Iam
in the final leg of my academic journey. Hardly a year left for me to retire
from active teaching and research- my work all along, for more than four
decades.
Did
this work give me happiness, peace, mental harmony? To be honest and tell the plain
truth, the famous poetic quote,
“Blessed is he who has found his work
Let him ask no other happiness”
Was
fully evident in my life, right from the start of the journey (Auguest 6, 1970).
Personally,
ever since I joined my service, teaching became my passion. I did all the home
work to do the class work, which made me happy. My efforts to perpare for IAS,
and to write Bank Probationary officer exam, were not that serious, they were
rightly nibbed in the bud.
It
was raining heavily in the campus today. A warm cup of tea in the pleasent
company of my younger collague lifted my acadamic spirit. In a casual chat, I
told him that, in my retiement period as to, I will not be sulking or suffaring
how to fill my time.
I
have many impending, unfinished academic agenda I told him. It’s not just going
to be filling leisure time intellegintly or diligantly but rather working even
more harder and in a more pleasanter environment because of, a guilt feeling that, I
have not handled and managed my time
more effectivley and more responsibly thus far.
My
obsession with teaching and the attitude of reaching perfection in what all I
do, an under-estimation of my own talent and more important, lack of ambition
and drive in my life stood as a stumbling block in my acadamic progress.
At
times when I get into a pensive or depressed mood, I doubt whether I will have
the zest and ‘time’ to work many hours of the day at 65 plus! Yes, I will, and
also I can, because it’s the only source of happiness for me.
Prof. D. Sambandhan
29/10/2012.
