"Death of a Professor, of a Whistle Blower"

"Death of a Professor, of a Whistle Blower"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I was travelling to my home town of Ayodhya, a rather calm pilgrim town in northern Indian province of eastern Uttar Pradesh, I had several things in my mind and one of these things was to meet a Professor in Awadh University- a state university in the town.But I was not knowing that destiny has written a cruel chapter for this meeting as this time it was not going to be possible as in my earlier visits.

Professor Vijay Kumar Pande a historian in his own right and an archeologist was one of the most experienced professors in the state. He had been in academics for several decades, had written several books on historical importance of Ayodhya and Faizabad. He had led a team of students to excavate several sites of hitorical importance in the region and had guided dozen of students for Ph.D programme.

But somewhere in his concious he was not satisfied with several people in the University, with the system of working and many restrictions imposed upon him by some of his collegus.

I remember my first meeting with him when I was assisting a french film maker for a documentary on Ayodhya and its cultural importance. He was a great person .Always ready to help,always ready to meet and always ready to speak. My second meeting with him was when I decided to spent couple of years in my hometown. I went straight to him asking for giving me opportunity for some guest lectures. And he trusted on me in 2005. I stayed with him for six months without asking for payment.He never imposed his seniority over me but humbly asked me to translate one of his books in English.I started the work but it remained incomplete.

We rather spent more time in discussing academic issues.problems in the University and the atmosphere created against him .He never feared naming out the people who restricted him for doing some good historical and archeological work.The chief proctor of the University Mr Ajay Pratap Singh as he named many times before me has been trying to defame his reputation and restricting his research work.

I remember how dpressed he was when his years long work to establish an archeological museum was restricted into just one room store of some stones.Not only this but Mr Proctor also was involved in beating a man who was appointed by him to guard the museum.

He was under tremendous pressure by these people as none of his project was getting aproved. He was finding himself lonly and he complained many times about this with his fellow collegus and even to me.
He also narrated once how brutally he was beaten up by some 'gundas' on behest of 'Thakur' lobby of the university some twenty odd years back.
But I can remember that Professor was fearless. I remember, I was sitting with him late night the day Ayodhya was attacked by terrorists. He had a diary with him,perhaps a Govt Of India PRO diary from which he searched out the Home Minister Mr ShivRaj Patil's telephone number and straight away ranged him up and narrated whole situation in tensed town for half an hour.

I remember him as my guru who taught me ABC of Indian and World history in couple of months.

I cant forget his last phone call to me when he said, "I am very tensed,Please help me out. I want to come to Delhi."

Couple of months later he met with an accident and came to Delhi for operation and returned to Ayodhya only after his death on operation table.

I am writing these lines but still I am thinking what tension professor was having with him or what irregularities he was willing to point out in Awadh University.......or what threat he was having from the people he mentioned in his conversations......May be his worries require an attention by academia and media.........................................................May god rest him in peace.

Written by Ratnesh Dwivedi