Memoirs of Academia {College (Graduation and Post-Graduation)}

II) College (Graduation and Post-Graduation)

1) I did my graduation from Dharampeth Science College, Nagpur. Most of the days I spent outside the classes not attending them! The only classes I did were of Electronics. There were few incidents in the labs where once a Zener diode failed to work because it was grounded in both the terminals. After half an hour of all kinds of tests, we found the actual trouble and laughed over it.
2) One of our friends in our Electronics batch had penchant for destroying experiments. The very first day he started doing experiments he just blew an experimental setup which has not been resurrected yet!
But the best one was in the Physics laboratory when we were in Second year. We had a thermister experiment where it was to be heated using an electric heater. God knows what happened but the heater kept glowing even after it was unplugged!
3) The one funny incident I most remember is when I almost broke my wrist. My friends were watching a MMS on a 6600 and I ran to watch it. It was one which I had seen before and I tried to run away and lo I was half in the drain and half outside it and injured my left wrist. I didn’t feel the pain at once. It creeped back few minutes later and I was writhing with pain like never before. And the only relief I got was from an IR lamp in the chemistry lab. For days I couldn’t wear my watch and belt. I still don’t wear a belt!
4) We used to go for a Mathematics Tuition. Our sir used to take classes thrice a week while twice it was taken by one other teacher. Now this guy was a pain in the ass! He would go on solving without explaining a single step. One day he had solved a problem comprising of six blackboard pages and the answer we got was wrong. We found that he had made a mistake in the second page itself. As it was supposed to be last problem of the class, we told him that we would solve the problem when we go back home. But Kaun kiski sunta hai! He gave a long lecture and then went through all the steps and solved it much to our agony! We got rid of him by complaining to our sir.
5) In First year, I finished my Mathematics-II paper in one hour and forty minutes flat. I wrote 48/50 and I got 48/50. I was in a tremendous hurry as I had to watch an ongoing India-Pakistan match. The invigilator kept prodding to check my paper and I just forcefully thrust it into her hands. When I went to my friend’s house, he rebuked me for seeing a match before my exam. I told him that I had come straight from the examination hall.
6) We could be found generally in the ground. We, me, Prasad Joshi, Adosh Dixit, Sameer Gokhale, Vaibhav Choudhary, Parvez Khan, Aniket Agarkar, Kaustubh Nimdeo, Deepika, used to talk over all and sundry for hours. We had few other friends as well. When all boys were around, if something Non-Veg crept up (which usually did!) one statement from Kaustubh was inevitable! He would immediately say, “Mi Yeto!” (I’m leaving).
7) Another batch of friends was me, Aniket, Kaustubh (My School friend), Kshitij and Aditya. Aditya was our Food and Movies guide. Whenever Kaustubh’s and Aniket’s granny used to leave Nagpur, we used to put up our tents there. All night we used to watch movies and laugh over trivial Jokes. One day we decided to watch Exorcist. Now this movie is supposed to be the most frightening movie of all times. So we decided that we will watch it in the evening with all doors and windows closed and curtained. The environment would be dark but could rush outside whenever we feel frightened. We watched the movie skipping many scenes but each one of us actually smelled the decaying body of the kid!
Another time we were coming from a party in a dhaba on Wardha Road. (We always partied in Dhabas as they are economic and gave us a chance to venture outside the city) While returning back we stopped at an ice-cream parlour for cold-drinks. We spent almost an hour to drink a 300ml bottle and cracked all varieties of jokes over there and were like a bunch of drunkards. The owner got even with us by overcharging us.
8) With Dhritiman I met a whole lot of new beings in Nagpur. He used to take me to most of the places he went. He is the one who introduced me to the Hanuman Temple in Telangkhedi. I still go every Saturday for Bhagwan Darshan and then Nari Darshan to the nearby Futala Lake, whenever I’m in Nagpur.
9) I did my post-graduation from University of Pune’s Department of Physics. The two years were of great fun especially in the hostels. In the first year, we had the habit of talking into dead of the night just outside our rooms. And there were people around complaining whenever they heard a sound. One had the famous excuse of having an exam all throughout the year. Later whenever he used to open his door we used to say, “Pata hai kal aapki exam hai”! This stopped him. Another fellow played his Mridangam. He was stopped by playing the ultimate Tabla, our doors!
10) We used to have fun with our friends especially in the night. We once decorated Umesh with a Permanent Marker while he was sleeping. The fellow just washed it and didn’t say us anything at all! We were disgusted and defeated. We tried again but with the same outcome. Whereas a side trick with Barrel did bore fruit. A toothpaste moustache was drawn and lo Barrel was not amused. We had fun but were really scared to try something again with him! Well the guy cooled and returned the plate he had brought back in a fit of rage from Sandip. He also explained Sujoy something on a software meant to design Electronic instruments! We used to watch movies (housefull) on Barrel’s laptop. Once a mouse entered into the room and it was a complete hara-kiri until Sandip threw it out.
11) Our birthday celebrations were quite weird. The birthday boy used to get birthday bumps all over his ass and sometimes was even drenched. Once we tried this with Barrel and as you have correctly guessed, the cake went down crashing. I hope the cake was delicious!
12) Avdhoot was my next door neighbor in the hostel. He had a desire to learn Bengali. And I was the most suitable teacher as I knew Hindi and understood a little Marathi as well. I started with common statements and then descended to slangs. He almost screwed me by uttering my teachings to one of our Bengali seniors!
13) We were a small group from Nagpur University. I had good friendship with only two of them, Vijay and Taresh, in the first semester. The only girl, Chiti, was even not aware of my existence. I also cared less about her as I have always been with girls. While coming back home for the winter vacations, she boarded the train as a waitlisted passenger (She was to come later but decided otherwise). I was actually annoyed on her. I softened a little after seeing the food she had brought (She has been feeding us ever since!)! We were eating a packet of popcorn and she asked for some. We replied that we won’t throw the plastic and continued eating. She didn’t say anything more. We realized our mistake soon but by then the popcorn were finished. All this happened because she had been prodding us not to throw plastics outside the train and we thought that she was saying the same when she asked for the popcorn!
14) We formed a new team when we started our third semester, me, Avdhoot and Kaushalya. The first day we went for the practicals it was a dark room practical. As soon as sir left, I said that Kaushalya should be afraid as she was alone in a dark room with two boys. She said it’s the other way round actually! I have been a fan of her ever since then.
We had great life all through the year be it the star grazing or going triple seat to have coffee at middle of the night.
15) Gathering is an important event in the Physics department. First year students are required to organize the whole event right from collecting money to the final dinner. I had taken an active part in the event when we were First year. The biggest enthusiast of all was Barrel who had framed a blue-print with Pranav even before others had returned from the winter vacation. But when our notice became a spectacle the very next day, we realized that no blue-print can cover this. Collecting money was another problem. We collected money in the canteen, from hostel rooms and where else. I remember collecting money from one fellow by waking him up at 6:30 in the morning. That fortnight was an absolute mayhem and was an experience of a lifetime for all those who were involved!
Next year we were only to be spectators. We waited a sufficient amount of time but saw no response from our juniors regarding the programme. At last we decided to talk with them. I proposed to do the talking but Chiti was chosen as the matter needed delicate and diplomatic confrontation. But what she said over there still rings in every head that was there. There was sternness, criticism and a challenge in her voice. I should say she surpassed herself that day. The juniors promised in positive and really put up a nice show in the end.
16) In TIFR, we i.e. me, Satti, Sooraj and Arun used to indulge in late night discussions which sometimes became quite hot. We had to take precautions later and subdue our actions when somebody complained that the students were boozing and shouting in the night!
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