ALWAYS well-dressed, he would walk into class, sit down, sometimes prop his feet on the table, and transport us in time. One could smell the smoke and the blood, hear the fluting of arrows and the rasp of swords being unsheathed. We were in the room when the last Mughal poignantly uttered the borrowed line: “Hunooz Dilli door ast [Delhi is still a long way off].” Spiced with anecdotes and Urdu couplets, his lecture was a living thing. If there was ever a living, breathing time machine I met, it was Professor Mohammed Amin, who taught me medieval Indian history at St Stephen's College, Delhi. He was later vice-chancellor of Jamia Hamdard. When he died in 2012, obituarists described him as an institution, which he certainly was. His son, Shahid Amin, also used to teach history at Delhi University. One day, maybe, I should walk into one of his speeches, sit in a quiet corner and see if the magic has been passed on. What wouldn't I give to time travel again!
Teachers and colleges have such a grip on you, don't they? This issue of THE WEEK presents our annual special on best colleges in the country. Backed by THE WEEK-Hansa Research Survey 2017, the cover package tracks new trends in collegiate education and lists the best colleges. One emerging trend is the emphasis on practical education, across all streams. So, the divide between professional and non-professional streams is fading. Everyone wants to have a fairly impressive CV, by the time they graduate. I think students in urban colleges have an edge here, because of the bouquet of opportunities in cities. For example, one of my chief subeditors used to subtitle English movies, while he was in graduate school. That opportunity, usually, would not present itself in a rural environment. Come to think of it, maybe, I am being a bit pessimistic. With the web spreading far and wide, all sorts of distances would be closed by digital bridges, I hope.
One major challenge we face every year is to sift between the credible institutions and the fly-by-night ones. Often, the colleges which deserve a high rank do not participate in surveys, thinking that it is improper to blow their own trumpet. The shady ones have no such qualms. They hard sell with glossy brochures and smooth talk. That is why, to confirm, THE WEEK-Hansa Research Survey always speaks to current students of a ranked college.
Coming from a family of teachers, for me the beginning of the academic year has been a moment of great excitement. I just have to close my eyes to see a long line of ancestors setting out to school or college. My grandfather K.C. Mammen Mappillai taught at the M.D. Seminary School in Kottayam. His brother K.C. Chacko co-founded Union Christian College, Aluva. My uncle K.M. Cherian, former editor of the Malayala Manorama, taught history at Madras Christian College. Every year, as the monsoon hammered its way across the peninsula, these men would unfold their umbrellas and stride off into the rain to welcome their new class. I think it is symbolic—the rains and the start of school. Here's to fresh beginnings.
