PROFESSOR J.N.JOSHI AND MADAM Ms.S.JOSHI

YESTERDAY-TODAY-TOMORROW

 

BY

 

B.K.PASSI, SUDESH GAKHAR, S.P.MALHOTRA

 

Research methods have experienced three paradigm shifts: pre-positivism, positivism, and post-positivism.  The post-positivist paradigm has seen different shades of meaning and application. It has been labeled by a variety of terms and nomenclatures.  One of such nomenclatures is the qualitative approach to research which follows the constructivist-methodology. It aims at constructing subjective meanings rather than searching universal  generalizations. When applied in other contexts, this approach has attained a popular term called  phenomenological approach to research.  In India, the qualitative approach has yet to gain popularity and respect.

 

In India, there is not an adequate volume of research studies in the field of Education which had employed the qualitative  methodology..  A few institutions including Institute of Education, DAVV Indore has organized a few Academic Staff College Programs for introducing qualitative approach to research.  During one of such programs, the participants insisted upon seeing some samples of Indian studies conducted on these lines. I thought it will be worthwhile, if I share the following research article as an evidence of such possibilities in Education  A similar research article was published by Prof.P.N.Dave on Prof.M.B.Buch in Perspectives in Education.  Kindly note I am using the word research article not a investigating article or biographical article.  This research article reveals, rather it gives vivid description of the perceptions of a student about one of his retiring teachers known as Professor J.N.Joshi.  This gives subjective meanings created by the mutual interaction of the so called observers and observee. This set of terminology is inappropriate and is being used with caution. The five axioms of qualitative research were kept in mind. These were taken care of while (a) perceiving the evolving images about Professor J.N.Joshi, (b) coding their meaning in the mind, (c) and expressing the coded meanings for narration through acceptable words and symbolic  expressions.  Kindly note we did not aim at finding objective data, applying scientific method, and generalisable conclusion. It aimed at giving a  symbolic representation of  subjective-constructed-meanings leading to ground theory for describing events called “The Joshian Pedagogy”.

 

 

 

BORN IN GARHWAL HILLS

 

A boy-Jagan Nath Prasad Joshi is his name-was born, some sixty years ago, in a tiny Himalayan habitat, to a Brahmin family, living in an isolated and virgin environment of Garhwal. Illiteracy and under-development was there all around. There was no school near the habitat. The child had to struggle, so as to reach a distantly located  school. The distance between the school and house was very long and lonely. Believe me or not, on the way to school, this small child had fearful  events of experiencing ghosts. He has to maneuver face-to-face meetings with ferocious-wild bears on his way to school and back. This happened repeatedly in the early days of the life of this child. The mother of this boy was brave and supportive. History, and the self determination brought him to the then dazzling environment of a high school system of Dehra Doon. He enjoyed his new freedom. From Gorakhpur, he completed his Master degree in Education. Before joining the Department of Education at Chandigarh, Professor Joshi had already served in places like Varanasi, Gorakhpur, and Nepal. By the time he was to join Chandigarh University, he had already seen many luxurious life styles in Nepal. He has completed many good things of life including marriage and fathering his sons.

 

As a young, handsome, optimist, and bright teacher in the field of education, he started his enviable career in a beautiful campus of Chandigarh, where lovely young minds thronged around him, came from the near and distant surroundings. Professor Joshi liked and enjoyed this vibrant culture of Punjab. He started nesting his life in the dream city of Chandigarh, although he would recall his romantic days of Dehra Doon off and on. In the beginning seventies, from Punjab University, he completed his research degree  leading to Ph.D. in Education. He based his research work on the lines of Piaget, and worked for a topic related to the Development of Algebraic Concepts in children. This was an excellent work in the field of education. He used to guide many Ph.D. students even before he himself got that degree. I am one of such students. There was no looking back. we remember spending many hot summers, sparkling springs, long rainy seasons, and sunny days of winters drinking tea on the green lawns of Gandhi Bhawan, from a Canteen proprietor called Gulatti ji. Professor Joshi has enjoyed life to its brim, in all its forms, in all its shades, and  in all its tastes. Like TQM, he has experienced TQL, dialogued with it, shook hands with it,  and shared it with his friends. Professor Joshi believed in the principle of abundance, right from his early days to this date.

