Backbenchers scholars or achievers?

Belittling people, a Kannur experience.

My friend bid me farewell as I climbed on the train. The train whistled, and my journey on the Maveli Express started. I had traveled to Trivandrum for Higher Secondary Zoology examinations scheme finalization. My mind was filled with questions. I am a teacher by profession and I keep thinking about interactions with students. How should teachers interact or how should they not interact with students? Is there a difference in how teachers treat students based on their academic performance? Why should frontbenchers and backbenchers be treated differently? Should high-achieving students get better treatment?  These are questions we all need to think deeply about, especially teachers.

The Maveli Express was running super-fast ahead as my memories were rewinding backward. I studied with Mohanan PB at Brennen College. Mohanan belonged to Kannapuram town and completed his schooling at Cherukunnu School, Kannur, and college at Payanoor College. He was raised in a middle-class family and was always average in his studies. After completing our degree, we joined Sree Naryana College, Kannur, for MSc (Zoology). We were one of the last to get admitted to the college, all the rank holders were admitted first. We were lucky to get the admission because luck was on our side. All our classmates excluding us were the top scorers. Some classmates came from Providence College, St Theresa College. Mind you both these colleges produced fluent English-speaking students.

Academic apartheid was evident in the class as a whole. Mohanan was not fluent in English and did not even have a first-class grade in his graduation degree. On top of that, he was not even a frontbencher. Backbench was his favorite spot. As a result, some professors looked down on him with disdain. Having dealt with the professor’s attitude for a few days, Mohanan said, “I should not have joined a master’s degree here; it seems a waste. I am not able to handle this discrimination.” Fortunately, none of our classmates felt that way about Mohanan. He was treated very kindly by everyone, and he was considered family. They treated him with no prejudice.

Once during the practical session, it was Mohanas’ turn. Mohanan started the presentation. The professors mockingly started laughing and complained about the English diction not being appropriate and the presentation skills not being up to the mark. Rhetorically speaking, the professor walked out of the room. Obviously, Mohanan felt insulted in front of the class. Of course from the professor’s point of view, the rest of the class spoke very effortless English, accepting Mohanan’s Kannapuram English would have been tough. He was deeply hurt. All of us felt his pain when his eyes filled up.

Several other instances of discrimination continued. Some professors had come to the extent of questioning whether this year the college would uphold its high standard of ‘All-pass-class’ in MSc Zoology. These comments were pin-pointed to Mohanan since he was part of the course.

Another time we travelled on a study tour in Ooty to a Pasteur institute to understand the vaccine made for rabies. It was a combined BSc cum MSc tour. Everyone was invited to listen to a renowned scientist speak in the laboratory. A few moments before the lecture began, our professor spotted Mohanan in the front row. Immediately, she made sure Mohanan was pushed to the back and the glamorous bookworms were encouraged to stand in the front row. His humiliation in front of all the junior degree students was understandable. There was a deep sense of hurt on his face.

Whenever he was insulted, he found comfort in another professor who lived nearby. Throughout his post-graduate studies, this professor kept motivating him and ensuring he didn’t lose hope. Two years of college and all of us got First Class grades. Farewell day was a big celebration. Few of us boys discussed ‘what next‘ on our farewell day. Mohanan‘s reply was etched in my memory. He said he would look for a small job in Kerala. If he does not get the job, he’ll join his brothers in the Gulf and find some work there. His small dreams surprised me.  Anyways, on that note, we all parted ways and moved on with our own lives.

Episode 2.

My memory jolted back to the current Covid times and people running helter-skelter in an attempt to get vaccinated. A detailed testing process to understand the toxic effects on humans is performed before the vaccine can be used. The central government had an apex body called Rapid Response Regulatory framework for Covid-19. The vaccine needed approval from this committee.

You would be surprised if I told you that you already know one person from this apex committee- my classmate, Mohanan. The vaccines needed his signature to certify usage within India. Today he is not Mohanan, he is Dr. Mohanan PV, senior scientist Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum.

He holds a doctorate in toxicology. He also holds a post-doctorate in toxicology from Japan University. Visiting professor at Japan’s Toyo institute. He jokes, “Japan is like Kannapuram to me, my second home!“ He has authored 225 published thesis. Visiting researcher at Tokyo Bio-Nano Research Centre. The majority of his schedule is filled with lectures and seminars on this subject at top universities worldwide. Six juniors research under him. Last year five juniors were conferred with doctorates all under his guidance. These are just a few of his achievements.

One last thing I wanted to share. Do you remember the Pasteur Institute in Ooty where Mohanan was not worthy of standing in front row during a lecture by a scientist? Well, he was sent to another Pasteur institute in Lille, France as a representative of India to obtain Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certificate.

As part of my MSc in Zoology, I gave an excellent presentation. However, except for a seminar I gave during my B.Ed., presenting has never been part of my career. On the other hand, Mohanan has never-ending seminars. Once he had to give a seminar in Kuala Lumpur and on the same dates he also had another seminar in the USA. And he wasn’t sure whether to go to Kuala Lumpur or the USA. Imagine being mocked by your professor in college because you can’t give a fluent presentation of your ideas and then you have to pick where to speak! I do not recollect which professor doubted whether we would all pass with good grades. Otherwise, I would have gone back to tell him he’s wrong.

Backbenchers may not be scholars, but they are definitely achievers!