Good Jokes in Hostel Life and the Hunger Strike

Reddy a two years senior from our college, students of final year Metallurgy when we were in third year there are couple of Jokes related to this gentleman. His room was just above over room and he used to pass on such humorous comment on our singing or our any other occasion probably this Joke is of second year. I was singing the famous song of Manoj Kumar’s film Upkar, “Kasme Wade Pyar Vafa Sab Baten Hain Batoka Kya” what he commented from his room, “Kyon Dilip Ghar Se Money Order Nahin Aya Kya”.
We used to celebrate Ganapati festival in our hostel though not in continuation it depended on mood of the hosteller. In the second year we celebrated Ganapati festival by installing the idol of Ganapati in our reading room regular pooja and arati was carried our on the tenth day when we went for immersing the Ganapati in the Boodha Talab opposite Rajkumar College, Mr Reddy sing a good song “Oo Jane wale Ho Sake To Laut Ke Ana”.
As I mentioned in the earlier blog in the second year our seniors few names Singhal, Pradeep Chaube the leaders to the strike asked me and Ashok to sit on hunger strike. A tent was erected adjacent to the boundary wall of college on highway. Unwillingly three of us we both and our Mr Narang two years senior to us set on the “Hunger Strike” up to couple of ours, we ate nothing but after a certain time we started feeling the real hunger and we broke our strike unofficially by calling batata wadas from the Mini Canteen and threw the wrappers behind the wall and coolly continued with our hunger strike this continued for the second day then ultimately we told the so called leader that our family will be concerned about us when they hear about us and refused to continue. Continued in the next blog.

Sports and NCC Camps in the Third year

In the third year our hockey team went to Jashpur Nagar near Raighrh for the inter college tournament in the university, Ravishankar University of Raipur had a huge area almost the entire Chattisgarh of today. Why I mentioned that is Jashpurnagar is a very small town that time at the border of then Bihar and today’s Zarkhand just adjacent to Rachi. Our first encounter was with our CMD college Bilaspur we had not forgotten the defeat in the first year by Digvijay College Rajnandgaon by 13-0 two year back and we worked our in these years towards our health our strategy every thing. We heard that CMD college of Bilaspur was also strong team, runners up in the last tournament. We started and gave full efforts we were captained by a senior student Bisen from Gndia. We were trailing by one goal till half time but ultimately won by 2-1 whenever I see the Chak-De today I recall the memories of the game I scored one goal by penalty corner shoot in that game.
In the third year we went to Sagar the famous city of MP for NCC camp. I was having rank of an Under Officer, trained to participate for the National Parade of Republic. Day but could not go because of engineering studies, Coming back to the NCC camp of Sagar. Sagar University is based on a hillock like our North Maharashtra As usual the camp was of ten days because of my smart looks I was given guard commanders duty at the Quarter Guards there. Our daily marches of 8 to 10 kms used to be on the hillock of the university. There used to be two types of firing that time by 303 rifles Application fire and Groups fire Application fire meant how much you aim and hit in the inner circles of the target and the group fire meant all the bullets should hit in the bunch that means once you hit a bullet to a particular sport all the other bullets given to you should hit the target nearest to the first shot the maximum distance between the two bullets decided the group. I used to make a group I used to make a group of ¾’’.
Very funny incidence of the camp we had our NCC officers Mr A S Dave warden of a hostel and a senior professor in minning department, when we got down to Raipur back from Sagar Some body has added another ‘S’ in his initials in the name making it Ass Dave and he was furious about it. Continued in next blog.

