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Arts, Blog

Other Chapters in the Book

The Gateway to Memories
Mangalore Close to my heart
From Tail to Capital
Rituals outside the classroom
The glow of first rank
T.K.M. Time
U.S. – The dream that slipped
Kozhikode sweets
Rajan, my dear student
Kayanna incident and Rajan’s arrest
Police brutality in hostel
Along with the struggles of Echara Warrior
As a witness in the court
In Saudi with another job
Ajman Gulf Medical College
The way Home
Life at its best

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Foreword

January 2023

I realize the truth that today the sky of memories is full of mostly dead stars.
Science says that even if stars die, people on earth can still see its light for many years. Likewise, some people will not die in our minds and will continue to shed light. Even if the paths they passed, the roofs they lived in, and all the signs of their lives fade away, the memories about them will still be bright.

I have also been concerned that some people may see the remnants of that generation as curiosities of the times. I have wondered how the value of our memories and lives will be measured. I recall the mischievous students who disobeyed and constantly submitted to my reprimands and punishments, and those who later climbed the big ladder and flew to great positions.

Don’t know how others will understand and judge me. But let me tell you, I cannot remember any past episodes, except with a sense of wonder and disbelief.

Through this book, I am spilling the seeds of memories, as if in a dream. Some may sprout and become wild trees. Some may die and fade off. Either way, I am neither happy nor sad. Thank you so much!

Prof. K.K. Abdul Gaffar
Kasaragod

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My Eventful Life in Bhatkal

The Joining – Year 1987

Teaching at Anjuman Engineering College (AEC) in Bhatkal, Karnataka was an important part of my life. I joined there in 1987. It was after a lot of pressure from many people that I agreed to join AEC, as the principal. Mr. Yahya, the chairman of the college, was in constant touch with Shafi (my brother-in-law) who was a Retired Superintendent of Police. He was forcing me to go to Bhatkal.

My initial study about the college did not bode well. It was a period when discipline and learning were completely broken in the college.

I took my wife and went to Bhatkal to see the college and its surroundings. The college was situated on fifty acres of land on top of a hill in Bhatkal. Although the scenery was beautiful, the college environment was not good. Once you come down the hill from the college, you would get into the Bhatkal town. It was not very far. The college hostel was completely messed up. I came to know that both students and non-students live in the hostel. In the very first attempt, I realized that the college was not going well. Ragging and other problems were common. Students didn’t go to class. Attendance was very low.

I informed that I should meet Yahya Sahib in person, before joining as the Principal.

Sahib was a nice person. I asked him to be clear on what was expected of me. Yahya Sahib looked pleadingly into my eyes and told “I have nothing to say and all I want you to do is to fix the college“. He wanted to make AEC, one of the best colleges in the Karnataka state. He offered me all support to make that happen. I was allotted a nice flat in Bhatkal and he helped me to settle down in Bhatkal.

The College atmosphere was very deplorable. A quick fix wasn’t easy. I put some conditions before him. There was no discipline in college. Students and locals were in misguided friendship. If I want to change this, I will have to go out in public. I sought Yahya Sahib’s permission for the same.

That evening I went to check the hostel. The North Indian watchman came running and stopped me. “Don’t go sir. If you’re going there, you should better take a gun”.

I laughed and replied “If that is the case, how many guns should I carry when getting into the classroom to teach them?”

The watchman went back in silence.

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Working with the Management

The Management office was located in Bhatkal Town, just down the hill from where the college is located. Earlier Principals used to go and meet the Management Team there. But I stipulated that, I would not go down there. I wanted the Management Committee to come to the college office to meet me. Yahya Sahib agreed. I also asked them not to interfere in the way I manage things in college. They agreed to that too.

Yahya Sahib said that there should be no entertainment in the college. I rejected that proposal. Told him that all permitted entertainments will be held. Also asked him “where else should all these be held if not in the college?” Yahya Sahib assured that everything would be permitted for the good of college. I realized how much they depend on me.

On few occasions, I have had to argue with some in the management team. However, under the leadership of Yahya Sahib, good efforts were made to improve the college environment.

Once, while the Governing Council was meeting, one of the members got into an unnecessary argument. He banged on the table and the glass broke. He went on shouting. The changes implemented in the college had disturbed him. When he continued to talk in an inappropriate manner, I asked him to get out. This made the Vice Chairman, Ghani upset.

I said in a firm tone that I was not surprised by seeing this uneasiness, when the chairman has entrusted me with certain tasks. I understood that Chairman Yahya Sahib liked my firm stand.

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Bringing changes

The college also started seeing changes in the first days of my tenure. Discipline returned. A new hostel was built. Volleyball and basketball courts were made. In just few months, the campus saw big changes.

Students who bunked class were noted and punished. Plagiarism was common. I warned that it will not be allowed under any circumstances. I had to even say that such students would be debarred. Attendance of students was very low those days. It was below 75 percent. Efforts were made to improve this. The results were soon seen.

