The Cunning Professor

My admission was confirmed for the post-graduation diploma at the university. It was a newly introduced course with ours being the first batch. We were only fifteen students who were selected after an entrance test. Everything seemed satisfying except the fees, which I felt were certainly very high.

On the very first day, we were given all the necessary instructions by the concerned department. The lectures were supposed to be held at different locations: the university, medical college and pharmacy college. Special instructions were given about the attendance. We were informed that an attendance sheet would be passed around, on which we had to sign against our name. And one person has to enter the time duration of the lecture; that is for how long the class was taken by the professor; who would then be paid based on how many hours of lectures he has delivered.

This was important because the fees of the next batch, that is the year after us, would be calculated depending upon the current year’s cost. Since ours was the first batch, there was a lot of research to be done on the fee structure.

The lectures commenced as planned by the department. At the pharmacy college, there was only one person allotted to teach us. He was a senior medical officer who was designated on a highly paid position in the government medical college. he looked somewhat close to his retirement age. His wealthy status was evident from the luxury car in which he travelled. What he ordered us on the very first day was to just sign against our names and leave the time slot blank. Of course, he had excellent plans of filling it subsequently with whatever time he liked.

All the students were furious listening to this, but no one objected. We also never reported the incident back to the head of our department. Maybe we all did not want to deal with any conflict and the professors at the university were quiet seniors and a bit arrogant.

The attendance saga continued. Each time we looked at the empty time slot our blood would boil. He too had not filled the slot. There were 20 lectures in total which he was supposed to take. We would wait after class, discussing the matter and cursing the old man and expressing our anger. But nobody of us was ready to take any action.

Just then I don’t know what happened to me. I just announced in the class that I fill in all the time slots with the actual time that the lecturer had taken the class and I will do it on the last day of the class. Everybody assumed I was joking because most of my batch mates knew me for a very long time and very well knew that I was not that courageous person who could do something like that. They were cent percent right.

Courage was something extremely distant from me. I was never that brave individual who could fight against injustice. But deep within me, I knew I will do it. Not everybody knows about this nature of mine because I never exhibit it and only in extreme cases like I get that strength to fight something evil and I knew; this was the time I had to do it.

Because I felt the fees were certainly high and we could feel the burden. Some students were financially weak and desperately wanted to finish the course and start working. The course was definitely quite expensive for these students. Besides, I don’t know why but I was also thinking of the next batch who will have to pay the high fees because of our cowardice. Also, being their senior, I had a responsibility towards them. I was actually not thinking all this on purpose, but unknowingly everything was playing back in my mind.

Now, it was the last day of the lecture. Before entering the class, I told my classmates about my intention. This time they were a little scared and told me to avoid it as that would land us in trouble.

As we entered the class and reached our respective seats, my friends were still hinting at me not to do it. When the lecturer passed the sheet, I was the third one to receive it. The lecturer was extremely busy teaching and was not at all observing the attendance sheet.

I grabbed the opportunity and filled all the twenty time slots, including the present day, as I knew when he would wind up the class.

Then I passed the paper behind. The girl behind me started poking her pen on my back. This meant that she had noticed it. As the paper circulated among the other students, they all were stunned and I could see the expressions on their faces. Some pale with fright and some flaming with anger.

I too was now a bit scared and avoided guessing what would be the aftereffects of this. I could sense that the class was not at all interested in the lecture and a sort of tension hovered there.

The lecturer completed the class and left with all his stuff. He always had a habit of checking the attendance paper in his car. We waited there to see his reaction as we always did because each time he opened the attendance sheet his face always gleamed with happiness.  But today his face flamed with anger, as he pondered for a long time at the paper. And then wrapping the paper he drove away. How would he have the courage to walk to us and ask us about it?  And we were then greatly relieved.

Everybody now applauded my actions and started praising me. I was laughing from within because they were appreciating me for my courage, a quality that I always lacked.

But the entire incident made me reflect. The few extra rupees that he would receive from the cunningness he was planning at; would he really enjoy or benefit from it? But maybe if he was truthful, it would have definitely helped someone in the future. The whole episode made me understand that sometimes a slight moment of courage that we show may help someone, if not in a huge way, but at least it might make a slight difference somewhere and to someone.

Image Credit: Gursimrat Ganda-unsplash