The Love Received from Family for Becoming Engineer

Mechanical Engineering is a very interesting and a versatile branch of engineering you will find Mechanical Engineers in a Chemical factory and you will find mechanical Engineers in Armed forces also I was finding my branch interesting for our future me and Ashok were the first engineers to be in the “Khandan” Here I will define our Khandan as I know have been hearing from my parents and grand parents. The Khandan of my great grand father Chachahu Baba of Holipura Tahshil District Agra in U.P. I was not born when Chachchu Baba were alive I believe Mithilesh Bhaiyas took birth when he was alive.
In summer vacations, I used to come to Nagpur just for enjoying the summer holidays mostly I stayed with Girish Chacha in his Dhantoli House Girish Chacha had an office in the building of Panchsheel cinema for morning hours and for evening in the Geeta Mandir Compound. I remember I was given my first wrist watch a white dialed Richo bought from a famous shop in variety chawk after passing first year of examination so was love and affection from Umesh Chacha when ever in the evening I visited his Apna Press he used to introduce me to his friends “Yeh Hai Ramesh Bhaiya ka Ladka Dilip Engineering kar Raha Hai” I could always notice while saying so his chest size must be doubling what we call “Chati Dugni Ho Jana”, from every body we received this affectionate love.
Even otherwise my love with Nagpur was always there and still continues today The owners of being client of Girish Chacha we had privilege do see movies free of cost occasionally may be more frequently the cinema owner may not have allowed.
Umesh Chacha has been “Khudai Fauzdar” more of social worker than politician There is absolutelyno doubt that Satish Chacha made his own empire the political status out of his own efforts and brilliance but the initial recognition in the society was as younger brother of Umesh and Girish Chaubey students of Hislop college Nagpur. Umesh Chacha was president of the first student union of Nagpur University.Umesh Chacha was also Chairman of standing comittee of Nagpur Municipal Corporation. All these brothers have very high degree of social influence in Nagpur City. We both became the favorites of the family. Continued in next Blog.

The Third year of Engineering class Mates, some Incidences

We had section strength of around twenty five students in the third year Mechanical Engineering; the hostellers amongst them were Surendra Singh Basir, Subhash sharma Subhash Kanhe R.R. Jain and the day scholars were Rajesh Sharma Deepsing Jabbal. Subhash Sharma R.R.[Rekha Raj] Jain were very intelligent and always found place in the merit list and Rajesh Sharma was branch topper. Another class mate and hosteller
I remember is Kirti Kumar Kahale. Presently he is in Dubai as some body from Jalgaon from the Chaubey’s met him there and gave my reference which he could immediately catch up. In fact we had gone to Kanpur together in the vocational training after fourth year to Hindustan Aeronautics [HAL]
Mehmood Husen one of the day scholar class mate is a brilliant Cricket player he demonstrated his brilliance in the first year it self while playing inter college tournament with Durga College Raipur the favourate amongst the student, he scored a century later on he played up to Ranjee trophy. I spoke to him during my visit to Bhilai last Deepawali.
I was remembering an incidence of Bhilai where we all Surendra Basir Subhas Kanhe Subhash Sharma and myself were taking dinner at Vidya loge opposite to Raj Talkies Basir started getting severe stomach ache which could not be subsided by the medicine fortunately Raj Cinema is near the bus stand of that time we got a private taxi and took him to Bhilai his native and to the Bhilai Steel Plant Hospital. I remember the agony on his face. He was immediately taken for the operation after initial investigation, it was appendix. I still remember pleasure I got after seeing the relief on his face.
Wherever I visited Rajnandgaon from Nashik or Jalgaon I made it a point to visit them. Continued in next blog.

The Third year of Engineering

As I mentioned in the earlier blogs, in the Five years Integrated course of engineering that time in M.P. The third year was a very crucial in a way it was a turning point for your career, your life. I opted for Mechanical and Ashok for Chemical. Raipur Engineering Collage had six branches Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical Metallurgy, and Miming. Out of this six, the last three were the only branches amongst all the seven Engineering Colleges of M.P. The preference wise sequence was Chemical Mechanical Civil Electrical Metallurgical and Minning Chemical was a rare branch with good future. Metallurgy and Minning though rare but because of fewer job opportunities and safety hazards they were not preferred
We were happy on our choices. The class sections of seventy-five in first year, fifty in second years became of 25-30 students. The subjects became specific concerned to the branch. Theory of Elasticity and plasticity, Automobile Engineering Heat and Mass Transfer, Machine Design and drawing Workshop practice, which included Machining Moudling an advance practice in work shop.
Continued in next blog.

