Good day, Khuman Bhagirath Jetubhai. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

After completing my PhD, I joined at Sardawalbine National Institute of Technology as a teaching assistant. But the role involved.

Responsibilities of any regular faculty member. So that's where I taught communication skills to.

Uh, we take students as well as MSS students. Uh, I worked there for 1 1/2 year and then I switched to, uh, Thapar Institute of Technology, uh, at Patiala, Punjab, uh.

Uh, because it was uh, assistant professor position and uh, with a better pay, so I decided to switch.

Uh, at Tapa 2 I taught uh to bite Experience umm.

Uh, subject communication skills, uh, I've been teaching here since past, uh, four years.

And.

Now, since it's not a permanent position, I'm looking.

Offer a job where I can be selected in a permanent position.

Thanks for sharing that, Professor!

Professor Khuman Bhagirath Jetubhai, let us begin evaluating your qualifications and depth of expertise for the role of English Professor. Starting with your technical skills: Your resume mentions teaching, research, and professional communication as key technical skills. Could you explain how you prioritize these skills when planning and delivering an introductory literature course?

Uh, uh, while delivering umm, uh, introductory literature course, umm, I ensure that students are encouraged, students are motivated to read, our students are uh.

Encouraged to explore literary works, uh, literary text with novel, short story, poetry, drama, whatever the preference is. So, uh, being connected with literature and.

Uh, reading it regularly is, is very, very important if you, uh.

If you want an introductory.

Go on, Professor. Please continue your thought.

Uh, that's it.

Thank you, Professor. Let's proceed. Your resume also highlights your ability to guide student projects and research. Could you share an example of how you have structured and guided a major student project, focusing specifically on your approach to mentorship?

Uh, currently I'm guiding, uh, UH-2 PhD students. One is from, uh, my institute that is supper where I currently work, and another is I work as an external supervisor, uh, at Deshpaka University.

My philosophy regarding guiding is I, uh, let students decide their own topic, their own trajectory.

So.

Uh, but uh, one thing I want to assure that they're interested in, you know, gender studies, gender studies is my field of, uh, interest. So if anyone want.

Uh-huh. I wants to pursue research under me. Uh, they should be interested, uh, in gender studies as well so that our, our interest matches and I can guide them with confident given that I have published several papers as well as I have my PhD also in. Gender and sexuality studies so.

Uh, that would be my first, uh.

Advice to any student is to, you know, select uh, autopic that's, uh, related to my area. So in case they are not interested, uh, in my field of interest, then uh, I request them to approach, uh, faculty member who, whose area of interest align with. Area of interest.

Uh, another thing is I ensure that I meet them once in a week. Uh, that's very, very important, uh.

As a PhD guide to remain connected with.

Uh, page discolor, uh, and also, uh, ensure that I keep track of the research journey. I, uh, keep on, you know, motivating them, uh, to publish, uh, also.

Uh, encourage them to, uh, present paper at conferences and.

Uh, so meeting daily, uh, sorry, meeting weekly, selecting, uh, research area that, uh, connected with my area, uh, and supporting them in their research journey, uh, is, is, is something that I.

I'm passionate about SO.

Again, you know, I, I would ensure that, uh, our topic is not thrust upon them. It's, it's, uh, it's a journey. So they should decide, uh, what they're interested into. So that's something very important. And at the end of our collaboration, at the end of the PhD, I want that my student.

Would be able to guide another student independently without my help I don't want.

Umm, my students to be.

Uh, to the main uh.

To remain dependent on me for, for, for, for, uh, ever. So this is not I aim to.

Uh, developing my students, umm, our first thing is, you know, self-reliance. I teach them how to, uh, explore the area by themselves, uh, without, you know, my help in future because for 3-4 years during the page journey, I'll be there, but later on they have to, uh, do all the exploration, the research by themselves. So.

I I ensure that and I also seen some of the. Students even after getting degree.

Thank

Are relying on the expertise, the guidance from the supervisor and I.

It is something I don't like.

Thank you, Professor. I see your emphasis on fostering self-reliance and subject alignment in guiding student research. Now onto your ability to teach theory and laboratory courses. Could you elaborate on how you balance theoretical instruction with practical or interactive components when teaching a course combining literature theory and practice?

Uh, so, uh, uh, when I teach, uh, literary theory, it's very important and that a student get, uh, the basic idea, the basic concept of in theory, uh, and also.

Oh, it's applicability. So if you know theory.

It's concept, but if you cannot apply to the text of your choice then it's of no use so.

When I taught literary theories for the first time as part of page 2 coursework, I made students.

Uh, apply theory that they study in the classroom to the any favorite text, so also ensure other students come forward. They share what they are reading currently and also try to apply.

The particular telly we just dealt with in the classroom. So this will make a classroom very interesting, interactive and also.

Uh, applicability part is also, you know, kept in mind.

Understood, Professor. You emphasize grounding theoretical learning in application, ensuring relevance and engagement. Let's move to your experience in student evaluation and exam duties. How do you design assessments that fairly evaluate a student's analytical and creative abilities in a literature course?

Umm, uh, by revolution, my focus is, uh, while setting up a question paper, I ensure that, uh, there are difficult question papers. Sorry, there are difficult questions, easy questions, and there are questions, uh.

Which are average in level, average in difficulty level. So the question paper has.

Uh, questions that, that, that, uh.

The targets, uh, all different level of uh, stone body, uh.

So the.

Like, uh, that should be 20% of, uh, difficult level question, 20% of very easy. So 40% is a difficult and very easy and remaining 60% should have.

Questions set with difficulty level of, you know, average so.

