1971 – 1973: My Years @ BITS, Pilani – The Campus: The Maiden, Panoramic, Look In : On To The Hostel

Once off-loaded at the bus adda at the Bazar of the Pilani city, before I could locate the gate to the campus, I was surrounded by a few pedal-rickshaws. With my looks and the luggage that I was carrying, that was certainly not surprising. Each one announced, synchronously as if pre-programmed – ten rupees. As I was to find out during my subsequent visit, the default transport charge was Rs.5 and that such call nor invitations were not required for the regular students. The regular students would just settle into any rickshaw and curtly announce the name of hostel block. Once reaching the destination, he would hand over a 5-rupee note and walk on the hostel. However, since such auto-invite, with seemingly pre-orchestrated price-tag was tell-tale indication that they, and perhaps who would have cared to throw a glance at me there, would have identified me as a fresher.

I declared my destination and settled into one rickshaw. Then, it seemed to me that I reached the designated hostel block, Budh Bhavan, in almost the fast-forward motion. Hardly had I settled on the slightly sloping seat of the rickshaw, we were at the hostel gate. Rickshawwallah even indicated where I should go, which incidentally, was the office where the candidates were required to register. As he drove off, I thought I saw a fleeting smile on his face. It was fleeting that neither then, nor even now, I am able to comprehend whether it was look of pity, a smirk, or a mocking gesture or a good wish!

At the hostel office, I was duly registered, allotted a room on the first-floor right wing facing the main road. I was also informed of the location of the mess and timings of the meals. I was required to deposit the room and meal charges for five days. I was also informed of the location of Admissions Office area and was informed that further details relating to admission test will be made available when I report there. I was advised to report at least an hour before the appointed time.

I located the allotted room and unpacked my luggage. The fact that I had finally reached the hostel room seemed to engulf me with the boredom and fatigue of the travel. Therefore, without wasting any more time, I  readied myself for the bath. To wash off all the dust and grime as well as the fatigue and boredom off the body, I had had a good half-an-hour refreshing bath, the first task I took up was to write a postcard, which I was to post next day after the test, briefly informing my parents that I had reached BITS Pilani quite comfortably.

Then, I took a quick reconnaissance tour of the entire block of Budh Bhawan. I do not remember now whether I did come across any other candidate at that time.

My travel fatigue – and tension – now gone, I was feeling hungry. So, just as my watch declared the time for dinner, I walked over to the mess and had my first meal at the hostel. Except that it was quite a satisfying meal, I do not remember much about it. What I ever do, is in fact because of meals consumed later during the say there, hence, as such I will take up when I reach that part of the narrative.

Here, too, neither I made any conscious effort to make new acquaintances, nor perhaps any else too tried to be acquainted with me.

Once my the then primary need of hunger was well-satisfied, my next need in the priority of hierarchy was sleep. Once back at the room, I kept flipping of the pages of the magazine. The letters were passing across my eyes, but mind seemed to be in some trance, so not a word did get registered. In fact, that seeming-to-read activity had worked like a sleeping pill. Soon, I was sound asleep, to wake up around 5.30 or so in the next morning.

I was now fully fresh and rearing to go, with not a thought of what the result for the test would be. I finished off my morning routine very leisurely, again to be ready for the breakfast, probably in the very first batch. Here, too, finished off my breakfast alone. In fact, I still wonder, how it should have so happened that I had not opened the account of my acquaintances all this while. I am basically a hermit, but not much to say even a hello to anyone. And, I do not think I was after all that much of an alien for someone to wave a hand or just make an eye-contact!

However, I will not deny that my eyes were not registering anything except that test. Whether it was a subconscious undercurrent of fear of the test or it was tension of lack of knowledge of what was lying the store of the future, I am not able to decode it even now.

Be that as it may, I was now off the Admissions Office ………

We will visit The Campus in next two episodes.

1971 – 1973: My Years @ BITS, Pilani – Onwards To Pilani : The Maiden Journey

Continuing From:

1971 – 1973: My Years @ BITS, Pilani – Onwards To Pilani : Charting the Untrodden Path

On the appointed day, my father had already reached his office according to his regular schedule. My mother was busy with rounding up her daily morning chores. It was just as normal a day as all other days. I, too, had my normal lunch. If one were to find out any variation in the daily pattern, it possibly could be said that I was about three quarters of an hour early in my lunch, so as to be able to reach Navsari railway station in good time without any undue hurry.

In fact, the day travel need not have been a special day. Our family never had such a tradition to give very special consideration to academic careers of the children. My father certainly did take interest in my academic progress. However, the mundane details of study were expected to be navigated by us on our own.