 

 

A TEACHER- PAR EXCELLENCE

 

Dr.J.N.Joshi was, is, and will remain very handsome. Even at this age, I recall  the tempting remarks of one Professor of Education. She  remarked affectionately, “You naughty boy”. What  I am trying to say is that Prof. Joshi is, was, and will remain a lovable  man. Most of the students would opt for his classes because he possessed one of the rare brains in the field of teacher education, of course, a rare body too. Brain attracted all the curious students. Many of the girl students will opt for his classes and suffered the drudgery of studying a dry and difficult subject called  “Measurement and Evaluation”. It was a  mystery. Probably these loving creatures aspired to have a closer view of this hero-like teacher. I recall that once, in a given academic session, all the 33 M.Ed. students opted for this difficult subject. In spite of the presence of all attractions and even distractions, his class environment was serious and full of scholarly flavor. It used to be climate full of, serious discussions on issues of importance, patient responding sessions for the inquiring minds, homely examples for slow learners, and personnel attention to depressed ones. He would never bring any lecture notes to his class. He would come to the class wearing tapping shoes, and enter the room with full confidence and grace. He was very punctual in coming to the class. His explanations were deep and logical. He would keep us on the ground yet lift us up in the sky through his scholarly expositions. His English pronunciation is superb. I am describing one of his teaching skills as an instance of the excellence of his teaching style and repertoire of teaching skills.

 

As a habit, he would neatly clean the blackboard, locate a chalk as if the chalk is pining to be picked up, so as to become the lucky chalk-piece of that day.  He would start teaching and commence developing the subject and prepare a very comprehensive and beautiful blackboard summary emerging out of his lecture womb. Many of us used to appreciate the subject substance, and its artistic presentation, and also the blackboard organization. Some of us  even overstayed after the class-period to see the summary outcome with care, over and again. His blackboard work is not less than the paintings of Artist Mehmood Fidda Hussain;  although I do not know the inspiring lady of Joshi ji, who could be symbolized as Madhuri Dixit. It cannot be any one else except Ms.S.Joshi. Once I asked Professor Joshi ji, how do you develop that subject-summary, and how do you manage that organized blackboard work, with ease and complete synchronization. He said, I am aware of this good quality of my teaching; it  is essential for the  art of teaching; there is no prior planning; he further added that it just happens.  He added  a comment, expressing a doubt, whether he would ever be able to teach without the Blackboard? But all these days, I have seen him teaching, equally well, even without blackboard.  I wish to share with you, that while I was working in Baroda, I and my students were developing a chapter for the microteaching skill of blackboard writings for the book of “Becoming Better Teacher”, I used to recall  the blackboard work of Professor Joshi. From this instance, one may see the extent of the impact, a good teacher can have on the receiving minds of his students.

 

A BRILLIANT SCHOLAR

 

Professor Joshi has an excellent mastery over the subject matter he teaches. He has a good command over his style of handling issues in education. His students have high regard for his knowledge and his communication style. To his students, Professor Joshi provides a role model of an analyzer, thinker, and a scholar with new ideas, and that of a person with qualities of patience, sobriety, and far-sightedness. He would not hanker after the borrowed ideas and innovations. He does not believe in the wand-wagon approach. He looked at the scene of education from a scholarly and professional angle. He used to discuss with me that university teachers  should not indulge in writing textbooks and that too for earning easy popularity. One can go in for producing reference literature and research based books. I remember that while I was working in the area of microteaching, Professor Joshi would ask me many searching questions. His analysis would involve probes into the underlying conceptual framework, validity of its assumptions, the announced promises-cum-emerging aspirations and goals of the given innovation, the pragmatic need of the training situations, the proposed action plans and outlines, procedural details, and short and long term consequences. It used to be a real treat to live within the aura of scholarship of Professor Joshi. He would not hurt, even if, one is incomplete in ones views or its presentation. His style of interaction, his language, his smile, his humor, and a nurturing-parent in him, could give us soothing feel of a motherly lap, and a fatherly embrace holding us tight in his strong arms. It is with his blood  and perspiration that Professor Joshi has written and shaped the destiny of his students. He created a scenario of New Education with his “lakhte jigar se”.

