A person is judged by the books he has kept on his shelf

I do not remember the exact date, but it was a rainy day in the first week of August. I had received a call letter to appear in an interview for the post of lecturer in Alaka Mahavidyalaya. I started from Bhubaneswar in the morning and reached Basantpur that falls around ten kms before Jagatsingpur around 10 AM. Then I was completely shattered, frustrated and also angry with myself. I had been unsuccessful in many competitive exams. I had not been able to get a respectable job.

There was no pacca road to Alaka Mahavidyalaya from Basantpur which is nearly one and half kms; it was muddy that I had to walk; the rain in the morning had made it worse. The condition of the road was depressing that further worsened my black mood.

Gangadhar Rath, the president and founder of the college was himself in the interview board. Besides him, the other members were Binapani Mohanty, the eminent writer, Basant Das, a reader in Psychology, then serving in a government college, and the principal of the college. Rath asked me the first question, “Who is responsible for partition of India?”

I could guess the background of such a question. Then, the thirty remaining pages of the book of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India Wins freedom had been made public. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had made a will not to publish the thirty pages until thirty years of his death. Thirty years ended and the unpublished pages were made public. There was accusing fingers at Nehru for certain decisions and statements; otherwise, partition could have been averted. There was much discussion in the newspapers and magazines on the issue. Almost every day there was an article in any of the newspapers or magazines.

I said, “No single leader should be held responsible for the partition. The existing social conditions, certain political decisions, ‘divide and rule’ policy of the foreign rulers, certain events and many more factors taken together are responsible for the partition. We cannot say a single leader or a single event caused it…”

He did not seem to be pleased with the answer and perhaps thought, I was evading the main issue. He asked, “If we are to zero in one person, who will be that person?”

I answered, “We cannot hold one person responsible. Rather, we may hold all leaders, including even Gandhi, responsible for the partition…”

He was rather shocked, “Even Gandhi? How?”

I explained, “Not knowingly he did, but unconsciously his actions and his sayings alienated the Muslims from the Hindus. For example, he was saying he wanted a ram rajya, the concept of ram rajya did not appeal the muslims. When there was a discussion between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi always invited Jinha, thereby accepting him as the leader of the muslims. Since Gandhi gave importance to Jinha by inviting him, he was accepted by the muslims as their leader. In the process, nationalist leaders like Mualana Azad were ignored by the common muslims….”

Rath did not look pleased. He asked a few more questions. All those went through the same way. I thought I failed in this interview also.

Dark clouds were floating on the sky. Though rain had stopped, but as condition of the sky indicated, it would rain anytime.  I wanted to have a cup of tea and then, after taking tea I would go to Basantpur to get a bus back to Bhubaneswar as soon as possible. I went to the tea shop that was near the college gate. I was taking tea when the college peon came and told, the principal had sent him to say to wait till the interview was over. The president wanted to meet me.

I waited. Rath said, “Will you join the college if you are selected?”

I said, “I have come all the way for this job. How could I not join?”

He said, “You are a good student. You may leave.”

I said, “I have been unsuccessful in many competitive exams. I have not applied for anything which will give me a job within one year, if at all I am selected. I assure you I shall stay here at least one year.”

He said, “Okay. You will get the appointment letter within one week.”

Later, I learnt from others in the college, Gangadhar Rath loved three things. One, the student should be good and well read. Two, he should speak with confidence whatever he says and third, he loved tall boys. More or less he found all the three in me.

Gangadhar Rath loved books and library. The library of the college is Subrat Memorial Library, named after his departed son. He had received a large donation from his wife Dr Nirupama Rath to build the library, and himself had donated almost his entire collection of books. It is said a person is judged by the books he has kept on his shelf. The books he donated varies from classics like Tolstoy’s Anna Karenia or Dostovesky’s Crime and Punishment to Nirad Chaudhury’s Autobiography of an Unknown Indian or J P Dalvi’ s Himalayan Blunder, and also thrillers.

He himself every year purchased books for the library. He asked the lecturers of all the departments to give lists of books for their respective departments. I gave the list of books for the History department. He had handed over the lists to the supplier. One day he came to the college, called me and said, “What list you have given? First, the books are not available here and second, the books are very expensive.”

I replied, “The books to be bought for the library are not only for the students, but also for the teachers. The teachers need to read to teach better.”

He pointed out one of the list and said, “Do you know how much this book cost? More than two hundred and fifty…”

That book was Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy by Judith Brown. I had read that book. I told, “This is a good book. She has written the book and interpreted Indian history with a different approach. She has discussed how culture or tradition affects historical events. For example, Gandhi gave a call for non violent movement. But it is a culture of the forest people to move always with an axe or bow and arrow. When they participated in the movement, the movement turned violent. Their grievance was not foreign rule per se, but against the forest laws…” and I told some other things that was in the book.

Rath told the supplier to get the books from wherever those were available. Not only that, he also he found time to read the book and remarked, “An excellent work, but I don’t have the scope to know.”

 Besides books and library, his other interests were in flowers and garden. He had designed the college garden himself. That was one of the best garden any college of the state had at the time. He planned the garden and arranged the plants and trees in such a way one could find flowers at any time of the year. The garden was at its best in winter.

Rath was an eminent lawyer. He was Advocate General for the state for two terms, perhaps, the longest serving Advocate General. But he was a man who loved books and flowers, had love for good students, respect for the writers and poets. He had written his autobiography and a few books including a collection of stories. Had he not entered into legal profession, he might have become a great writer.

I stayed in that college for two years, one month and seven days.

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