Cool Campus: New age 'guru-shishya' relationship

DU’s kewl gurus...…is how Novy Kapadia of Khalsa College and NK Jain of Hansraj College are known among students, for they connect with students beyond classrooms On a spree to locate a few unconventionally cool teachers of the campus, , and there were quite a few lecturers comprising the cool gang of teachers.
To select a few of them, Novy Kapadia and Naveen Kr Jain from Sri Teg Bahadur Khalsa College and Hansraj College respectively came across as the coolest teachers. They are the ones who are known for their flexi hours, playing on the ground, allowing mobiles, watching movies and sharing their hobbies with the students.
So if you thought all that goes in to making some of the best lecturers in the University is just their diverse knowledge of the subject and their ability to convey it well, then you need to rethink, revalue and review. .Teachers like Novy Kapadia and NK Jain just set an entirely diverse benchmark for other lecturers. It’s not just about how well they conduct their classroom lectures and studies; it’s their easy going attitude that brings about the connect factor with the students. They make the students remember them not just for the classroom lectures but the lessons outside class too.
Talk to the Khalsa College students about the most approachable teacher, one name that comes out in unison is that of Deputy Proctor, Novy Kapadia. So what is it that makes him so popular among the students across various courses in the college?
“Well it’s the way he shows trust in us and makes us do work without even making us realise it,” says Megha Makhija from Khalsa College.
When the lecturer was asked about the same, he had a very different view to offer. “I have never done anything to gain students’ faith; I have tried to make sure that students feel comfortable here, especially the outstation students. I understand the capital’s traffic and hence let the students enter my class even after five to 10 minutes,” says Kapadia.
So is that it! Nopes, this cool teacher prefers to catch up with the latest flicks with his students too.Makhija says, “Whenever sir asks us to do something, he gives us a deadline and till that time he never asks us for the same. This makes us feel responsible.”Equally favourite on the popularity chart is Naveen Kr Jain from the Commerce Department. For him learning doesn’t stop in the classrooms; he prefers to take his students to the playground as well. Ask the mentor and he says,
“It all starts from the classroom. If I don’t take my classes seriously and do not make my students understand the situation then how will my students share their interests with me. And playing cricket is, I guess, the best connecting factor.” Well this is not all! Till sometime back, Jain had even conducted some wild life photography expeditions.
“There I used to take the students to a place where they could watch the birds and practice their interest. Though I am no more into photography, but cricket continues to be a common ground where we meet,” shares Jain.
And in order to connect with his group of students, Jain prefers to keep himself updated and not just rely on the age-old knowledge of the text books. When asked about what is that one thing that he has learnt from his students, he quips, “It’s their ability to live with multiple risks in life. They aren’t afraid to experiment and believe in their potential. They are open to move out for better options with no feeling of insecurity. The mutual learning process bridges the student-teacher gap,” opines Jain.
Cheers to this new age guru-shishya relationship! Hoping this spirit never dies