About the Cell
Contact Email-Id : sparsha@asutoshcollege.in
Asutosh College Retired Teachers’ Wellness and Well-being Committee
A distinctive feature of our institution in which we all take pride is Sparsha (Touch), the Asutosh College Retired Teachers’ Wellness and Well-being Committee, a unit that began functioning under the aegis of the Tea Club in 2017. The Tea Club itself is a unique feature of the college. It was established in the late 1980s to facilitate informal interaction between substantive teachers over a cuppa and light refreshments in a relaxed atmosphere in the staffroom. Dr. Basanti Mukherjee of the Bengali Department took the initiative of setting up the Club that grew in strength over the years, and extended membership to all members of the teaching staff, irrespective of the nature of their teaching post. The Tea Club Annual get-together, organised every year on 24 December (barring Sundays in which case the date is advanced by a day) is a much-awaited event in the institution’s calendar. Former teachers, both retired or elsewhere employed, reunite with current teachers and the occasion is further enlivened by a cultural programme in which retired teachers also take part with enthusiasm.
Teachers are the architects of society and its well-being since on them lies the responsibility of moulding the youth, not only as successful professionals but also as good, sensitive human beings with leadership capabilities. Our teachers are our valued assets, and though superannuationis the inevitable culmination of salaried employment, it does not mean that the deep bond that all our teachers share with the institution must be severed upon their retirement from service. In fact, we feel that it ought to be nurtured even more after that. Retired teachers are like metaphorical bridges between the past and the present, inspiring the current crop to follow in their footsteps so that they in turn may pass on the legacy to future generations of teachers. Age, however, weakens the body though it might not weaken the spirit, and our retired colleagues often need that caring touch as they grow old in body. With the aim of reaching out to them, and providing that caring touch, the Tea Club constituted a unit – Asutosh College Retired Teachers’ Wellness and Well-being Committee – in 2017. As part of its activities, a dedicated team from the unit maintains year-round contact with retired teachers, enquires after their needs, especially medical ones, and makes arrangements accordingly. Some of the initiatives launched in this regard are:
- Basic annual medical check-up
- Home delivery of essential medicines at a discounted rate
- Home delivery of essential supplies during the pandemic period
What had started as an informal setup for providing that much-needed steaming cup to teachers has now burgeoned into a full-blown unit to look after those who are always there in our minds although they might no longer be in the staffroom, relaxing in between classes and other college-related duties.