Combating darkness thru the light of knowledge.

Lahore -- In a Third World country where people are scavenging for subsistence, the job of academicians is to promote an optimistic vision of life. The natives of Pakistan are confronting economic woes, psychological distress, social unrest and vindictiveness on daily-basis. This alarming situation calls for a Messiah who can provide solace to the distressed souls. All the university goers look up to their teachers for guidance, so that they can steer their personal ships towards prosperity. The teachers have to go the extra mile to pull the natives out of the morass of despair. Once all the teachers would discharge their duties properly, it would be easier to palliate the sufferings of the current educational breed.

A university teacher is driven by the maxim 'publish or perish'.

The desire to climb the ladder of success necessitates publishing articles in local/international journals, making literary investigations of novels, looking for virgin territory for exploration and brushing up research skills all the time. The more the publishing, the more the chances to advance in the field of knowledge. Unfortunately, the university teachers feel more attracted towards establishing personal relationship with the top brass of the university. This is tantamount to making a Faustian compromise:--- giving one's soul to the devil for self-aggrandizement. Literary achievements, publishing, scholarly pursuits define the greatness of a teacher, not his sense of relationship with the higher ups.

The academic top brass (HODs, Deans and Directors) can promote a culture of research under their guidance. The oracles of university can motivate the young lecturers to work wholeheartedly for getting their papers published in international journals. The pastness of the past interacts with the presentness of the present for the well-being of the whole community. A healthy coordination between the junior teachers and the senior teachers can cultivate a sense of refinement in the whole department. The students would feel motivated to make big strides in life under the tutorship of the experts. This can entirely revolutionize the culture of academia, which is currently heading towards artistic stagnation.

Remaining unfazed by the vindictiveness exercised on the rising teacher sounds fantastic. The moment a young lecturer takes down the gauntlet and resolves to make headway in the field through literary publications, his all-friendly peers hatch elaborate...