#36, Interview with Dr. Atanu Bhattacharya

Hi friends, today we have with us Dr. Atanu Bhattacharya, a dynamic English Language Teacher working with H M Patel Institute of English Training & Research, Vallabh Vidyanagar – Gujarat as a Reader.

On his credit Dr. Bhattacharya has several research papers focusing on English Literature and use of ICT in ELT. He has conducted various seminars and workshops on integration of Technology in ELT.

His words are definitely going to bring in some learning 🙂

So, here is the interview:

Tarun Patel: Hello Sir, welcome to ELTWeekly 🙂

Atanu Bhattacharya: Hi Tarun, thanks for inviting me on board.

Tarun Patel: Sir, How long have you been teaching English in India?

Atanu Bhattacharya: Since 1997, that is about, 12 years now.

Tarun Patel: Why did you decide to become an English language teacher?

Atanu Bhattacharya: Choice, primarily but also because I always found the subject interesting. However, I was not an English language teacher to begin with. I started my career teaching literature. However, it would be utterly wrong to distinguish between the two since one cannot exist without the other.

Tarun Patel: Which writer / researcher has had the most influence over the way you understand learning and teaching?

Atanu Bhattacharya: Many of them to begin with. I was very interested in theory and the earliest theorists that I was influenced by were Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes. Later, I got interested in Jean-Francois Lyotard, and Deleuze and Guattari as well as Jean Baudrillard – all postmodern theorists. In the field of ELT, MAK Halliday, Widdowson, Michael McCarthy and Ronald Carter were major influences.

Tarun Patel: How did you find your first teaching job?

Atanu Bhattacharya: I applied for it and got selected to teach in a Government College in a small and remote town in Arunachal Pradesh called Tezu. It was quite interesting (I mean the place) and I really enjoyed my stay there since I did not have much to teach(: The place was beautiful surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

Tarun Patel: What are the major challenges for an English teacher while teaching in Gujarat /     India?

Atanu Bhattacharya: Depends on where you are teaching. In an urban set-up, I guess that you would get students who would have the basic competence in the language. In rural areas, you need to start with the language itself. And, of course, there is this great divide between literature and language in most of our formal education system where students get a degree called BA in English but there is hardly any English that is taught to them except some heavy doses of canonical English literature. The challenge for the teacher is to bridge the gap that exists between these two. Thankfully, it is reducing now.

Tarun Patel: What have you learned from being an English teacher?

Atanu Bhattacharya: Many things but the most important one being ‘Never underestimate your students since they are much better than you are’

Tarun Patel: What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming an English teacher?

Atanu Bhattacharya: The road ahead is difficult but with perseverance and love and dedication and commitment nothing can not be done. It sounds a bit of a cliché but the feeling that you get when you have achieved that one success is indescribable.

Tarun Patel: What most interests you about ELT at the moment?

Atanu Bhattacharya: Use of technology to enhance language learning. We can no more ignore it and keep it out of our classrooms.

Tarun Patel: How do you see the role of the EL teacher evolving over the next 5 – 10 years?

Atanu Bhattacharya: To begin with, the teachers would have to be equipped with the use of technology since we would soon have classes where the students are better equipped than teachers technologically speaking. Secondly, the methods of teaching have to be upgraded to be in tune with recent developments in language teaching.

Tarun Patel: Please share some tips on becoming a ‘better’ English teacher.

Atanu Bhattacharya: The role of the teacher needs to be shifted from a knowledge-provider to a knowledge-facilitator. Students need to speak more in the classroom since that is exactly where learning takes place. Using, therefore, pair or group interactive activities should take precedence over a one-way lecture mode.

Tarun Patel: Thanks very much Sir for agreeing for this interview. We look forward to have you on ELTWeekly again, very soon 🙂

Atanu Bhattacharya: Thanks Tarun, All the best!

Dear readers, if you wish ask any question to Dr. Bhattacharya of have some messages for his, please leave them as comments. They will be forwarded to Dr. Bhattacharya.

**ELTWeekly would like to thank Dr. Atanu Bhattacharya for agreeing for this interview.