Assignment submissions tomorrow at 11!!!

The words dreaded the most by the students of Masters in Public Relations (MAPR). Assignments play an important role in the whole education process. It’s through assignments only which helps a professor to judge how well the student can apply the theoretical knowledge he/she has gained in the lectures. Well, the assignments aren’t just something professors dole out because they want to but even the University of Mumbai officially uses internal/assignments as a yardstick to measure a student’s performance.

There’s a general perception amongst everyone be it the professors or the parents that students hate assignments. Well, being a student of Masters in Public Relations (MAPR) myself, I would say that the students of MAPR break that perception. We, here at the Kalina campus of University of Mumbai like doing these assignments because they aren’t in the mould of those boring homework activities we used to get when we were in school and junior college. The assignments here are fun to do and they push us to the limit to give our best. It’s not just that I’ve good things to say about the concept of assignments or the assignments that we get but it’s just out of habit that I like to talk about the positives. Assignments obviously come with deadlines and that means it’s a race with time.

Trust me when I say this, the professors conducting the Masters in Public Relations (MAPR) course in the Kalina campus of University of Mumbai take assignments and the deadlines seriously more than anything in the world. So, it’s but obvious that we students get anxious when the deadline nears. The anxiety is not just because we haven’t been able to finish off the assignment when there’s only like two hours left for the deadline, well, the anxiety levels are high because we need that stamp of approval from the professor. We need to know whether our hard work has paid off. It’s not just about the marks or score we get on a particular assignment but it’s about how well we’ve done it, how much we’ve improved from the last time and how much room we’ve for bettering ourselves.

To conclude I would just tweak a tagline of a washing powder

“Assignments acche hai”

It’s a Bloody Madhouse!!!

Yea trust me that is what it is a freaking madhouse. That is how I sum up the experience I’ve had while doing Masters in Public Relations (MAPR) from Mumbai University. When I joined the course I thought it’s going to be like a very graveyard kind of atmosphere, everyone serious and all but I was wrong.

It’s a Masters degree after all so I wasn’t wrong in assuming that the professors, seniors and the batch mates are all gonna be serious and very uptight. It’s not just the people doing Masters in Public Relations (MAPR), everyone in the department of communication and journalism is mad in their own unique way. There are professors who’re mad about assignments, there’re some who’re going mad doing their research but they’re all mad.

Coming to the students, like every other college or university or course Masters in Public Relations (MAPR) has a mixed bag of students. There’re some students who’re mad about studies and think because they’re very sincere and studious they’re the only normal creatures but dude breaking news even you’re mad. Then there’re some who’re just plain crazy like me and call the studious ones mad and think that they’re normal. Anyone who doesn’t have even a pinch of madness in him/her shouldn’t come here because dude you’ll go Maddddddddd. For the alumni and the current batch this madness is what gets them going. So, the madness isn’t a bane but a boon here in the department. On a serious note, even though we’re mad you can’t take away the fact that we’re an intellectual and creative lot.

One day when someone asked me about whether I’m happy to be where I’m, I looked at him and said,” Are you mad, of course I’m happy. I’m finally with my kind.”

A piece of advice for all those who’re thinking about joining the department,” Come here only if you’re mad or ever were because we don’t want anyone to blame us saying that we drove him/her mad.”

What is it standing on???

Legs?? Nah!!! It’s standing on its pillars dumbass. Confused? Well that’s what my Civics professor told me when he asked me about the Indian Democracy. So yeah moving on from the kind of stuff I got to hear from my school teachers, every institution or concept is able to stand or work because of certain important aspects or people or other supporting concepts and they can be called the “Pillars” of it. Just like any other course or university Masters in Public Relations (MAPR) also has certain principles or pillars on which it’s standing.

Well the other day during one of the chai sessions with friends and our HOD and another professor, God knows from where but the topic of what are the pillars of Masters in Public Relations (MAPR). Everyone were at their flattering best and told the Profs that they’re the pillars, amused as they were by the response of their students they did notice that I didn’t say anything. On the other hand I was hoping that after hearing flattering words from others they wouldn’t notice my silence, but they did, damn wish the discussion had taken place in the classroom where I could’ve hidden behind the voices of the other batch mates. So, the HOD fixed his eyes at me and asked,” You don’t agree with your friends or you don’t have an opinion on the topic at all?”

Woah!!! Did he just say I don’t have an opinion? Of course I have an opinion, I’m a PR guy I’ve an opinion on everything and anything. So with a very serious and straight face I said,” Sir, I do have an opinion but it’s just that I did not want to voice my opinion because that would’ve made it very clear that I don’t completely agree with what my friends have said. I don’t agree with them that each professor is one pillar of Masters in Public Relations (MAPR). For me the faculty is one of the pillars, the seniors definitely are the second pillar because they hand over their legacy to the juniors and tell them how to conduct themselves over the duration of the course and the trend continues.” I looked at the professor and he smiled and said,” Dude, work on it a little more and then maybe you’ll be able to completely work your PR magic on me.”

Damn!!! One day Mr.HOD, one day…..