I just played badminton with my PhD student and two other colleagues. It was fun!
N1 does not have much by way of sports facilities yet (although there is a plan for a good sports complex in the permanent campus). Last year, some colleagues took initiative and got the administration to build a badminton court in front of our office complex. But, it fell into disuse during the scorching summer and monsoon. Soon after monsoon ended, my student initiated the procedure of getting the ground cleared up for a badminton court as well as a cricket ground. Thanks to his initiative, we all enjoy a little bit of sports in the evening and get to interact with students in a more informal setting.
This post is inspired by the student's resourcefulness and sporting spirit. When he joined, he faced some initial difficulties in adjusting to the new set up. He had trouble finding a place to live, had to overcome language difficulties and soon fell sick because of the cuisine in our canteens, which did not agree with his stomach.
At that time, I was away for a semester. He spent the semester doing coursework and was comfortably settled down by the time I returned. He now shares an apartment with a fellow grad student with a functional kitchen and these two have hired someone to cook their meals! He often tells me amusing stories about his first few days on campus, but never complains.
A few days ago, I had an honest conversation with him to find out how he is doing and if he has any issues or problems at N1. The student assured me that he was doing well. His only request was that apart from a departmental seminar and our weekly meetings, we have a regular seminar in our subfield. So, we have started a weekly seminar with just three members at present, the third being my Master's student. The three of us take turns to talk in this seminar. He has also been instrumental in procuring the necessary equipment and getting a virtual seminar going, in which we invite scientists outside N1 to give web talks.
His other non-academic request has been for a departmental picnic to a beautiful town nearby (this might be possible at the end of our winter school).
Recently, due to some problem in our accounts section, the monthly fellowships of our PhD students were held up for a few days. Some of them immediately wrote up a riot letter about the problems they are facing and emailed it to all staff members and faculty, including the director. (Although the letter was supposed to be a rude wake-up call to us about everything that is wrong with the establishment, at least from the point of view of students, most of us actually enjoyed it because it reminded us of our not-too-distant rebellious student days. Nonetheless, the email had the desired effect of students getting their fellowships on time). On reading this email, I asked him if he needed any money. I was assured that he was okay because he "likes to save for a rainy day."
All in all, I am really happy and relieved that he has made himself at home at N1 and that he is such a sport!
N1 does not have much by way of sports facilities yet (although there is a plan for a good sports complex in the permanent campus). Last year, some colleagues took initiative and got the administration to build a badminton court in front of our office complex. But, it fell into disuse during the scorching summer and monsoon. Soon after monsoon ended, my student initiated the procedure of getting the ground cleared up for a badminton court as well as a cricket ground. Thanks to his initiative, we all enjoy a little bit of sports in the evening and get to interact with students in a more informal setting.
This post is inspired by the student's resourcefulness and sporting spirit. When he joined, he faced some initial difficulties in adjusting to the new set up. He had trouble finding a place to live, had to overcome language difficulties and soon fell sick because of the cuisine in our canteens, which did not agree with his stomach.
At that time, I was away for a semester. He spent the semester doing coursework and was comfortably settled down by the time I returned. He now shares an apartment with a fellow grad student with a functional kitchen and these two have hired someone to cook their meals! He often tells me amusing stories about his first few days on campus, but never complains.
A few days ago, I had an honest conversation with him to find out how he is doing and if he has any issues or problems at N1. The student assured me that he was doing well. His only request was that apart from a departmental seminar and our weekly meetings, we have a regular seminar in our subfield. So, we have started a weekly seminar with just three members at present, the third being my Master's student. The three of us take turns to talk in this seminar. He has also been instrumental in procuring the necessary equipment and getting a virtual seminar going, in which we invite scientists outside N1 to give web talks.
His other non-academic request has been for a departmental picnic to a beautiful town nearby (this might be possible at the end of our winter school).
Recently, due to some problem in our accounts section, the monthly fellowships of our PhD students were held up for a few days. Some of them immediately wrote up a riot letter about the problems they are facing and emailed it to all staff members and faculty, including the director. (Although the letter was supposed to be a rude wake-up call to us about everything that is wrong with the establishment, at least from the point of view of students, most of us actually enjoyed it because it reminded us of our not-too-distant rebellious student days. Nonetheless, the email had the desired effect of students getting their fellowships on time). On reading this email, I asked him if he needed any money. I was assured that he was okay because he "likes to save for a rainy day."
All in all, I am really happy and relieved that he has made himself at home at N1 and that he is such a sport!
7 comments:
@Newprof, nice to hear that your student is happy, sensible and doing well. All the best to both of you! :-)
@Anon: Dude, you clearly have way too much free time.
Felt really to nice read this. Great that things are shaping up so well for you :)
Keep writing !
Thanks, Pramod and Vikram. Nice to hear from you.
Clarification about Pramod's comment: he was referring to an anonymous commenter who had guessed or thought he had guessed my identity and left more hints about it in his/her comments. I have deleted that comment, but with no ill will toward Anon and I hope that Anon wouldn't mind this.
I think the blog is going well just as it is without my having to explicitly spell out who or where I am. I feel that my experiences resonate with a lot of other people in similar positions and institutions and so, for all practical purposes, I am just a new prof in (what many of us perceive as ) new India.
Hello New Prof in New India, it's so great to hear you guys playing badminton ! I love this game and would anytime be game for a match :-)...
On a different note with respect to what a certain 'anon' wrote about your identity in your preceding post, I'd like to comment that
i) it's purely up to you to decide whether to reveal or not to reveal your identity..it's very unprofessional and unethical for anyone to publicly disclose your identity, should he/she find it out. A person's individual choices should be respected, I believe.
ii) the anon was however right, in the sense that it's extremely easy to find out your identity given the blatant hints you leave behind in your posts. I can find out in less than 10 minutes if I want to, considering I've read almost all of your posts. However, I've never tried doing so and I won't try too.
I am a different Anon than the one referred to here! I was the one who posted a comment on November 11, 2011 at 5:54 PM for your blog of Oct29th. I sincerely, feel you are doing a great job and revealing identify will spoil everything. As I mentioned earlier, anyone can put their name and face in your place and experience new India. keep going.
I am the same anon, who did a bit of detective work. I definitely do not mind that you deleted my comment, as long as you got the message. New prof ... and others, please dont get me wrong here. I have no ill or evil intention in finding out who you are or might be. I was just pointing out to the fact that the effect of an anonymous blog is lost if someone can easily find out who you are - particularly in just 5 minutes. What you write and how you write and your perspectives are wonderful. They are extremely useful. And I completely and unquestioningly agree that it is going very well as it is - and it is your choice to run it as you wish. But it is just my humble opinion that giving out a few names here and there, while taken in the right spirit (and you do such a great job at writing so easily, simply without offending anyone), will only help but never hurt in improving the system as a whole.
Again, I am sorry if I offended anyone, it was not my intention. And also, I cannot resist a puzzle - it just has to be solved :)
Nice Posts NewProf! Continue to learn from you, thanks!
Cheers
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