Professor Amar Yumnam recollects his days in Imphal College and says that in the 1970s, the college experienced a kind of learning far ahead of any other higher educational institutions of the era.
By Amar Yumnam
News of the what is happening or rather not-happening at the DM (College or University?) makes me miss my institution, the IMPHAL COLLEGE, a lot; I am right now full of nostalgia and emotions for the Imphal College. It was the first half of the 1970s. There were Five of us as Honours Students in Economics. The academic scenario was characterized by:
A. The encouragement for the Honours Classes were such that we were inspired to prove to be better than the students in the same subject in the DM at the end of the day;
B. There were classes even at 8.30 in the morning and 3.30 in the evening such that the learning never allowed to lag behind; recalling the remembrances of Professors Mani, Iboton, Ibopishak, Nirodkumar and Manihar with utmost love;
C. The classes for the non-Honours subjects too were very regular and intense – the teachers for all these subjects too are remembered with utmost esteem; Professor L Kamakhya was particularly impactful;
D. Listening, while passing through the Teachers’ Common Room, the various debates among teachers about the issues of the day – regional, national and global – was the first lessons on social consciousness and responsibility within a framework of application of knowledge;
D. We used to walk from the Imphal College to the Bazar to visit the PC Jain and another person, Chaoba (now no more), selling magazines and journals; we invariably saw to it that we never missed the issues of the Yojana, Mainstream, and Kurukshetra to keep ourselves abreast of the latest developments about the Indian economy; and
E. The Central Library too had very wonderful stocks of very high standard international publications, and thus we could read very highly rated American Text-books for our Honours course.
Thus there was a spirit of competition instilled in us by our TEACHERS, and awareness of the Wide and Depth of the Subjects assured by them. These have stood the TEST of Time, and have carried me around the globe.
I LOVE IMPHAL COLLEGE. FOREVER INDEBTED.
(Amar Yumnam is Visiting Professor, CESS, Hyderabad.)