After a Long Gap

In a very brief period of time, many things have transpired around me. Although busy in my own world and not being able to blog, silently I was closely observing all the forces of evolution in my periphery with utmost consciousness and presence of mind.

Firstly, There were some miscommunications between the office of the dean and Bhutanese students here in Gujarat. Those miscommunications have obviously created an atmosphere of animosity between the staffs and students. It worsened, when some of our senior friends left the University with uncleared dues. As for me and my batch mates were concerned, we left for summer break with lot of inconveniences. Firstly we were fully engaged till 6pm with our exams but had a train to catch at 9pm and in which case we failed to submit our room keys to the office. It appeared to me that people in the dean's office took our inconvenience as disobedience to the office. To further heighten the distrust and suspicion, the dean's office later announced a rental hike of more than one hundred and sixty six percent! 

It was not a happy feeling at all. More than a sudden rental hike, what made me sad was the fact that in a foreign land, we were perceived as mere untrustworthy people. They were also of the opinion that we were taking their generosity little too lavishly. 

There was a genuine need for us to talk to the dean. So we proposed for a meeting and accordingly made an appointment. All we wanted was to clear the skepticism and ambiguities hovering in between. So on 22nd August, 2012, we had our first formal meeting with our dean in years time. I took the lead. I apologized her and her office on behalf our seniors and on our own behalf. I expressed our remorse and regret simultaneously. With that, I also gave her an assurance that such things would never happen in future and that she and her office should not interpret our inconvenience as our disobedience. 

At last our dean spoke. She spoke with such a grace and elegance that it moved my heart. She was really a a person worthy of her position and office. She said, there was no need for us to apologize her. She told us that people do not become bad out of choice and that people become bad due to circumstantial events. She also expressed her regard and esteem for Bhutanese scholars. It was an impressive one! She told us not to take rent revision as a penalty! 

I think my apology changed the entire atmosphere. Everyone in the meeting smiled and had lot of funny stories to tell. In fact, I came to know that we (had) have a lively and supportive dean behind us. I also realized that there is a magic in apologizing people; -it brings people closer. More, it doesn't make anyone smaller.

That evening, I came to my room feeling satisfied and happy. The out come of the meeting was such that , we were not only able to restore our cohesive and friendly atmosphere with her office, but were also able to restore their faith and trust in us. She graciously exempted us from paying our previous year's rent. She further said she would do her best to provide us subsidy for our power consumption.

I will write about other things in my next post..