As I look back, the last, and the only, ceremonial activities related to any (so called) important milestone in my academic career was the first day of my S S C examinations. My father had accompanied me, a day before to the first examination, to physically see in which hall of Gujarat College (Ahmedabad) building I was to write my first paper. On the first day, in the one-hour break between two papers, my mother had come to the examination hall with a thermos full of tea and some refreshments, In fact almost all the family members of each of the student too had come with all sorts of refreshments. It was more like a big celebration than any important examination.

I do not remember if any one had accompanied me on my first day to primary school or middle school or even on my first day at Virani High school at Rajkot, my first ever schooling outside Bhuj, my birthplace. Of course, my admission to Virani was half way through the V^th standard because of my father’s ever transfer outside Bhuj. So, a good deal of efforts was required by father with our reactive, (late) Janardanbhai Vaidya (who was then teacher of English at the school. Similar heavy legwork was required for my admission to the Pre-University class, because I had not competed 16 years as required by the rules of Gujarat University, and was therefore, technically, ‘underage’. My father had to undertake a couple visits to Vallabh Vidyanagar to get that admission. I, too had accompanied him during those visits.

In the overall perspective of my life, as I look back now, these were more of the ‘special causes’ rather than the ‘normal’ trend. In fact, when I look back, now, I consider this upbringing atmosphere as blessing in disguise. I can now very clearly visualize the role these circumstances have laid in laying the foundation of my whatever it may be worth, ability to chart my course on my own.

As I boarded Paschim Express at Navsari, my subconscious mind did take a note that this was my first ever journey that was to take me beyond the borders of Gujarat. But, the feeling that this journey is also to likely to lead to a phase in my life was still nowhere nearing to shape up.

I was carrying the latest issues of India Today and The Week as time-pass-cum-general knowledge reading. I was also carrying the All India Railway time table with me. Once we crossed. Vadodara, I would consult the time-table to check-up which was the next halt and how much time the train would take to reach that station. I ate part of the refreshments my mother had packed up for me for the journey. When all other passengers went to sleep, I too stretched myself on the berth, But my sleep was with my both ears up. I continued to check with the time table to keep checking when would the train reach Kota.

Once we crossed Kota, I was now literally, and really, on the edge of my seat. The run between Kota and Sawai Madhopur was around two hours. For the last half an hour I was at the gate of the coach, with my luggage bag in the toe. The train had only a two-minutes halt at Sawai Madhopur and now I was seriously worried if I would be able to really get down from the train in that much time.

However, my worries were all uncalled for. I, of course, was first to get down. Three-four more passengers also got down thereafter and equal number also got in, both sets of people carrying quite substantial luggage in the toe. And still, it seems that the train had halted there for ages! To me, it seemed that train took even longer than it took to travel from Kota to Sawai Madhopur. I did not realise at that time that I was demonstrating the validity of Theory of Relativity in those two minutes😊.

However, that l o n g two minutes also helped me to realise the value of a good one hour I was to get at Sawai Madhopur before my train to Chirawa would leave from Sawai Madhopur.

Of course, the very first thing I took up was to book my ticket to Chirawa, which perhaps did not take even ten minutes. Then I went public water tap at the platform and had rather leisurely freshening up chore. Once done, I realised that I was feeling a little hungry too! So, I had had a kulhad full of steaming hot tea and one samosa and one kachori for breakfast.

I boarded the train, took up a vintage window side-seat, facing the direction of travel. I think those 15-20 minutes of waiting period was, perhaps, one of my most relaxed period of my life.

The journey to Chirawa was quite uneventful. The first major stop, Jaipur came and passed away. Except for physically taking note, I was perhaps now not interested in Jaipur.  I was enjoying either watching (relative to the movement of the train) moving countryside or watching the co-passengers (of course, without being obvious).

At the lunch time, I do not remember which station it was, but I had had a plate of fresh puri-sabji, like many other passengers did. Around tea-time or so, we reached some station after Sikar. When I got down to the platform to loosen up my leg limbs and sought for a cup of tea, the tea vendor proudly volunteered to inform me that sev (fried beson – the chickpea flour – noodles) from this ppace was also as spicy as those of Ratlam, but was totally different in taste. I had not tasted Ratlam sev till then, but I did purchase a small packet of that sev to gainfully pass time till reaching Chirawa.

I due course, we reached Chirawa railway station. Along with about a dozen or so other passengers too would have deboarded the train. But I was as focused as Arjun was to hit the target of a moving fish to locate the bus that would take me to Pilani, that I did not register if there were any student-look like passengers.

The bus that was to take us Pilani belonged to some private bus service. Even that was my first ever such experience, since all these years I was used to travel by a (Gujarat) State Road Transport bus only. So, I did take some time to locate if there was any Rajasthan State Transport bus. However, everyone I enquired with, quite sincerely assured me that this bus was as good, and in fact the only, mode of transport. When I think back now, I am sure some of them would have wondered if I was a human looking alien from other planet as I was to realise just a few days later that public bus transport was long back privatised in Rajasthan (and other that matter in many North Indian states).