Well, it ensures that.

Those students who are really good, uh, they also challenged, uh, with, uh, set of questions, which are very difficult and.

That also separates between an Everest ones and and above average stones. You know who is brilliant and students who are good.

So the reason behind setting up is the questions are it will help.

Uh, Australians who are poor, uh, students who are, you know, not so good, uh, in the subject to, uh, pass the subject and, uh, probably.

Uh, aspire to do better in future examinations. I highly emphasize the inclusion of uh, questions, which test are strong security ability because in my time I have, I observed that most of the questions were based on memory.

And, uh, it doesn't, you know?

Test your UH application. It doesn't test your creativity and.

We we end up producing our students who who do not innovate, who don't, who do not.

Pursue who do not write good research rather and they just.

Produce whatever is available. So to bring India into the forefront of research innovation, it's very important that our examination system is highly focused on.

This creativity part focused on.

Part of application to to test and also to prepare students who are ready.

Uh, to take up this, uh, modern world challenges of, you know, innovation, creating something new, uh, questioning, uh, everything, uh, not accepting everything without questioning. So this is very important. So let's say that.

I'm preparing theory literary theory papers, so I'll also ensure that I add questions which ask them to apply a specific theory.

Uh, specifically to, uh, a particular text or compare and contrast, uh, which also sometimes uh, challenges students learning and understanding instead of just, you know, expecting them to write definitions and uh, figures, key contributors.

A principles, et cetera, which can be written by.

Students with a good memory, but I want other students develop.

Thinking capabilities runs develop this. Questioning abilities manage to create something new, so they become, you know, at the end of the day, a good researcher.

Your approach to evaluation promotes critical thinking and creativity over rote memorization. It’s clear you strive to prepare students for a greater level of academic and intellectual engagement. Moving on. Your resume mentions research publications in reputed journals. Could you briefly highlight one publication that had a significant impact in your field and describe its main contribution?

My publication with which is received highest number of citation is was.

Is on Indian advertisement specifically my focus on analyzing LGBTQ plus characters in Indian advertisement and no such previous research was conducted so.

I analyze. I first I found out I found out all the advertisements which contain LGBTQ characters and then I tried to.

Highlight I tried to, uh, see, uh, what a common thread that all of those follows, uh, or how particular character is, is uh, a portrait. Let's say that how trans characters are portrait? Are they, are they always shown dealing with poverty begging?

Or dancing.

In trouble, In pain?

Or they also shown to be successful in the life leading a regular life like any common person, so or.

This correct in the.

Uh, in which age group this, uh, LGBTQ collector belong to, uh, uh.

During which time such advertisements uh, aware where, where, where, uh, where came out in high number or in which time in which period the number of advertisement released in a particular year was very low, and also tried to identify what could have been the reason, let's say that after decriminalization of section 377 or.

And also judgment, my research observed that there have been significant rise in a number of advertisement during those years or to think of specific year.

My paper has also concluded that during June month which is celebrated as Pride Month. We have seen significant rise in in in LGBTQ advertising.

Or around February, uh, specifically 14 February since it is a Valentine Day. So Brian brands, multiple brands see it as an opportunity.

Or during.

To show the love which which? No which?

Which transcends, uh, the common heterosexual, uh, idea of love.

And these are some of the significant contribution that my this paper has made.

It's evident, Professor, that your research on LGBTQ+ representations in Indian advertisements broke new ground in your field, offering unique insights into societal trends and commercial narratives. Thank you for sharing. Lastly, your resume mentions experience with industry projects or consultancy. Could you provide an example of how you’ve applied your expertise in a consultancy or industry setting?

Umm, you know, uh, to be honest, actually, uh, I do not have uh, an experience regarding, uh, working in a project or applying for a project or applying for consultancy. Uh, the reason being, uh, my current position is contractual, so.

If I want to apply for project for consultancy, it's very important that.

I am permanent, uh, at the place I'm working, so that was uh, main.

Hindrance, I didn't go for project to consultancy, but uh, if given the opportunity at your institute, I would definitely I would like to.

You know, send in my.

This part which is project and consultancy which I you know, I think I should really work on.

Thank you, Professor. It's good to know you're aware of this area for growth and are open to exploring such opportunities in the future. At this point, we've covered the necessary competencies and skills. Is there anything further you'd like to discuss or share regarding your qualifications or aspirations for this role before we conclude?

That's it. Uh, my interaction with you include included almost all aspect that I wanted to share it with you.

So that's it from my side, but I also wanted to, I would like to add that I would like to devote more time into research currently as I am involved in multiple administrative duties. So I'm not able to, you know, devote as much time as I want to do my.

Academic research and which I think is my Forte, which, you know, I really enjoy.

And.

I always think that I I want to contribute to the body of knowledge.

And if I don't, then you know it's not the life that I dreamed of living. When I die, I should.

Have before I die, I should you know, have a good, good body of research work in in the field of gender and sexuality studies, which are you know, if I think of Indian context which are not explored enough so.

So.

As a human, you know, I, I, I should definitely utilize it.

Since I have been given this opportunity.

And produce more quality research work and, uh, publish it, publish them in a, in a really, really good journals that, that's, that is my dream. So focusing on more on, you know, research work and continue writing, continue guiding students.

Uh, only, uh, focusing on administrative duties, you know which, which are sometimes.

Rather than.

Thankless.

So that's it.

Thank you for sharing your aspirations and reflections, Professor. It's clear that your passion for contributing to research and advancing the field of gender and sexuality studies is profound. Professor, to conclude, do you confirm that you are ready to end the interview?

Yes, yes, I am ready for an interview.