Remembering the idyllic ASRC

1994 is one of the most memorable years in my life. It was the year when my long-cherished dream to pursue scholarly-life in a prestigious research Institute was realised with the grant-in-aid scholarship offered to me by the American Studies Research Centre( ASRC.),Hyderabad.

In fact, it was a red-letter day for me, when I, floating on cloud nine, set out by train from our city and landed at the ASRC one fine morning of May.

Near Tarnaka, away from the Osmania university, amidst idyllic environment enriched with greenery and avenues of tall trees, was nestled the ASRC., far from the din and bustle of the city of Hyderabad.

When I set my foot on the sprawling campus of ASRC ,I wondered at the rows of majestic buildings and the quietude of the academic atmosphere prevailing there.

Having reported at the office of the administration, I met Prof. Sequera, the Academic Fellow, a middle-aged gentleman with silver hair, cheery visage, eyes beaming with erudition and introduced myself to him.

With a radiant smile on his countenance, he shook my hands and received me so warmly and enquired me about the topic and the writer of my research-work and wished me a happy, fruitful, scholarly stay at the ASRC.I was allotted a room which I shared with another scholar from Bihar. He was very friendly and co-operative.

The ASRC. had a very huge library with innumerable books well categorized and arranged so neatly and beautifully on rakes. There were many type-writers and computers all around to be utilised by the scholars in the library.

With absolute silence pervading the whole library, scholars could pursue their research-work earnestly, poring over the books of their research-subjects, journals and reference-books.

For me, the ASRC. was not just a premier Research Centre, but the wonderful haven of the gathering of intellectuals from different states of the country.

I acquired new acquaintances with scholars from across the country and our intellectual interactions with one another helped me a lot in my research-work.

Though at the library, we would just exchange smiles and pursue our studies in utmost silence, at break-fast and lunch, we would greet one another heartily and enjoy talking vigorously and cracking jokes. In evenings, we all would gather on the lawn, discus our research-subjects and exchange ideas that were of immense use to our research-work.

The most significant part of our research-programme at the ASRC. was that every grant-in-aid scholar had to present a seminar-paper on his research-topic in the huge seminar-hall with a large number of scholars and professors of universities and the academic Fellow on the dais and the scholar had to answer the questions asked by the scholars, the professors and the academic Fellow on his seminar-topic at the end of the seminar.

I presented my seminar-paper on the writer of my research-work entitled" A Journey from innocence to experience in the short-fiction of John Updike", the celebrated American fiction-writer, and I could satisfactorily answer all the questions posed by the scholars and professors on my seminar-topic.

When I got down from the dais after the presentation of my seminar ,a few scholars of my acquaintance flocked around me and complimented me for my successful presentation of the seminar which elated me, elevating my spirits on the day.

My period of scholarly stay at the ASRC not only helped me so much in the successful completion of my research-work, but also brought me into lively and memorable contacts with many eminent professors and scholars from across the country.

It was all the" true joy of scholarship" I experienced at the ASRC. and I ever treasure it. Now after more than two decades whenever I recall those memorable days of my scholarly-pursuit at the ASRC,I invariably turn nostalgic with joy flooding my heart-chambers.