Well, another half an hour – forty-five minutes of travel, and I was at Pilani bus adda.

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We  will take up “Institute Campus: The First View”  in next couple of epiosdes.

1971 – 1973: My Years @ BITS, Pilani – Onwards To Pilani : Charting the Untrodden Path

Continued From:

1971 – 1973: My Years @ BITS, Pilani – Onwards To Pilani : The Turmoil and The Decision

I had only the call letter as any guide, if one could say so in my the then position, that pointed to the destination of my future course of journey. The postal address of the institute revealed that the mundane destination, Pilani, was situated in the State of Rajasthan. The call letter did further mention that Pilani can be reached by bus from nearest railway stations of Chirawa (from Jaipur) or from Loharu (from Delhi).

I knew that Rajasthan located on the west-northern side of Gujarat, on the basis my knowledge of geography from the school days. However, I had travelled only upto Surat before I came to Navsari that very year. As a result, I was totally blank about how to travel to Jaipur or Delhi. I was even quite new to Navsari too. So, I could not even think out of enquiring with someone or somewhere, there of the whereabouts of these places.

Fortunately, I was aware enough of All India Railway Time Table. So, I hoped that with the help of that time table I should at least be able to locate the two railway stations mentioned in the time table.

It took me around five minutes or so of thinking and some preliminary enquiries at my father’s office to arrive at the decision to head for Navsari railway station and purchase that All India Time Table. Once I reached the railway station I did make enquiries with ticket counter and with the station master to see if I can get any help about reaching Chirawa or Loharu. Their guidance, too, pointed out as time table as the (only) source of information at Navsari station. The other alternative was to go to Surat railway station to get the required information. I purchased the time table and headed straight to home to begin my work of charting out the possible routes.

Once I reached home, I did not lose any more time. and sat down with few papers and pen to chalk out various options available. If Google maps was available then the job of selecting the most optimum route would have been easier. But at that time, it simply was a job to wade through the timetable and arrive at the possible options.

A good few hours of search led me to arrive at two options to reach Chirawa:

• • Navsari – Ahmedabad – Jaipur – Sawai Madhopur – Chirawa route:

My rough calculations showed that the total journey would be close to 850 + 200 KMs and would take anything from 20 to 24 +  around 5 hours of travel, with two breaks at Ahmedabad and Jaipur. On this route going to Sawai Madhopur was not necessary as Sawai Madhopur – Chirawa train was to pass through Jaipur.  Sawai Madhopur to Chirawa distance was around 340 KMs, but if I choose this route, Sawai Madhopur – Jaipur distance of round 130 KMs could be avoided.

• • Navsari – Vadodara – Kota – Sawai Madhopur – Chirawa:

Navsari – Sawai Madhopur leg of journey was on Bombay – Delhi route. This was an over 700 KMs of journey with travel time of around 15 hours (if travelled by Bombay – New Delhi Paschim Express) to 20+ hours (if travelled by Bombay – Dehradun Dehradun Express), in addition to about 7 hours of travel from Sawai Madhopur to Chirawa.

The only logically feasible route to reach Loharu was travelling from Navsari to Delhi and then from Delhi to Loharu.

With this much information available, it did not require any computer (not that anyone was available then) to decide the most preferred route. So, before I went to sleep my next course of actions next day were decided in my mind to book the ticket, from Navsari and if that did not work out, then from Surat for Sawai Madhopur as the first choice.

I was at ticket-booking window of Navsari railway station, first thing next morning. After about a half an hour so wait in the queue, I was all smiles, with my all thirty-two teeth being visible, with a ticket for Paschim Express to Sawai Madhopur for the appointed day. I was also informed that ticket for Sawai Madhopur – Chirawa leg of the journey could be purchased from Sawai Madhopur only.

However, by now, out of knowledge that I had no choice or because of the latent expectation that if luck had favoured me till now I can still bank upon it, I was feeling more confident that I should be able sort out the nuts and bolts ticketing once I reached Sawai Madhopur.

To continue with ……..

The Maiden Journey to Pilani

1971 – 1973: My Years @ BITS, Pilani – Onwards To Pilani : The Turmoil and The Decision

The result for the last semester of 5-year BE degree course was already declared. My performance, in terms of the overall marks secured, was quite encouraging. The first, and obvious, outcome was that I already had shaken out from my lazy, drifting, occupation of keeping myself “busy’ with library visits to ‘prepare’ myself for the entrance tests for the applications I had put in Jamanalal Bajaj Institute, Bombay and BITS, Pilani.

