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Getting a job in college

It wasn’t too difficult those days

At the time I did my MA in English Literature, this course was available only in three colleges in the Madras University. Madras Christian College and Presidency College had had it for a long time. Stella Maris College had newly started it the previo us year. On Wednesdays Presidency and Stella Maris students came to MCC for inter-collegiate classes. On Thursdays we had classes in the Presidency College.

There were only eight students in my class in MCC. Stella Maris had more or less a similar number. Presidency had twenty students. Madras University at that time included the areas now covered by several other universities. You might say that it covered the entire state except for the Annamalai University area.

And in this vast area, just over thirty students did English MA. Of these some would attempt IAS, some others would go back to their businesses, having achieved their ambition of having the two letters after their names. Some already had jobs and had come to college just to improve their qualifications. Only a handful were left looking for jobs in colleges.

On the last day of our final year, the head of the department, Prof. Bennett Albert came to our class. After the lecture, just before the bell rang, the professor asked us, “Is there anyone here who wishes to join the staff as a tutor?”

Of the eight in our class, two ladies already had jobs, and had come for MA just to get promoted as lecturers. Mrs.Sarojini Packiamuthu was from Sarah Tucker College, and Miss.Violet Ratnasamy was from a college in Tuticorin. Another girl, Anna Chacko had been promised a job in Kerala. Hirudayaraj had been a tutor in Loyola College and would be absorbed as a lecturer. M.K.Sripathi had been promised a job in another college. So only two of us put up our hands – Venkataramani and I.

“You are both appointed” said the professor. And that was that.

During the vacation both of us got a postcard each in Prof. Albert’s scraggy handwriting confirming our appointments.

The only one in our class who didn’t have a job and had not opted for tutorship was G.Sekhar who was from Bombay. When we asked him about it he said, “My father’s driver gets a better salary than this.”

Venkataramani and I reported for duty the day before re-opening, and we were assigned rooms in Heber and Selaiyur Halls respectively.

Residents of Bishop Heber Hall who knew me as a student greeted me with exaggerated courtesy, addressing me as “Sir” with the word stressed comically. It was great fun.

Tutors were expected to correct a number of notebooks every week, which was a tedious task. We also had to supervise the class while compositions were being written. But occasionally we had a chance to give a few lectures. One lecturer who was supposed to teach Jane Austen to the final year BA class, found her extremely boring. Knowing that I liked Jane Austen very much, he asked me to take over his classes, which I did willingly and with great enthusiasm. This zest seemed to be shared by the students, and so all went well.

After one year, Prof.Albert saw me walking in the campus and he said, “By the way, you have been given an extension for one more year”. I thanked him. He smiled and walked away.

At the end of the next year he saw me in the staff tiffin room, and said “You have completed two years as a tutor. We can’t extend your term any further.” “All right, Sir” I said. “But if you want to be a lecturer it can be arranged”. “That would be nice Sir” I said. “Right. You are appointed.” It was all as simple as that.

I moved into a beautiful flat in St.Thomas’s Hall. A couple of months later Sekhar visited me. After a day or two he wanted to join the staff even at a driver’s salary. But unfortunately for him there was no vacancy. “Some guys have all the luck” he said ruefully.

I agreed with him.

J.VASANTHAN

(e-mail: jvasanthan@sancharnet .in)

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