This season they have sown no seeds.
The old stubbles stand,
waiting for further progress to weed them out.
The sun melts down the horizon
The field lies supine like a corpse clothed in red mistrust.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Heroic Couplets, Celebrating the Victory of Mr B over Literature
As Eternal Providence ordains all
And Nature responds to the Master’s call
Every sapling towards the sunlight grows
And every mind some development shows.
The Genius must be one who does rebel
And dim the diamond and polish the pebble.
So, Mister B was on a dark night born
By Infernal Decree to cloud all morn.
Stupidity blessed him as his height grew
His hollowness none matched, his hunger few.
Learning he despised but earning he loved
And that aim he fixed, though his brain Age robbed.
Literature was his chosen victim
Of such war Lady Lit could never dream.
His head she smites, impregnable as rock
Easier it is to move a wood’n block.
One by one fail all her weapons of sense
He stands immune e’en to grammar and tense.
His mighty company politics keeps
From his dread name the Superhero peeps.
So, all appeals of sense he treats with scorn
Fallen angels with clubs his sides adorn.
From the Government’s guesthouse, known as jail
Millions more in encouragement rail.
Giving up hope Lady Lit sounds retreat
Captured is she from her glorious seat.
Chopped into pieces on a four-legg’d block
Her flesh is sold to the following flock
That does not eat but sells the flesh again
For such scanty price as four out of ten.
The hero triumphs and shakes off worry
Celebrates victory with mutton curry.
O hail the Victor! Prince of Darkness rules
Who has banished wisdom and honoured fools.
My verse his vices rare shall eternise
And celebrate his victory o’er the wise.
And Nature responds to the Master’s call
Every sapling towards the sunlight grows
And every mind some development shows.
The Genius must be one who does rebel
And dim the diamond and polish the pebble.
So, Mister B was on a dark night born
By Infernal Decree to cloud all morn.
Stupidity blessed him as his height grew
His hollowness none matched, his hunger few.
Learning he despised but earning he loved
And that aim he fixed, though his brain Age robbed.
Literature was his chosen victim
Of such war Lady Lit could never dream.
His head she smites, impregnable as rock
Easier it is to move a wood’n block.
One by one fail all her weapons of sense
He stands immune e’en to grammar and tense.
His mighty company politics keeps
From his dread name the Superhero peeps.
So, all appeals of sense he treats with scorn
Fallen angels with clubs his sides adorn.
From the Government’s guesthouse, known as jail
Millions more in encouragement rail.
Giving up hope Lady Lit sounds retreat
Captured is she from her glorious seat.
Chopped into pieces on a four-legg’d block
Her flesh is sold to the following flock
That does not eat but sells the flesh again
For such scanty price as four out of ten.
The hero triumphs and shakes off worry
Celebrates victory with mutton curry.
O hail the Victor! Prince of Darkness rules
Who has banished wisdom and honoured fools.
My verse his vices rare shall eternise
And celebrate his victory o’er the wise.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Part-Time Lecturers in West Bengal, India
A Short Note on Part Time Lecturers in West Bengal, India.
I do not know why I am scribbling about the part-time lecturers in West Bengal, all of a sudden. Why should people like to know about this melancholy band of neo-proletariats? But, what if somebody does? If not today, may be, in some distant future someone might come across, however inadvertently, this small article of mine. Then perhaps, much like the cave-paintings made by some whimsical savage, this writing will become an important piece of social document!
This is obvious that the part-time lecturers, referred to as ‘part-timers’ (for contempt as well as convenience), are those fellows who teach in a college ‘some’ days in a week, meaning, they do not have to work for ‘the entire duty hours’ or on ‘all weekdays’. But, whatever is ‘obvious’ is not always ‘true’. Part-timers is West Bengal often work five days a week and take as many classes as the so-called ‘full-timers’. But see the discrepancy in the pay scale. While the ‘full-timers’ get nearly 20000 bucks a month, the part-timers are paid less than 4000 for the same work and with the same qualification! Though the U.G.C. recommends that all part-time lecturers should be given 4000 rupees for only ‘six’ classes a week, the colleges compel them to take 10-12 classes a week, and yet, refuse to pay as much. In addition to that there is outright show of disrespect from the full-time teachers to the part-time colleagues. Even the clerks or peons look down at these unfortunate young men—an unorganised band of cheap labourers. Only the students do not discriminate between teachers. They only classify teachers as the good/useful ones and bad/useless ones. They would treat a teacher scornfully, even if he/she were a full-time one, if he/she failed to command their respect with skill, knowledge and proper guidance.
