I have been wanting to write a book for three years now, it started off with an idea of a reminiscences. Before penning anything, I would like to articulate something intermittently flicked on my mind, as pre-Socratic Greek Philosopher Protagoras said “Man is the measure of all things” (490-420 BC). All the standards by which things, including our values, can be measured, but they must come from within the human being and are dependent upon places where we live in and, of course, our circumstances and situations.
I remember, it was in 2002 that I graduated and under the influence of Prof. Shiv Narayan Vyas (Late), Professor in Hindi at LBS College, Dharmabad (Maharashtra), I opted for Hindi as my subject for higher studies and came to Hyderabad for the first time to fill in the HCU entrance exam form and then, second time to write entrance exam. To begin with I didn’t like the glitz and crowd of Hyderabad city, but the beauty of the university campus caught my attention straight away; I started liking and loving the place. And when the HCU entrance results for the programme in Hindi were declared, I was pleasantly surprised to secure the second place. This motivated me to work hard and scale new heights. Though in the past I was easy going and laid back, I now resolved to push myself and prove to myself that I could excel in academic work. This vision loomed large with passage of time and I found myself assiduously moving towards my goal. I don’t know when, but the university turned a dream university and Hyderabad became a dream city to live in.
All my professors in the Hindi Department were expert in their chosen areas of specialization and significantly to my growth as a young scholar. In particular, Prof. Suvas Kumar (now retired), drew in my attention. Outside the class he was a calm and reserved person who hardly ever mingled with the students, but in the classroom he was absolutely awesome. I heard about his writing, both critical and creative, and soon I found myself drawn to his work. The decision was made that I would carry out research under his guidance. He generously imparted his knowledge and because of his guidance my first book ‘Sanskriti Banam Apsanskritikaran’ was published by Veteran Journalist and Socialist Sri G. P. Mishra of Allahabad and the preface for the book was written by Critic Prof. Rajendra Kumar of Allahabad University.
During my post graduation, I spent my leisure hours and end-semester holidays in the Indira Gandhi Memorial Library. The place is very neat, well-designed and the voluminous books available in the library are properly organized; the books on shelves were clean and properly dusted and held me in thrall. Such a systematic place I had never ever seen before. Later on, I visited JNU and could not find a single book on its shelf. By the way, I left the campus in year 2005, and after that I could not read even a single book beyond my area of specialization, but the time spent in the library in reading novels, literary criticisms and other books stood me in good stead during interviews.
Before leaving the campus, sometime in the month of April 2004, I joined the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Khammam (AP), as a PGT. But there was something alluring about HCU that beaconed me and soon I resigned my job at JNV and enrolled for further studies at HCU and successfully completed M.Phil and Ph.D programmes in Hindi.
The award, the M.Phil degree and a gold medal for the best thesis of the year opened new doors to work as freelance journalist. Etv interviewed me and later offered a very lucrative salary and attractive post of Script Writer for Kalanjali episodes and later on taken up Teerthyatra episodes. Then I started dreaming and weaving the future. HCU had provided me a ladder to scale new heights. There was a time when I used to work round the clock to meet tight schedules and the demands of the authorities of the organizations I served. I gave almost 6 years of my life to couple of organizations in Hyderabad. Few may say that my services were exploited, but I always say to myself, “I was very lucky to serve 7 organizations a day for long 6 years, whereas it is very tough to cope with one management.” I am the superman or super hero of my life and HCU is the place where I attained super powers to grow beyond the limits. I still remember I used to sleep only for 3-4 hours a day and that too mostly in public transport, travelling from one place to another, juggling different organizations. HCU has generated such an immense capacity inside me.
2010: Got a call from ‘Google’ for the post of Hindi Linguist Reviewer and after a couple of test rounds, I was selected and placed at Google’s Bangalore office. No one thought that such job could be offered to a language person and that too to a person like me with a rural background! I was sick of this hectic shuttling about and keeping pace with time. I now had a new dream vision – to work in a Central University.
HCU has blessed me with a couple of loveable well wishers who think about me and my career and it is with their help that I joined the Central University of Nagaland and then on I sculpted my own path to tread on. Now, when I have almost reached the peak, few people who talk idly, says “Ghis-ghisa kar kahan tak pahunche?” When they consider my growth they must bear in mind that it has come about as a result of tireless industry and the sacrifice of all comforts. But let me acknowledge that whatever I have achieved is the offshoot of the inputs provided by HCU during my period as a student there. I would have become nothing, but for the work ethics fostered in me by my mentors. HCU was my first and final choice ever to study and of course it’s my top choice now to serve as a faculty member in HCU.
Before I sign off, I want to thank to my dear friend, mentor and well-wisher Mr. Ashish Jacob Thomas, PRO, UoH for giving an opportunity to write for the newsletter.
– Anand Patil
Central University of Tamil Nadu
Thiruvarur-610004
Email: anandpatil.hcu@gmail.com
(M) +91 94860 37432