I was now, also, aware that my first priority was to search for possibilities of getting a job. But the stark fact was that I had no idea whatsoever as to what kind of job I should look for, where to find a job and how to approach the potential employer, how to prepare for the interview and such related issues.

My father was outing in the word with colleagues to see if they knew anyone who can provide me some opening. I, too, had heard the awakening from the slumber bell alright. But the inertia of lack of knowledge about ‘how to get the first job’ had not really put me to an active search-apply-interview’ motion.  My daily reading contents at the local library had expanded to looking out for the ‘wanted’ columns in the pan-Gujarat presence English and Gujarati dailies at the library. I had also started working on the possible draft of my application for the job. My discussions with our neighbour academic colleagues, who were all doctorates in their respective fields, of my father now included getting in their inputs for drafting of the format and content of the applications.

Those were still not the days of getting the testimonials photocopied. One had to get these testimonials typed and get them certified with nominated authorities. As such, I started off with getting such copies typed out, go my father’s college and get the already typed copies duly authorised by any professor who as free enough on the given day. I was advised that I should get my copies of the SSC Board examination and the ten semester examinations of the BE degree course marksheets certified only by the Principal of the college, since that would make the duly authenticated “True Copy’ look more authentic!

Just as this turmoil of mind was gaining the momentum, I received a registered letter from BITS, Pilani. It was the call letter for the entrance test for the 2-year MBA post-graduate program!!

As soon as I finished reading the letter, I started of the meet my father at his office. Without much discussion, the first decision immediately after he finished reading that letter was that I should take that test.

My experiences of the maiden trip to Pilani in the next episode

1971 – 1973: My Years @ BITS, Pilani – Foreword

During the last year of engineering studies, some of us had tried our hand for the admission to IIM, Ahmadabad. However, we were so unprepared, both in terms of competence as well as mental set-up, that attempt had miserably failed. As such, at the end of the engineering studies, I did not have any clear game plan for the future. During the free time that the vacation had provided I had virtually nothing ponder over except having to work on the two obvious alternatives of searching for a job or take up a post-graduate study.

I had parked aside any search for a job till the results of the final semester of the engineering studies were out. Similarly, even though I had not charted out any clear plan or strategy for post graduate studies, I was quite seriously using the free time of vacation to strengthen up my knowledge of English with the help of books like ‘How to increase word power’ or full reading of the English dailies like Indian Express. Additionally, I was also seriously reading the stock of reading material on ‘how to increase General Knowledge’ that I had collected during the last semester from second-hand book market.

In so far as the post-graduate study was concerned, by now, I had very well realised that my father strongly preferred that I seriously work on that alternative. Reaching up to a good PG degree was his own dream too when he had completed graduation. However, his family circumstances were not conducive at that time, so he had to take up any government job and to take up the regular life of a householder (as was the most done thing in those days). But his dream to earn a PG degree seemed to remain alive at the back of his mind. So, as soon as we settled at Ahmadabad, after a good thirteen years because of his regular transfer orders, he had formally registered for the PG degree course. Even though I was too young and naïve at that time to understand the hard work he put in to realize his dream, his zeal and hard work had certainly made deep impression on my unconscious mind. So, when my time had now come up, I had realized how much did he expect me, too, to take up PG studies.

Asa result, not knowing whether I was mentally ready or academically competent enough for a post-graduate course in business management, but perhaps under the influence of our failed attempt for admission to IIM Ahmadabad, I had put in applications for PG studies at Jamanalal Bajaj Institute, Bombay and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani.

It can be only the plan of destiny that the call letter for test and interview for admission @ BITS, Pilani came in first. It was a good enough jolt for me to jerk out from the aimless activities with which I was keeping myself busy during the vacations to put the wheels of decision-making process into full-speed motion so as to take up concrete actions to reach Pilani on the appointed date. …………

1966 to 1971 – Those Anecdotal Five Years … – The Curtain Call

Afterword

The last semester examinations were finally over, thereby bringing curtains to the period of the studies. Therefore, my next call was to decide what I would do next.

The obvious option was to search for a job, though I had no plan worked out on how to go about it.

Another option I was also seriously considering this time was pursuing the follow- through post graduate degree. When I look back, I feel that the underlying reason was more to respect my father’s expectation of me. When he had graduated, he could not pursue post-graduation because of the then family circumstances. However, the moment his job landed him at Ahmedabad, he immediately registered for the PG course and successfully completed it too, a good 13-14 years after his own graduation! So, he earnestly believed that all other members of the family, too, should, at least, study till the PG level. His nature was such that he would not force his personal views on others. But by the times that we refer presently, I was able to fully understand how strongly he felt on such issues. As I had not been to meet his expectation of my pursuing a medical degree, I, too, was positively inclined to meet his expectation this time,

In any case, I, too, had very little available, at that stage, other than to choose between a job and the PG study. Again, a straightforward choice was to take up PG in engineering only, if I wished to fulfil my father’s expectations of me. However, till now, I had not commenced exploring even the basics, like what subjects were offered, which were the institutes that offered such programs, whether I would be capable of pursuing such a program, or what my own choice is, and so on.

