22/01/2019

University BT & Evening College, Cooch Behar, West Bengal

I joined University BT & Evening College on the 18^th of October 2001 just before the Puja vacation. As the college reopened after the vacation I observed quite a few things that seemed strange. It is obvious that a lot of things will not meet my expectations. One of the many things I observed was a man called Gautam Roy the computer operator used bring a CPU on a rickshaw and take it back after the completion of the work each day. He used to be paid six hundred rupees for his work and another six hundred for the CPU including conveyance charges. He was quite a good operator. There was a Dot Mtrix Printer with the help of which he used complete the accounts and issue us Pay Slips.

On one occasion he invited me and two other colleagues to Sitai where he was starting a Computer Centre in collaboration with the Panchayet Samity. He requested me to take my car along and volunteered to pay me for the fuel expenses. I owned a Maruti Van those days. Before leaving he pushed in three computers in my car.

In the programme that was attended by quite a lot of people I gave my maiden speech in Bengali (that too in West Bengal). After the programme the Computer Centre was inaugurated. Smoke stated coming out of one of the monitors that came with me. The monitor was shut down soon after.

The principal used to keep on telling us that the college owned a number of computers and that University engineers had told him that they can be repaired. Tired of this I took one member of the non-teaching staff and tried looking for the computers. We found three boxes which contained the CPUs. I asked the Principal where the computers were. He simply pleaded ignorance. I argued, ‘Sir you are one who kept on saying that there were some computers’. He repeated his ignorance. I insisted, ‘Sir, you have taken over charge from the previous Teacher-in-Charge.’ He simply repeated his ignorance. Ignorance, they say is bliss! I requested the Principal to get them back but he kept on procrastinating. Ultimately he said that Gautam had written to him that the computers were with him. I wanted to see the letter, which he said he had thrown away. ‘OMG, how could he have spoiled such an important evidence?!’  Then I told him at least to get them back, that to with no effect. Ultimately, Bikash who had joined the office by now volunteered and got back the computers, albeit without one monitor! I remembered that Gautam had taken away three computers and one monitor had caught fire.

 That was towards the end of September 2002 when one day Anadi babu, the Head Assistant entered the chamber of the Principal when I was discussing something with the Principal. Anadi Babu informed him that one lakh rupees had been received from the UGC for the purchase of equipments and the money had to be spent by the 30^th of September. I butted in and asked the Principal to buy computers. Anadi Babu said, ‘We have a different head for computers, this amount is not for computers but for equipments.’ I argued in vain, ‘If computers do not fall under the category of equipments then what will? For B.Ed computers are definitely equipments!’ Anadi Babu of course agreed to look into the list of equipments provided by the University.

It was 28^th of September – Saturday – I was in a hurry to return home. Somehow it was being difficult to dodge the queries of the trainees. At last, as I free and about to rush out of the gates Anadi Babu wanted to talk to me. ‘Let’s talk some other day, Anadida!’ I pleaded, ‘I have to rush home.’ ‘Computers are in the list of equipments. We can buy computers!’ Anadi Babu shouted from behind. Instead of going home straight I reached the computer dealer whom I knew and asked the proprietor Izaz to get three quotations ready (giving back dates of course) in the way that the computers could be delivered by the 30^th! 5% of the total amount was supposed to be used for storage purposes. With the amount left we could get one Pentium 3 machine (Compaq), one Celeron and another CPU only which could used with one of the monitors we possessed.

I was out of station for quite a number of days. Luckily, the principal didn’t receive the computers. After I returned the college got its computers. One computer room was constructed behind the Principal’s chamber covered by dark glass.

No sooner the computers were procured and people started trickling in the first of the comments I heard, ‘Prof Burmon has bought computers but he hasn’t bought any printer!’ As if people could not use computers without printers. As I was not told directly I informed the middle man that there was already a printer in place which was being used by Gautam earlier. It was a Dot Matrix printer though but it was in a working condition. In any case we could buy as much as the funds that were available. The next allegation was, ‘He has bought computers, but hasn’t got an SPSS package! What shall we from Social Science do? Had he bought the computers from Computer World he could have got the package free!’ In the first place a person who was unable to handle computers was bringing these allegations. Secondly, one has to learn using this package in order to use this. And what even I didn’t know was this package cost over a hundred thousand rupees. During my next visit to Shillong I procured a demo version. I could hardly use it as I didn’t have any knowledge of Statistics. I never found anyone from Social Sciences use it either. The person or persons who were bringing these allegations are still not very conversant with computers even after some fifteen years.

I thought if I could attract the Group C and D employees we shall be able to use them later in life. And the easiest method to motivate them was to make them play games. In fact, most of them could hardly do any better than this. Again the same group was against this idea and informed the Principal. Even the principal thought that the computers would be damaged if people played games. So the project had to be shelved ultimately.

I started teaching three of my colleagues. They seemed quite happy too. But again the same group became vocal. ‘Why should U---- babu enter the computer room?’!!! Another person was lost.