366 days

366 Days

Dhaval Birajdar

Notion Press

5 Muthu Kalathy Street, Triplicane,

Chennai - 600 005

First Published by Notion Press 2014

Copyright © Dhaval Birajdar 2014

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 978-93-84381-65-3

This book has been published in good faith that the work of the author is original. All efforts have been taken to make the material error-free. However, the author and the publisher disclaim the responsibility.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Dedicated to all the teachers

specially young teachers

L

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who saw me through this book. In particular, I would like to thank my Counselor, guide, friend, Guru Dr Ambrish Bhatt he is my lifeline.

I would also like to thank Dr Roshini Easow, my postgraduate guide who has been my inspiration and because of her I was able to complete my post-graduation otherwise I would have been struggling in life. I am also thankful to Notionpress for publishing my manuscript. I also thank my brother Yash birajdar who has been supporting me and giving valuable feedback on my manuscript.

I would like to thank my friends Ankit, Pratik Upadhaya, Mohit, Kapil baheti, Shanshak chawateey, Vaibhav G, and Rajnaryan Yadav, Kunal Shankar for lending their support.

My parents have also helped when it was required, although they had no idea about this book. Finally my readers who will decide the fate of the book, some readers will like it and some will not but I thank each and every person whether they like it or not.

All the characters in the book are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

For authenticity, I have used some real places for storytelling.

I would like to welcome everyone in the world of teachers.

Prologue

‘Hey Sameer how are you. I am Shaun,’ he said.

‘How are you Shaun?’I replied.

‘I am fine, long time,’ he said.

‘Yup, we are meeting after 12 years,’ I said.

‘Yes 12 years is a long time, it’s so good to see you ‘he replied.

‘Same here’ I replied with a smile.

‘That time you were working on some college as a teacher?’ he asked.

‘Yup, I was working as Assistant professor in the techno institute of technology and you made fun of me that time,’ I said.

‘Yup, because you had chosen teaching field and you know what people think about teachers,’ he said.

‘Hmm’ I replied.

‘The reason I was making fun of you was we did engineering from S.B. College and it was the only worst college in the university.’ He said.

‘Hahahaha, that’s true our colleges were producing all faulty engineers,’ I said.

‘No, I am not faulty,’ he quickly replied.

‘Ok chill,’ I said.

‘You are still working there? You told me that time you have a girlfriend and you are going to marry her,’ he said.

‘No I am working in some other institute and we broke up,’ I said.

‘What happened?’ he asked

‘It’s a long story I have to catch a flight, I will tell you some other time when we meet,’ I replied.

‘Customers flight going to Singapore and Dubai has been delayed by six hours due to technical problems. Sorry for the inconvenience caused,’ Announcement was made.

‘I am going to Dubai,’ he said.

‘And I am going to Singapore’ I said.

‘Why are you going to Singapore?’ he asked.

‘I am going for research work and why are you going to Dubai?’ I said.

‘I am going for my business expansion,’ he replied.

‘Fantastic’ I replied.

‘Sameer now you have to tell me, six hours we have nothing to do. You have to tell me,’ Shaun said.

‘Things did not work out’ I replied.

‘Why did you change, the institute? You were very happy with your workplace right?’ he asked

‘It’s a long story’ I replied

‘All your stories are long only. I have lots of time today I can hear all your stories,’ he said.

‘Where are you working’? I asked.

‘I have started a service company relating manufacturing machines’ he replied.

‘I thought you are a writer and searching for a story,’ I said.

‘No I just want to know what exactly happened, we have nothing to do now there is no cricket matches today to entertain us. So tell me your experience as a teacher,’ he said.

I decided to tell him about my experience in techno institute of technology because there was nothing productive to do for the next six hours.

We both got a cup of coffee and decided to spend my next 6 hours remembering my initial teaching days.

‘From where should I start’? I asked Shaun.

‘I know we both have done BE from one of the pathetic College and now it has been derecognized and demolished too. Start from the very first day of your joining’ he said.

‘Ok,’ I said and narrated him the incidents.

Contents

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Prologue

SESSION 1 Faculty Training Program

SESSION 2 First Term As Assistant Professor

SESSION 3 Term Two As Assistant Professor (Jan To May)

SESSION 4 Final Month (Last Leg)

1

Day 1 (2ndJuly 2012)

‘Hi, my name is Shekhar,’ a lecturer introduced himself to me.

‘I am Sameer,’ I replied.

‘So, you are going to teach which subject?’ Shekhar questioned.

