Baramati – Back to My Roots – Travel Blog

BARAMATI

Back to My Roots 

Travel Blog 

By

VIKRAM KARVE 

I wrote this travelogue around 12 years ago soon after we visited Baramati in December 2007. 

In order to revive nostalgic memories – I am re-posting this travelogue with a few pictures of this memorable trip to my birthplace. 

             
                                        

                         Maalya Varchi Devi

                                                                                          

Baramati. 

My birthplace. 

Baramati – where I was born more than 63 years ago – on the 12th of September in 1956 – then a dusty mofussil town in the back of beyond – which has now metamorphosed into a vibrant oasis of agriculture, education and industry.

We visited Baramati on Saturday – the 1st of December 2007 – a visit so memorable, so delightful, so enlightening – and so nostalgic – that I must tell you about it.

It all started on the spur of the moment –  when my 75-year-old mother (she is almost 87 years old now) – who is suffering from an advanced stage of Age Related Macular Degeneration [ARMD] of both her retinas and is fast losing what little remains of her eyesight –  she suggested we visit Baramati, so that we could see the memories of her childhood. 

I too was keen to see my birthplace – where I was born –  and where I spent some holidays in my early childhood – evoking in me nostalgic memories of the fun and frolic – the hurda parties at my grandfather’s farm – and I was especially keen to see the much-praised state-of-the-art campus of Vidya Pratishthan and its modern College of Engineering at Vidyanagari about which I had heard so much.

We started off from Pune in the morning at 8:30 AM in our dependable Santro – picking up an ex-Baramatikar Bipin Pole – who had so readily agreed to accompany and guide us along.

Soon – we hit Shankershet road – crossed Hadapsar –  and turned right and sped towards Baramati via the Saswad, Jejuri, Morgaon route.

It is a smooth drive – and soon – we were negotiating our way up the Dive Ghat – glancing at the once brimming with water – now dry – Mastani Lake (Mastani Talav) – down below to our left –we crossed Saswad (where we would stop on our way back to meet my uncle) – and soon – we could see the majestic Jejuri Temple atop the peak straight ahead. 

Crossing Jejuri – a pleasant drive – and soon we saw the famous Ashtavinayak Morgaon Ganesh Temple (where we would all pray and pay our obeisance).

                                                              
                                                                                               

                                    
 Ashtavinayak Morgaon Ganesh Temple      
                               

                                                                                               


At Morgaon – we turned left on our final leg towards Baramati – leaving the Indian Seamless Metal Tubes factory to our right – and as we crossed Medad Fort to our left – we started to get a feel of the transformation seeing the excellent quality broad roads.

As we approached Baramati town – I experienced a sense of déjà vu (this was the year 2007 – and I was visiting Baramati for the first time since the 1960s – after almost 40 years) – yes – I experienced a sense of déjà vu as we approached Dr. Atul Pole’s dispensary opposite the then Shyam Talkies (now replaced by the modern and elegant Vidya Pratishtan Office Complex but the road is still known as Cinema Road). 

It was almost 12 noon. 

We had covered the little over 100 kilometers distance in 3 hours (with a stop at Morgaon).

Dr. Atul Pole (son of the illustrious “Pole Doctor”) and his charming wife were waiting for us with delicious upma and refreshing piping hot tea – and after refreshing ourselves – we were off towards Vidyanagari – the campus of Vidya Pratishthan. 

Turning right on Bhigwan Road – past the canal – we crossed the erstwhile narrow gauge Baramati Railway Station adorned with its commemorative little steam engine as a remembrance of its heritage (I remember travelling by the Daund – Baramati Narrow Gauge “Toy Train”). 

We drove on smoothly on the broad top quality road past the elegant court building and swanky well laid out colonies –and soon – we reached Vidyanagari.

It was a pleasure to drive on the smooth spacious traffic-free roads. 

We observed that the roads here were certainly better that the roads in Pune.

The moment you reach Vidyanagari you feel as if you have entered another world. 

