Dated: 9th October 2013.
Dear Professor Chakrabarti,
I take this opportunity to write the second open letter to you since I can recall that you appreciated my first letter and invited more of such kind.
At the outset I apologize for not being able to attend your meeting on 07.10.2013 on time as I had a class from 2.30P.M. to 3.30P.M. I was late by 45 minutes and missed many interesting questions raised by my faculty colleagues and equally interesting answers given by you. Something serious was going on as regards Ph.D regulations.
The second issue I want to raise is, these meetings now seem to me pseudo addas. These are addas because anything could be raised in these meetings, from j-stor facilities to garbage clearance through English language learning facilities. I designate these meetings as pseudo addas because finally the fate of any issue raised depended on the discretionary powers of the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor. In true addas anything could be discussed but discretionary powers do not operate. These are not also true meetings since there is no agenda in these deliberations and one does not get any idea or any opportunity to take a preparation.
In any case, I found on 07.10.2013, in the pseudo adda or pseudo meeting, one can call whatever one likes to, two very vital issues and their fate, which I must point out and that is why I write to you again. Let me get straight to the cases.
CASE I
Professor Somnath Roy of the Human Physiology Department raised a question regarding the pitiable condition of the animal house in their Department. Your answer had blown everything out of all proportions when you said “Animal house does not exist and one should call the animals NON-HUMANS!”. I was just taken aback and trying to recall about the International Protocols followed by every university of the world in which ANIMALS are called ANIMALS and the principles of 3R’s are more important than whether we call them animals or non-humans. The three R’s are Reduction, Replacement and Refinement which simply means that the scientists should be more careful and sympathetic to laboratory animals. With your answer I could only think of Desmond Morris’s famous book Human Zoo wherein he showed that humans sometime also behave like animals (not in a derogatory sense) in executing power and authority.
CASE II
Dr. Surajit Ghosh of the Department of Physics pointed out that there should be a system of Annual Maintenance Contract for the very valuable instruments in the different laboratories of the University. Your answer to Dr. Ghosh’s question again could not throw any new light on this very old problem. You probably just said this is not the place where we can deal with the question.
I hope I have been able to raise the issues around your meetings.
I just pray before you to look into two issues:
(1) Kindly give the agenda of your next meeting.
(2) If attendance in your meetings (signatures were collected) is compulsory kindly make an arrangement to postpone the classes during the period of such meetings.
I wish you and your family very happy Puja Holidays.
With my warmest regards,
(Abhijit Guha)
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
Vidyasagar University.
