It was a Tuesday when I first entered the Department of Theoretical Physics in the University. I was late by a month to join the class due to some difficulties in a school where I had been teaching physics.
At a glance, the department fulfilled all the signs of poverty! In the background of other departments in the University and the neighboring AC Tech College, TP stood odd as a symbol of poverty. A small closed air-tight building resembled a goods wagon! Fragrances of cigarette smoke was filled in the whole department.
Apart from all the faculty rooms, offices and labs, there was only two rooms: one class room and a seminar hall. The former was used by MPhil students and the latter as the MSc class room. Department library was always closed and if you enter in, you will feel as if you are entering into the dumping room of a government office. You will see a corner where it is written “Drinking Water” in white letters in blue background. But once you open the tap, nothing would come out, not even air!
I entered into the class room. All other students were already there creating great pandemonium inside. When I entered, they looked at me, as if they were expecting me. I was the only non-Tamil fellow in the class.
“Hi Kutty” A female voice from the left end of second row welcomed me. “Good morning”. She said. I wished a good morning back too.
I got a chair near Balaji whom I had met when I came to write the entrance test in the department. “Hey Balaji, who is smoking inside department? The whole verandah smells very bad!”
“One professor here is a chain smoker. When he work seriously, smoke comes out of his room even though he closes the doors”. Balaji laughed.
“No one have any problem with this smoke eh?”
“No one cares it”. He told. I just smiled and thought that was a strange place!
“Ippa yaroda class?” I asked. “Narayan sir...” He replied. I recalled the name 'Dr. Narayan - Emeritus Scientist' at the bottom of the faculty list displayed in the ground floor. “...the smoker”.
“He is a great scientist, and a very strict and tough guy! Daily he ask questions, if you don't reply he would rebuke you like anything!” Balaji described him briefly.
It was eleven thirty when a belly appeared outside the door. A palm was slowly circulating over the belly packed in pale red cotton shirt with an open button in the midlle and two at the top. The belly part of the shirt appeared more greasy too. Following this, an old smiling face appeared.
As the white-mustached and bold-headed scientist revealed himself completely at the door step, the whole class fell into pin drop silence! This abnormal ambiance increased my heart beat rate. And of course, I know that here in this land, respect means fear!
The whole class stood up. The scientist stepped towards the black board. Everyone sat down. The scientist looked all over the class and smiled holding his hands tight over the bald head. Pushing the belly forward, he smiled again. This position seemed to be his stable position! I scanned the strange man completely. His muddy slippers were torn and cracked here and there.
“From my experience...” the scientist opened his mouth “....till last year, none of your seniors knew physics! None of them were eligible for their MPhil degree...” God!
My heart beat rate shot up. I felt as if all my happiness of studying in that well-known department had gone. An unknown fear filled in the heart. I thought I will have to get fired each day by this fellow since I had little knowledge of my subject.
“...still they get their degree.” Scientist completed his line.
Oh, in a second, my mind jumped from a state of agony to a state of relief. At least they got their degree! I felt happy. Then the scientist started blaming the whole political and academic system in India. He rebuked the then CM of Tamil Nadu Mr. Karunanidhi for reasons which I did not understand.
Scientist released his head from his hands, picked a piece of chalk and turned to the black board. “GROUP THEORY” He wrote slowly and legibly. Then he turned to us and shone the old smile again, which, this time created a panic among the students. Everyone expected a question to them.
“What is a Group?” The scientist shouted aloud triggering prolonged vibrations in the iron windows opened outwards. Silence pervaded the whole class room. Scientist scanned the whole class room. Again he smiled. My peace of mind gone and fear slowly filled in. Everyone sat like statues without even eye movement!
“I don't like silence. If you know, utter the answer. Otherwise tell me you don't know the answer”. Scientist exploded.
“S..Sir...” a mild voice arose from the right end of the front row. The smiling face turned to that side. “..g..g groop is a set of elements that obey certain common rules..” All faces turned towards the savior.
“Very good...” scientist looked so happy. “..but what are those rules?” Came the next question. Silence again.
My situation was terrible. I was absolutely ignorant of group theory. This time no savior came. No one answered. Scientist got angry.
“This is what I have told you earlier. You don't even know what are the rules obeyed by the elements of a group! You are not even eligible for your masters degree. If I had the authority, I would have even canceled your masters degree. I am very anxious of the children you are going to teach. What will be the future of this nation?!!” As usual he rebuked the whole system and Mr. Karunanidhi specifically! I understood that Karunanidhi is his permanent enemy.
Each word pierced my mind. I felt guilty of me. What he initially told was absolutely right. An MSc Graduate must know atleast the basics of group theory.
Then scientist turned towards the fellow who answered the first question: “Better you be ignorant than knowing partially! Because partial knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance!”
“What is a similarity transformation?” Came the next thunderstorm. “Tell me...” The scientist exploded “.....you tell me...” The finger pointed towards me. Scientist was shivering in anger. Darkness gushed into my eyes. I lost the presence of mind. My ears closed automatically. I stood up slowly. He received me with a smile: “come on”. I smiled at him meaning that I don't know the answer. Suddenly his face assumed a terrible look. He fired at me for several long seconds. “I am not a poet to write some lines impressed by your smile” My smile turned into a smirky expression. The frontbenchers got a nice saliva bath in the thunderstorm from the great scientist!
Then he turned to the board. “Let A be a matrix..” I was surprised to know that matrix theory and group theory are relatives. I felt ashamed of my ignorance. Professor Narayan painted the whole board with matrices. What ever he explained was not at all audible. He used symbols with subscripts and superscripts. C, Xi, nu, n, N i, j ... they all were indistinguishable from each other. When he wanted to rebuke, he raised the voice and each word was audible and very clear to everyone both inside and outside the class room. I understood that this fellow is passionate of firing and threatening the students rather than teaching.
The marathon matrix painting was over by one-thirty. Scientist turned to us “Ok?” He asked with a smile as if he was satisfied with what he had been doing on the board. All of us shook heads meaning 'Yes' even though no one understood anything. Each one of us did not dare to ask questions to him. Scientist took his book authored by Michael Tinkham in hand and stepped towards the door slowly. On way, he told “better you refer Joshi” meaning the book on Group Theory by AW Joshi. He reached at the door and turned back, threw the chalk piece powerfully towards the black board. It hit over the board and fell down adding a thick white dot in the already white washed black board! The belly and professor went out of the class.
Immediately the class fell into the initial pandemonium.
“How is our scientist Kutty?” Balaji asked. “Terrible!!” I laughed aloud.