Vidyanagari’s truly impressive pristine, lush green, verdant campus, echoing with elevating silence, engenders within you that unique sense of tranquility and academic ambiance which is a sine qua non of a genuine learning environment. 

The museum was truly inspiring and exquisite – you have got to see it to visualize how dazzling and awe-inspiring it is. 

I was overwhelmed with a wonderful feeling as we strolled leisurely through the scenic soothing green campus.

Outside – it had the old-world charm of the beautiful serene university milieu of yesteryear – inside – the facilities and infrastructure were most modernistic high-tech state-of-the-art. 

A lovely symbiosis of nature and technology indeed...!!!

In the good old days – premier residential engineering colleges like Roorkee and BENCO  –and even the earlier IITs – they were located in self-contained campuses far away from the hustle-bustle and distractions of city life in order to facilitate holistic learning. The Vidya Pratishthan’s College of Engineering at Vidyanagari has similar favorable environs and academic atmosphere conducive to peaceful undisturbed learning and all round development.

We walk past students in their smart college T-shirts, admiring the rambling playgrounds, the superb well-stocked library, the neat hostels and faculty quarters and the impressive VIIT building and reach the magnificent College of Engineering building where we enjoy a fruitful interaction with a most pleasant, knowledgeable and enthusiastic senior faculty member Prakash Gogte who tells us all about his premier institution. 

As we leave – I wonder whether someday I’ll be back in Baramati to be a part of this wonderful institution.

We now drive around the new parts of Baramati and arrive at the Maalya Varchi Devi temple and offer prayers. 

Then – we drive back into the old part of Baramati – past the erstwhile Siddhaye hospital where I was born – down Station Road to my grandfather’s ancient majestic house which still stands strong. 

(My maternal grandfather came to Baramati in the early 1920’s – and his address was simple – KN Gokhale, BA. LL.B., Pleader, Station Road, Baramati).

                                                        
                                                                                                


My Grandfather’s House - Where I Was Born in 1956 

Tears of nostalgia well up in my mother’s eyes as she goes around the ancient house – her childhood home. 

A school classmate and some acquaintances come to meet her – and they are all so happy reminiscing and exchanging notes about their friends and families. 

Seeing the joy on my mother’s face – I am glad we visited Baramati.

My Mother’s School Classmates

We see the important places nearby – the Siddheshwar Temple, Bhuikot Fort – the earlier location of the court – where my grandfather worked – and  we  drive on the banks of the Karha river. 

It’s late afternoon now – and my mother has to be back home before dark owing to her vision deterioration – so we head back for Pune.

On the way back we visit my uncle LA Gokhale and his family at Saswad. 

Bipin, our co-traveller, Atul Pole, our host and my mother after Darshan

I’m glad we visited Baramati and witnessed the truly admirable breathtaking development and a marvelous transformation from the fleeting memories of the once dusty little mofussil town I had in my mind. I’m going to visit Baramati and rediscover more of my roots again and again – maybe next time by train via Daund. 

I hope they start convenient fast trains from Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai so that Baramati is as easily accessible by rail as it is by road.

VIKRAM KARVE

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This is a revised and updated version of my travel blog on Baramati written by me Vikram Karve around 12 years ago in the year 2007 and earlier posted online by me in my various Blogs a number of times including in this blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2010/12/baramati.html

What Makes a Good Teacher

WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER  

Though I wrote this article in the context of Higher Education – I feel is it universally applicable to all Teachers.

The Two Myths of Higher Education

By

VIKRAM KARVE

From my personal experience as a teacher at the post graduate level in Engineering, Technology and Management – I feel that the two myths of higher education are:

1. The Higher the Qualifications – the Better the Teacher 

2. Money motivates Teachers.

Let us reflect on what makes a good teacher – especially in higher professional education.

MYTH NO. 1 – The Higher the Qualifications, the Better the Teacher 

Does a Ph. D. make a Better Teacher...?

