Landmarks in Life
Good deeds that became curse.
When I wrote a text book for my own Course of Studies!
When I took admission in the Graduate Course in Political Science in Ravenshaw College in 1959, Prof. Dr. Sriram Chandra Dash called me to what others in the College described as his ‘durbar’. Colleagues gave me to understand that a student of Pol Sc failing to report at the durbar regularly is likely to lose marks in the examination. On descending at the durbar I was greeted with cheers. Prof. Dash told me that the University was introducing a paper on General Studies in B.A. course, papers being different for the Humanities and the Science students. The former will study General Studies in Science and the latter GS in Humanities. Dr. Dash wanted me to write a text book on General Studies in Science prescribed for the 3rd year Arts students of whom I was one. Knowing the piquant situation he advised me to write freely on Science subjects as we read in I. Sc. Course and he would get it published in his name as the author. He consoled me that no science teacher would compare well with me as I stood first in the I. Sc. Examination of 1959. It was easy for Dr. Dash to get the book in two volumes, one on Humanities the other on Science approved as text books for the Graduate Classes. In the volume on Science whose proclaimed author was Dr. Dash he made a mention of me as contributing to the writing. Some of my batch mates curried favour with Dr. Dash by spreading a canard that I am claiming to have written the book, thereby belittling his wisdom. Dr Dash was unhappy with me and he withdrew the two volumes from the approved text books. I understand the General Studies was later taken off the syllabus and I took off to Allahabad University. I was used (pardon me for the use of ‘used’) to write the alphabetical index of his book on Indian Constitution. I took some of the dictations for his book on Gopabandhu. But after some students cried foul of the General Studies book I was not used to work for Dr. Dash’s writings though I was a frequent visitor to his durbar. A good intention to write a book on behalf of my professor brought a sort of wrath from him. It was a Benami text book of Dr. Dash. On retrospection I have the satisfaction of creating a sort of a record of writing half of a text book for my own course of studies.