For my students...

I have been wanting to write this post for long. But now I am looking for the words I should begin this post with. That's strange I think. For I teach postgraduate students of journalism at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara how to use their words economically.

But today I've decided to pen down what I feel, a decision I made when I was asked in the classroom today, "What is creative?"

Today, was my last lecture with this batch of super-enthusiastic students. As a farewell gift they asked me roll out the in-house newspaper (created by them) from a typewriter. I haven't seen a typewriter in years and have never really used one. I tried pulling out the paper the way you'd pull one out of a printer. Luckily, the course coordinator intervened and asked me to roll it out. As I did so with care, my thoughts rushed back to when I had first stepped into the classroom in front of these students.

I had expected a bunch of 21-year-olds, fresh out of college, ready to take on the world. What I found instead were an assortment of students of different ages and sizes, standing up in attention to greet me. It reminded me of school when we would drearily greet our teachers (only on their birthdays or the last day before we'd break into vacation would we greet them with an enthusiasm that would make a celebrity jealous). "Now, this is a class," I thought.

I had prepared notes for my first lecture, but sizing up my students I figured theory would put them to sleep. So instead of journalism, I talked about the economics of journalism. Bewildered at some of my revelations of how the media actually works, they shot back questions that I boldly fielded off. I felt like I would finish the entire semester's coursework in an hour's time. I looked at my watch. Thankfully, it was time to leave.

The second day was better. I was much at ease. I asked them if I had rushed through the previous day's lecture. They responded, "No, we're above average." "This will be interesting," I thought.

My interaction with students developed over a span of four months during which I had the monumental task of getting them to do the in-house newspaper, Ittivrutt. Doing a 10-page newspaper is no big deal. Getting people who simply can't get along with each other to work together is. As newsroom politics took over the classroom, I had the tough job of seeing the project through. Luckily, in the midst of all the bickering and whining, they also managed to stretch their own limits and get good stories in the paper. Not only that, the super-competitive spirit pushed them to do better than all their previous batches and bring out the Ittivrutt in colour.

Through the course of this year, I have interacted with students at various levels. I had formed my own opinions about them by assessing their assignments, only to have them demolished as we worked it out in the not-so-friendly wilderness of Dang in south Gujarat. It was in Dang, I got to know each one of them as an individual and not as 'one of the class'.

Looking back now, there were times when I would wonder what I was doing teaching. There were times when I would get bogged down with the assessments (maintaining objectivity in relative grading is very difficult) and sometimes I would feel teaching's a thankless job when I would look at their glum faces after they'd scored low in a test. I would goad them to do things better and faster, make suggestions only to find them not implemented. Still, I hung on. And I am glad I did.

They gave me the best gift I have ever received by actually performing together as one group on stage. I was impressed, not only by their folk media presentation, but also by the fact that they had tided over their differences.

I am glad I took this teaching assignment up. It gave me a chance of mixing with a bunch of youngsters (well, most of them are young) who may in a few years change the way the world thinks through media. It taught me patience and people management. While teaching, I learnt and in my students, I found creativity: They made stories, I shaped minds.