Musings on the Qualities a Teacher must Possess

A teacher is a trustee.

It is just like the birds. 

You take a flock of young students under your wings – nurture them – teach them to “fly” – and when they are ready – you release them into the world – set them free – watch them with pride as they fly into the sky, soar high above you – knowing that they will never come back – wishing that they reach great heights which you could never reach – for nothing gives a teacher more happiness than when his student excels and surpasses the teacher himself. 

I have learned from experience that teaching has got less to do with knowledge and more to do with communication.

Teaching is about relationships as well as pedagogy.

Teaching is more about feeling than facts. 

It is all a question of vibes.

Once you establish positive vibes with your students – you can feel the delightful chemistry being generated between you and your students. 

In the parlance of Electrical Engineering – it is like perfect impedance matching – the maximum power transfer theorem – and you can experience the classroom rocking with resonance – when all the resistance to the flow of knowledge disappears – the intellectual friction vanishes – the barriers to communication melt away – and seamless effortless learning is achieved.

It is not important how much a teacher knows – What is important is how much the student learns.

For a teacher – communication skills are far more important than qualifications.

Teaching is about relationships as well as pedagogy – Teaching is more about feeling than facts.

Soft Skills outweigh Hard Skills as far as the art of teaching is concerned.

A highly qualified Ph.D. who does not know the art of teaching and fails to establish good vibes with his students cannot make his lectures engrossing – and this often may result in students losing interest in the subject – and in some cases – an insensitive teacher who lacks the requisite soft skills – and has poor interpersonal and ineffective communication skills – such a teacher may even end up making his students hate and despise the subject he or she is teaching. 

I have seen that many Ph.D. qualified teachers do not possess the requisite soft skills required for effective teaching.

In many cases – overqualification may be counterproductive – and the demonstrated ability at carrying out research (Ph.D) may not guarantee good teaching skills – especially at the undergraduate level. 

Unlike in schools where B.Ed. is a must for teachers – and a DECE or Montessori Training is desirable for primary and pre-primary school teachers – the fact of the matter is that in higher education most teachers have had no formal training in the Art of Teaching or Pedagogy – and they are appointed as lecturers and professors solely based on their academic qualifications and research publications – irrespective of whether they are proficient in Pedagogy and the Art of Teaching. 

That is why one sees so many well qualified professors with poor communication skills and inadequate teaching ability owing to which they are unable to motivate their students – and this hampers their ability to transfer their knowledge to the students. 

Insistence on a Ph.D. for a teacher – even at the undergraduate level – this precludes many otherwise talented persons including those with professional experience from entering as faculty in the teaching profession in higher and professional education – and this is a great loss of expertise – and results in only the “academicians” dominating the teaching profession. 

Of course, the ultimate losers are the students – and as a consequence, the nation and the society at large. 

In fact – this is one of the reasons that many organisations and employers have to invest heavily in induction training – as fresh graduates are not industry-ready – especially in engineering and technology.

It is easy to make simple things difficult – but difficult to make complicated things easy. 

It requires good teaching style, effective communication skills and appropriate soft skills to make difficult things easy and enjoyable to learn. 

The process of learning must be enjoyable. 

It must not be dry, didactic, boring and painful.

It is important for a teacher to remember that learning comprises two pedagogic processes: 

Getting knowledge that is inside to move out 

and

Getting knowledge that is outside to move in 

The second part of imparting knowledge from outside into the student is comparatively easier – once you’ve got the students interested, eager to learn, and the teacher is proficient in teaching skills and knowledgeable in the subject and domain specialization.

It is the first aspect – getting knowledge that is inside the student to move out – facilitating inward discovery on one’s self – motivate inquiry based learning – to help unlock the treasure within the student – that is more challenging – and this is the true test and indeed the hallmark of a good teacher.

MYTH NO. 2 – Money Motivates Teachers

ARE THOSE MOTIVATED BY MONEY THE BEST TEACHERS?

