Yes! It’s more than six years ago already when I got a call from the HOD of the Communications Department of the Madurai Kamamraj University to come and do a PhD in their University. It was a surprise call from Professor Nagarathinam, who had been following my career graph closely he said, ever since we met over 20 years ago at a conference on AIDS held by Reuters in Goa. Thirty of us had been selected from across Asia to attend. I don't even remember meeting him, but he remembered the stories I had done after the media workshop for the Deccan Herald on AIDS.
“ Mariein,” said the voice, “ You must do a PhD and start working with young journalists to give back all you have learned at the Erasmus Mundus Masters in Journalism in Europe. How hard I tried to get the scholarship and I have never been successful.”
“ No thanks!” I replied. “ I could have done a PhD in any of the countries I studied in for the Mundus like my younger colleagues -- Denmark, Amsterdam and Wales, UK, but I have responsibilities as a mother and wife and came home, giving up the opportunities. Why should I do a PhD with you now?”
“ I am willing to make it part time for you.We want only the top scholars here and I have asked five others besides you to come. For you, if you visit us once a month is enough, while you work with me online, for the writing of the dissertation.”
“ Once in three months,” I negotiated.
“ Done!” he said.
I reluctantly agreed, packed my backpack and laptop, included a mosquito net,coffee mug, immersion water heater sheets, pillow case, towel and torch and left by the overnight SRS bus. The next morning I was met by a young MPhil student - Dinesh, who became my greatest support and help through my five years of coming and going.
“ Good Morning Madam!” said Dinesh with a big smile in the milling, grimy bus stand in the half dawn of 5am.
“ Come I will get you a cup of coffee and then put you on the bus to the University.”
It was good to have a half empty bus so early in the morning and we rattled and rolled all the way to the University 10 Kilometres away. My bus ticket was “path ruba” ( 10 rupees!) I felt comfortable speaking Tamil as well and so many willing hands helped me get off the bus, when the conductor called -- “ University!” Dinesh followed on his zippy motorbike and took me into the sprawling campus to the Faculty guest house to my room. It was a new feeling to be looked after by students throughout my stay.
The next day, five of us met in the Professor’s office and were from all parts of the country. We had a test to prove our capacities and so like students, we all sat quietly and wrote out a timed questionnaire. Naturally we all sailed through and then had to go to the admin offices to get registered.
A feast which I threw once my Doctorate was conferred.
“ Here is our book with all the accredited Universities,” said the officer in charge. Check if your Masters is recognised by our University! Wow! We all were shocked to leaf through the pages. Lucky for me my Masters in Europe was recognised ( Swansea University) BUT my Masters from Bangalore University was NOT!! I breathed a sigh of relief to have TWO Master's degrees!
A Manu Menon was sent back with his Masters degree from a Kerala University not recognised. He tried arguing but the college would not budge. He packed and left for home, very annoyed.Others from New Delhi, Calcutta and Bristol, University were recognised and we registered. “Madurai Kamaraj University is one of India's best known and respected Universities,” intoned the officer. “ Don’t imagine you guys are special coming from the Northern States.”
A feast which I threw once my Doctorate was conferred.
“ Go to the bank and pay your Research fees and meet me in the office for lunch,” advised Professor Nagarathinam. We walked to the bank premises which were just outside the main gate and sat under the trees to fill in our challans and pay our very reasonable fees.
While we had lunch we were all given our beautiful laminated ID cards which proclaimed we were all PhD students in MKU! The five years were a lot of coming and going to the Neem tree lined campus and a lot of hard work -- writing and re-writing my thesis.
That was the start of five years of wonderful research and work in the beautiful Neem lined, peacock infested campus, and I so miss those days. I worked with some of the sharpest brains in the country, makes me laugh to think we in Bangalore believe we are the best and are not even recognised in Madurai.
My external examiner was a Professor Azmath Rasul from the University of Florida, USA. Finally only two of us finished and were granted our PhD’s!
I was asked to lecture to the students when I came and i made many firm friends among the MPhil aspirants, to this day. Infact the printing and binding of my thesis copies were done with the help of one of them in the middle of a bustling Madurai.
