A day in the life of Assistant Registrar Mithun Nair
Mithun Nair’s day usually begins at 5.40 am. He goes for a morning walk, reads the newspaper, then gets ready and goes to work. On this day, Mithun arrives at his desk at 9 am. He is back after a weeklong vacation and has a busy morning ahead.
As the Assistant Registrar of the Council and HR section, Mithun oversees the recruitment, service and evaluation matters pertaining to Group A employees at IISc, which includes teaching and non-teaching staff. Mithun shares that handling service matters is demanding, as it includes processing of a large number of leaves, No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for visits abroad, visa certificates, passport applications, pension, resignations, retirements, and so on.
Mithun oversees the recruitment, service and evaluation matters pertaining to Group A employees at IISc
Located on the first floor of the JRD Tata Memorial Library, Mithun’s office is the second room to the left of the HR section. It is a beige minimalist room with two cupboards, two desks, a personal computer, a few chairs and a sofa. One of the partition office walls has a whiteboard embedded into it. ]
At 9.30 am, Mithun has a short meeting to catch up with some of his staff – Dayanand V Kallapur, MV Sivani, and Kaaviya M. They discuss tasks ahead, such as clearing NOCs, leaves and other requests. Mithun listens to their updates, asks questions to understand the problem at hand, and guides them wherever they need his help.
After they leave, Mithun checks his emails. “After we switched to SAP for administrative operations, the amount of physical paper coming into HR has reduced significantly,” he explains. While SAP has made the processes smoother, there are some refinements that Mithun and his team are trying to update.
Mithun was born in Bikaner, Rajasthan. His father was in the army. Like other army families, Mithun’s family moved often; they travelled from Bikaner to Barrackpur, then Meerut and Jammu, and finally, once his father retired, they settled in Kollam, Kerala. Mithun joined the Scouts and Guides initially and later joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) during high school.
While in the eighth grade, Mithun went to his first NCC camp in Jammu, from where he returned early due to the tough training. “After I came back, my brother and sister used to tease me, saying that I couldn’t even finish a 10-12-day camp,” he remembers.
Eventually, Mithun grew out of his discomfort and attended various camps, which included trekking, parasailing, paragliding, and microlight flying. “In fact, during 12th grade, my attendance was less than 75%, and I had to produce a certificate from NCC to apply for the Board exams,” he recalls, with a smile.
He decided to drop out of the MBA programme and join the Naval Academy, Ezhimala, for training
After completing school, Mithun decided to pursue BCom at St Cyril’s College, Adoor. Then, he applied and got into TKM College, Kollam, for an MBA. At the same time, Mithun applied for the Indian Navy and cleared the SSB interview. He decided to drop out of the MBA programme and joined the Naval Academy, Ezhimala, for training.
During those months, in which he missed his sister’s wedding, Mithun completed his training while visiting Kochi, Lonavala, Jamnagar and Visakhapatnam. His first posting was at Karwar in Karnataka.
At Karwar, Mithun gradually adapted to the environment during the first few months. When a shooting competition was announced, he was selected and transferred to INS Shivaji at Lonavala. After a six-month training period, the final round of the competition took place. Mithun’s group came second. But beyond learning shooting skills, Mithun enjoyed the time he spent there. “What you get in those six months – the bonding, the lessons – that is unforgettable,” he remembers fondly.
Mithun then returned to Karwar and was appointed to a naval ship. There, Mithun handled logistics, administration and procurement. During their time at sea, they docked at various ports like Visakhapatnam, Bombay, Mangalore, Kochi and the Maldives.
Upon returning from the ship, Mithun was transferred to Material Organisation in Karwar to handle bulk procurements. During this time, he received the Navy Commendation Award for ‘Devotion to Duty.’
He got married in 2012 and after five years at Karwar, Mithun had to go through a mid-career training in 2013, during which he got an MBA from Goa University. Mithun was then transferred to Command Headquarters in Mumbai, where he would travel by boat daily. As he was replacing a senior person, initially, his days were hectic. He would leave home by 7.30 am and return around 8.30 pm. “My daughter would be sleeping when I left and when I returned,” he recalls.
