The interdisciplinary outlook

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was in Standard III. Of course, I had no idea what a PhD was or the difference between a teacher and a professor back then, but I was always fascinated with reading and learning new things.

Initially, my parents suggested that I take up Science in high school and as the idea of pursuing Humanities, particularly English, which was my favourite, had not fully crystallized in my mind, so I thought of abiding by their suggestion. Those two years made me realize that Science didn’t appeal to me. When I decided to not appear for ‘Common Entrance Test’, the entrance examination to choose the conventional fields of Engineering or Medicine, my parents were supportive of my decision, however, my college principal thought I was naive. He tried to convince me to take that examination and even called up my father to say that I was going to ruin my future if I didn’t.

I wanted to pursue something related to English; I had the option of choosing Literature, Journalism or Law and I chose Law because it not only had wider career avenues but also extensive use and interpretation of languages. Since I was very clear in my mind that I wanted to teach, I joined a law firm for a brief period after my graduation, because I believed teachers with professional experience taught better. The corporate life did not suit me, I didn’t enjoy sitting in…