I would be working with Professor Mahendra P. Lama. Although, we knew each other when I was studying in JNU my professional association with Prof. Lama started from March 2004. Here is a man whom I regard as equivalent to 10 scholars. The most important aspect I realised in Prof. Lama is his ability to handle multiple assignments at a time. He is a total work alcoholic. For me the term scholar is an outdated concept for him; he is a living institution and whatever he speaks becomes a law for me. He instilled in me that there is no shortcut to success. He says, success is right in front of you but you have to struggle to achieve it. Consistency in work is yet another term that Prof. Lama made me familiar with. Professor Lama often remindes me of the classic quote “30 years from now, it won’t matter...How your hair looked, how many frens you made, or the jeans you bought. What will matter is what you learned and how you used it”. To share with you a secret, Prof. Lama is also a very good cook. You have pork cooked by him and I tell you, you will fall in love with him.
posted by Vimal Khawas at 12:27 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home