Moreover, there is a feeling of insecurity. Any part-timer may lose his/her job, if he/she displeases the college authority. Some colleges even cut down the scanty pay of part-timers in ‘slack sessions’ when there are fewer classes. So, the Marxist system of thought is queerly applicable to explain such exploitation of these educated young men in a ‘communist’ state. The government is a capitalist here, education being its business and the colleges being the ‘means of material production’. The part-time lecturers are the proletariat who do not own these means and, therefore, are exploited mercilessly for the profiteering motive of the government. I wonder how shameless people can be. How can people draw a whopping 20,000 as salary and offer 2000 or 3500 rupees to fellow workers?
I do not know why I am scribbling about the part-time lecturers in West Bengal, all of a sudden. Why should people like to know about this melancholy band of neo-proletariats? But, what if somebody does? If not today, may be, in some distant future someone might come across, however inadvertently, this small article of mine. Then perhaps, much like the cave-paintings made by some whimsical savage, this writing will become an important piece of social document!
This is obvious that the part-time lecturers, referred to as ‘part-timers’ (for contempt as well as convenience), are those fellows who teach in a college ‘some’ days in a week, meaning, they do not have to work for ‘the entire duty hours’ or on ‘all weekdays’. But, whatever is ‘obvious’ is not always ‘true’. Part-timers is West Bengal often work five days a week and take as many classes as the so-called ‘full-timers’. But see the discrepancy in the pay scale. While the ‘full-timers’ get nearly 20000 bucks a month, the part-timers are paid less than 4000 for the same work and with the same qualification! Though the U.G.C. recommends that all part-time lecturers should be given 4000 rupees for only ‘six’ classes a week, the colleges compel them to take 10-12 classes a week, and yet, refuse to pay as much. In addition to that there is outright show of disrespect from the full-time teachers to the part-time colleagues. Even the clerks or peons look down at these unfortunate young men—an unorganised band of cheap labourers. Only the students do not discriminate between teachers. They only classify teachers as the good/useful ones and bad/useless ones. They would treat a teacher scornfully, even if he/she were a full-time one, if he/she failed to command their respect with skill, knowledge and proper guidance.
Moreover, there is a feeling of insecurity. Any part-timer may lose his/her job, if he/she displeases the college authority. Some colleges even cut down the scanty pay of part-timers in ‘slack sessions’ when there are fewer classes. So, the Marxist system of thought is queerly applicable to explain such exploitation of these educated young men in a ‘communist’ state. The government is a capitalist here, education being its business and the colleges being the ‘means of material production’. The part-time lecturers are the proletariat who do not own these means and, therefore, are exploited mercilessly for the profiteering motive of the government. I wonder how shameless people can be. How can people draw a whopping 20,000 as salary and offer 2000 or 3500 rupees to fellow workers?
Friday, April 25, 2008
Mama-Bhagne Rocks
This is a place I took my students to, for a picnic, on 2 Jan this yr. Mama-Bhagne Pahar. In Bengali 'Mama' means uncle (mother's brother) and 'Bhagne' means 'nephew'. Nice place, but looks unimpressive until one is suddenly exposed to the weird stretch of huge chunks of stone. So far as I remember, it is in Birbhum, West Bengal, India. Looks awesome, doesn't it?Son-Shine
This is my son. Just eight months old. Shouldn't I be proud to be his father? His name is a bit difficult though. 'Swastyayan', meaning 'a ritual that exorcises evil'. Nice name, eh?
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