Chapter 8 Money could never be a deterrent for Harsh Vardhan’s resolve to share his passion for work after retirement. His offbeat gesture to drop a short and sweet note with the security guard left an indelible mark. His long journey with DD and FTII held him in good stead, as a formidable mentor for a new film institute. “Harsh Vardhan had left a terse note with the security guard and expressed a wish to instil his wisdom and knowledge into the film academy, without money as a constraint. With requisite exposure as Chief Engineer in DD and FTII for over two decades, he craved to share those experiences with the film academy. He left his personal number and we fixed an appointment within three days for a tête-à-tête in my office. Short in stature, he appeared very sensible and, mature with a good command over the English language. He joined as a part-time consultant with two weekly visits at a time of his choice. He made six visits in the first month.” Harsh Vardhan’s cabin came in close adherence to Sadan Malik which made the septuagenarian very insecure and think that he would get replaced. “I had to reassure Sadan Malik that he occupied a special place as a part-time consultant in AAFT, while Harsh Vardhan had been employed to upgrade the academy. I made a clear demarcation that Harsh Vardhan would handle courses related to sound based on his previous track record as HOD in the sound department of FTII while Malik would add to the list of faculty members with his earlier work experience in DD.” Within a short time, Harsh Vardhan began to make frequent visits to the academy due to his intense passion for work. “I told him that I would not be able to pay him extra money. He assuaged me with his reply that money did not matter to him except his work. He paid close attention to the nitty-gritty’s and worked out a perfect model discernible in the changes in the academy. As a job coordinator, he kept a close vigil on all the developments on the campus and exercised his communication skills to improve the language at the International Film and Television Club, Marwah Film Production and International Research Centre. His good command over the English language won him the coveted `Writers award’ and had been to France on a scholarship. He even improved Suresh Jangida’s language within two months.” Sleek and elegant cabins of Sadan Malik, Harsh Vardhan, and Suresh Jangida lined up in a row in the basement. Malik got designated as Dean, while Harsh Vardhan became Associate Dean and Suresh Jangida, Coordinator. “Harsh Vardhan changed the language in the prospectus to make it more suitable for the studio. He tapped powerful sources and roped in the former Director of FTII, L P Shah, and the former Head of Production, Jagath Murari. Both were very senior members with one-and-a-half decades of work experience, with the FTII. Jagath Murari became the first postgraduate in Indian cinema to fly to the UK, followed by LP Shah. Jagath Murari had been the longest Director from 1962 to 72, while LP Shah taught production in FTII. Both came to us through Harsh Vardhan. All three were FTII products who taught me as to `what is required and not required to run a school. I desire to have more such members with that caliber.” As a voracious reader, Harsh Vardhan gained immense knowledge which made him very confident. “Harsh Vardhan followed a daily routine wherein he devoted two hours for reading and two hours for brainstorming sessions with me in the evening. He used to jot down the pertinent points of the discussion. This daily rendezvous resulted in our joint publication of 18 books on various topics such as editing, direction, camera, etc which added to our popularity and prestige. Vardhan used to assimilate, collect, and write the syllabus for the book. His huge contributions were discernible even before the launch of the Sevaram Marwah library. Satish Kaushik inaugurated the library which created a flutter among students who began to hang out amidst the pile of books and magazines. Vardhan spent most of his time in the company of books and so I made him library in charge. He would always prepare himself before any topic of discussion and conduct a thorough research before the scheduled meet. He would keep in constant touch with the faculty members and pay heed to their requirements and suggestions.” Armed with optimism, Harsh Vardhan carried an attitude as if he owned the institute. “He never tried to flatter me or get into my good books but even pinpoint mistakes which others never dared to do. He expressed his true self and adhered strictly to the rules and regulations, be it for admission or hostel accommodation. He made intelligent rectification and upgradation and even improved the language on the website. He would make practical demonstrations on paper and give expression to my ideas and belief. Some brought to my notice his ill-behaviour in his earlier workplaces in DD and FTII but I realized that this man always stood for his rights. I became more confident with his presence in the institute and got more inclined to adhere to his decisions.” Slowly and steadily, Sadan Malik began to lose importance even though he remained the senior most staff member and favorite of Sandeep Marwah. “In due course of time, he found it difficult to commute from Greater Kailash daily and became tired due to his age and opted to reduce his weekly visits. He began to leave very early and I reminded him that it is a full-time job. But to ease things out for him, I shifted him from Dean to Director of academics and he became a part-time consultant. He began to organize seminars based on his previous experience as VC in Jamia Millia. And I designated Harsh Vardhan as a full-time Dean.” The End
