By Rajiv Shah "Major Hints" ("મેઝર હિન્ટ્સ"), translated into Gujarati by veteran journalist Anil Devpurkar and noted Gujarati writer Dr. Bharat Mehta, is an honest and powerful account of the author Dr. I. I. Pandya’s decades-long engagement with Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Vadodara. Originally written in English, this work is more than just a personal memoir—it is a critical testimony on how public institutions function, fail, and sometimes resist.
Released at a formal function in Vadodara in the presence of veteran litterateur Prakash N Shah and economist Hemantkumar Shah, the book unfolds as a chronicle of events, decisions, conflicts, and crises that rocked MSU over nearly four decades, especially from the 1980s onwards. Dr. Pandya, who served as a professor and a key elected member of the Senate and Syndicate of MSU, documents in meticulous detail the erosion of university autonomy, politicization of administrative posts, corruption in appointments and fund usage, and various forms of institutional decay. Yet, this is not a cynical account. At its heart, "Major Hints" is a work of faith—in the power of public education, in civic engagement, and in ethical resistance.
The book opens with a reflection on the moral responsibility of those in power. Drawing on the administrative philosophy of Sir T. Madhavrao, as reflected in the book "Minor Hints", who served Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Pandya rejects the idea that holding an office is a license for arbitrary power. He insists that those who control public resources and institutions must act transparently, ethically, and in the service of society at large. This principle guides every narrative in the book.
One of the central episodes the book covers is the intense struggle in 2004 against the Gujarat Government’s proposed "Common Universities Ordinance". This ordinance, if implemented, would have stripped Gujarat’s public universities of their academic and administrative autonomy. For MSU, which holds a unique place in Gujarat’s educational landscape as a residential, English-medium institution established by the royal Gaekwad family, the ordinance posed an existential threat. Dr. Pandya led the resistance, mobilizing faculty, alumni, students, ex-Vice Chancellors, retired bureaucrats, and civil society groups. The movement gathered momentum and resulted in a formal memorandum submitted to the Governor of Gujarat, which ultimately contributed to the ordinance being rolled back. In one dramatic episode, Pandya narrates how he and others managed to meet senior BJP leader L. K. Advani in Delhi, leveraging old academic connections to plead their case. Advani, moved by their argument, wrote a letter to the Gujarat Chief Secretary P. K. Laheri, asking that the ordinance be reconsidered. Within days, the ordinance was formally withdrawn—a rare victory for a civil movement against executive overreach.
Apart from policy-level confrontations, the book recounts several episodes of internal misgovernance. For instance, Pandya exposes how attempts were made to misuse university employees’ Provident Fund (PF) corpus for construction of new buildings, including an air-conditioned auditorium. Despite being in the minority, Pandya opposed the move on ethical and legal grounds. His efforts, supported by internal documents from the Income Tax department, eventually helped halt the plan. Ironically, the auditorium was later successfully built—through public donations, without touching staff PF funds. This not only preserved institutional integrity but also demonstrated how alternate, ethical models of fundraising are possible. Prominent figures like Dr. Verghese Kurien, founder of Amul, and industrialist Darbari Seth of Tata Chemicals supported the project.
In another case, Pandya recalls how the MSU Engineering Faculty campus had become a dumping ground filled with filth and illegal encroachments. Instead of waiting for administrative action that never came, Pandya mobilized local residents and faculty members to clean the campus and erect a boundary wall themselves. The transformation of that space from a neglected wasteland into a usable, clean entrance zone became a model of community-led initiative.
The writing style is straightforward, sincere, and sometimes emotionally intense. The author doesn’t hide his frustrations or fears; he narrates moments when he faced personal threats, professional setbacks, and institutional isolation. Yet his commitment to MSU never wavers. The book reveals his deep emotional connection to the university, which he describes as his "mother institution". He calls his narrative a modern "Gita", a battlefield where he played both the role of warrior and charioteer, simultaneously fighting and guiding. His tone is that of a teacher addressing not just his students, but also future generations of administrators and citizens.
One of the more tragic notes in the book is how an institution as illustrious as MSU has, over the years, been reduced to what Pandya calls "a captive of partisan politics and personal interests". He expresses anguish over how Vice Chancellors have become politically appointed rubber stamps, and how institutional standards—academic, financial, and ethical—have declined steadily.
The translation by Anil Devpurkar and Dr. Bharat Mehta succeeds in preserving the gravity and urgency of the original English work. Devpurkar, a veteran journalist with decades of experience in higher education and investigative reporting, brings an insider's understanding and flair for sharp expression. Mehta, a scholar of Gujarati literature, ensures the language flows naturally for the target audience. Together, they have made the book accessible to a much wider Gujarati readership, especially teachers, students, and civil society workers engaged with public education.
“Major Hints” is not an academic history. It is not a celebratory institutional souvenir. It is a living document of struggle, conscience, and public duty. It reminds us that universities are not just places of teaching and exams, but spaces of intellectual freedom, civic responsibility, and moral leadership. This book stands as both a tribute to and a critique of that ideal. In a time when educational institutions across India are under siege—by market forces, political interference, and bureaucratic overreach—“Major Hints” serves as a necessary guide, a warning, and a spark of hope.
If public universities are to be saved, reformed, and made meaningful again, stories like these must not only be told—they must be read widely, debated publicly, and acted upon. Dr. Pandya’s voice, shaped by experience and grounded in ethics, deserves to be heard far beyond Vadodara.
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