61. Yet another interview and the coveted post

It has been already indicated previously that promotion to higher posts in REC   was not based   on seniority  as existed in state government and aided colleges  in Kerala. Teaching staff  had   to apply for  the open selection along with  external candidates when the posts are advertised in national  Newspapers. Even among internal candidates, a junior  staff member can get  promotion  to a  higher post  if he has  better qualifications, publications  and have done significant work   for development of the department.  After  returning  from  I.I.T.Delhi and getting  my PhD  degree in 1983, I could  present myself for an interview and get selected as Assistant Professor after 14 years of service as  lecturer. Naturally, the  next promotion  was to the  post of Professor.

As I have already mentioned when  Dr.S.Unnikrishna Pillai (SUP) took over as Principal  of the college, there  was significant all round developments in the college  from 1983  onwards. He was the motivator to propose and start new under graduate and post graduate programmes in major departments which created better opportunities for the teaching staff to get higher posts. Further, as per the Madan Committee recommendations, the number of teaching posts such as  that of  professor, assistant  professor and lecturer were  recalculated  based on the work load  of teachers. For undergraduate programs, the number of units were calculated and for each unit, one professor, two assistant professors and four lecturers were to be appointed. As per the curriculum of the Calicut University, if there are 60 students in a class, approximately 4 units were possible and correspondingly the number of posts enhanced. However, for post-graduate programmes, it was possible to have one professor and one assistant professor as earlier. All such posts were advertised in national dailies in 1985. Anyone, senior or junior could compete with both internal and external candidates  and  if they are qualified and come out successful in the  selection process.

This was a golden opportunity for some of us to get promoted to the post  of professor. In the department of Electrical Engineering, three posts were available including one post for electronics and a tenure post in Instrumentation and Control Systems (IC), vacated by Dr.M.N.Neelakantan who was promoted as  Professor of Computer Science.  There  was also a  post  of Professor Training and Placement(TP) newly created. Among the  new posts created  out of reallocation, one  post in EE and one post in Electronics  would  be available  only in the  beginning of the next academic year. Most of us who were promoted as Assistant professors in 1983 were eligible for these posts.  I could apply for Professor(EE), Professor (IC) and Professor (TP) and did apply  for all the three.

After screening I was called for all the three posts. Even though I was not very keen for the post in training and placement as it was purely an administrative post and I preferred a teaching post. However, I decided to appear for all the three posts. I am very happy to report  that  I had  one  of the  best  interviews I attended in my life, nobody  tried  to pull my legs and I could  tell them  whatever I am doing in the college. The  Chairman  of the interview  board was  none other than Sri.K.Chandrasekharan, an eminent lawyer and the Minister of Education in Government of Kerala. He did not take much active part in the interview except one or two  cursory introductory questions and   the interview  was de facto conducted by Sri. T.N.  Jayachandran, one of the best IAS  officer  in Kerala and Vice Chancellor  of Calicut  University  at that time.  I was  called for the  interview  post of Professor(EE) first and  the  questions were  mostly on my academic qualifications, research   publications  etc. It went  for about  15-20  minutes. One of the subject experts was very curious about my research work in I.I.T. Delhi was  on Seismic Data Processing   sponsored by  Oil and Natural  Gas Commission. He was asking me what will you do here in REC where no possibility of continuing the work as there is no such data processing centre in the South like the one in Dehra Dun. I answered that the  theory we have developed in our research work  could be applied  to other areas and two of my M.Tech thesis students have already applied  the same to  prediction of water quality and optimization of turn around time  of a ship  in a port based  on data collected from Gwalior Rayons Mavoor and New Mangalore Port Trust  Panambur.  I felt  that the panel was reasonably impressed with my work.

After  about an hour  or so, I was called in again for the  PG post. This time, Sri. Jayachandran asked whether I have anything more  to add  to  what I said   in the first interview. I said I have and then told them about the developmental  work I had been doing in the department  such as setting up a  new laboratory  under the  Govt  of India  Institutional  Network scheme with  guidance  from  I.I.T.Madras for which a grant of Rs.5 lakhs were available for buying modern equipment. It took about 10 minutes to discuss my departmental work.

After some time, I was called in for the third time.  They were surprised to see me again and   Sri. Jayachandran said he will give me just 5 minutes to add anything more or sum up my work. I said I do write a few articles on popular science and engineering in local dailies in Malayalam. I added that I have written one full book on Electrical Power Transmission and Distribution and two chapters of a book on Electrical Engineering in Malayalam for State Institute of Languages. These books were written as text books for Polytechnic students in engineering.   I had brought copies of these two books which the panel members wanted to see.  They were just going through it when someone asked me how do you translate engineering words into Malayalam. I said   I cannot use words as I please as the Institute has already prepared a glossary of  Malayalam equivalent words for English words and I have been directed to use this glossary as a policy. They asked me whether I am for teaching engineering in Malayalam for which I said, personally I am not, except for Diploma   students, however I have written  these books for a little extra  money and  the Institute was  paying a  reasonable  amount as remuneration.  I think they were really happy at my frankness in not taking much credit for this work.  So, in short, I was very much satisfied with my performance on that day. Strangely enough, our Principal did not ask me any questions either to help me or chide me.(  In fact  I had a very bitter experience in an earlier interview in which the  former principal  was deliberately trying  to  provoke  me to an argument  by telling that  the percentage  marks I have  entered in the application form is wrong)

 Next day, I came to know that I was ranked No.3 for the post of Professor (EE) and No.1. for Professor(IC). As the third post in EE was to be filled only in June next year, two of my seniors were  appointed against the  two  existing posts and I was appointed  initially in the  tenure  post  of  PG  professor(IC). In June   next year, I made a request for regularising my appointment  against the permanent vacancy in EE, more because the leave  vacancy  will soon be non-existent as  Dr.Bharathan  who went abroad  was likely to return within a few months.

So with God’s  grace and blessings and best wishes  from  my senior  colleagues and  mentors especially the Principal Dr. S.U.Pillai, Head of the Department Dr.S.Thiruvengadam and  Professor. Dr.P.S.Srinivasan  I could  become a  professor in 1986. I continued in this post till my superannuation in 2011, completing almost 25 years in the post, serving the institution in various capacities to the best of my ability.