While Madhurima, Shyam and I were at tea-board a few days ago, we observed a few non-teaching lady staff members with black strips pinned over their sarees. It was a sign of protest. Madhurima was quick in asking them for the reason behind the protest. The reason, which got confirmed from a notice put up by the Employee Association, perplexed me, to say the least.
On the occasion of the Centenary, the institute has given/promised a gift of Rs.3000 to all employees. However, the Employee Association is demanding Rs.25000 or 25 grams of Gold for each employee.
As far as my thinking goes, these employees (or for that matter current students as well as most faculty) have done nothing for the glory of the institute it has today, achieved over 100 years. We all simply happened to be part of this milestone, may I say, by chance. As successors of the people who actually helped in building the reputation of this institute, we all have contributed in our limited way — by arranging for talks, by volunteering for conferences, by organizing events like a Run, etc. But I do not think that we are anyway responsible for reaching this milestone. Then why these demands? Who are we to ask for these favors?
I would rather think that during the Centenary Year, each one of us should stand up and say, “Hey, let me do something nice this year within my limits. Let me contribute something to this place by taking part in a good cause or by submitting another research paper or by speeding up the work I do in Schemes Section.”. Unfortunately, the notice by Employee Association was not on these lines.
I am confused. Someone please enlighten me.
Here is a related news in ExpressBuzz.
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