The Second year of engineering

The college routine was very good there was a system of tutorials where an assessment of whatever you have learnt was made. Unlike the existing semester system we had annual examinations but a supplementary examination was conducted somewhere in the month of August September for the benefit of those students who could not clear in the annual examination. For students having failed in more than two papers it was General Supplementary. There was a rule that even it you have cleared in all the papers but your agreegate does not clear 50% still you have to face the general supplementary but I do not recall a single case in our student life. Hear the sessional marks these were the marks with authority of the professors of each subject, except drawing and workshop each subject had a professional mark of 50there was very stringent rule about these marks i.e. if you do not score minimum 60% you are not allowed to appear in the exams itself. This system kept a fall control of professors over the students and stray cases of students misbehaving with the professor were detained.
I became in NCC in the second year. For the first time our hockey team took part in the university hockey matches. We had made good practice but could not stand before the Digvijay Collage Team of Rajnandagaon in the first match and we lost with 13-0 for volley ball our team went to Kanker of Baster belt where we demonstrated very well and reached up to semifinals Agrawal an year senior to us and Sudarshan Ahuja our batch mate were the best strikers one of our junior, the name I am not recalling, was also good striker of ball.
Our NCC camp we held at Allahabad in U.P. The Camps used of ten days. The training in NCC both in junior Division as well as senior Division imparted a discipline in the student life itself The morning physical training, the afternoon parade the evening roll call everything on dot. In the first year of NCC we even did some firing by point 22 and then by the famous 303 rifles. It was a thrill to fire with the 303. I recall one while coming back from late night show of film we, we were five of them lost our way to the camp site and were caught by the guards if Army. It was high alert as there were pows prisoners of wars of Bahgladesh kept in Allahabad contolement in a make-shift prison for them. The kit lay out in the tent which occupied 6 to 8 cadet, The quarter guard duty of standing for continuously for two hours holding the rifle When we visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the last month we could astonishing observe the guard giving such duty except the eyelids nothing moved, but in NCC it was not like that some usual we had to reach the perfections.
There were some ugly incidences of strike called by notorious students for removal of our Principal Shri Saravate by collage the few of them one morning set fire to the only big vehicle college held at time a Dodge-Bus. We were not aware of all this. We came to know only when our hostels were surrounded by the Reserved Police, every room was searched then we were asked to vacate the hostels these students then wanted the exams to be postponed but nothing got through it was a month before the exams and all students were disturbed. We Ashok and me went back to Raigarh and Rajnandgaon respectively for the preparation this disturbance affected us also I failed in one paper and cleared all. However this paper I could get through in the supplementary the percentage was always above sixty.
Continued in next blog.

The Thirty One year of Happy Married Life

In the context of today’s world one may be surprised by reading the title. How one can be happy after thirty one year of marriage. When wife in like Sunanda one can be happy like me. Describing all her qualities in the blog would be too personal. The mother of children like Geetu and Rahul and grand mother of Annanya and Lavanya. At times I felt that she has not given due care towards me or my life then brushed away the thought that a lady has to lead multiple life apart from being so body’s wife she is daughter of her parents, mother of her children and now mother in law of Bhuvan and mother in law to be Rahul’s wife. I feel Rahul should select his match out of the proposals we are getting faster, I am in a hurry have a Bahoo at my home and of course the grand children. Am I not sounding too selfish Continued in next blog.

Thirty First year of marriage Anniversary

Couple of day’s back I talked to my wife regarding celebrating the thirty first year of marriage anniversary on 21st as usual the response was very cool. I could understand she does not want any celebration saying that there is another programme on that day at her cousin’s house on the sixth day after his sons marriage. The denial did not surprise me because now I know her for thirty one years. Though I never discuss with any body but wonder what actually people celebrate after so many years of marriage lighting candles cutting cake, in the western style, having dinner out side or trying to do something demonstrating that they are happily married. However I have decided that I would better celebrate our 31st year of Marriage Anniversary spending evening with the two grand daughters at home continued in next blog.

