the ubiquitour chair - continued
To continue with the chair saga further:
Let us look at some of the very senior Scientists of the country. Some of these gentlemen have brought glory to the country with their research work or by managing some of the very important research institutions. It is but natural that such people too should retire from service when they attain the age stipulated for retirement. However, some of these very important people, instead of pursuing research without occupying any specific chair, normally tend to convince the government into creating newer institutions so that these institutions have the necessary chairs for these senior scientists to occupy and continue to be important people in their own sphere of activity. Should we then say that these gentlemen too are politicians with a difference? Government of India is always starved of funds when it comes to funding the existing research institutions and academic institutions. However to keep these set of gentlemen in reckoning funds are provided to build institutions of their choice with the choice of researchers left to them. The Chairs are retained and their names continue to ring bells in learned circles lest they might be forgotten. There are other Chairs that keep popping up every time a retired scientist who has made a name for himself needs to be accommodated after retirement. Some of these are the positions of Vice Chancellors or some Chairs named after some eminent persons. Yet another avenue for these gentlemen is nomination as Members in the Upper House of Parliament. Thereby they become Parliamentarians but cannot play politics as other mortals elected or nominated do. Like these, there may be a number of achievers who keep looking for chairs of their choice. It is not that eminent scientists should not do research after their retirement, the irony is that they can not do so in the absence of a Chair. Is there a system deficiency in such matters?
My own chair – I enjoy occupancy
Incidentally, I too have retired from service but have no Chair. So I too occupy a Chair in my own home in front of a computer whenever I feel like and at other times relax quietly in one of the other convenient chairs mulling politics and amused at the way the news papers keep reporting some of the events that are described above. I like my Chair next only to the Chair I occupied for a number of years in the government. I am not a scientist and I do not envy those who are occupying the other Chairs.
Still to come....
Let us look at some of the very senior Scientists of the country. Some of these gentlemen have brought glory to the country with their research work or by managing some of the very important research institutions. It is but natural that such people too should retire from service when they attain the age stipulated for retirement. However, some of these very important people, instead of pursuing research without occupying any specific chair, normally tend to convince the government into creating newer institutions so that these institutions have the necessary chairs for these senior scientists to occupy and continue to be important people in their own sphere of activity. Should we then say that these gentlemen too are politicians with a difference? Government of India is always starved of funds when it comes to funding the existing research institutions and academic institutions. However to keep these set of gentlemen in reckoning funds are provided to build institutions of their choice with the choice of researchers left to them. The Chairs are retained and their names continue to ring bells in learned circles lest they might be forgotten. There are other Chairs that keep popping up every time a retired scientist who has made a name for himself needs to be accommodated after retirement. Some of these are the positions of Vice Chancellors or some Chairs named after some eminent persons. Yet another avenue for these gentlemen is nomination as Members in the Upper House of Parliament. Thereby they become Parliamentarians but cannot play politics as other mortals elected or nominated do. Like these, there may be a number of achievers who keep looking for chairs of their choice. It is not that eminent scientists should not do research after their retirement, the irony is that they can not do so in the absence of a Chair. Is there a system deficiency in such matters?
My own chair – I enjoy occupancy
Incidentally, I too have retired from service but have no Chair. So I too occupy a Chair in my own home in front of a computer whenever I feel like and at other times relax quietly in one of the other convenient chairs mulling politics and amused at the way the news papers keep reporting some of the events that are described above. I like my Chair next only to the Chair I occupied for a number of years in the government. I am not a scientist and I do not envy those who are occupying the other Chairs.
Still to come....
posted by Gabbita at 5:28 AM
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