DailyPost 418
GUIDES
Guides we generally use while discussing research mostly doctoral or for experts at tourist locations. The one at the tourist location supposedly knows all about the monument. Though he is not arbiter of tourist traffic, a good troupe of guides can make a difference. Guides in the academic life, if taken together are arbiters of the topic, nature and quality of research in this country. It is different story even in same department the Profs are unaware of the doctoral researches being guided by each other, leave aside being of any assistance.
Having a researcher under you provides you with a sense of power & control , as to how much translates into positive energy as research results, only research can tell. This relationship is at core of research in India and no study has ever made into it. No attempt has effort has ever been made to make a marked difference in academic research ecosystem in this country. Till fairness & transparency does not come into this interface, this can only deliver the minimum academic benchmarking for professional growth.
Guides have a given number of researchers he can take depending on his positioning in the Professorship ladder. The nature of complexity of problem statement the research is supposed to handle does not any connect with the experience & expertise of the Professor. It is just a numbers game for the most creative outputs for the country . Is there is any screening done regarding the utility of the topic selected for research. How can research program be parceled in a near individual manner? Is this guide / researcher mechanism is to fulfill mandatory academic requirements.
Guides have to be guided first as to what the country expects out of them and the modalities thereof. This clarity and the structure that would be provided, would elevate the level and quality of research to totally different & relevant level. The jigsaw puzzle might might just fall into place. A new trajectory of research would emanate, the country could build on.
GUIDE THE RESEARCH, NOT THE RESEARCHER.
Sanjay Sahay