The Second year of Engineering

The second year of Engineering was interesting because of its technical subjects. In the General Civil Engineering, the Chain Survey, Plain Table survey, I recall we could never connect the end points on drawing paper after doing the Chain Survey. However the Plain Table survey at that time Civil Engineering technology was better refind type of survey to get location of a building. Now the things are not relevant in today’s time but these are fundamentals of Civil Engineering.
Similarly the General Electrical Engineering had its own charm in learning. The electric motor the r.p.m. reader the impedance the resistance voltmeter all very familiar equipment to learn the basis of Electrical Engineering apart from the theoretical part of it.
The Civil Engineering has a survey of leveling or drawing contours this survey is seen being carried out today also may be because of no alternative found so far, very interesting work it is.
The Mechanical Engineering in second year level had heat engine workshop a locomotive boiler was kept in this work shop it took me some time to understand that the basic power producer is very small mechanical part of a locomotive, otherwise the gigantic machine produces steam only.
There were few class mates who made direct admission in the 2nd year of Engineering after doing BSc in mathematics that too student passing out with first division were given admission practically it made a seven years course for them.
Robin Muzumdar ,Uncle, Rajeev Mudliar he was nick named because of his age, and physic the very faint marks of chicken pox made his grey complexion faced a bit-bad looking but he played good teems is and very aristocrats in his life style Rajeev Mudliar and SudhirVasudeva became room mates for all the remaining four years. I will continue with the blog, the 2nd year of Engineering

Rahuls Marriage

I am continuing with my blog today I visited The Choube House for lunch on invitation of the mother in low for celebration by her on the ADHIK MASS Shyam Jeejee, Jeejajee Krishna Jeeji, Jeejajee Alka and all the kids were present I do not know what mythological significance in this celebration, any way celebration is for enjoyment.
Yesterday I received photographs of Saumya from Lekhendajee of Wapi for Rahuls match in the very look of the photograph I find that this girl should be proper match for Rahul we should invite Lekhendrajee with family to Jalgaon just for formality of meeting the girl and if possible for Sagai before Geetu leaves for Delhi. The program could so arrange that when Bhuvan comes to Visit to Jalgaon the Sagai ceremony should be held.
Hemant will also be able to come from Nasik at that time. This blog is to convey my feelings to the family members. Continued

The Jorney to career

I am jumping by four year in earlier blogs. Just because of one reason that exactly thirty four years back on this date 30th April 1976. I started Rajnandgaon to Nasik to join the Motor Industries Company (MICO) .
We have cleared the exams in July 1975. I got first division with 70 percent marks In the period of eight months I gave written test for Oil and Natural gas commission at Baroda (Guj) Indian oil corporation at Kharagpur (W.B.) appeared for Services Selection Board (S.S.B.) no 10 of Allahabad for Army,Interview Gajara Gears at Dewas (M.P.) Indian oil invited me for interview at Bombay astonishingly it is the same office where I visit in connection with our pressure testing contract with them, oil and Natural gas did not call for interview and the Army, my choice was not accepted in family I had faced MICO interview couple of months back and already received their appoint letter as Graduate Trainee Engineer. The interview was conducted by Mr Narayan cheef of Quality Control and Inspection department along with a Mr Prasad a senior Engineer in the same department. They had complimented me in the interview itself as a promising boy. However, I was waiting for reply from IOC and it was cause negative after enquiry then I decided to Join MICO.
The Journey was by Hawara Bombay Calcutta mail which had arrival time at Rajnandgaon at 11-15am for years together I can never forget this day my parents, brothers Mukesh Hemant Basant youngest sister Renu every body came to the plateform to see me off. Rekha was already married an year back so could not be present there. I joined MICO on 2nd May 1976 in the next blogs will brige the gap of four year.