It is said, faith moves mountains. In this case, the faith shown in me empowered me to give my best administrative performance.
It reminds me of an article that I had read sometime back in the Forbes business magazine which stated, “Trustworthy leaders want you to succeed. They empower people to take action and to be themselves. They encourage their employees to take risks... Trustworthy leaders want you to develop your own identity. While they will ‘coach you up’, they will not expect you to emulate them.”
I was fortunate to have had such a leader in Dr S B Mujumdar, the educationist who has created Symbiosis, the internationally acclaimed educational conglomerate.
When I took over as a lecturer in Symbiosis, I used to reside in a lodge close to the college where I shared a room with another person. However, I used to do a lot of important work for my director, Dr George Judah, which required deep concentration and involved typing work. Realising my need to have a room for myself, Dr Judah suggested that since a room was vacant in the Symbiosis International Hostel, I should move into it. I happily did so.
However, much to my consternation, I found that noise pollution was at its worst – with loud music blaring through the students’ rooms way past midnight - in fact, until the break of dawn. Like any other hostel of an educational institution, Symbiosis too had strict regulations which stated, “Strict silence shall be observed in the hostel from midnight to 6.00 am. Care shall be taken at all times to ensure that music/ loud talking is NOT audible outside the room. Any manner of festivities and noise making/ celebrations which may cause disturbance to other inmates in the hostel premises will not be allowed. Recreational facilities will be turned off at 10.30 pm."
Much to my consternation, I found that noise pollution was at its worst – with loud music blaring through the students’ rooms way past midnight – in fact, until the break of dawn... Being an international hostel, foreigners, particularly those from African countries were in the majority. Each one had a transistor, which blared through the night and it seemed as if the students never slept
Despite this, there seemed to be no discipline. Being an international hostel, foreigners, particularly those from African countries were in the majority. Each one had a transistor, the most popular audio medium, in those days, which they used to put on full volume. The transistors blared through the night and it seemed as if the students never slept. Our side of the hostel was meant for girls and the other side was meant for boys.
Being a military man, this undisciplined behaviour was unacceptable to me. So I wrote a note to Dr Mujumdar, who was the Director then, stating, “The hostel atmosphere is not okay. Therefore, by virtue of my presence here, I am assuming the situational command as the Rector. If you have any objection, please let me know.”
The next day, Dr Mujumdar called me to his office, looked at me deeply and asked me, “Are you really keen? I have been searching for someone who can be the Rector for the past 20 years. People join but run away after a brief period. But I would like to ask - Why would you be interested in taking up this tough responsibility?”
I told him, “Sir, wherever I am, I believe in putting the system straight and in order. The fauji in me dictates so; the inbuilt system within me demands that. It is in my nature that I don’t have to be told by anyone, I just do it. I have only informed you because you are the higher authority. As long as I am there, I will follow the norms expected in your hostel.” Dr Mujumdar then shook hands with me. He himself used to sit in the guest house every day from 11 pm to midnight. That was hard on him.
Having assumed the responsibility, getting the hostel under grip was a very tough job. No one was willing to listen, as these students were not used to any restriction on their freedom. All that I asked them to do was to stop the music by 10 pm and not to delay it by even a single minute. To make this command more effective, I called the security person who turned out to be useless and also corrupt - in fact he was hand- in-glove with the notorious students.
In those days, Ethiopia was going through a civil war. Therefore, money was not sent to the children here by their parents. Some poor girls, therefore, had fallen prey to vultures, to earn their bread. Every night, a car used to come outside the hostel premises and park, waiting for the girls. Alarmed, I immediately stopped the car from parking there. This frustrated the students. They came together on the ground floor and put their transistor on full volume at 10 pm. I was on the first floor. I could gauge that they were inviting me to take disciplinary action against them. I decided not to act in a hurry. My aim was to frustrate them by not responding to their provocation. Predictably, my silence frustrated the students who then started shouting, “Bala, are you dumb?” I let this shouting go on for some time. I kept quiet. Generally, at this time, I used to be up with one or two whiskey inside me.
Finally, I could take it no more. I jumped from the first floor to the ground floor, like a Bollywood hero, got hold of the transistor and like a giant, broke it into pieces and started to catch hold of them one by one, slapping and beating each one of them.
The next day, all these students boycotted the classes and went on a protest march to Dr S B Mujumdar’s office. Dr Mujumdar called a meeting of all the students and also invited me. I was sure I would be asked to tender my resignation. I decided to pack up all my belongings before I went for the meeting. I was greatly worried because if I lost this job, I would lose my accommodation too and there would be no place for me to go.
Dr Mujumdar came, he checked if I was there and said, “Friends, I am glad at last someone is working in the hostel. From today, I am increasing the honorarium being paid to Professor Bala! If you don’t want to stay there, you are welcome to vacate.” The students were stunned and looked at each other in shock and helplessness.
Then Dr Mujumdar gave a long and powerful speech. The essence of it was – education here was not only about obtaining a degree but it was about blending with the social culture of Pune; why it was important for them to respect the cultural heritage of the city and abide by the local traditions of the people and society. That they had come there, not only to study but also to learn about the Indian culture. He emphasised the importance of the institution’s motto Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (which means, World is a Family). He said, “You are all here; we are hosting you so that you will become our ambassadors when you go back to your country.”
I was overwhelmed by Dr Mujumdar’s understanding of the need for taking stern action against the students. Thanks to his unflinching support, the hostel discipline improved as the students fell in line.
I recall another incident as Rector of the hostel. Personal belongings of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar were donated to Symbiosis by Mai Ambedkar and these were preserved in the basement of the hostel. One Sunday, it rained so heavily that water seeped into the basement where the precious belongings were kept. I volunteered and broke the lock open and went inside. With the help of the students and the watchman, I started carrying all those items, tables and all, on my head. Meanwhile, Dr Mujumdar also came there and was surprised to see me carrying the table on my head. He was very touched. He said, “Professor, what are you doing?” “Sir, these are precious possessions of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar which might get damaged by the rainwater. So I broke the lock to take them out to a safer place.”
Dr Mujumdar asked me if he could have a cup of tea with me. I said, “Sure,” and asked him to come to my hostel room. When he came up, he saw me, my wife and our two sons living in only one room. We had converted the toilet into a kitchen. My wife brought him a cup of tea.
Dr Mujumdar seemed very uncomfortable, looking at our congested living space. He told me, “Professor, what kind of uncomfortable life are you living? Get the two adjacent rooms vacated and move in as quickly as possible.” A leader who can understand the plight of the people working for him through observation and sensitivity is indeed a great leader. I owe a lot to Dr Mujumdar, from whom I have silently imbibed leadership qualities with a human touch.
Dr (Col.) A. BAlASUBRAMANIAN
editor-in-chief