 

A PENETRATING RESEARCHER

 

Quantitative research in education owes its gratitude to Professor M.Varma, under whose guidance Professor Joshi and Professor Ms.Deo, P. learnt the art and science of research methods. Professor M.Varma chiseled these two outstanding emissaries. Accidentally, both of them are M.Sc. mathematics. Both of them joined Chandigarh Department. Professor Joshi is credited with changing the paradigm of methodology of educational research in India. Professor M.B.Buch provided an organizational push from CASE Baroda. But, nowhere, in the country, a paper of research methods and that of measurement was taught with that rigor and depth as was done in Chandigarh. Professor transformed the substance of the
molds-of-educational-research through the new epistemology of research. I have heard some persons sneeringly sarcastic, against the legitimacy of research methodology as an area of study. But Chandigarh has demonstrated that research methodology is not only a tool of research,  but also an area of research. However, a casual mind may not appreciate this position. Dr.Joshi is one such professor who created this trend of using scientific method and quantification in research. He faced the agony of the then hostile pedants and  generalists rulers of the field of Education. He could overcome the difficulties of this terrain called educational research. He brought rigor, transparency, accuracy, reliability, validity, trustworthiness, and respect  in educational research. Recognition of this struggle is a real token of respect for this contribution of Professor Joshi.

 

As a cognitive educationist, Professor Joshi contributed towards the movement of curriculum development. He conducted empirical studies. He devoted precious years of his youth for discovering the processes of concept formation in children, concept development, and then concept placement in the curriculum. He undertook surveys for developing age, grade, area specific vocabulary lists, so as to use them for writing school textbooks. Professor Joshi devoted his time for designing measurement tools for identifying and assessing new and meaningful variables, finding their correlates and syndromes of special problem-areas faced by normal students, by gifted, by creatives, by over and under‑achievers,  and by special need-children. Dr.Joshi has undertaken research studies related to the pedagogical and other problems of teachers, counsellors, evaluators, administrators, teacher educators, and many others. Whatever may the target group, and whatever the chosen aspect of the research problems, Dr.Joshi investigated them and found pragmatic solutions. He looked at the research problems from a holistic angle on one hand and that of a specialist on the other. He continued his love for cognitive approach and applied it to a varied set of research problems.  Recently, I found him deeply engaged in problems of much wider variations and implications. The range of these problems is interesting. These are: preparing a discussion document for teacher education curriculum framework on one side, and developing learning materials and strategies for improving the competence of change agents of educationally backward areas of Meows near Delhi, on the other. If Professor Joshi helps Punjab Board of School Education for improving school education, he looks into the problems of electricity theft-and-prevention-mechanism for some governments of other States. If he helps the State of Punjab to review teacher education and education through the Punjab Education Commission, he helps the MHRD to develop minimum levels of learning. He willingly gets into the probing investigations of communal violence; and he gets involved in studying the socio-economic-cultural “after-effects” of the recently implemented  policy of prohibition in Haryana. Such studies are being undertaken at the IDC under the directorship of Dr.Pramod Kumar. There is no doubt to say Prof. Joshi is a stalwart of educational research areas, research methodology, and organizing research. We the fellow teacher educators do pay  respect to him; and I salute this untiring solider of my motherland.

 

 

ADMINISTRATOR WITH A VISION

 

Under the stewardship of Prof.Joshi, the Department of Education touched new heights of scholarship, created horizons of new activities through the induction of innovative Courses in Education, and contributed to deeper understanding in new areas of educational research. The Chandigarh Department attracted many scholars of repute from far and wide. They have conducted, supervised research, and guided hundreds of doctoral research studies while maintaining the quality and even the international repute. Professor Joshi is a  moving force in creating this climate. To a large extent, Prof.Joshi is responsible for the events of quantitative expansion of programs, and qualitative improvement of thought, and undertaking meaningful actions inside and outside the Department. International scholars visited Chandigarh in the  capacity of students, faculty members, and collaborators. Recently, I met one of such, Thai doctoral student who is now a very senior Dean in one of the Universities in Thailand. He is not an official student of Professor Joshi, but his respect, praise and appreciation for Professor Joshi were a treat to see and listen to.

 

Professor Joshi rose to very high academic pedestal by holding the position of  Dean of University Instruction. He was very effective. Once he narrated to me that never has he succumbed to any kind of pressures from any quarter. Once convinced, Prof. Joshi stood like a rock for anyone lowly or high. He is firm in his approach, polite yet assertive. Professor Joshi has worked as expert in bodies like UGC, NCERT, ICSSR, NCTE, NIEPA, MHRD, UNESCO, and for various Commissions for State and Central government in India. He is a firm, clear headed, and compassionate administrator.

