PARADISE AND MAN — World As A Selecting Ground

PARADISE AND MAN World as a Selecting Ground P ROFESSOR Nau Nihal Singh after his retirement from an American University, came to India where he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from 1992 to 1998. He was a true scholar. He had done his masters in political science and had completed his doctorate on international relations. The story of how he got into the American university is very interesting. While he was in India he came across an advertisement by an American University for the post of professor in his subject. Prof. Singh applied for it and was almost immediately called for an interview. When he reached USA, he was received by a representative of the university appointed to serve as his guide. Prof. Singh was taken to the university, and accommodated in the university guest house. This guide visited Prof. Singh daily and showed him around the vast university campus from morning till evening. In this way, he took him to different departments of the university and acquainted him with all the main areas of activities of the institution; for instance, the library, the dining hall, the classrooms, the teachers’ club, students' meetings, university workers' meetings, etc. Paradise is the world of reward whereas the present world is a testing ground. Almost a week passed in this way. Prof. Singh started to feel anxious. He spoke to the chairman of his department, “I was called for an interview and have been here for a whole week, but so far no interview has taken place." The chairman replied, “Your interview has already taken place and you have been selected. You can join as soon as possible.” The chairman then went on to explain to Prof. Singh that the person whom he had met at the airport, and who had acted as his guide, was none other than a senior professor and also his interviewer. He added that they had learnt of his educational qualifications from the testimonials he had sent them and now they wanted only to know whether or not he measured up to the culture of the university. This had been the task of his interviewer, who had taken him to the different departments of the university and introduced him to all the activities going on there. The students and teachers had been observant of