By Dr. Venkateswarlu Barla PGP ‘82
“My name is not Madam, my name is Indira”, said Prof Indira Parikh, our faculty of OB, when we used to call her ‘Madam’ way back in 1981 in the campus and outside as well. That summer was indeed a ‘U’ turn for our batch of Section B. And the sense of humor from Prof Pulin Garg, the ‘Boss of OB’ was unfathomable. He used to say “Indira ji, what is that scar on your waist? Is not like a human bite?” Then Indira ji bursts into laughter! That free atmosphere, that dedication of ‘real teachers’ was mostly responsible for our blooming as fluid personalities. Every word, every movement of theirs was a dictionary from where unknowingly, subtly our hearts and minds picked up life skills and life itself! And that light entered into us without our knowledge.
That was the time when we gathered at Ubrath, a resort in Gujarat for our PGL course workshop. Away from the campus. no classes, no WAC assignments, no exams! A free environment, all ‘Zing Bang of Guys n Gals’ as a team.
The Personality Growth Laboratory (PGL) is, we look back is mostly and vastly responsible for our self-unfoldment. And we developed there on. But the first ignition, the initial spark was given there. Prof Pulin would unfold the inner persona of each of us like how the car mechanic opens up the Engine. He would then repair it, grease it and reassemble. Indira ji would add silver linings to it all.
It made lot of us cry! As we uncover and discover how clumsy our inner self was!
Shy as we were, Indira ji would ask us to hug each other. No matter girls or boys. She would even hug the most shying girl or boy! to unfold his/her “ inner self ”. There we lost all our fear, our hesitations, all ifs and buts of dealing with people and it truly helped later in life, lifelong.
And thus we had the light!
The light of life!
Just can`t forget it even now after 36 years!
“Our batch mates experience it all along in life, because that entered into our DNA. We can`t be anything different” – I said to Dr Indira Ji Parikh last year in 2016 when she said “ yes , those were the formative days we can never forget”. The same madam Indira.
