Come
May and Bahirdar City was buzzing with palpable excitement. It was preparing for
a day that all its citizens have been waiting for – Graduation Day or in other
words Bahirdar University’s Annual
Convocation. Bahirdar University was young and it was established in May
2001. We would be part of the second convocation of the Bahirdar University!
Our
Diploma students of Marketing and Sales; and of Accounting were awash with
excitement. In India a basic degree is taken for granted, so much so that
graduation ceremony of a basic degree is unheard of.
Quite
paradoxically global schools in India celebrate the graduation of their kindergarten
students with pomp, glory and quite ceremoniously but a basic degree goes unnoticed
and infact many institutes dont have graduation ceremonies. Thankfully some
private institutions have turned the clock back and are celebrating the graduation
of their students.
Education
in Ethiopia was a ticket to a better life and in 2003, even students having diplomas
in Sales and Marketing could land jobs in government sector. Graduates could hope
for a better life and use the degree as a springboard for moving ahead in life.
Graduation ceremony was coming of age for the family. It was very common for
the entire family and in some cases extended families of uncles, aunties and friends
to descend in Bahirdar and take up all types of accommodation including camping
in the open!!!
It
was unimaginable, they would spend days together in travelling. They would sell
their very limited assets and that included their livestock to see their son or
daughter get decked up in a three-piece suit to be at their best for the day of
their life – the graduation ceremony.
New
clothes, new shoes and a new tie would be bought. Men and women would splurge
on looking at their best. Also accompanying them, was the omnipresent photographers.
Bahirdar photographers would make a killing by charging a bomb. But no one really
minded. It was one heck of a celebration - a celebration of a life time to be cherished,
remembered and recited for generations to come, till it becomes a folklore and
a piece of family history.
Our
Dean called us and invited us for the graduation ceremony – we were all awaiting
and jumped at the offer, “What is the dress code?” I asked him. “Yes, yes, you
can take the faculty robes from the University stores” He responded.
We
collected the robes from the university stores and brought them home. And we
all had fun. Padma, Krishna (Suresh’s wife) and Shilpa (Kuldeep’s wife) too
wore the official robes and took snaps. Wearing ceremonial robes was new for us.
We had never attended a graduation ceremony neither as students nor as faculty.
The
night before the graduation ceremony, skies opened up. It was an awesome sight.
It rained so heavily that we feared that the graduation ceremony would be
postponed. But the rain decreased by 05:00 a.m. in the morning and completely
stopped by around seven.
“Amma,
Amma, amma” Pranav dashed into the drawing room. “We have a swimming pool in
our garden” Even though he was exaggerating, it was close to truth. Our entire
garden has disappeared under massive flood of water. There was no garden at
all. There was water standing everywhere and it was sticky as hell. The road in
front of the house was totally gone. It was a scene from Chirapunji (the place in
India that received the highest rainfall in the world!).
But
the show had to go on. We got dressed and I wore my official robes and we stepped
out, gingerly. The trip from our house to the main road that leads to the university
generally takes 3 to 5 minutes’ time. That day it took fifteen minutes. We had
to watch our steps with an eagle eye. One wrong move and we could be in a mud
sliding competition!
The
scene at the main road took our breath away. There was a sea of humanity on the
main road. They were all whooping and making their way slowly but steadily to
the graduation venue. The humidity, the slushy road and the muggy weather were
no dampeners. There was laughter all around and beautiful yet soulful Ethiopian
music which wafted to our ears. The party was on. “Bahirdar University, here we
come” I said to myself.
The
minute they saw me, they all slowed down. They came in hordes. The graduating students
were easy to identify, they wore western suits and the family members too were dressed
in their best. The students would give a shy smile and then shake hands. The
elders would do the same and then there would be a request for a snap (photo).
I was quite non plussed. I would have been stopped at least 30 times before we
walked the one kilometre distance to the PEDA campus where the graduation ceremony
was being held.
“You
taught them all???” Padma was gaping. The family would cheerfully pose with
Padma and the kids too. Even I had the same sneaky impression. Most of them
were definitely NOT MY students. I was puzzled, to say the least.
The
first Indian I saw at the graduation ceremony was Dr. Naidu, the Bheeshma
Pithamaha of Bahirdar University – the senior most Indian teacher. I told him
about my predicament. “Why am I being asked to pose for so many photographs”.
Dr. Naidu burst out in laughter.
“Oh
Anil” he was rocking front and back. “That was so funny” he wiped away the tears
of laughter. “Priceless, to say the least. Get used to it. Indian teachers are highly
revered in Ethiopia. It is a matter of great pride to be taught by an Indian teacher.
It is said that President Meles himself was taught by Indian teachers. Ethiopian
students want to show to their extended family that they have been taught by
Indian teachers. It is the same as Indians studying USA claiming that they have
been taught by teachers who studied in Harvard or in Stanford. It is a badge of
honour”.
The
irony is we dont appreciate the magnitude or the significance of events as they
are unfolding in front of our eyes. I was clicked so many times that the flash
light at the end of the day were a minor irritant. I sympathized the life of celebrities
chased by the press and the paparazzi. But as I reflect back, those days were heavenly.
Being
respected, mobbed and continuously badgered for snaps and autographs was manna
from the heaven when compared to the present day graduation ceremonies. Most of
the students are blasé and self-absorbed. They want to take as many selfies as possible.
At maximum, may be 4 to 5 students want
to take snaps with the gurus who have given them knowledge – talk about crass commercialization
of education! I would happily give my right arm to be back in 2003, where teachers
were revered and considered to be demi gods!
