An assistant professor in Maharashtra has sparked laughter online and impressed the internet with his creativity after he announced his new job in the most unique way. Instead of a simple write-up, Prateekshit 'Kanu' Pandey, who got the position of assistant professor at the Department of Communication at UC Santa Barbara, drafted a poster styled like a congratulatory banner used in Indian political campaigns.
''Am happy to officially announce that I am joining the Department of Communication at UC Santa Barbara @CommUcsb as an Assistant Professor, starting January 2024. The blessings of my elders are pouring in),'' he wrote on X, along with the quirky poster.
In the poster, he is dressed as a typical Indian politician, striking a 'victory' pose with garlands draped around his neck. The poster also carried images of other university dignitaries and supporters, along with congratulatory messages. Notably, he had used the same style back in 2022 when he invited people to join him on Zoom for his dissertation defense presentation.
See the tweet here:
The hilarious poster opened floodgates of laughter online, with many joking that they don't know whether to congratulate him or vote for him. Reacting to the poster, one user wrote, ''If I remain in academia, it will only be for the possibility of making such an announcement for my future positions.''
Another wrote, ''If this format becomes a norm, it will be Maharashtra's biggest gift to the world in the 21st century. Henceforth, all academic announcements should only be done like this. Congratulations.''
A third wrote, ''This is gold content,'' while a fourth said, ''This is so hilarious.'' Yet another joked, ''I don't know whether to congratulate you or vote for you. Big fan.'' A sixth added, ''This has to be one of the best announcements I have seen. Absolutely cannot get over that photo of you and Celeste. Congratulations!''
As per the UCSB Department of Communication's website, Mr Pandey ''is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication at UCSB, and specializes in political communication.''
''Kanu studies the role of humor and satire in democratic participation, news sharing, and individual political agency in democratic contexts, with a comparative focus on the United States and South Asian countries. Kanu uses a combination of quantitative experimentation techniques to investigate the psychological mechanisms underlying media effects on democratic citizenry,'' his bio on the website reads.
