'I personally feel that, teachers [or professors] who exploit students to do such menial works are a blot on the entire vocation...'

On Exploitative Teachers | On Vanaspati | On prosopis juliflora

04 March 1995 | Some Ruminations

#MCCSchoolDays

#memoriesfromdiaries

Upma, back then, was my kinda ‘odious approximation, a haunting conscience, a preposterous shadow’, my Achilles heel, in short, my nemesis. 😊

But wait… I’ve always loved the original, savoury, flavoury, Upma done by Amma at  home, for our breakfast sans vanaspati. However, this particular Upma, was an aversion to all of us, because of the huge overdose of Dalda (vanaspati) that was chaotically shot into the Upma, 😉 that made it both inedible and uneatable! [Vanaspati ghee was used as a cheap alternative to cow ghee].

By today’s market price, one litre of vanaspati ghee costs Rs.140/- while one litre of desi cow ghee costs Rs.620/- (Aavin), vanaspati being almost five times lesser in price]. Hence an aversion for the ‘vanaspatified’ Uppuma 😉 Quite intriguingly, vanaspati seems to have been introduced into India by Dutch traders, as early as in 1931, as a cheap substitute for the highly expensive desi cow ghee.

[On an aside, this is much akin to the highly invasive prosopis juliflora [or seemai karuvelam] that was introduced into India as early as in the 1870s, as a cheap ‘fuel substitute’.

Quite interestingly, in 2017, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had ordered the Govt of Tamil Nadu to completely weed out and eradicate the species from the state. However, sensing that nothing much had happened, in 2022, the Madras High Court, [also highly dissatisfied with the Govt’s measures], directed the government to immediately frame a policy to eradicate the plant. Hence, the state on 13 July 2022 framed a policy to eliminate the invasive species].

Coming back to 04th March 1995, into the morning -  

The unthinkable had just happened! We were all tricked into coming to school on this particular day, under a pretext!

Pretext, btw, means, ‘a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason.’ [Cambridge Dictionary]

That’s exactly something our Physics Teacher did to all of us – his ‘students’.

He had set us all a trap! ☹

On the pretext of giving us all, our Physics Practical Marks, he made us all [all the 50 of us] to come to our respective classes, and made us varnish our desks – that too on a holiday!

The varnishing process went something like this: First, we had to apply sand paper, and then wax was given to us, to varnish the desks. Headmaster was also there to inspect it all. After a forenoon filled with varnishing, much to our chagrin, our pants and tee shirts were smeared with wax all over.

Now, when I look back on this episode, I feel so bad at students having been asked to do menial jobs like these.

MCC School Hostel was one among the most expensive hostels in the City back then. And we had come to School to study, not to do menial jobs that someone else was employed and paid to do.

I personally feel that, teachers or professors who exploit students to do such menial works are a blot on the entire profession.

I repeat, a blot on the vocation!

If only we had had the guts to complain to our parents, and help lodge a complaint against such exploitative teachers who forced us into doing such menial works, things would have been better atleast for the subsequent batches of students.

Such criminals – wolves in sheep’s clothing – who double up as teachers interestingly, also earn a hefty and huge government salary, and warm their bottoms in comfy chairs, while using pretexts and pressurizing tactics to exploit such gullible students to their advantage.

Teaching, it is said, is the noblest of professions, nay vocations. If a teacher gets guideship to milk money from their wards by the lakhs, it’s a shame, a blot, and even a curse!

A ward is not a money-spinning ATM or a Bench Cleaner, or a Table Cleaner. They are the pride of their parents. Their sweetest bundle of joy. The apple of their eyes! The cynosure of their lives!

I’ve known at least a hundred instances of wards having had to grease the palms of their guides, to help them wrap up on their PhDs. Else, extensions by the dozens, await the trespasser!

Sadly, a professor from our own Institution was victim to these exploitative tactics of an RP [Research Supervisor from another Govt College] and we all appreciate her boldness for deciding to call it quits with this mammonish guy – mainly because of the abominable ways in which he exploited her economically all through her period of study. One signature from this perverted professor costs a minimum of ten thousand rupees, we are told!

A Supervisor is meant to guide not to exploit the ward entrusted under their care.

So dear students be very cautious while choosing your guide as well! Don’t fall prey to exploitative guides who use this ‘opportunity’ to milk their wards.

A teacher, who exploits a student for their own benefit, is a blot on the teaching community.

If at all a teacher wants to exploit a student, I have a small suggestion: let the teacher concerned, pay at least 50% of their salary to the student whom they intend / wish / desire to exploit. Else, the government should enact laws to make such teachers arrested / fined and even prosecuted.

How much of a huge trust does the parent have on the institution, with such beautiful dreams for their kids.

But here, their kid will be lamenting and languishing – not able to speak out also – for fear of being ostracized and punished.

This unholy exploitation is a huge blot on the vocation in itself.

I’m sorry for venting my indignation.

But even today, when we get complaints from parents over anonymous emails, we are not able to do anything about it, because of the very nature of their anonymity. The student is shell-shocked and even traumatized beyond measure, to even think of giving a complaint against a particular teacher who exploits her, day in and day out.

If only the parents can boldly write to our Principal with their designation and name, specifying the instances, immediate action can be initiated against such erring teachers. That’s because anonymous complaints don’t have legal backing and so don’t stand any chance of the criminal being prosecuted.

Personally speaking, if only such teachers could make use of the valuable time and ‘services’ of their own children to do all this varnishing, polishing etc!

Else, treat the children who are entrusted under their custody as their own, and make use of ‘paid labour’ to do all these menial works, and just allow the student to study!

I personally feel that, these golden years for the student are the formative years that shape and sculpt and mould and carve their blessed future for them. With high hopes the parents send their sweethearts to school, spending a fortune on their hall fees, oops… hostel fees, with such golden dreams for them.

Hence, it is a huge criminal offence to prevent students from studying during their golden, formative years, especially during their precious study time! As a student who has stayed in the hostel/hall for many years, I’ve known the exploitation that these voiceless kids undergo at the hands of these ‘devilish’ teachers.

Students have enrolled themselves in a school/ college to study! Not to spend their time varnishing, cleaning, polishing etc, and working for the hostel –  which is just a a temporary, makeshift shelter/ rental abode for their period of study! Nothing more! Nothing less!

Teachers should be sculptors of the students / wards entrusted under their care and guidance.

Not spoilsports!