As it happened, two more choices also had, more or less inadvertently, emerged – one was pursuing PG management program and the other was PG degree in Industrial Engineering at NITIE. Considering the PG in Industrial Engineering was an off shoot of choosing the elective of Production and Industrial Engineering in the final year. As I recollect, so ill-prepared manner way I had filled up the application form that I now realise that even this attempt also was doomed to fail.

In so far as MBA was concerned, it perhaps was the choice of Priyadarshi Shukla, since his elder brother was an IIMA PG. Some of us joined more for the fascination of developing word power or basic mathematics required for the written tests. But more important reason why I did not consider this as a serious option was our woefully inadequate spoken English. As a matter of records, none of us could even clear the written test hurdle.

So, during the vacation before final results were out, I was vacationing with my parents at our Kaliawadi (Navsari) home, at the back of my mind, I did keep pondering over these hazy ideas.

Little did I know that destiny has already set the MBA at B I T S, Pilani, as my next phase of future!

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LDCE71 Prod and Ind Engg. Batch Group

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Please click on the Those Anecdotal Five Years @ LDCE : 1966- 1971 to read  /download each episode of the series 1966 – 1971 – Those Anecdotal Five Years as a single file.

1966 to 1971 – Those Anecdotal Five Years …. – My Hostel Days

During the last days of my fourth-year examinations my father had received orders for transfer to Navsari to take up the responsibility of administration of the Navsari Agriculture College (as it was then known). As such, we had moved our residence to a village-cum-suburb of Navsari, Kaliawadi.

Since all those who had been staying in hostel for all the four years had set into a very firm pattern of room partnerships and room locations etc, finding a vacant slot in the fifth year was not an easy task. However, V P Trada and Vagda, who had been room partners for the first four years graciously offered a third spot in a three-bed corner room. Thus, I had had a very good company during my one year stay at LDCE Hostel, Block D.

Before I dip into my some of my own memories, it would be in good order to take up an informal note shared by Ashok Thakkar that would help in settling into the then hostel mood:

We had two separate gangs in those days – one for the commuting via AMTS bus and the other for college. College gang had nine gems alike the court of Akbar –  yours faithfully – Ashok Thakar (a.k.a. Thakkariyo), Ashok Vaishnav (a.k.a. Vaishnavdo), Yogendra Shah (a.k.a. Yogalo), Priydarshi Shukla (a.k.a. Baabido), V P Trada (a.k.a. Trado), Vagda (a.k.a.Vagdo), Ashvin Shah (a.k.a. Ashviniyo), Anil Mehta (a.k.a. Aniliyo) and Bipin Mehta (a.k.a. Bipno).  The first four were day scholars and later five were hostelers. It was thus natural that whenever we had long free times, one of the hostel rooms of these five was our free-for-all meeting place.

We used to spend the free time either by listening to old songs or playing carrom or brainstorm solutions to the complex global issues. Once in a while we would also indulge in LDCE’s notoriously famous ‘extra-curricular activity’ of paying visits to nearby ‘lush green (😊)’ St. Xaviers college and daydream into (the then very popular) Rajendra Kumar style flirting. A couple of us used to claim themselves to be ‘THE ardent’ readers of English fiction. One of us had made it habit to always ask, is it Perry Mason or Merry Pason to make innocent looking fun of those highbrow Mason-fans.

As narrated in my previous story of  ‘9.38 AM trip of route #60’ ( @ By Bus), we would invariably be thrown off at the University bus stand by 10.00 AM. (We used to call the end results of those supersonic, whirlwind bus journeys as ‘throwing off’ rather than the normal ‘drop off). Since our first would commence from 10.20 AM, I would rush to the hostel mess. Ashwin Shah would be waiting here for me after having his lunch.

The mess manager also would be expecting this visit. He would wink to one of his boys, with a dead-pan demeanor, to sanction two (out-of-turn) glasses of salted buttermilk. I would cool my over-heated nerves from that supersonic bus trip with that glass of buttermilk and recharge for the first class @ 10.20 AM.

Many years later I had occasion to see the Shahrukh film “Om Shanti Om’. That dialogue of one pinch of vermilion (एक चुटकी सिंदूर) in that film me immediately refreshed up my that One Glass of Buttermilk, from the deep recess of my memories!

