Guest column: In fond memory of a benevolent disciplinarian

I distinctly remember the principals’ office housed in a tiny room with a low ceiling. The space was small and modest, but the person occupying it was a woman whose stature and impressive persona went far beyond the four-walls — Shakuntala Roy.

April this year marks the birth centenary for Roy, who was the head of the institution when I joined MCM DAV College, Chandigarh, as a faculty member a little over four decades ago. I can never forget her awe-inspiring personality. “Mrs Roy”, the way that everyone would address her, was a strict disciplinarian. Every morning before the start of the classes, she, in her crisp cotton saris in summers and rustling silk in winters, would be standing in the college corridor. No closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras or tech advancements that have come about in the intervening years could ever ensure the kind of punctuality and discipline that her presence did.

Don’t be misled, Roy was soft spoken. Seldom did she lose her temper or raise her voice, but her striking gaze was as competent in commanding respect and ensuring obedience as in inspiring awe. I cannot forget the way she used to remove her spectacles before the “look”, a signal for all of us to get our act together.

Anecdotes from the days gone by

Etched in my memory is an episode of when I was summoned to her office for not wearing a pure white sari, which was the Monday uniform for the teachers.

A fresher still, I was wearing my mother’s white sari that had a small dainty border embroidered in pink. But how could Roy allow an infringement on the white, or as you may call it, beach of dress code? That was the kind of discipline and adherence to rules she ensured.

While sari no longer remained the compulsory dress code in the college in the years, such was the grooming that I continued to wear it with pride till my last day in the college.

Roy was authoritative, yet a compassionate motherly figure who possessed a demeanour warm as no other. I can never forget her sweet gesture when she came to bless my little one and gifted him a beautiful blue baby set that she had knitted herself. My son was not the only one to receive her blessing; all the staff members had the privilege of getting her hand knitted baby sets for their newborns.

Brick-by-brick

In 1980, when I joined the college, it was still in its nascency. Brick-by-brick the founding principal built the college. She would personally supervise the construction work. She was conscientious, sincere and dedicated to the core. And that is not an exhaustive list of her exemplary qualities that inspired each faculty member to want to do their best.

I remember piles of notebooks, awaiting correction in the staff room. Seems unbelievable today, but that was the MCM culture. The fact is every organisation has a distinct culture; undoubtedly the head of the institution has a major role to play in shaping it.

Roy’s presence not only made for an unmatched work environment, but also went on to lend a congenial family-like atmosphere everywhere starting from the staff room to to the classroom to the administrative blocks and each corridor.

The staff members would stand by each other in thick and thin, a culture that has prevailed since. The credit for laying the foundation of the camaraderie that we share even after retirement has to be attributed to the work put in by principals Roy and Mrs Mahajan. It is indeed exemplary the way we, the retirees have stayed connected, share a strong bonding and uplift each other.