By the time the college atmosphere started to improve, some other issues cropped up causing headaches. The news that the new principal was a bit strict went viral in Bhatkal town. A lot of students left their friendship with locals and started concentrating in their studies. The local groups were not amused by this and started to taunt the students. This often resulted in verbal and physical altercations.

We had another incident when students and locals stood against each other, all ready for a fight. Hearing this, I took my car and went down to the town. The police team also arrived. 144 was declared. I could see some of the locals standing in a group under the leadership of the vice-chairman. The students armed with stones were on the other side. Tensions were high.

It was around 9 o’clock at night. I went to the students and asked them to put down the stones. The locals who had gathered were also told to disperse. A police team was deployed under the command of a circle inspector. DGP and team were also camping in the guesthouse. The students obeyed me. They split up. With that, the locals also returned.

The next day DGP called me. The Vice Chairman Ghani had complained that, despite Section 144, I was roaming around the town in car.

“Is it true that you drove to the place of conflict?” asked the DGP.

The DGP wasn’t aware that the students had returned from the town only because of my intervention. I didn’t like the way he looked at me, as if I did some crime.

“If I’ve done something wrong, arrest me. Why hesitate? ” I asked him.
“I have taken my children (students) to the top of the hill. You now need to control the locals who are roaming around” . The DGP understood the facts I told. The conflict lasted for five or six days. I was also impressed with the students (my children) who obeyed my word.

My heart fluttered with joy at the return of discipline in the college.

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The Arts College

We also had an arts college on top of the hill, next to us. Unlike the Engineering College, there were girls also studying there. Both the colleges shared the same canteen. Cant forget this incident where a bet was placed between engineering students. The challenge was to hold the hand of a girl in Arts College who was in the canteen. The Engineering student from Kozhikode (wont name him) went and held the girl’s hand and then ran away. This created a lot of hungama. The children of the Arts College got agitated. It was an afternoon when Arts college kids were moving towards engineering college. I asked my students to stay calm and told the principal of Arts College to control his students. He and his students demanded, the Engineering student who held the girl’s hand should be dismissed immediately.

The police too came to the campus to control things. There was a policeman holding tear gas near the compound wall. A student who saw this came running and hit the policeman on the back. Tear gas did burst and the students scattered. The situation got out of hand. I called the Engineering Student to my office and told him that action from his side was unforgivable. The student also agreed to abide by any decision which I took as the principal. I didn’t want to dismiss the student. But it was decided that a punitive action should be taken against him. I had to consider the fact that the student was good in academics. I finally came to a decision to dismiss him. By then, I had called another college and arranged a seat for him. He later completed his studies there and went on to become successful in life. I still believe that my decision was right. He would not have been able to appear for exams, if I had expelled him. He should now be in a good position in life, in some corner of the world. He should be regretting the mistake which he had committed and that would have made him a better person.

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Challenging the University

Reminds me of another incident in my Bhatkal teaching career.

Its about the Exams we had in Engineering College. Apart from the main exam, there was also a supplementary exam. Students who failed in the main exam should apply to write supplement for that subject. An amount of 500 rupees per subject was fixed for that. The university informed that this amount should be settled within a week. I posted a notice detailing this. Many students applied with fees to pay. As the principal, I had to send the application and the amount to the university. I accurately wrote down the details of each student and sent the money before the due date.

But one day the university registrar called me and said that he has not received the amount and he wants me to send Rs.500 per subject as an additional fee. I intimated him that we will not pay any additional fee for the goof-up, which we were not responsible. Exam time was fast approaching. The students told me that they were willing to pay additional fees to avoid any situation where they will be disallowed to write exams. But, I was adamant that we should not pay a single rupee more for a mistake that was not ours.

The University’s reply came that no student could appear for the exam without paying the additional fee. After receiving this, I went to the Vice Chancellor. The registrar was also there. I took a firm stand telling them that I would take the legal route to defend our decision.

Later, I went to a legal advisor and took his help to file a petition in court. The order came in our favor. The court stayed the order which university issued for stopping the examination. The students wrote the exam. By then, the university came up with another hurdle. The next notification was that the results will not be published.

I wrote a letter to the Vice Chancellor requesting the results withheld to be published. He didn’t quite like that. He asked me whether I was the only principal in the state and why I was creating trouble. But I stood to my ground and the university finally relented. The results were declared without paying even a single rupee additional. This brought great joy to my students as well. I think this incident would have given them the will power to fight any adversities in their student lives.

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Stepping down – December of 1994

Bhatkal College grew to great standards. All students had more than 75 percent attendance. The change in the college, however, upset many in the management committee. They started pulling strings against Chairman Yahya Sahib. They protested to remove him from the chairman position. Moves to appoint another member of the society to the post of the chairman went strong. Majority of the management team supported that decision.

I made up my mind not to continue as the Principal without Yahya Sahib as the Chairman. Yahya Sahib refused to accept my resignation letter. But I stepped down from the post of Principal of Bhatkal Engineering College in December 1994.

Very soon, Yahya Sahib was also removed from the chairman position.

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Prof. Abdul Gaffar with AECians in Qatar during the FIFA Worldcup 2022