Making M,I,T,S the MITS: An Interview
Title deserves clarification. The Management, the Institute, its Technology, the Students & Staff. It is high time they were one. This is what our Director Prof. R.K. Pandit thinks. We had a brief talk with him earlier this week on his views. Here is what he said.
Note: I went because I wanted to visit his office for something other than receiving my suspension letter for bitching about the library. Or the guy who shoos us away at 5:30. Or the college in general.
Note: Anything between “/* */” is a comment. It’s CSE jargon. Don’t mind ha. /*winks at the CSE people reading this*/
Note: He was cool with us bugging him for 31 mins and 44 secs Yes we timed it alright. Yeah there was a file that did come in our way. And we have a smiling picture of him as proof :-)
Q. Tell us something about yourself
T1. I am a human being, nothing more. As a person, I think you’ll be a better person to judge me than myself.
A girl asked me some three decades back to which place I belong. I said Kashmir. All of a sudden she expected me to be a Muslim. She was very excited, maybe same religion or something.
/*Yeah I was too actually. I imagined him wearing that Kashmiri hat with sheep grazing in the background and all. */
She asked “how does Islam go there?”
I said “I am not a Muslim but let me introduce myself. I was born in a Hindu family, brought up in an Islamic culture and I firmly believe in Christ. I start my day praying to Christ. When I start something new, I pray to Lord Ganesha. I have been doing this for the past many years.”
I believe in a God, not in idols. That is my personal way of looking at things.
Q. You spent your childhood in Kashmir, any memories you’d like to share?
T2. Oh I’d love to go back. I call it my homeland though I went back there some 25 years ago. It had changed a lot. But there is still a thirst for that place. Maybe the plants, the trees, the aroma, the neighborhood. I feel a belongingness there. Anybody does in their homeland.
/*I feel it too. Although I feel I belong to the tribe of nomadic herdsmen of Chickensoup Bay. What? It doesn’t exist? Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.*/
Q. How were you as a student? Brilliant?
No I was never a brilliant student. To be honest, why should anyone be?
/*This so touched my heart. Take that mom*/
: So were you a backbencher?
T3. I wasn’t a backbencher. At least in my college days. It was a curse for me that I had to sit in the first bench when there were twenty in class. The professors always had eyes on you. Five had to sit together so you were pushed around. There were more girls in class and they used to occupy the back benches. Hostellers were always late and had to occupy the first row. Here it is different perhaps, students occupy the first row first. /*Actually, profs think first row guys know everything #swag. It is a stunt performed by professionals, mind you*/ We didn’t have gadgets and all, but mess and other things meant you were a late sleeper and a late riser.
We used to listen to music in matkas. You use laptops, phones. Only a few could afford stereos. So it was just cheap car stereos. You had to buy that and a 9 or 12 volt adapter. It doesn’t have speakers so you buy them separately, and you put one inside the matka and one over it. If you had two matkas you put one in each. It is a very beautiful voice. Those things (car stereos) were highest sold in the market. Students would come to your room and sit for a couple of hours just to listen to that sound.
/*I’m going to try that. Someone got a matka?*/
Q. Kashmir, you answered it already. I was wondering how you knew Kashmiri.
T4. Yeah I am from Kashmir. I had planned to end my career there. Even though I don’t find many people I know there, I can connect to the place.
In this institution as well, connect is a big problem. That connect is missing. Between students, faculty, so called hostellers and day scholars. I am trying to find a solution, because it is a deep rooted problem. In my 31 years here it has been only twice or thrice when I have seen the institution standing as one. When I was a warden they used to say I patronize the hostellers. Now when I’m here people say I’m patronising the day scholars. I say what is the difference? I push you out of the hostel you become a day scholar. I push some of you in you become a hosteller.
I even say let people go to the girls hostel. Once that phobia, that curiosity goes away there won’t be a problem. Humans are a curious species. But also, when curiosity goes away you’re just a lump of bones and flesh. Staying with the students, you always feel you are young.
/*7.2 trillion cells worth of tissue. Be curious, what’s the issue? Alright, alright I suck at limericks.*/
Q. You and Prof. Manjaree are both in prominent positions in the college. What does it feel to be an organisational duo?
T5. In M.P., I was the youngest person to become a full-fledged professor at the age of 35. Unfortunately, or fortunately because of that I had to move to a different circle. Different work environment, responsibilities. We had 6 years of difference between us. But that fades eventually. You start growing old together. Happens with everyone. That is happening. She’s Dean Academic, a very important component in this institution, especially now when change is necessary. I’m not saying other people couldn’t have done it better, but at the moment her sport is very tremendous. Sometimes I only have to say this much and things get done. It would’ve been very difficult for someone else, maybe because she understands my philosophy. Maybe.
