This post has been a long time coming. Quite often I have had people question my interest in academics. Some tell me that studying so much seems like a waste of time. A few others are in awe of my so-called academic achievements, and then there are those who are happy for me yet skeptical about pursuing the same themselves. I have a particular friend, a British, who has this ability to make me question my decisions everytime we happen to speak or chat. From what I understand, he holds this notion that studies for me is a form of escapism. In the West, things work a bit differently. People are respected more so for their work experience than their degrees. Atleast that is the impression I got. Not a lot of students opt for higher degrees. Quite the opposite happens in this country. We give a lot of value to education. Infact, academic competitiveness is drilled in our heads from a very young age. Look at the rise in the number of children taking outside tuitions. Even my seven year old niece goes for tuitions. What extra can she possibly learn from the class that is not already taught in Grade II? To be honest, I was pretty confident about being a post-graduate someday. A Masters degree was the one milestone I had set for myself. What eventually followed was an unplanned journey deep into the world of academics.
After a year of quality research work, I decided that studying in a foreign University was what I needed. It was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a whole new world. Not just the degree but everything that came along with it. I feel I took the right decision at the right time. Look at how the number of Indian students in the UK have fallen in the last two years (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/304801/uk-face-drop-indian-students.html) The seventeen months abroad were most challenging, yet a gainful experience. Many people frowned at my decision of not applying for the Post Study Work (PSW) visa. They do not understand that it is a lonely life in the West where time is money and money is uber valued. My mother said this to me over a phone call once that people who were desperate to stay in these countries were doing so in a bid to change their fate. Those from troubled or really poor regions who had nothing to go back to when all was tried and tested. I wasn't one of them. I had a loving family and a world of opportunities to come back to. So I made the decision to come back. It was a done deal. Once back home, I wasted no time in diving into a new job. During my viva last week, the first question thrown at me by the external examiner was what made me choose a topic like suicide? I had the answer to this one. While working at the Central University, I was already in an academic setting and reading about suicide cases in the local papers every alternate day was an eye opener for someone like me who thought all was well in my state. So there you have it. My research topic was ready much before I got a confirmation of my acceptance in this current University, instead of it being the other way around. My life in JNU was supposed to be a short lived one but the last two years have edged me to delve further into research. I admit that my decision is a mixture of both an employment scarcity back home, as well as a deep rooted interest to know more about this particular problem of suicide in the, otherwise relatively peaceful and stable, state.
I used to be one of those people who never understood why people study so much. Now I am standing in the other corner. As you may garner from my writing, the fact that I stand at this threshold today was never a matter of careful planning. It was all about the perfect opportunity and the right timing. I have long ceased to envision what the future holds for me. As lame as this may sound, I drift along with the wind. Today I can positively comprehend the value of a good theoretical background. For without it, reasoned practical application would never be a possibility. I have been able to write worthy papers on some pressing topics for the benefit of my people, and that for me is a win-win. Not many Sikkimese scholars have had the patience to pass through the entire academic process and now that I am merely a step away from reaching the pinnacle, I think I should continue. Maybe for people like my British friend, too much academics may never make sense. And he is right to an extent. Unless we apply what we learn, what is the point of learning after all? Which is why I always try to get involved in some work or the other, in order to balance my education, both in black and white and in the real world. The current lot of research scholars from my state is an encouraging trend which will pave the way for meaningful studies in the near future.
Academics has becomes a part of my life now. There is just no escaping it.
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