Mithun completed almost 12 years of service in the Navy
By 2019, Mithun had completed almost 12 years of service in the Navy. He chose to retire and applied for a job at IISc, which he joined in April 2019 and was posted as the Secretary to the then Director, Anurag Kumar. “When I gave the interview, I didn’t know much about IISc,” says Mithun. In 2021, he was shifted to the HR section and was eventually put in charge of the Group A section.
Mithun’s current job is very different from his Navy days. “It was a huge difference from the Navy to here – especially the cultural changes,” he explains.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Mithun was still working in the Director’s office, a few faculty and students were stuck abroad. IISc’s then director, Anurag Kumar, suggested that Mithun write to the relevant embassies to seek permission for their early return. “I sent several emails to the Indian Embassy and the Defence Attache, and eventually, [the students and faculty] all came back. Hopefully, the emails would have helped,” he says, smiling.
In 2021, Mithun was transferred to the HR section. “It was very difficult, initially, with the quantum of work and limited staff,” he shares. Eleven months later, the newly recruited administrative recruited administrative assistants joined. “Their joining helped a lot,” Mithun says. Over the next few years, the HR section expanded and now, Mithun says that things are more or less proceeding smoothly.
At 10 am, Mithun attends an online meeting with all the Assistant and Deputy registrars at IISc. Then, he walks out of the office to talk to other staff members regarding certain issues.
Mithun then meets with Roshen Ravi, one of the administrative assistants looking after recruitment. They discuss the offer letters sent and the responses received. Mithun says that most of the recruitment procedures have been moved online, which saves a lot of time.
Around 11 am, Vasanthan AA, Assistant Registrar of the legal section, drops by to discuss a specific legal issue. Then, Mithun prepares to leave for the meeting with the Registrar at 11.30 am. He meets Aparna Kandi, Deputy Registrar of the HR section, outside his office and along with Michaelraj, the other Assistant Registrar in HR, the three walk together to the main building.
The Registrar meeting gets over quickly, and Mithun returns to the office for some quick work before grabbing lunch. On this day, he has brought curd rice, salad and potato curry, packed in a lunch box. “My daughter goes to the Little Elly Playschool, and we usually go home for lunch. But now, she has summer vacation,” he adds.
‘With the streamlining of processes and support from the seniors and colleagues, things have improved’
Back to work at 2 pm, Mithun checks his emails while preparing for another meeting at 2.30. He is meeting with M Senthil Kumar, Assistant Registrar of Academics, to hand over the documents and responsibilities of the Internal Committee Against Sexual Harassment (ICASH). In the meantime, a few people walk into Mithun’s office to discuss work-related issues. “Streamlining emails by creating a shared inbox has helped a lot,” Mithun explains.
The Council section also assists in organising the Court, Council and other meetings, says Mithun. He adds that the HR section takes care of employee retirements. Every year on 31 July, around 30-40 IISc employees retire, and their farewell takes place in the Satish Dhawan auditorium. “It is a huge function with the employees, their families, Chairs of their Departments, and colleagues,” Mithun says.
At 3.30 pm, Mithun leaves for an internal meeting with all the staff in the HR section. The HR section is a flurry of activity, as people move towards the meeting room and shut the doors. The meeting gets over by 4 pm, and Mithun walks back to his office to wrap up work.
“I remember back in 2021 when most of us stayed till 7-8 pm on most of the days, to finish pending work. However, with the streamlining of processes and support from the seniors and colleagues, things have improved,” he says.
After a relatively busy day, Mithun heads home at around 6 pm. He spends some time with his children before having an early dinner at 7.30 pm and heading to bed by 10 pm. All to rise again the next morning and keep the wheels turning.
(Edited by Abinaya Kalyanasundaram, Ranjini Raghunath)
