My search for a meaningful connection to the local community (though not in the Mother Teresa fashion) has brought me again into the world of academia.
Indian academia is distinctly different from its American variant. Jobs--at least temporary ones--are often discussed and agreed upon outside of any formal network, as a result of who-you-know.
(Then again, the Indian way of life appears to be much more about word-of-mouth than about, say, the internet, which doesn't have much information about settling in in this corner of the world. So finding out where to buy fresh, i.e. not rotten, seafood, where to take yoga classes, and even how to set up your phone and internet depend on the good graces of neighbors, colleagues and casual acquaintances, who are all happy to oblige).
I obtained my job interview at the history department of the university through an undergrad professor. As you may recall, this interview was supposed to take place in May, but in the flexible way of things here, it only happened now, at the beginning of the new academic year.
The university, seen in these pictures, is a fairly leafy and pretty place, although random slabs of concrete and piles of dirt are de rigueur. The kind, chatty professors joked with me about the "installation" outside their windows--twenty sinks filled with soil. This new campus in the suburbs was built in the 1960s, unlike the older, British-built 19th-century campus in the city proper, which explains why the architecture, once aspirational, is now a bit of an eyesore.
According to several people, the humanities here lag far behind the technical sciences. Everyone who is anyone tries to get into the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and gains some kind of an engineering background, even if all they want to do later is be a journalist.
Perhaps that's why journalism here is ailing so much that the main newspaper, The Times of India, is a sort of New York Post with special inserts on star gossip. And why the humanities students in colleges are considered underachievers who can't read or write critically.
Perhaps that's why journalism here is ailing so much that the main newspaper, The Times of India, is a sort of New York Post with special inserts on star gossip. And why the humanities students in colleges are considered underachievers who can't read or write critically.
They are, however, said to be respectful, deferential and usually excited to learn.
I will be testing the truth of all these hypotheses (to adopt the academic jargon) since I've agreed to teach a biweekly seminar on European history to interested M.A. students alongside the main lecture course.
That is, if they survive my talk on Russian emigres in France while wondering why Russians, why in France, what emigres, which interwar, and why in the world they're hearing about this in 21st-century India!
Ha, sounds a lot like jobs in fragrance industry! :)) I look forward to hearing more about your teaching, and I especially look forward to hearing more about these day-to-day adventures in your navigating of India.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, we are getting married on Wednesday. Lena and Igor kindly agreed to be our witnesses. Wish all of you were here, and we could have had another party! :)
And a critical question, where do you eat with Misha, at home or did you find some place interesting? Sometimes I feel that I should know these things for the future, although I have no idea why... it is not like we have any definite plans so far.
Congratulations! I didn't realize you were living in sin up to now ;) Wish we could be there for the NY recreation.
ReplyDeleteMisha and I mostly eat at home because he doesn't have time to go out--chicken, veggies, pasta and seafood--I'm still trying to figure out what are the best places to get these; somewhat annoyingly, seafood is off the plate, no pun intended, for the next 3 months because the monsoon makes it unsafe--all kinds of junk in the air and the fishermen don't go out far enough in the sea. Also, because Bandra has been yuppiefying/diversifying, you can order in--good sandwiches, falafel, sometimes even Western bread, though that's a bit tough. And, of course, there are a ton of great restaurants here, from cheap seafood lunch places, to upscale--by local standards--Indian, Thai and imitation Continental. I can send you a list if/when you need it!
The photos look a lot like the Brazilian universities that I studied at, all set in the jungle. Beautiful, how exciting that you will be teaching, and translating, it sounds like a great way to a new life! Also once every two weeks is just the right time, I'm already sick of teaching four days a week and having to deal with students who text and send emails in class, I've declared all out-war on the texters.
ReplyDeleteWell, it isn't really a jungle--whatever jungle Mumbai had was chopped down a while ago.
ReplyDeleteBut I am excited about the teaching! Four days a week is quite a lot; I'm sure I'll run into my share of misbehavior during my biweekly seminars as well although students here, unlike in the U.S., are quite deferential towards figures of authority.