 

However, I cannot help mentioning one exception, that is our Madam who would meta-administer him and all his affairs in better, faster, and innovative manner(s). She manages more difficult and even odd situations. Prof.Joshi would be requesting her and  say “Aaz saat log mere sath khana khane ghar aenge, jara dekh lena bhai”. Of course, I used to be one of the regular co-visitor in such unscheduled  lunches. Apart from a better manager, Mrs.S.Joshi is a noble soul. She would entertain all such friends with all the warmth at her command; and will serve the best of  the foods with all the care.  She is an “Aan-purna”. She stood by the side of Professor Joshi through thick and thin.

 

 I remember when Professor Joshi had to go to Simla for one year; she sacrificed her comforts and stayed back in Chandigarh for the sake of studies of her very loving children Aalok, Ashok, Anil, and Atul. She nurtured them with affection and care; including Ashok who used to be a little extra naughty.  I remember how Ashok would not only break the historic cycle of his Papa but also break his own limbs, would insist having an equally naughty big Alsation dog called Caesar in a small house, would worry his parents with his carefree attitude towards his studies, and create angry gestures followed by his innovative music-cum-dance actions at the departure of the marriage party of his  elder brother, Alok.

 

A FULL HUMANIST

 

Dr.J.N.Joshi is a teacher with warm heart, social repute and personal intimacy in relationships. He is a teacher whose mothering-eyes can clearly see a full flowering tree in the hidden potentials lying in a seed. His intuitive power and forecasting skills of identifying such students is dynamic and probably healing too. Professor Joshi could concurrently fore-see the multiple stages of linear growth in a model characterized by concurrency and  simultaneousness. He can see in advance the growth of this potential seed, the aspiring Ankur, the fully fragrant flowering plant, and the productive fruiting tree. Professor Joshi loves and cares for his students. I have seen him and also Mrs.Shanta Joshi serving the needy and hungry students for weeks and months together. Like her own children,  Mrs. Joshi used to treat such students with affection and food. Dr.Joshi would loan his books to the intelligent and weak students alike. Student too have respected this great teacher as a friend, philosopher and guide.

 

I recall that once a student knocked  his door in the midnight of winters. He wanted to seek the views of the Professor about God. That cold night, both the teacher and the seeker-student discussed whether God exists or not? Both of them searched for a spiritual light in the darkness of that night. Dr.Joshi entertained him and also served a hot cup of  tea in that cold night. The puzzled mind of the inquirer used to get comfort and calmness through the propheting words of Prof.J.N.Joshi.

 

I also recall an event when one of the students in our department died of heart attack. He belonged a far off rural village. Professor insisted to see the parents of this student. We found that the village was located in deep interior, far away from the road. We cycled through the unknown and the hostile terrain. Further, to reach the destination, Professor marched on foot on the dusty pagdandi trekking through the clumsy fields; he was determined to solace the grieved family, living in a far-flung  village.

 

He would share the happiness and optimism of the students. During all those days of my association with Professor Joshi, I have never seen if he was ever angry with the students. He fully utilized and channeled the energy of the students within and outside the classrooms. He would also be friendly, and informal. Every year, he used to take us for a marathon picnic-cum-walk through the hilly tracks and forests of  Kasauli, snow laden peaks of Simla, boat-racing in the Shukna lakes, and many more places. With Professor Joshi we enjoyed the aroma of the beautiful gardens of Pinjore. He would talk, sit, walk, run and jog in the tracks and parks. He would swim in the pools, play in the grounds,  enjoy good food in the restaurants, have fun in the cinema halls, gossip in the coffee halls, wander and stroll in the fashion streets of Chandigarh,  enjoy humor in the picnic parties, gossip in the shared, and sometimes not-shared  dinner parties, and  help marriage plans of students, and guide the career plans of students, and share the grief and sorrows together.

