Face –to-Face
...with Dr. Achal Deep Dubey
October 14, 2020
Dr. Achal Deep Dubey is a Senior English Teacher at Mayo College, Ajmer. He’s a man of diverse interests and one shouldn’t be surprised when he begins quoting Indian poets and shayars in the course of a conversation. It’s extremely delightful to have a conversation with him as he has this talent of putting anyone at ease.
Elvira: Who is Dr. Achal Deep Dubey as a person?
Dr. Dubey: Ohh my God! That’s a difficult question! (laughs then considers) Well, I don’t know much about him! I mean I could meet him only a few times that too briefly in the past 20-30 years… and it’s only recently that I have started meeting him more often...
Elvira: (smiles) Hmm... Interesting! So now that you meet him often, what did you gather about him?
Dr. Dubey:
Sab ke bare me sab ne jana
Khudke bare me kam ne jana
So what I could know is that Achal is a person who is fascinated by so many things in life for example Hindi-Urdu poetry, English language, ELT researches, Teacher Training, theatre, photography, writing plays, music, singing…and what not and so consequently he ends up doing a little bit of all these things. I am sure you find this combination a little strange...but that’s what he is... And when you take everything away... all these fascinations, aspirations, ambitions... what remains you know, the residual, is the Achal that I love to meet sometimes…!
Elvira: Wonderful! Tell us something about your major project, the series of ten books, which intends to help students enhance their English Speaking and Listening skills.
Dr. Dubey: Ah-h yes! And it’s a happy coincidence that the name of the books in the series is Face-to-Face which is same as the name of your interview series. (laughs)So yes, this project was very close to my heart! I think in terms of ELT (English Language Teaching) this brought out the best in me that I always wanted to do to facilitate the English language learners and also teachers to organise Speaking and Listening lessons more effectively in the class and make it happen. As you know that Reading and Writing skills dominate the curriculum in schools and Speaking and Listening skills are not much worked upon… they are not even formally tested…so this made the project even more important for me.
And of course, you have been a tremendous help in the making of those books.
Elvira: I’m glad I got an opportunity to work with you. It was quite an interesting and inspiring experience. In fact, if The Ferns and Blooms Trilogy exists today it is because of this particular series of books. So your project is very close to my heart too. (laughs) And yes, the titles are the same. Talking about titles... The title of your doctoral thesis ‘Contemporary Indian English Novels: A Sociolinguistic Perspective’ is quite mouth filling. Could you tell us in a layman’s language what this book has within its pages? Where can interested scholars of literature find this book?
Dr. Dubey: You said mouth filling... I hope it’s a compliment! (laughs and settles more comfortably in his chair) So, Sociolinguistics basically means the study of language in a social context. So when a language is placed in an alien setting it has to adapt itself to the needs of the new users. For example now we have ‘Indian English’ as a standard variety of English, which has developed through the process of acculturation over a period of 60-70 years.
And the book basically studies six Indian English novels to explore as to how the language has been moulded and customised, innovated and experimented by the authors so that it suits their characters and their settings which, of course, is different from those of native users of the language.
Anyone who is interested in Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, Speech Acts and Experimentation with English language can find the book on Amazon.
Those interested in possessing a copy of 'Contemporary Indian English Novels: A Sociolinguistic Perspective’ can find it here.
Elvira: Wow! That sounds intriguing! Now as you’ve already mentioned you’re a man of varied interests, Dr. Dubey, I recently read a beautiful ghazal penned by you. I believe it was even published on a well- known website. You have a Doctorate in English Literature and you pen ghazals using beautiful Hindi and Urdu words. How did this come about?
Dr. Dubey:(laughs loudly) A strange combination, right? And the credit primarily goes to my father who I would say has been a ‘part-time’ shayar. I remember his friends would come to our shop, share their newly written ghazals and would discuss the technicality and nuances of ghazals and nazms. And then Papa would also listen to ghazals of Ghulam Ali, Mehandi Hasan and Jagjit Singh while working in the dark room duringlate evenings… so you know (makes an elaborate movement with the right hand) you can imagine…it was a part of my growing up and I didn't realize when I got so interested in all this and this opened up a wonderful world to me… So I inherited shayari from my father (laughs) with the adjective ‘part time’ intact. By the way I must mention here that my father has been a great photographer during the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Elvira: Really? This is quite fascinating. Could you share a few lines of your father which are your favourite too?
Dr. Dubey: Ohh yes! There is this couplet which would summarise his professional life as a photographer, and the long hours he spent in the dark room.
Ab andhero ki mere kadmon ko aadat si ho gai hai
Kya karunga roshni ko gar mile khairaat me
Elvira: Beautiful! No wonder you take after him as a ‘shayar’! So I can see your first love was Hindi and Urdu, and English came only later. My interest is piqued! How did you reroute to English?
Dr. Dubey: Well, on a serious note, when it came to jobs and a career, unfortunately, English had a lot more to offer than our own Hindi and Urdu. I mean that’s what I thought at that point of time! And somehow I got interested in English Language and Literature and ended up finishing my Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics. Thanks to Dr. Prashant Mishra and Mr. S.Q. Khataq, my professors in College, who initiated me into it. So for a few years I read and wrote very less of Hindi-Urdu poetry but then as it turned out... this was just suppressed, not finished completely. I mean it couldn’t… and it only bounced back with greater force and energy. For last two-three years I’ve been reading and writing a lot of Hindi-Urdu poetry.
(chuckles) And thank you so much that you liked the ghazal which I composed. It was a matter of pride for me that Jakhira, a popular website dedicated to Hindi-Urdu poetry gave space to it.
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Elvira: Could you please share a few lines of your ghazal with us?
Dr. Dubey: Why not? I’d love to…
Hai zindagi ko kaisi jalan haay in dino
Hai mout ke maathe pe shikan haay in dino
Shayad mere zameer ko fursat n aai raas
Rahti hai bewajah si thakan haay in dino
Rangat rahi n shokhiyan, n khushbu n khulus
Veeran hai har ek anjuman haay in dino
Ghazals lovers can click here to read the entire piece.
Elvira: (clapping) Wonderful! Lovely! You’ve captured the turmoil during the Pandemic in these lines so aptly. Seeing your writing prowess, I’ve got to ask you this question! What are your plans for the future in the literary field apart from the editing assignments I will keep springing upon you from time to time? (laughs)
Dr. Dubey: (laughs) Thank you so much for the compliment! I’m flattered! These things are actually fun and a welcome deviation from the academic reading and writing. I’ll wait eagerly for the assignments you’ve mentioned. And yes, if I talk about my projects I don't think I have many but I hope to come out with a book of two plays in English which would have a unique form. Also, maybe a book of ghazals sometime next year… Let’s hope…
Elvira: Yes, let’s hope for the very best! Thank you so much Dr. Dubey and good luck with your upcoming projects!