‘I don’t know I have done mechanical engineering they might give me Engg mechanics for this semester,’ I replied

‘I have done computer engineering I am going to teach Data structure in a 3rdyear engineering, computer department,’ Shekhar replied enthusiastically.

‘Excuse me, can you keep your bag with you?’ a hard voice came from the backside.

I turned around and was surprised to see a beautiful girl with a round face, fair, curly hair, red lipstick, red bangles, and a beautiful Punjabi suit.

‘Hello,’ she raised her voice again.

‘Yeah, yeah, sure.’ I replied and took my bag kept it on my lap.

The whole day went through with various topics like course file importance, paper setting techniques, etc. I was exhausted but the only exciting thing that happened that day was the girl who was sitting behind me.

‘Where do you stay?’Shekhar asked.

‘I stay in Kandivali (E) near Thakur village,’ I replied, standing outside the gate of the college.

At that instant a car came, buzzing behind me.

‘She can drive,’ I said in surprising voice.

‘Yes and she is unmarried,’ Shekhar said in cheerful mood

‘But why are you giving this information to me?’I replied.

‘I thought you would be interested, if you are not interested, then I am interested in her,’ he replied.

‘Why are you interested in her,’ I asked.

‘South Indian guys prefer overweight girls,’ Shekhar replied.

‘No, I am not interested, I am so messed up in my life that I can’t about think about this stuff now,’ Sameer replied.

‘Hmm.’ Shekhar replied.

After speaking for a while, I went home.

‘How was your first day as a teacher?’ Dad questioned

‘It was okay,’ I replied.

‘After Engineering you are doing a teaching job people will laugh at me,’ dad replied.

‘I am not here to think about your friends, this is my life, let me live my life please. I have college tomorrow morning,’ I replied.

2

Day 2

The next morning I had to reach college by 9 00 am sharp.

‘May I come in madam,’ I reached late in the college and the session had already started.

‘Young man, you are late,’ Dr Nikita Jain replied she was taking lecture on topic discipline in academic institutes.

‘Sorry madam,’ Sameer replied.

‘You are a faculty now if you are late than how will your student’s learn discipline?’ Nikita questioned.

She allowed me inside the auditorium room.

For the next 2 hours, she was giving lectures on discipline, work ethics and I was continuously looking at that woman. Her personality, her aura, her big eyes, everything she had I was attracted to her.

She always had two male lecturers around her who use to travel with her. After the lecture, lunch was organized. I decided to approach her.

‘Hey Sameer, come we will lunch together,’ Shekhar said.

I could not say no to him because yesterday he paid for my tea. Therefore, my approach plan did not work as Shekhar was in no mood to leave me.

Lecture on discipline was effective that suddenly everyone was behaving as lecturers very disciplined and were standing in a queue for lunch.

‘Did you like the lecture,’ Shekhar replied.

‘It was great,’ I replied

‘What! You liked it. It was more of insulting young teachers than teaching them. You were mentally present or just physically,’ Shekhar replied in harassed tone.

‘Actually physically,’ I replied back to end the topic and to concentrate on that girl.

Lunch had a weird combination of veg noodles and kadi with one sweet gulab jaamun.

‘What combination is this?’I asked.

‘Welcome to the world of teachers,’ Shekhar replied.

I did not reply anything as it was a waste of time. I quickly started searching for the woman on whom I was concentrating from morning.

As usual, she was sitting with a group of faculty and smiling, laughing and having a good time.

After a dreadful lunch, I decided to find out some information about her and decided to approach her male friends.

During the afternoon session, another lecture was on how to handle students. This lecture was much better than the morning session.

During the tea break, I decided to follow the male lecturer in order to get some information about the girl. They went to pee and two of them started the conversation.

‘You know Irfan fees for Playgroup is how much?’ One of the male Profs questioned.

‘No,’ Irfan replied

‘It’s so high I enroll my daughter yesterday 55thousand per year,’ he said in a surprised tone.

‘Mihir Sir, everything is costly,’ Irfan replied

‘Very true,’ Mihir replied. They went to the lecture and the information I got, was that one is male professor is married, and the other is single.

At Home

‘Mummy, I am going to teach mechanics in college,’ I said

‘Mechanics were the only subject you cleared in your 1st SEM of your engineering exam’ Mom replied.

‘Yes ‘I replied in a lower tone.

‘Beta, I am known how you have done your engineering, teaching is not an easy job. You have to face 50-60 students at a