Xavier Prof speaks up: It was a witch trial, I was slutshamed for my Insta pictures
The story of a teacher and the moral police — in her own words
I joined St. Xavier’s University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of English on August 9, 2021 almost a year after I returned to India following the completion of my PhD. I did my BA in English from St. Xavier’s College (SXC), Kolkata, following it up with an MA in English from Jadavpur University. After being awarded a full fellowship by the European Union on a programme specialising in medieval and early modern literature, I left India in 2015. Having successfully defended my doctoral thesis during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, I returned to India.
The months following my return were tough. People were falling ill, loved ones were being lost, and most academic institutions had hiring freezes in place. After a few months of struggle, I managed to secure a contractual position as a Visiting Lecturer in one of Kolkata’s private universities. It wasn’t a lucrative position and didn’t exactly utilise the skills I had to offer, but it was something I needed to do in order to acquire some much-needed work experience. Around May 2021, I received a job offer from a university in Hyderabad. Although this was a full-time position, it required relocation, a prospect which was problematic not only in view of the calamity unleashed by the Delta variant but also because of my father’s persistent health problems.
This was around the time that St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) advertised a full-time position for Assistant Professor in English. I applied around the end of June. Shortly afterwards, I was interviewed, and three days after the interview, I was formally offered the position.
It seemed like a no-brainer to take it up. I would, after all, get to stay in Kolkata, close to my parents which would make caregiving easier. It also felt like a fiscally responsible choice — I was offered a slightly higher salary than the university in Hyderabad, and given the reasonable cost of living in Kolkata, I would be able to accrue some much-needed savings.
I joined SXUK in August and quickly adapted to the rigours of full-time teaching. I was elated at finally being assigned texts that I liked teaching and that were consistent with my areas of specialisation and research interest. The students were sincere and perceptive, and the in-class discussions were animated and immensely engaging.
Rating: 5