Three Kinds of Teachers and 3 R’s of Teaching – Reward Recognition Respect

There are three kinds of Teachers:

1. Reward Oriented 

2. Recognition Seeking 

3. Respect Winning

Let us reflect a bit on each of the above types of teachers.

REWARD ORIENTED TEACHERS

In the first category are those who teach for Reward. 

For them – teaching is like any other job – a profession rather than a passion – a means of earning their livelihood. 

They believe that if they teach ‘X’ number of hours – they are entitled ‘Y’ salary. 

For any extra teaching load – they expect what the industry bluntly calls overtime – and for which academics use euphemisms like honorarium etc.

RECOGNITION SEEKING TEACHERS

Then there are teachers who are obsessed with Recognition. 

They strive for awards, titles, designations, positions, peer recognition, publishing papers, honours, fellowships – being recognised is all about fame. 

Recognition is not so much about getting credit as it is about being appreciated.

RESPECT WINNING TEACHERS

The highest category of teachers are those who win Respect – respect of their students, respect of their colleagues in the teaching fraternity and respect of society. 

For them respect is one of the most critical dimensions of their life. 

Respect Winning Teachers are passionate about teaching and they are loved by their students on whom they make a lasting impression.

In Which Category is Your Teacher...?

So – Dear Reader – the next time you see a teacher – observe carefully – and try to analyse in which category he or she belongs – reward, recognition or respect.

A Teacher who strives to win respect will always be more student-centric, stakeholder conscious and effective – than Teachers who are greedy for rewards or yearning for recognition.

Are You a Teacher...?

If you are a teacher yourself – please close your eyes and introspect – and see for yourself where you belong – and truthfully assess whether your metier is in teaching.  

It is quite simple.

After you finish a lecture ask yourself six questions:

1. Is the lecture something you feel you have done well...?

2. Do you feel you teach well...?

3. Did you enjoy delivering the lecture...?

4. Do you enjoy teaching...?

5. Did you feel proud of the way you delivered the lecture...?

6. Do you feel proud of the fact that you are a teacher or would you rather be someone else...?

If the answers to all the six questions is YES – you know you are in the right place. 

So – Happy Teaching. 

Whether you are a Teacher – or a Student – or a Parent – don't forget the Three R’s of Teaching (Reward Recognition Respect)

EPILOGUE

So we have debunked the two myths of teaching – haven’t we?

Am I a good teacher? 

Have I won the respect of my students? 

Well, looking back at my teaching years, I trust I have succeeded in achieving this, and yes, I have been a good teacher.

Every time a course or training program ends, I feel a sense of pride tinged with nostalgic sadness as my protégés “fly” off to conquer great heights of success in their careers. 

It is indeed a delightful and unmatched experience to mentor young bright minds, to see them flower, blossom, bloom and flourish before your own eyes, observe them metamorphose from students into professionals.

I love being in the company of young talented people, full of zeal and enthusiasm, with a zest for living and a passion for learning. 

It makes me feel good and youthful, and as always – I “learn” more than I “teach”.

I feel sad, wanting to hold them back, not wanting to part – but I know I have to let them go to their destinies.

My dear students – as I watch you with pride in my heart, swiftly fly away, soaring high above me in the sky, vanish into the distance – to all my dear students – I will always bless you and sincerely wish you from the bottom of my heart: GODSPEED.

Godspeed – a wish for a prosperous journey and good fortune, my dear young friends, as you embark upon your first career, a new phase of your life.

Let me end with one of my favourite sayings – a quote from Indira Gandhi:

My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people:

1. Those who do the work 

and 

2. Those who take the credit

He told me to try to be in the first group – as there was much less competition over there. 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 
© vikram karve., all rights reserved. 

This was written during my teaching days as a Professor at IAT Pune – and have I posted it online in my blogs a number of times including at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/11/what-makes-good-teacher-myth-and.html  and http://vikramkarve.typepad.com/blog/2011/05/what-makes-a-good-teacher-the-two-myths.html etc