That said we do have differences of opinion. She says it has to be done this way, I say it has to be done that way. For the past 30 years, I think I have hardly gone to her office for like 30 times. Hardly. In the last 6 months, she may have come here (his office) twice or thrice. You have to be professional. It may happen I am hard with somebody and someone known comes, and I soften suddenly. You can’t let that happen. If there is a difference of opinion, let there be one. If I agree, I agree. There are many files I reject, many I approve if they are justified.
I believe in myself and like to do things on my own, a loner sort of. I call myself a one man army. I love to stay alone and I enjoy that feeling. Because that’s when you can rethink about what you’ve done. I can evaluate my contribution to the society, because when you feel that you could have given something to the society but you did not, that guilt can eat you.
/*Some file about a guy who wants to cancel his admission comes in. Goes away pretty quickly. This is the one that I mentioned earlier*/
Q. You said you like to spend time alone. Can’t it be that other’s opinions might affect yours?
You are born alone, you die alone.
T6. You need some time to think about yourself, find your inner self. Nobody can say he isn’t influenced, but you need to remember that it’s an art being alone. You look at people sitting in the restaurants, look out the window and count the number of cars going by. It’s a wonderful feeling.
Q. What are your impressions of the juniors this year?
T7. I haven’t interacted much with them, but somehow they feel quite mature. That’s what I feel. Some girls haven’t come out of Maggi yet, well so haven’t I to be frank. They’re a bunch of curious people, the girls.
/*Maggi made in hot geyser water.The length of this jugaad is amazing*/
I went to the boys hostel at around 10:30–11:00 pm one day. I saw them sitting in groups of three-four students, introducing themselves to each other maybe. Lights are out at the time so to speak, no fear of ragging. It used to a huge thing back in my day. Now it is a crime. Ragging or a similar attitude, whether in a student or a faculty, I say he or she has some problem. I suggest they should go to a psychiatrist. There is a stigma attached to it in India. Our family gives a lot of counselling, but there is a difference between that and medical counselling.
Q. It takes a lot from a person to head this establishment. What keeps you motivated?
T8. I give twelve hours at a stretch to this college. It’s payback time for my career. I am what I am because of this institution. You take this place out of my name, my affiliation, I’m nothing but a common man. Just giving back what I have gained from my alma mater is what keeps me going.
/*That’s a lot of interest he’s paying back. */
Q. What are your plans for the college?
T9. I’ve decided to not go for building infrastructure, as of now. Maybe because I am from the architecture dept. people thought it’ll happen. I scrapped 15 crore worth of projects in the 1st week itself. Before anything, we need to reorganize ourselves. First phase of which I’ve done. You see the new classrooms. Whatever shabby way we are, let it be right now. The next construction will be done when classes are over this year. Whatever intake has increased we’ll accommodate them in our campus. I feel bad that it’s a technical institution and the labs haven’t been taken care of. Next year, we’ll go a big way for the labs. It’s a must.
I didn’t get new computers for the sake of it. Everyone has their laptops, they like working on it. And everyone wants their own data. Nobody wants to use those dumb machines we put in labs. That’s what I did in the architecture department. I said I’ll make you charging points instead.
It also depends on students. Not by complaining on a piece of paper, but suggesting how we can change, what are their needs, how can we make this place better.
/*Well this is something we should work on I guess*/
Somebody asked me and I said I’ll take the biggest risk of my life. I’ll have a college function. “Kya hoga, jhagda hoga, ladai ho jaegi? Dekha jaega” because one needs determination. Activities are necessary. Last college function was, I think back in early 90s. Later functions ended in a very messy way. Why? Difference of opinion. Students from LNIPE and Agriculture College used to come and beat up students here. Happens. /*Please note that Querencia does not endorse beating the crap out of LNIPE and Agriculture College students in the heat of revenge*/ But you have to bring a better culture in this college. I’m trying to search for a medium to bring this about.
Q. Is there any message for the readers?
T10. Yes, one thing. Come to the college. It’s for you, not for the staff or the faculty. It is you who can make it move forward. The way you leave this institution, it’ll move that way. Leave it on a positive note, it moves in that direction. You shouldn’t repent studying here, I don’t want my students looking at this college and saying that’s not mine.
That was the little talk we had. There is a huge stamp in the office, particularly eye catching. And the AC is awesome, cute chairs and super comfy sofas too. That guy behind desk though, he is perhaps the best sight in the place for now.
