Editor,
As one steps into retirement from a position of immense institutional responsibility, it is perhaps inevitable that words of appreciation, gratitude, and even reverence will follow. In recent days, public expressions have gone so far as to describe one as the ‘quiet father of higher education in Arunachal Pradesh’. Such titles, while evocative, demand a moment of pause – not merely celebration.
It is not uncommon, particularly in our context, for individuals who have benefitted from proximity to power – through appointments, positions, or patronage – to lead the chorus of praise. This is neither surprising nor entirely unexpected. Yet, when such voices dominate the public narrative, they risk overshadowing other equally important, though less amplified, experiences of the same institutional tenure.
Your time in office was not without controversy. Allegations concerning administrative functioning, transparency, and institutional governance did surface in the public domain. Students, faculty members, and concerned citizens raised questions – some uncomfortable, some unresolved. Whether one agrees with these criticisms or not, their existence forms an undeniable part of the institutional history you leave behind.
Retirement, in this sense, is not merely a ceremonial closure. It is also an ethical juncture.
At such a moment, it would perhaps serve the institution and your own legacy more meaningfully if you chose to address these concerns directly. Not as a rebuttal shaped by office, but as a reflection shaped by accountability. A brief, honest statement acknowledging the challenges, clarifying your position, or even engaging with the criticisms that marked your tenure would go much further than unexamined praise in strengthening public trust.
Institutions, especially young ones, are fragile. They are built not only through vision and expansion but through credibility and transparency. Leadership, therefore, is remembered not just for what it created, but also for how it responded to dissent and doubt.
As the public narrative around your retirement continues to be written, one hopes it will not remain one-sided. Silence at this stage may be interpreted not as dignity, but as evasion.
History, after all, is rarely kind to uncomplicated glorification.
A concerned observer