The Journey
G Bharath Kumar
Lecturer,
School of Arts and Science
From Material Sciences to Metaphors in Sangam Poetry
When one watches Bharath passionately discuss Indian short stories in class, it is difficult to picture him as a quality manager in a factory, in charge of metallurgical analysis. But that was where he was not long ago. An engineer by training, Bharath’s degree in Materials Sciences Engineering is from the reputable National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi. All the more surprising is that this engineer has a book of poetry and short stories ready for publication and is seriously considering doing higher degree research in historical anthropology or cultural studies.
Bharath’s story from Ammapettai, 25 km east of Thanjavur to SaiU near Chennai, is one of chasing a passion and making conscious and difficult choices to be able to pursue it. When he was in Standard VIII in the then only English medium school in the village, he decided to shift to a school in the town. It was a big leap out of his comfort zone, but the experience was well worth it. In this new school his classmates spoke in English alright, but most importantly the classroom teaching had a fascinating conceptual depth. It was here that he fell in love with Tamil and Physics; the teachers were so good that they instilled a life-long love for the subjects in him.
Bharath ended up in NIT, Tiruchi, for two reasons: one of his classmates mentioned of a competitive examination that would get him into it and a scientist from his village whom he idolised, suggested materials engineering, when he spoke of his love for atoms and protons. It took just a few days to realise that he was in the wrong course. NIT did not offer a UG program in Physics. While he learned to study enough to clear the examinations, he filled his spare time dancing – yes — dancing hip hop and Bharatanatyam and reading Silapadikaram, the classic Tamil poem in 5,730 lines that describes the tragic love story of an ordinary couple, Kannagi and her husband Kovalan. The awards that the troupe of dancers won in the various university and college festivals almost lead him to a career as a full-time dancer, but campus placements and a decent job offer took him to the factory floor.
In his first job, Bharath tried to employ his interests in the Humanities by administering psychometric tests to the employees, but it hardly made up for the fact that the subjects he so loved were so far removed from what he did for his living. The turning point came when he read Somerset Maugham’s ‘The Razor’s Edge’. Protagonist Larry Darrell’s rejection of conventional life and search for meaningful experience, perhaps triggered his own quest. After one-and-a-half years at the job when he devoured books on a range of topics in literature, language, philosophy and sociology, he took up the year-long Young India Fellowship in Ashoka University, New Delhi. A course correction and a courageous move put Bharath back to where he belonged. On completion of the fellowship when he took 20 courses in the Arts and Humanities, he stayed on to become a teaching fellow in Ashoka. This was followed by a Masters in Philosophy from Manipal University and a stint with Anant National University, Ahmedabad. He cherishes the time for the experiences and the range and depth of learning. He met some of the greatest writers in Indian languages and this has convinced him to further his interest in Indian literature and writing. It has also firmed his belief that teachers and students are in the journey of learning together.
Bharath draws from physicist Richard Feynman to describe his pedagogical approach. “I do not believe that the teacher is an authority. I may not have all the answers. We are on a journey together.” He eschews lectures; his classes are discussions, “more like a reading group”. He values an open mind and a deeply and passionately curious nature and a hunger and thirst for knowledge, attributes that has made him what he is.