COVID Diary: Journey down the memory lane, writes Arunabha Bhattacharjee

“Pain is the opposite of joy,
but joy is a kind of pain…”
(T.S.Eliot)
July 18: It was indeed a day of pain and suffering for me and the members of my family when I tested +ve and it seemed that suddenly everything around us turned black, but, with the passage of time from 12 to 18 of July 2020, I learnt to come to terms with this new reality. Little did I know that the strength I had gathered would be dashed again – yes, 17 of July – that is the day I happened to see the light of this world and yesterday was that ‘special’ (in an ironical way) day in my life.

Greetings, wishes, calls, from friends, relatives and near and dear ones poured in and I did not know how to respond. I just sat down brooding over the mental condition of my family members. My 6-year-old son Gairik Bhattacharjee (a student of Class 1) toiled throughout the morning preparing a birthday card for me which finally reached me at around 1.30 P.M. The moment I opened it, I was elated but, the very next moment I felt a kind of pain, somewhere within. Unknowingly my eyes got wet – I could grasp, could feel what T.S.Eliot, the “literary dictator” of the 20th century meant when he said – “joy is a kind of pain.” That was a very personal feeling – and somehow my renewed search for mental strength and solace started again.

I sat down to think about the changes I have witnessed in the last 47 years of my life. I realised that there has been a paradigm shift in many spheres of life – particularly in the spectrum of education. My friends would agree with me that that we have seen changes taking place fast and thick – the dominance of technology in education, the change in the process of acquiring knowledge and a marked change in teaching-learning and evaluation process.

Lets take a journey down the memory lane to the late 80’s and early 90’s. A Student securing a 1st division in H.S.L.C was considered to be a good one, applauded by the teachers and society at large. Now, 1st division seems to be the ‘start line’ and anything above 90% is appreciated and recognised by the people and society. The base line seems to have gone up, other things remaining constant. This I admit is quite natural for the ‘competition’, the ‘rat-race’ for seeking admission into institutions of Higher Education has increased and will be doing so with the passage of time.

What I intend to insist on is – are we in this run for marks losing something? ‘- I admit that I am not competent enough to pass a judgement, but that really tickles my brain. ‘Sir’, my teacher Prof. Kamalendu Bhattacharjee, to whom I owe much, used to say – ‘Don’t be a ‘marksist’ (pun intended). He used to insist on acquiring knowledge rather than merely gathering information and scoring marks. Any student of Prof Dipankar Purkayastha ( of Assam University Silchar), Prof Subhas Basu, Prof. Sanjukta Dasgupta (of University of Calcutta) or Prof Dipendu Das (of Assam University Silchar), in recent years, would I think agree with me that attending one hour of their class/lecture would make us feel refreshed, would provide, as it is said, ‘food for thought.’

In the annual system of examination, in the 2+1 system in the undergraduate course, particularly in literature, a student would get time to read the original text – be it a novel, or a drama. He/she could enjoy and appreciate the text, which I think has become difficult in the semester system and more so in the CBCS pattern. I am definitely not against the present CBCS or semester system, for this is the need of the hour, but I feel that something is ‘missing.’ My colleagues and friends, teaching in the Science Stream might disagree with me and I confess that I know nothing of that. However, as a student of literature, I feel that the texts of English Literature are to be read, to be enjoyed and internalised. They need to be tasted. We must therefore try and forge out a mid-way wherein these divergent issues can be addressed and accommodated.

Also Read: COVID Diary: Battle with loneliness makes me feel the worth of freedom, writes Arunabha Bhattacharjee

Mrs. Moumita Gupta of way2barak was kind enough to ask me to share my thoughts. This made me to pen down my feelings for way2barak). 

** Arunabha Bhattacharjee, is an Assistant Professor, Department of English, Radhamadhab College, Silchar. He tested COVID-19 positive on 12 July, 2020 and is now undergoing treatment at SM Dev Civil Hospital, Silchar. He is asymptomatic and his condition is stable.