I have had occasions to taste many a glass of creamy-thick Punjabi ‘laasis’ or Kathiawadi ‘ever-so-smooth’ chhaas’, but their world-famous taste has no competition with that surreptitiously offered LD Mess glass of buttermilk!!

Aside Trivia:

Whist on the subject of mess, I recall two other guests who had had shared lunch in our mess. One was my father. He had some official work at Ahmedabad. So, he had planned the trip in a manner where he would share our room overnight, have early lunch next day and then proceed for his work. Trada and Vagda were little apprehensive about how he would feel th our mess lunch. But, during his college days, my father used to stay in hostels at H L College of Commerce. He had also visited our mess a couple of times at Vallabh Vidyanagar while I was there in my Pre. Sc. Year during 1965-66.  Since his benchmark was the food at HL mess, he always had a good word for the food at VV Nagar as well now at LD.

Another guest was my friend, Samir Dholakia. He used to stay at Gandhinagar and would share lunch with us when he had some work at Ahmedabad requiring him to leave Gandhinagar very early in the morning. When he had had lunch for the first time, he praised the food, in order to tease me. Since I knew him well, I did not respond, but Trada could not tolerate that praise. As a result, whenever Samir would have lunch at our mess, he would praise the food and Trada would keep protesting increasingly every time!

After I joined the hostels, we added tea to our past time junkets which were now normally held at our room. We, the three room-partners, had arranged for kerosene stove to cook our ‘self-made’ Sunday dinners. However, arranging for sugar and milk would be too much of bother, we decided to develop our own version of sugar-less back tea or coffee. We were so disciplined egalitarian club that everyone would share the burden of spoiled dishwashing and the expenses for raw material of tea (Wagh-Bakri leaf tea) and coffee (Nestle).

Trada came for peanut growing region of Saurashtra. So, he would bring in a couple of sacks of fresh raw pea-nuts and local farm mad jaggery. So long that it would last, fresh peanuts and pieces of fresh jaggery added to our past-time menus.

Vagda came from North Gujarat. So, every time he would pay a visit to his home, he would bring a few kilos of home-made ghee (clarified butter). Since Sunday dinners were not available at the mess, we had developed a practice of cooking simple omelettes or French toasts (my recipes) along with rawa sheera (हलवा – a near equivalent to pudding) whenever we chose to skip our another preferred Sunday evening meal – dalwada (near Gujarat College).

Three of us, along with other hostel-mates have had seen many a movie on some of these Sundays. But the two I had seen for myself need special mention. One was Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome. After I had seen that film, I had literally been outcast for many days! Even more shocking (to my friends, of course) was my (in their view) foolhardiness of watching Oliver (@ the then Natraj theatre on the Ashram Road) on a Sunday, right in the midst of our final semester examination.

Unfortunately, these merry days of hostels ended on a very sorry personal note. I had purchased a Murphy transistor when I joined hostel. That radio was stolen on the very last day from our locked room. It was so finely timed that we neither had time to make any enquiries nor I had time to mourn the loss. On top of having lost my elder uncle – who was my role-model in many a ways – for ever, half way through the year, the loss of radio was more an emotional pain!

I plan to end my memoir of ‘Those Anecdotal Five Years @ LDCE: 1966 – 1971 with a epilogue that takes a backward look at the dots that seem to connect up the last year at LDCE with the next phase of my life – My Years at BITS, Pilani: 1971 -1973..

1966 to 1971 – Those Anecdotal Five Years …. – Some Other Events I Am Not Able to Recollect In Details [2]

Some Other Excursions that had Latent Effect of Widening My Field of Vision

In the dynamic world around us, many events keep happening around all of us, all the time, on their own. Normally, we may observe such events, but since it does not have any relation with our life, we just watch them happen and move on to the next one.

There were many activities that we undertook during the five years @LDCE, which did not have any apparent reason. Since our group of friends had varying interests and contacts, we never had had any paucity of such events. However, some of these events / activities seem to have created a latent effect on my mind, which surfaced up later with either lasting, or positive, gains.

One such activity that I have referred to in details earlier, was listening to the records of film songs at Priyadarshi Shukla’s home, and co-activity of seeing the movies of those films by bunking Workshop classes.

Another was getting the exposure to games like badminton and chess. This too was through a contact of Priyadarshi Shukla. His friend, Guarang Mehta, was a top-class college-level player in both these games. So, we used to visit his practice sessions and of course al of his university-level matches. My interest in these two games had origins here. I even went on to buy a basic chess paying Gujarati book, published by the very well-known Gujarati magazine, Kumar. Interest in badminton also led to trying our hands at table-tennis whenever we would visit Guarang’s practice match sessions. Interest in these games, at the very minimum, did help in not only widening my fields of interests, but my knowledge and interest in the technical aspects of the games too. This widening of interests have, many a tomes, come handy to release the tensions over other matters.