 
 

A FRIEND, PHILOSOPHER AND GUIDE

 

Professor Joshi would trust his students and also his friends in all matters of all types. He would help students in solving their difficulties including personal matters. Reciprocally, students worked for him with all the reverence. Probably the Professor was practicing nonformal and informal education. The Professor involved his students in many of the common or personal tasks. I remember that one day he told us to calculate a large-sample-based and large-sized correlation matrix  having about 22 variables. This meant to solve as many as 321 correlation coefficients. We used to have those muscle twisting machines called FACET CALCULATING MACHINE. I worked day and night for whole of my winter break so as to arrive at those lucky 321 correlation coefficients. Professor Joshi would involve his friends in the arrangement of marriage party of other  students and that of his children, purchasing small pieces of furniture, borrowing books from library, arranging hospital visits, and many more. This is O.K.; But one strange and important thing happened. is he would relax and other would work with all diligence. In one word I would say he used to share with intimacy and interdependence. He believes in win-win approach to life. He believes in the philosophy of  abundance, trust, warmth, fairness and above all a transparency. Professor Joshi  is an open book,  “eek khuli kitab hain”. I remember that we enjoyed and learnt simultaneously through this informal environment created by him. I learnt a lot from this method and practiced the same with added improvements. I practiced it on Professor S.P.Malhotra who without fail would reach Indore every summers. Professor Malhotra would say “ Aa Bael Mujhe Maar. Again you can see how powerful is the impact of Prof.Joshi on his students.

 

 

A MODEL- A HANDSOME PERSON

 

The other day,  I read in a newspaper that a popular actor-model called Sharu Khan is demanding exorbitant fee for a modeling work of advertising a particular brand of cloth. On reading this, I do not know what happened to me. I immediately recalled Professor and started recollecting how carefully he purchases his clothes, how meticulously he got it tailored, how elegantly he dresses, how religiously he shines his shoes, how minutely he shaves, how repeatedly he combs his hair, how meticulously he cleans his teeth, how much regularly he cuts  rather shapes his nails, how carefully he would massage his golden body, how leisurely he takes a hygienic bath, how much he dries around his skin with a set of neat towels, how artistically he buckles his historic watch around his wrist, moves around so as look like a prince. The belt, the spectacles, the fragrant scent, the handkerchief, the pen, the purse with quite a small amount of money in it, would automatically settle themselves with the attire of the day of the Professor. The shoes with matching socks willingly move into the lovely feet of the Professor. I recall how finally in the morning, he goes  near the mirror for the final touches, and starts humming a sweet song of self appreciation and that of thanks giving to the Lord. He starts reading his morning newspaper and waits form the lovely breakfast which he enjoys the most. It is this face and images of Professor Joshi which would repeatedly start appearing  on the screen of my mind on this momentous day.  I alerted myself  and realized that perhaps a godly message is approaching my mind, and it must be regarding the future prospectus of Professor Joshi.  My mind started agitating why should Professor Joshi be not considered as the right person for modeling?  The continued message got transformed in my mind that why should Professor Joshi not consider this option? No exaggeration; this type of mental agitation also used to happen when I used to see the modeling of Nawab of Pataudi and his actress wife  Sharmila. Accidentally, you may like to know that along with many others, our Professor liked Nawab of Pataudi and  also the acting of that actress.  Point under consideration is what do we do with god given body and our caring attitude for this body. I concluded that day that suiting to the age and talent, why should not the good looking Professors in general do join well paid and respectful modeling profession? One can ignore my point. But I am  respectful towards my friends and serious in my mind. If anyone needs me, I shall be ready. Good-bye to our old jobs, and welcome to the new-beginning in modeling. Professor may like to consider.

 

TOMORROW

 

A few days ago, I saw Professor Joshi busy charting his post retirement life-plans. He is hopeful to carry on new mission of serving the motherland through another institution. probably Professor Joshi will work as a full-time Chairman of an institution committed to the cause social upliftment through empirical research and social action. This innovative institution was very well conceived, planned and  is well received. It has attained a national status in the sense that the users are approaching this institution for seeking technical answers to the existing social problems. We join you, sir, with all our might, with our prayers to Almighty, and with hopes and good wishes.  May God keep you mentally happy and physically fit for fulfilling this cherished mission of yours. I am sure Professor Joshi would continue his work like an yogi characterized with detached-attachment.

 

We the students and friends of Professor Joshi  feel privileged to be associated with you and with Madam Joshi in different forms. Rather we feel proud. The future students will feel envious when they would find that  we had direct association and blessings of a great teacher, scholar, researcher, administrator, and above all a great humanist.