HOW The Popular NET SET GO Happened!
#memoriesfromdiaries 💕
DD Sir was my neighbour in the hostel where I stayed.
Added, he had just then joined the Department as Faculty!
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| 13 September 2001, my personal diary entry |
On an aside, I should also confess that, though our hostel life was amazing in every way, it didn’t quite have the ambience for preparing for our NET/JRF exams!
The NET of our dreams back then!
That’s because, every day in and day out, we hostelers had some work or the other always at hand – that we rarely had our private space to prepare for our future!
For a kutty little flashback -
during my UG Days, in the late 1990s, it was our dear Prof. SF who had encouraged us all to try our hands at the NET, which had just then become a part of College teaching.
Said he,
Dear class, up until now, any MA graduate could just walk-in for an interview and straight away join as Faculty in our department. That’s how it’s been all this long.
But from now on, NET has become a mandatory component for becoming eligible to teach in College / University,
he had added.
This was a trigger and a prompt for all of us!
From thence on, a few of us started preparing in right earnest for our NET/JRF!
During my first year MA Programme, we had a lot of curricular and co-curricular activities that, we rarely had time for NET preparation.
So I gently requested Appa if he could permit me to get myself a rented accommodation outside College, to help me focus on my NET!
Appa gladly agreed. Love him the more for that! 💕
As a loving dad, he knew my priorities.
He knew that, unless I clear my NET, my MA Programme could be of very little help to me!
So he gladly consented!
Thus was I put up at the famous Manju Mansion, where Prof. JLM (late) and Prof.DD were my neighbours.
This helped me a lot in many ways, because I had access to lovely teachers – the workings of their mind – their intellectual prowess, etc.
It was then, that for the first time in my life I realised how important it was to have a fellowship and a camaraderie with such great scholars!
My little room – my cherished sacred space - I used to fondly call it the NET Room! 😍
Since I had taken all possible care to design my room with all things NET from top to bottom!
Name any book that was even slightly connected with NET/JRF and hey presto! Rest assured - it was sure bound to find a place in my room! 😍
Moreover, since I was a regular visitor to our lovely library in College, Dr. Manalan, our Librarian asked me the books I needed for my NET Preparation.
I gave him the title of one lovely book by Cambridge, and I told him,
Sir, this book is too good. But it costs us Rs. 4500/-
Something, (two decades earlier!) that was very difficult for us students to afford.
So I requested him if he could get that one book for me.
With such a cheerful smile on him, he said,
Rufus, next week you’ll have it in the Reference section. Don’t worry. Anything else you need? Please feel free to ask me anytime…
Here was a father-like figure who was very concerned about my studies and my future!
To my surprise, the very next week, he showed me the book that he had ordered from an international Publisher, and it had come all the way from the UK, exclusively for me, which is [till date] housed in the beautiful Reference Section of the Library.
I was teary-eyed! Couldn’t thank him enough! 🙏🙏🙏
That very day, I had resolved that, if at all, I get to write a book, I would dedicate it to my dear inspiration Dr. Manalan! 💛
And yes dear reader, in the year 2014, with the abundant blessings of God and all my dearest teachers, I was able to publish three books.
This includes the now popular ‘NET SET GO’ – a ready-reckoner handbook of around 700 pages [released by our Principal] which I had co-authored - earlier with Dr. Ganesh, and later on with Dr. Benet! I am happy to note that NET SET GO is now prescribed in five Universities and numerous Colleges as well.
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| 29 Oct 2014, my first book - dedicated to my guru Dr. Manalan |
In the very first edition of NET SET GO, I had acknowledged the love and gratitude I owe to Dr. Manalan, my guru, who was instrumental in me coming up with this book!
Then came up my next two books!
And I dedicated them both to my dearest guru Dr. Manalan!
At a great grand function organized for the occasion in MCC (sponsored by our Principal).
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| NET SET GO, 04 Aug 2014 |
[Dr. Ganesh - my kindred spirit - was visibly moved by this gesture, that he impulsively took me to a huge jewellery shop in Tambaram West, and sponsored - all by himself - a very expensive gift for my guru – Dr. Manalan! The occasion also had our JDC, Dr. Armstrong, Head, Dept of English, UoM, our beloved Principal, our Bursar, and a celebrated IAS officer.]
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| Snapshot of the Third Edition of 'NET SET GO' [2016] |
Well, that was just an aside!
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| the revised & updated 2021 Edition |
Well, I used to have two thermos flasks with me!
Sharp at nine in the night, I used to walk all my way to the adjacent Sakkarai Annan’s Tea shop and get my flasks filled up with coffee!
Then throughout the night, in the blissful solitude of my room, I used to -
Read and write! Read and write! Read and write!
I used to have highlighter pens with me, and a notebook as well!
The moment I chanced upon something new, I used to highlight it, and then write it down on my specially designed NET Note Book (Which I still cherish, and have it with me, you see!) 😍
Till 3 or 3.30 in the morning, I used to study in this fashion – every single day for the next six months!
And our class was such a vibrant class.
So we used to have combined study in my room during the weekends, and sometimes we used to organize special lectures by Professors all by ourselves, of our own sweet initiatives, for which we got the greatest support from all our teachers.
In short, our class was the pride of our dear teachers.
Whenever we requested for permission to host a lecture, promptly, Prof PN our HoD would say, ‘Gladly yes!’
So it was, in this fashion, I had asked my dear friend Prof. DD, if he could give our class a talk on Archetypes!
He gladly consented!
[You see, he had just joined our Department, and so he was handling UG Classes. That’s hence we didn’t have the opportunity of listening to his lectures firsthand!]
The class started at 3.45 pm –
and attending the lecture was purely voluntary, since this was done outside of our usual classes.
The lecture went on and on till 6.45 pm.
Then we asked Suresh anna to supply us with tea!
After the lecture, we had a vibrant time of interaction with DD Sir for over an hour!
He had really enlightened us on Archetypes!
This was our first class with the legend!
More were to follow!
Thanks to the blessings of God and our dearest Professors, I cleared my NET in my very first attempt - December 2001!
Out of 4500 candidates who had appeared from our University, 13 had cleared. And I was so blessed to be one among the 13! 😊
And guess what? Now, Prof. DD is the Head, Dept of English, [SFS] at our own MCC! 😍
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