You’ve got to hear how my first day-first lecture went at this Malaysian University!

This is perhaps the university's way of ragging the newcomer - me that is - and establishing right away who is boss.

I went there all suited and booted, 5 minutes ahead of time, entered the class majestically said a cheery ‘good morning', a 'salamat pagi' and a 'vanakkam' too for good measure, to show that I am as secular as they come.

Then I introduced myself, said they could call me Prof. VJ (as in Video Jockey!) and began to tell them about how great and interesting a subject 'Heat Transfer' was. I suppose I was too nervous to note that the class was stumped. One student (who else, naturally an Indian, or rather a Malaysian of Indian origin) piped up to ask what the relevance of this subject to manufacturing was. Even then I failed to realize that I was in the wrong class and proceeded to hold forth on the importance of Heat Transfer, not only to manufacturing but to all Engineering. The boy must have sensed something wrong and said, very diplomatically, that he must have come to the wrong class. It turned out later that what he meant was that I was in the wrong class!

Just about that time, another very confused-looking guy entered the class and I welcomed him very enthusiastically, taking him for a student. It turned HE was the teacher for that hour. When all this became clear to me in the next couple of minutes I exited the class majestically (in the circumstances, as majestically as I could muster) with another cheery bye to the class, but this time only in English!

Apparently, I went there one hour too soon, but according to the timetable given to me by the department! When I returned there after the hour to my rightful class, I had my students in splits telling them of my goof. They seemed to love it, for I am only one of two professors in the department, and it is perhaps expected that professors will be stuffy. Overall, it was a good start all right, may be even the best start I could have had!