Because of Gaunag’s contacts, we also would tag along with him whenever there used to some BIG cricket matches in Ahmedabad. One such match was a match between visiting West Indies team vs, West Zone.  Here too we got the close, ring side view of our great heroes like Farookh Engineer, Russi Surti, Dilip Sardesai and of course Sobers, Hall Kanhai and others! That was an opportunity of a lifetime, indeed.

We used to frequently visit Ashok Thakkar’s home too. Savouring the snacks made by her mother was certainly a heavenly experience. More profound effect was simple how-are-you sessions that we have had with his father, since had known by then was a freedom fighter during the independence struggle and had spent several years in jails then.

When Ashok Thakkar was finally leaving for settling down at USA, he handed over four books to me for preserving. Three of them were written by Jawaharlal Nehru. These were – The Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History and Letters from a Father to His Daughter. The fourth one was Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography – Satya Na Prayogo. Ashok’s father had purchased these books during his jail says to read there!

Irony of the situation is after that I and Ashok Thakkar were to meet after some 35-40 years, and I was not in position to return those books to him! Along with some of rare collections by my father, I had preserved them all these years in my personal library. However, over the years the weather had taken so much affected to the conditions of the books, that, with a very heavy heart, I had to sell them off as waste. I was feeling so sorry on this matter, That I could not dare broach of this when my contact was Ashok Thakkar was here during LDCE diamond jubilee celebrations. I take this opportunity to beg pardon of Ashok Thakkar for this!

I now plan take up the last topic  of ‘my hostel days’, before writing the epilogue to this memoir.

1966 to 1971 – Those Anecdotal Five Years …. – Some Other Events I Am Not Able to Recollect In Details

There were many activities and events that happened in those five years oof 1966 to 1971 to which we were active witness. These activities either so naturally integrated with the academics or extracurricular activities or perhaps so much not interest us that we lived through these activities without the activities leaving any imprint on our mind.

One such activity that I recall is NCC services. Many of us who had joined NCC activities (perhaps first and second year) had perhaps joined it for wrong reasons! Physically we would all be on the grounds at the appointed time, but psychologically we could never align with the spirit of NCC. had joined NCC for a bottle of milk being provided after the practice parade sessions. Vinubhai J Patel remembers that he had joined NCC because of the that feather hackle on the barret cap.

In my view the one glaring factor responsible for this disconnect was the misfitting uniform. We did learn about fit and tolerance, as applicable to the engineering, later in the course, but if there could be only one classic example of a ‘misfit’, it was our uniform. Perhaps since the uniform had to be reused next year for some other student, we were not allowed to carry out any major alteration to enable the uniform to fit our bodies. As a result, perhaps everyone thought that he, definitely, looked like a caricature in that uniform. Moreover, the misfit also did not make it any easier to perform the physical activities on the ground. As a result, the uniform also used to get the same treatment that our boiler suit used to get, except that it used to washed and ironed a little more frequently because of the sheer force of disciplinary actions on the ground.  Interestingly, Vasant Pujara candidly admits that he

I think without any exception, all of us had joined the outdoor one-week camp because it would be getting picnic. Some of us had to be part of the camp at Patan (north Gujarat) and some others were to join the camp at Nadiad Vaso (Central Gujarat. Without any doubt, the camp was indeed a very unique experience, but so unfortunately, I hardly remember any details thereof.

During the camp every day was scheduled with a variety of group fitness exercises. The day would start at almost 6.00 in the morning and would remain busy till evening. Before and after the dinner normally used to be occupied with some or other entertainment games or programmes.  The activities like route march or campfire and Bada Khana were very unique experiences. Unfortunately, I do not have recollection of specific details or anecdotes of these events. However, Vasant Pujara has saved the day by chipping in with his memories of guard duty so vividly:

I remember on first day morning assembly, instructor invited volunteers for the services of one Night Sergent & two Night Santries, for the daily guard campus during night.

He explained punishment in case of lapses n negligence for both the categories. Punishment for Sergent was so heavy, that no none came up.

I ventured to be Sergent.

Then instructor selected two Santries.

He informed that Santries in turn, will stand at campus gate whereas Sargent will sleep in tent just adjacent to gate, Sergeant was to just give decision in case any issue arises in night as and if reported by Santri.

I remember that Parmar from electrical offered exchange of category.

The entry to the campus was to be allowed only if secret code (Shri Ram) is revealed by entrant.

The Head of Camp arrived at gate at mid night, disguised in civil dress.

Santri asked code. He did not give code and became angry, and shouted, even in uncivilized words that you do not know who am I? However, Santri still did not allow him the entry. So threatened heavy punishment next day if not allowed entry.

