419. The Professor's Jokes

Students would be enthusiastic about attending the classes of  Professor Gurumurthy. 

This was because, Gurumurthy, in his classes, would often talk about many extraneous topics.

He would particularly take jibes at incompetence of the college principal and the stupidity of the people managing the college.

Sometimes, he would even comment about some political leaders. But, the references would always be indirect.

Most of the students found this distraction a welcome change from the boredom of listening to the lessons. 

Mahesh was among the few students, who were not happy about the professor's meanderings.

"Are we coming to the college to study or to listen to gossip?" lamented Mahesh, while talking to his classmate Kesavan.

"What is your problem? We find his diversions welcome, since they provide us some relief from the monotony of the lessons. This is not a school, but a college. We don't have to learn things from the teacher. We can study by reading the books and score well in the examination. Let us get some entertainment in the classroom!"

This was Kesavan's response.

Mahesh knew that Gurumurthy had a master's degree, but not a doctorate degree. Gurumurthy himself revealed this in one of his classes.

"I have not done my Ph.D. What was the need? A person with a Ph.D. degree will be paid one thousand rupees more than a person with a master's degree. For getting this paltry incremental sum of one thousand rupees, should I have done a Ph.D, begging a senior professor to consent to be my guide and running errands for him, for a couple of years, so that he would approve my thesis? One may argue that unless one has a Ph.D. degree, one can't go up in one's career ladder. But, what is the reality? In our country, people with only a master's degree had become vice-chancellors of universities!"

When Gurumurthy laughed, the students joined him, without even having an idea of whether what he had said was true and if so, whom he was referring to!

When Mahesh had the opportunity to interact with a student placed in another section of the same course he was pursuing, he asked him about the professor who was handling the subject that Gurumurthy was handling for Mahesh's section. 

"It is Professor Dhanapal" he replied.

"How are his classes?"

"Hos classes are very interesting. In his classes, he won't talk about anything other than the subject. He has profound knowledge in the subject. So, he can go on and on about the topic he teaches. Sometimes, he will even touch upon certain advanced concepts, not included in our syllabus, to kindle our interest and make us appreciate the topic better. No student will like to miss any of his classes. I have gone to the staff room a few times, to meet him. During those times, I have observed that while other professors would be chatting, Professor Dhanapal would be reading some book. Once, seeing that he was reading a magazine, I asked him what that magazine was. He said it was a technical journal on his subject and that it was his practice to read such journals and get him updated on the latest developments in the subject. At present, he has gone to Mumbai, to attend a seminar. Initially, thought that he might have been sponsored by the college. But, subsequently, I came to know that he had taken leave and gone to Mumbai, at his own expenses!"

Mahesh reflected on the fact that in a college where there were professors like Gurumurthy, with a casual approach to the subject they were teaching, there were also professors like Dhanapal, willing to spend their own time and money to improve their knowledge, by listening to scholarly presentations, even at far off places.

The next day, Gurumurthy said in the class, "There are people in this college, who would take leave and go to far off places like Mumbai and Kolkatta, at their own expense, to attend some seminar there. This is what is called hoisting one's own petard!" 

He laughed out aloud, enjoying his own joke.

The entire class joined him in his laughter

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 42
Learning through Listening

Verse 419 (in Tamil):

nuNangiya kELviyar allAr vaNangiya 
vAyinar Adhal aridhu.

Meaning:

One who has not acquired learning through listening is not likely to be a person of humility in speech.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'pErAsiriyarin pEchchu' by the same author.)

Verse 420
Verse 418