Coordinator’s View

Professionalism vs Commercialism?

Society in its primitive form was a closed herd meeting needs of each other with or without minimal interactions with other societies. With the growth of societies, they started interacting socially, culturally, economically, academically, professionally and commercially. Each of the interactions is sequenced in a considered manner in which professional and commercial interactions are laced at the last. With the growth in interactions, societies have built expectations and aspirations and in turn societies have experienced growth in their level of satisfaction. Making services, products and processes to  meet the  satisfaction level is a complex process. It involves both professional and commercial engagement. Professional engagement leads to enhancement in quality on the board, while commercial engagement enhances its sustainability. It is generally seen that professional and commercial terms are more than often confused and hence used alternately or interchangeably or to suit convenience of argument.

A professional is a person who commands authority in his profession. This authority is acquired through education and experience of performance of one’s professional skill when it is put into practice. This keeps ever growing like a spiral. Therefore, the education is at the root of the professionalism. Education is an institutionalized process of learning and has its own history of evolution with different models in practice across the world. Inception of learning starts at observations. These observations create a thrill in observer; he in turn steps in search of more observations to correlate and differentiate them. But, it is the first level of curiosity to know how and why each observation is the next step in learning. This learning if left to one’s own curiosity and grit then it self-explores. But, institutionalized learning is known as education. At institution there are many learners, students, having diversity in their background of their curiosity and therefore it starts from ground zero. Education is a process of training minds of budding professionals to evolves ways, means and option to optimize the observations. It implies maximizing positive aspects of observation and minimize the negatives. Since there are more than one ways to achieve results, selection of an alternative is a more thoughtful process which is based on economics because resources are never in abundance, aesthetic because it induces an appeal, professional which takes into all the technical aspects and side effects, and sustainable for coexistence because societies and in turn humanity has to perpetuate in peace and prosperity. While doing so professional propriety is held above personal disadvantage Last but not the least, a professional is trained to take responsibility of implementation of his decisions and actions. In real life nothing is error free or absolute; there is always there is some remanence that needs correction or rectification. During professional education solving problems, making assignments, completing project is part of training the thought process of students.

A professional is different from craftsman or tradesman professional. The latter works with a limited perspective while professional has wholistic perspective. Whereas, commercial person focuses on those activities which reap profit. Therefore, perspective of a commercial person is trained  to work for gain and only gain. In case he finds some engagements that lead to losses his immediate response is either to shun away from it if possible, or that is not possible try to minimize the losses. Thus orientation of a commercial person is purely subjective while a professional is always objective.

Professionals are generally hired by commercial persons to enhance their profitability or sustainability of their venture. Such hired professionals are compensated for their engagement. A true professional adheres to his professional orientation leaving decision making to his commercial counterpart or superior in the enterprise. Such professionals on confronting any breach of professionalism keep their options open either to quit or evolve better options in the given circumstances. Professionals often quit on dissatisfaction in respect of their growth or compensation; they retain their subjectivity in this regard.

There are a few professionals who are passionate to carry forward their professionalism with pure objectiviy. Such a professionalism is a result of phenomenal inspiration. These professionals while perpetuating their thought process do not deviate from their objectivity. It does not imply that a professional would never err, But, they are trained and prepared to take responsibility of error and mitigate it to the possible extent.

Pure objectivity in profession is extremely difficult and rarer it is. Diffusion of subjectivity in a professional is either contextual or circumstantial. But, an advertent subjectivity under veil of a professional is professional dishonesty. Professionals are creamy layer of society comprising of its most coveted elite section their subjectivity is tainted with intellectual and moral dishonesty. Financial dishonesty, most talked about, is tip of the ice berg; it is visible but professional, intellectual; and moral dishonesties remain invisible. Judgement of the latter dishonesties requires astute objectivity. The growth of society from herd to well organized and accomplished commercial entities pure professional objectivity has become extremely scanty.

Case Study: It may not be out of context to cite. with a sense of esteem, a personal experience with my two teachers of school days Shri R. K. Verma and Shri R.K. Mishra nearing their nineties, whom I could connect about two years ago. These are the teachers of that era when taking tuition/coaching and attending I was considered to be disgraceful. These teachers could be approached either at home or in their seat for getting their guidance. I am privileged to be starting my day simply with Namaskaar on WhatsApp for the last two years. I revere these teachers for instilling professional values in my formative days. Though one of these is Mishra Sir who is unable to respond, yet he extends his warmest blessings whenever I am able to call on him. Whereas, Verma Sir is friendly in e-communication and pro-acts with his blissful wishes, if I am late, else reciprocates to my Namaskaar. It is happily going on and for me these teachers have nothing to expect from me. They are happy to know whatever I am able to perpetuate through Gyan Vigyan Sarita (GVS) for the larger good. They are true professionals.

GVS is a small group of inspired professional trying to reach out for the larger good though their Personal Social Responsibility (PSR) in a non-organizational, non-remunerative, non-commercial and non-political manner. They don’t indulge in any kind of philanthropic activities. They are dedicated to mentoring deprived children so as to groom in them competence to compete. The group started with mentoring of the target students in Chalk-N-Talk mode in May 2012 and switched over to Interactive Online Mentoring Sessions (IOMS) in early 2016 in purely selfless manner. This upgradation was in consideration to the physical constraints of reaching out to the students. God forbid compulsion to resort to online education in 2020 caused by Corona pandemic recurs.

Recently, alumni of my alma mater, Government Engineering College, Jabalpur now known as Jabalpur Engineering College has formed a Platinum Jubilee celebration group of its alumnus for celebration of its platinum Jubilee in 2022. Similarly, my batch-mates have organized for Golden Jubilee celebration in the same year. Lot of communications and preparations for the celebrations are on the anvil. In such a time of organized alumni, who were otherwise unconnected, an opportunity was availed to share about GVS among the Jabalpur Engineering College Alumni Association (JECAA). In general, most of the alumni lauded the GVS initiative, but it was limited at that. This is expected from professionals who have reshaped in a commercial mould during their forward journey. One of the senior most alumni is highly respected for his dedicated commitment in formation and pursuance of the JECAA. He has bestowed his blessing individually and to the cause. Yet, a message from him to stop respectful selfless gestures at the start of the day, is not disappointing. It was with an advice to avoid him an embarrassment. It is believed that this advice is out of his predicament to reciprocate at the age of 95 years, quite understandable. However, there are a few alumni who have assured their commitment to the cause of GVS, to the extent possible and a few of them have taken a forward step. It keeps the fire of professionalism ignited.

Conclusions: Aberrations creeping in among professionals, for whatever reasons, is leading them to commercialism, it is alarming. We elites need to be conscious of this decline, and do whatever best is possible by collectively complementing efforts to preserve professionalism, and restore trust of society on professionals. This is our PSR. Those of us who have lived their professional career can continue to practice professional philosophy with तन और  मन  and not  धन to establish a working model of PSR to uphold the professionalism. We are gifted to be living at this age and stage with financial, physical and mental fitness. We are best placed to maintain optimism in survival and growth of professionalism. This is an invaluable opportunity. Time never rolls back…..

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