Homecoming for Thampu at St Stephen’s College - Delhi Newsline

Pallavi Singh

New Delhi, May 21: Soft-spoken and polite: this is how one would describe Reverand Valson Thampu, who took over as Officer on Special Duty at Delhi University's St Stephen's College on Monday.

For a heady first day in office that saw a string of visitors and subsequent bouquets dropping in, Thampu met all the adulation calmly. And though his plans for the college are not to be divulged yet, one can smell a whiff of idealism when he talks.

"The founders wanted it to be a residential college so that students from all sections of society could come and stay together and oneness of India could be experienced... I sincerely believe my classroom is India," he said.

It was a homecoming for Thampu, who is back in the college after a gap of almost four years. He first joined St Stephen's College in 1971 as a post-graduate student of English from Mabelikara district in Kerala. By the time he passed out, he had decided to stay on. He joined the college's English Department in 1973 as a teacher and continued for the next 30 years.

"When I came here, I was totally awe-inspired. I could sense an aura of greatness. Stephen's brought out the best in me," he reminisced.

But while times were sublime when he was a student, he finds the young generation of today a "continuation of life". "I don't believe in radical discontinuities. Life constantly flows. While you may meet brazenness in youngsters, you also meet courtesy in young people. In fact, several young people have written to me about voluntary reduction in their pocket money," he said.

Thampu retired from the college's English Department in 2003 and has since traversed places and positions, organising marches for communal harmony, penning essays on Christianity and serving as member at National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, among other things. But the feeling of being back at Stephen's is great, he said. "It gives me an opportunity to do something for the college. The purpose of education is to integrate an individual with society... I hope to gradually transfer my vision to my colleagues and students," he said.

And for those who may not make it to the college this year, Thampu has words of wisdom: "It's not important where you are but who you are. Trust me, you can grow wherever you are."

ValsonspeakON QUOTA: “St Stephen’s College is not averse to the idea of introducing voluntary OBC quota. Nothing prevents prospective students from applying to St Stephen’s. As of today, we do not have OBC quota. The issue is still being debated. Let the Supreme Court make up its mind on it. Under Article 15(5) of the Indian Constitution though, minority institutions, both aided and unaided, are exempted from the quota.”

ON CENTRALISED FORM ROW: “The matter of centralised forms should be put to rest now that the college has not accepted the forms for years. This matter was discussed ad nauseum in Supreme Court in the 1990s. Unlike most colleges, Stephen’s has a national character. It gets students from all parts of India.”

ON RAGGING: “Ragging was started by children of aristocracy who came to college to have a good time. Why are we blindly imitating them? It shows our cultural poverty.”

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