“The fog of social elitism has lifted from St Stephen’s”

Why did you join St Stephen’s? What is your earliest memory of the college?
I joined the college in order to equip myself and to go back to my home state to serve the cause of higher education there with devotion and distinction. I knew that St Stephen’s was the best I could choose 1971.
 
My earliest memory about Stephen’s is a mixed-up affair. It is, first, one of awe, as I stepped into the campus on the 9th of April 1971, soon after reaching Delhi from Kerala.  This turned soon into extreme agony at being rejected, on account of being a Keralite. Being a gold medalist from Kerala University I thought I would receive at least a coir carpet welcome! But for my fortuitous meeting with the then Superintendent of Nursing in St. Stephen’s Hospital, the story of my life—and perhaps of the college itself- would have been vastly different. I was interviewed alone for 45 minutes after all admissions closed and finally declared to be ‘good enough’ to be admitted. I expressed my gratitude to the institution by topping the college list in M. A. English. Then came the moment of surprise and incredulity. When I came to the college office to collect my certificates, I was asked to meet the Principal to take ‘special permission’ without which my papers were not to be released. With fear and trembling I walked into the office of the then Principal—the Revd. W. S. Rajpal, a giant of a man. He sprang up from his seat, met me half way down the office and embraced me saying, “You are now my colleague”.  The rest is history…..
 
 What is it about St Stephens that makes it so popular to students from across the country? 
 I suppose it is the stamp of excellence. The all-round excellence of St Stephen’s seems, I am afraid, a little exaggerated against the foil of less illustrious institutions. I acknowledge the nation-wide popularity of my college (of which I am inordinately proud) also with some sadness. It is a reflection of our lamentable bankruptcy in higher education. It is no happy thought that there is only one St Stephen’s for a population of 1. 3 billion people. There is a saying that in the country of the blind, a one-eyed man is king. I do not say this to belittle my alma mater, but to bemoan our backwardness in quality education. So, behind the national chorus of praise and preference for Stephen’s I also hear the shuffling feet of chronic frustration.

That said, it is certainly true that the alumni of the college—several of them having attained near-iconic status—are alluring (unpaid) brand ambassadors of the college. For several decades the college has had the image of being the nursery for civil service aspirants. In the last eight years —my tenure—the popularity of the college seems to have increased further because of the ‘controversies’ eddying around the college. Young people seem to enjoy controversies! Some of them joke and tell me, “No one kicks a dead horse.”
 
How has the college evolved in the last few years? 
Ah, yes! Much of the majestic infrastructure of the college was built in the war years (1939-41). All facilities had been degraded over time and urgent repair and renovation was the priority. All facilities in the college were renovated, library and class rooms were air-conditioned. The science campus was given maximum attention. State-of-the-art labs were set up. Lecture theatres were renovated and air-conditioned. The gardens were developed and the campus beautified.
 
On the academic front, the priority was to promote a research culture at the undergraduate level. Initially, some of my colleagues were skeptical of this; but in a few years the outlook changed completely. A couple of years ago, the St Stephen’s Centre for Theoretical Physics was set up and excellent work is happening under its auspices. Last year the Centre for Economics Studies was set up. Several new add-on courses have been introduced; some of them being- ‘Engaging with Unequal India’, ‘An Introduction to the Arts and Culture of India’, ‘Themes and Concepts’, ‘Citizenship and Cultural Enrichment’. All of these are open to the domiciles of Delhi, with no age limit.
 
Equally important is the vast enrichment of the co-curricular activities in the college. We have over 40 clubs and societies, all of which organise programmes rich in academic scope. They widen the frontier of awareness and scholarship, besides catering to all-round growth.
 
How has the profile of students changed since you joined? 
The students of today, as compared to my contemporaries in the ’70s, are far more heterogeneous in social and economic backgrounds. They are more down to earth and more motivated to excel academically. Four decades ago, young people came to St Stephen’s as much to have a good time as to build their careers. Today far more are career-minded and purpose-driven. The second major change is that the students of today live under the shadow of the World Wide Web.  They have the world, literally, at their finger-tips. This tells on their attitude to class room learning and, by extension, to student-teacher relationships. I am glad that the fog of social elitism has lifted from the landscape of the college and it is now a far more humane institution.
 
Has media coverage influenced the profile of the college? 
Believe it or not, not at all. Media adversity can destroy institutions that compromise their integrity or decimate individuals who are hollow within. I used to teach the undergraduates in my literature classes that there are two kinds of irony: inevitable irony and incongruous irony.  Inevitable irony—or strategies of attack—degrades and destroys the object of irony. The more he tries to pull himself out of it, the deeper he sinks into it. Incongruous irony—or being subjected to unmerited attacks—makes the object of attack stronger and more dignified. The media has done a great service to St Stephen’s by covering it with ‘incongruous irony’. As the nation stood and watched, an iconic institution was subjected to prolonged, orchestrated attacks giving it an invaluable opportunity to prove its mettle. Today it stands a shining example of our national motto: satyameva jayate!

How has being principal of Stephen’s impacted your life? 
Incredibly! Serving the college has been my consuming passion over the last eight years. I do not know how this period flew past me. There was not a dull moment. And adversity has brought out the best from me. Several students, while leaving the college, told me that witnessing my struggles has been the foremost educational experience for them. “But for you,” wrote a History student who graduated this year, “my college life would not have been half as meaningful.”  Of course, there have been occasional moments and experiences where I had to fight the demons of cynicism about human nature. But that is nothing compared to the total ‘adventure’ of stewarding St Stephen’s and seeing it reach the summit of national acclaim. 
 
What is your happiest memory at the college? 
I remember admitting a student from Rajasthan, who could barely speak English, a few years ago. I sensed potential in her, even though her interview was rather disappointing. This girl blossomed in the college and became the first to score 50 out of 50 in symbolic logic in the history of St Stephen’s.  I was equally happy when a rural girl from UP joined Stephen’s, took the best advantage of what the college could offer, distinguished herself extraordinarily and went to study at some of the best universities in France, UK and USA. Not far behind is the happiness I experienced when I learned that the college had been ranked number one in the country in science and humanities in 2013 and 2015, a distinction it had never attained before.
 
One thing about the college that few people know about? 
It had a humble beginning, in three dusty, hired rooms in Chandni Chowk. The college was established to educate the poor. Of the first four students, not one could pay the annual fee of Rs 2! Who thought in 1881 that this institution would be gradually hijacked by the rich and the mighty and be turned into a bastion of privilege and elitism?
 
In the age of social media, how can colleges keep up? 
We exaggerate the importance and power of social media. It is an important factor and needs to be reckoned. But the power of external forces are in a relationship of inverse proportion to the inner power of the institution. If you are inwardly weak, external forces overwhelm you. If you are strong within, you will know how to take advantage of these forces without getting uprooted by them. Also, St Stephen’s, though an old institution, is not a geriatric institution! We have not allowed ourselves to be fossilized by the passage of time. We have kept moving with—sometimes even ahead of- time; yet remaining true to, and rooted in, our core strengths. Institutions are like trees on the mountaintop. They will be tested by gales. If hollow, they will collapse. If strong, it will send its roots deeper and stand more majestically.
 

About The Author

Sonali Acharjee