Politics can wait but academics cannot! When Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh was readying to become the new deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, two of his students were busy preparing for a presentation for their pre- PhD submission in History.
For Singh, who is a professor at the department of History, University of Jammu, pursuing his first love, the academics, is not less than a passion.
Despite being too busy with his new assignment as deputy chief minister, Singh ensured he is present at the university to watch the presentation of his two students for their pre-PhD submission a few days ago.
An acclaimed author of `Inter Communal Relations in Jammu and Kashmir from 1846-1931', Singh is being regarded as an authority on modern history. A teacher by profession, Singh has guided at least four PhD and five M Phil scholars.
"Six students are still working under me for their PhD programme. Academics are my first love. Same is the case with my political career," said Singh.
Born in 1956, Singh's father was a security aide of Hari Singh, the erstwhile Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. Starting his political career with Akhil Bharitya Vidharthi Parishad, a student wing of BJP, Singh served as the general secretary of BJP. Elected from Basholi assembly constituency of Jammu division, Singh was sworn in as deputy chief minister of PDP-BJP coalition government on March 1.
Despite being involved in student politics, Singh completed his PhD and joined as the lecturer in the department of History in University of Jammu and rose to the rank of professor.
"If you see level of my research, which is undertaken by students you will definitely see, I am managing time. I am guiding them in research and I can vouch that they are not suffering despite my preoccupations. I keep balance between the two (politics and academics)," said Singh.
Students find Singh as a soft spoken and simple teacher who always supports and guides them when they are in difficulty. "He is very simple and humble man," Neeraj Jandial, who is pursuing his PhD under Singh on the topic 'Growth of Mass Media in Jammu and Kashmir from 1924 to 1988."
Jandial's thesis tries to capture the trajectory of developments of mass media in the state on the basis of extensive research of archival materials. "Apart from the increasing mass base and the widening technical horizon, his discussion also includes the political context and the kind of bearing it has had on the entire process of development of mass media in the state," an official spokesman said.
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