The Professor

The university professor, lecturer and reader now the points Of my deliberation, debate and discussion, My kind perusal And I perusing the papers As for scrutiny and verification. Those who are in the university, It does not mean at all, Are all in all, will be good enough, As genius is not there in reservation or categorization. Many readers read their papers not But are instead of unreading, Many just get transferred to other universities to return back someday As commissioned professors, which but a got-up case, a hidden agenda, A secret strategy for the stars-war programme As I know the drama of posting and placement, As have lived near the varsity campus to mark it all, What it happens there in the proximity to it. Many bluff-masters who know a little keep a high profile instead of a low one While many real ones post it not, Many teachers who join in as lecturers will someday naturally Turn into readers and thereafter as professors As for acquaintance and closeness, As the university campus never disheartens anyone whoever comes to here As for business or bargain or tuitions. Here it is easy to be a professor from a lecturer to a reader As the scope is vaster here, The academic staff colleges will call them without any enquiry As resource persons Just to carry on the gossips too, If the resource is not available, The colleges will for seminar chairing and the guest of honour Or the key-note speaker. The devotees and clients who move out of the P.G. programmes Will definitely ask for research guidance Whether he knows or not, whether he reads the paper or not And the other universities will definitely call for the viva voce exam And Ph.D. examinership And what more to complain to you? . Many older teachers like not to be transferred to the university As for to change their set up and establishment, The house and sons and daughters As these will disrupt their education And will hamper And so keeping in view, they decline the offer And keep their temptation at bay While the shrewd professors like to get it written For to take over or to produce it By saying that he has declined to accept or join Or to say better he is at the college. Together with it, I have seen many duplicate professors Living near the campus Of the newly-opened or the older university Trying to work as guest faculty man Just to poach into the fauna Or to be a florist of the fauna; Trying, trying to push himself forward somehow By getting papers published and books edited And even if he is not a poet, he will say That he is a poet at par with. These university men, The ragged and rugged men, The Irish patriots of Lady Gregory and the uncouth Nepali shilajit sellers, I know them all, Waiting to be deans, heads, professors, members, visiting professors, Editors, research guides, subject experts, Inspectors of colleges, registrars and so on, But the lotus blooming elsewhere, It may even in dirt and mud and the dunghill As who is what it is very difficult To assess and judge it. Who has what, none can say about it As because merit has nothing to do with post and rank, As merit is of the footpaths, Not of the chair And I know it that it goes about wandering For food and employment Just like the wild blooms Blooming and scattering over the unknown pathways.