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In an attempt to present an inspiring success story of a hard working son of Sikkim, we recently talked with Mr. Binod Bhattarai, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Sikkim University. Born and brought up in Tareythang, a village near Pakyong in East Sikkim, Binod completed his schooling from Sikkim and moved on to graduate from Siliguri City College and completed his post-graduation from Banaras Hindu University and pursued his M Phil and PhD from Pondicherry University, Puducherry. His journey from a village boy in remote Tareythang to becoming an Assistant Professor of a Central University is indeed inspiring. Here’s the excerpts of our interview with our Young Achiever:
Wandering Soul of Sikkim(WSOS): Would you like to share something to our readers about your growing up years and your journey so far in life?
Binod Bhattarai(BB): My father is a retired school teacher and my mother is a housewife. Till 2004 I was in Sikkim then after I left to Siliguri for graduation, there I came to know about different Universities of India. I was fortunate enough to pursue my masters from BHU, Varanasi which is also known as the Capital of knowledge. BHU’s sweet & smiling scenic beauty, embedded in an evergreen lovely garden with academic fragrance, has no parallel on this planet. BHU totally changed my thought process.
During my days in BHU, I thought of taking up research and pursuing M Phil and PhD but unfortunately the year I completed my masters there were no PhD seats in the Department of Sociology, Banaras Hindu University, so I applied for MPhil program at Pondicherry University, Puducherry and later pursued my PhD there. In 2014, I came back to Sikkim and joined Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Sikkim Manipal University as a Lecturer. In 2015, I joined Sikkim Government College Gyalshing and finally in October 2017, I joined the Department of Sociology, Sikkim University as an Assistant Professor.
WSOS: What inspired you to take up teaching as a profession?
BB: Till my masters, I was thinking about UPSC and other competitive exams. After I got into research, I was totally immersed into research activities like writing research papers, attending seminars, conferences, workshops etc. This lead me to choose teaching cum research as a profession in my life. In teaching, you have enough time to do things for yourself and for the society. One of the reasons for me to become a teacher is to contribute to the society and to the community in a meaningful way. Teaching is one of the most direct ways to make an impact, and if you are driven by the desire to help those around you, being a teacher is an invaluable contribution.
WSOS: Your suggestions to young people willing to follow you in your profession.
BB: I encourage students to be actively engaged in learning.
Actively engaging yourselves in the course will create a classroom environment that promotes respect, meaningful dialogue and trust. One needs to keep in mind that their gain from the course depends on their effort and involvement. Each student have his/her own unique talents and capabilities but it requires encouragement and nurturing from the individual and environment to sustain. As much as I wish for each student to succeed, my role will not only limited to be a teacher but also to that of a facilitator, encourager, guide and cheerleader.
WSOS: Your take on the need of an intellectual and informed debate about issues that matters in the state of Sikkim. How do we engage young people to talk and take positions on issues that are important?
BB: Don’t let our youth go waste. Let our youth not fall into negative hands. The progress of our state and our country lies in the hands of our youth. They are filled with tremendous and towering ambitions. It will be a great wastage of human resources if these young people are not given ample opportunities to exercise their talent. This beautiful state need these young people, for our soil to become brighter. The primary necessity of our young people is to get good education in order to become better citizens for tomorrow. They need to learn skills to do the job that their country’s economy needs. They also need to know how to read, write, think, understand, analyse, and discuss the issues their country faces. The entire success of the nation depends on the abilities of its young people. However, in order for continued success to take place; it is our responsibility to provide the youth with proper facilities to be acquainted with the knowledge of modern era. Our young people can make our beautiful state flourish and shine with success.
WSOS: Your message to the youth of Sikkim.
BB: First and foremost please stay away from Drugs and Illegal activities. Secondly, I would like to say that Success is not an accident. There is no cut, copy or paste into Success. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Keep your dreams alive. You need to understand that achieving anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe in hard work. Love yourself. Stay positive and happy. Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success.
WSOS: Thank You so much for your time.
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Dear Binod Bhattarai Sir,
You are indeed a great source of inspiration to all of us. Your continuous curiosity for search of knowledge; sharing, discussing valueable knowledge with others makes you a true human being. Wish you all the best for your future endeavour. Last but not the least, my best wishes also to Wandering Souls of Sikkim for bringing this unique initiative.
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