BIOLOGY/ BOTANY -DEMONS

 BIOLOGY/ BOTANY -DEMONS

Till about 1980s colleges had, on their Science faculty-- persons designated “Demonstrators”. In traditional English, ‘Demonstrators’ are PERSONS who take part in public protest over some practice/ stipulation / newly imposed restriction. It was ‘Demonstrators’ that got truncated to ‘Demons’ to that section of teachers in Science departments. Whether or not the term  ‘Demons’ was  used in the sense of traditional English or as a mere abbreviation, the nomenclature found acceptance among students, colleagues and Demonstrators themselves. So to say, they were a clan different from other members on the faculty of such departments of study. In fact, by any reckoning they were functionally distinct from other member teachers though by function all were catering to different facets of learning --like theory / practice.  Truly, they were aspirants to the position of Lecturer by virtue of qualification; yet they had to ‘wait’ for vacancies to the status of Lecturer.

 Demonstrators were handling Laboratory sessions for UG/ PG students and such personnel were quite authentic in providing laboratory training to students. Their critical training for designing / performing of laboratory exercises proved a significant advantage for appropriate ‘orientation’ of performance skills of learners.  Within the clan referred to as ‘Demonstrators’, a sense of recognition was noticeable among students for Demonstrators from different subjects. Yes, personnel of this cadre from Physics /Chemistry were regarded ‘Gentle men’ by students; those from Zoology were ‘lesser’ gentlemen; those from Botany were dreaded as Demons or Draconian in attitude. To get branded by students- as of a specific category owes itself to the rigidities stuck to by Demonstrators as a part of their training processes in shaping students. Why Biology cadres are ‘nightmarish’ while those from Physics /Chemistry are reckoned ‘gentlemanly? The latter seldom impose conditions for ‘completing’ / submitting the record books for correction. Members from Biology insist on record work being submitted in about 48 hours from completion of laboratory work. Also, the work in Biology requires depiction of structures while in Physics/ Chemistry, no special skills like depiction of features is insisted up on. It is in this facet of work that within Biology teachers Botany demonstrators appear draconian by different parameters. Yes, Botany /Zoology diagrams cannot be made using stencils. All depictions need free-hand drawing of features with right sense of proportion. 

Even more fastidious are the Botany teachers who impose using of pencils of different grades - 2H, H, HB, B, 2B progressively increasing in darkness of the lines drawn.. With low darkness, errors get etched and prove very hard to erase. So, appropriate pencil alone can render justice to the drawing.  Unlike animal parts, PLANT PARTS are to be ‘drawn by observation’ of the specimen, while animal features are presented through charts or bold drawings on black board -making it simpler to ‘follow’. Such a practice is not common for plants, as representative plant samples are different among different geographic territories.  The freedom of using gadgets like scales, set-square, compass are ruled out in biology, causing discomfort to the beginner. With routine practice and training ‘free hand’ drawings can be done more quick and elegant than by using gadgets. The art of depiction of features lies in using sharpened pencils and blunt ones blunt the elegance. Insistence on these criteria by Botany demonstrators for drawing diagrams, make them appear brutal or draconian or Demons Thus they look Demons to the learners.   Basically, demon means an evil spirit, though it also refers to a person with great skill or energy.        

Prof. K. Raman