He, then, asked Santri, “Wake up and call your Sa’ab”.

Santri reported to me. I went to the gate. Santri asked permission from to allow that gentleman for entry without code.

I refused politely. The entrant now got wild and threatened us both to be prepared for heavy punishment next day if not permitted entry without code.

Since I did not budge any ground, finally, he gave the code.

Next day, in the assembly, he appreciated the stand taken by Santri and Sargent the previous night.

Well, later I was fortunate to clear NCC ‘B’ certificate exam with Sergent Rank. After graduation, I received interview letter from Army. But did not appear for it as I already had joined Apprenticeship training.

Another major event for which I am not able to recollect more details was the election to the student body (in think, in the last year). Naresh Patel (unfortunately no more now) was contesting for the post of Geneal Secretary (GS) and Atul Desai for Class Representative (CR). It was my first ever exposure to a properly contested process of election. We did participate in the campaigning, and the obvious day parties of Chanava (The Salted Mixture) and cup of tea that go along with such campaigns, However, beyond that fact that Naresh Patel and Atul Desai won with handsome margins, I do not have more memories of this one of the kind events of 5-year tenure @ LDCE.

Another major activity of the last year was the industrial visits to Ashoka Mils (Naroda) and SLM Manekalal Industries (Vatva).  Except for the memories of being awestruck at seeing the real life manufacturing on such a large scale at Ashka Mills and disbelief of seeing machines being kept in AC rooms at SLM, here too I do am not able to recollect any major details.

 

Before I take up the last topic of ‘my hostel days’, I plan to take up some ‘excursions’ of those Five Years of LDCE Days.

1966 to 1971 – Those Anecdotal Five Years …. – The Practical(s) : Other Labs and Feverish Mood of Viva

There were other labs like Material Testing Lab or (IC) Engines and (the vintage Babcock) Boiler room. However, our roles in these labs were nothing more than those of onlookers. For the sake of some work, we were required to note down a few readings and calculate the corresponding test result values.

But come end of the semester season – last semesters of 2^nd and 3^rd years – of Viva exams, and the student life would always run into hyper drive. A small group of students would keep gathering either at the hostel rooms or canteen or any other place in the campus where such meetings could be held. Efforts to read through the journals, mostly copied from others, who in turn had copied it from students of earlier years, would be facilitated by one or two students in each such group. All kinds of likely questions that can be asked on these experiments would add to the charging up the atmosphere of the meetings. Those one or two ‘gurus’ would try to come up with possible answers. Every member of the group would try to find out the ‘right’ answer and present it in the group. The free-for-all discussions to arrive at the consensus of THE right answer would be charged with ‘I am right’ heat, or ‘Ah, what a stupid answer’ type ridicules or the despair of ‘didn’t know even this much’.    If some of the questions remained unresolved, someone would be assigned responsibility to find our potential answers by networking with other groups. The answers would come back in next day or two and be taken up for threadbare discussions before being accepted as satisfactory.

The actual Viva would be scheduled for several days, with one batch of students – normally in the descending order of roll numbers – scheduled for the examination on a day. However, almost the whole class would be in attendance from day one. As soon as one student would come out from the examination chamber, he would be surrounded by all, like a group of black ants attacking a piece of jaggery. In a matter of few seconds, he would be debriefed of the questions asked to him and answers that he gave. Then the individual subgroups would dissect the questions for the best possible answers. Many a times the replies will be cross verified with other groups as well. Then again, the tense wait for the next student to come out would engulf the atmosphere. If someone has taken ‘too long’, or ‘too quick’, then based on what questions were asked and what replies he had given would be evaluated on the spot,  for the ‘Go or No-Go’ summary assessment.

One universal practice was that the students who were done with their turns of the examination would normally stay back till the end. There were many who would attend the sessions on all subsequent days as well. I have no idea whether this was result of curiosity, or fear or just brotherhood.

The core group of our those seven-eight friends belonged to the last batch, and I was invariably THE last one. I cannot vouch for sure if we were indeed wiser from all these parleys when our / my turn would finally come. So all others of THE friends would dutifully remain present till I am done with my turn. Then we would go to the hostel room or assemble near cycle stand to take up our usual ‘extra-curricular’ discussions, so as to march over to the journey ahead.

But the fact remains that hardly anyone failed in the practicals. The range of marks secured, perhaps followed a typical bell curve pattern, with most of the students being around 50 % marks range.

Such being case, year in and year out, as I think back, it was not surprising that practicals were accorded so less importance by the students and the teaching community had what seemed to be the ‘resigned attitude’.

Before I take up the last topic of ‘my hostel days’, I plan to take up some ‘extra-curricular excursions’ of those Five Years of LDCE Days.