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One morning in the mid-1980s, our then HoD, Prof KVR of IIT KGP, walked into my room and said abruptly:
"You have to go to Delhi IIT in a fortnight's time for paper-setting of the GATE Physics Paper"
This was rather surprising to me since this job of JEE (or GATE) paper-setting was a plum pie in our department and very hush-hush...it was supposed to be a top secret as to who was deputed to do this job. The reason was the free air fare, hospitality, and sight-seeing, apart from whatever glory was attached to it.
For the record, I never was approached for the IIT JEE paper-setting during all those 40 years I stayed there...not that I would have accepted it. Paper-setting was a worse job than invigilation for me.
So I replied:
"I am not interested"
"Don't I know that! I would have recommended myself for this cushy job...but the GATE Chairman, Prof BNA, insists that you go"
This was a sort of mystery to me since I was not exactly a bosom pal of BNA. So I guessed there must be wheels within wheels. Since orders are orders and it is all there in black and white in the Conduct Rules, vide:
Page 91, Sec 3C
...I had to accept the prestigious offer.
I didn't regret it though...I met and worked with a couple of the smartest physicists of India for all of 3 days and nights. And I had a chance to meet my didi who was in Delhi then.
On my fight to Delhi there were two other KGP professors known to me. Prof ST of our own department who was going to IIT Delhi on a one-day's work as the Professor-in-Charge of Prep; and Prof SKP of Chemistry who was going there for 3 days like me to help set the GATE paper in chemistry. On landing at Delhi airport there was this office car waiting to pick the three of us and dump us in the Nalanda Guest House in double rooms...we were not allowed into the VIP Guest House...just janata.
And there was a small dispute between Prof ST and Prof SKP as to who would join me as the second chap in my double room. Prof ST said that he had the priority since he belonged to the same department as I, while Prof SKP said he had the priority since he too was going on the same GATE work for 3 days...not just a day...SKP won in the end.
Anyway a day after I agreed to go to IIT Delhi, a professor of another department visited me in my Qrs C1-97 and said he wanted me to do a favor to him while I was at IIT Delhi...this rather surprised me since the whole thing was supposed to be a top-secret and no one was supposed to know that I was the chosen chap to fly to Delhi...it just shows...
My guest then told me that his daughter was in Class 9 in the Campus Central School (KV) and it was already 5 months since the session started but the NCERT books prescribed for them hadn't yet arrived in KGP. And he wanted me to buy and get a set from the NCERT outlet just beside IIT Delhi...all I had to do was to walk along the campus road connecting Nalanda House toward the Main Building and look for a mound of raised earth, scale the boundary wall there, slide down the mound on its other side, and there I would be right in the backyard of the book store godown.
And he slipped into my hand a thousand rupees (didn't ask me to keep the change though) and the list of a complete set of Class 9 NCERT books.
Being basically a nice and shy chap, I took the list and pocketed the money.
And on the third morning, after the back of our paper-setting was broken, I scaled the said mound and slid on its twin on the other side and bought the books I was asked to fetch and returned to KGP. The said professor, the proud father of the said Class 9 student, visited my Qrs in the evening and took the books (and the change) and thanked me endlessly till I felt as proud as a boy-scout.
Within a week, about a dozen profs were angry with me for not having informed them that I was going to IIT Delhi....they too had kids in our Campus KV...
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...At the next stage the student will once again queue up, beg, beat about, and appeal - for textbooks this time (especially if it happens to be a 'Nationalized Textbook', which may not be available until the young man is ready to leave college)...
...RKN
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"You have to go to Delhi IIT in a fortnight's time for paper-setting of the GATE Physics Paper"
This was rather surprising to me since this job of JEE (or GATE) paper-setting was a plum pie in our department and very hush-hush...it was supposed to be a top secret as to who was deputed to do this job. The reason was the free air fare, hospitality, and sight-seeing, apart from whatever glory was attached to it.
For the record, I never was approached for the IIT JEE paper-setting during all those 40 years I stayed there...not that I would have accepted it. Paper-setting was a worse job than invigilation for me.
So I replied:
"I am not interested"
"Don't I know that! I would have recommended myself for this cushy job...but the GATE Chairman, Prof BNA, insists that you go"
This was a sort of mystery to me since I was not exactly a bosom pal of BNA. So I guessed there must be wheels within wheels. Since orders are orders and it is all there in black and white in the Conduct Rules, vide:
Page 91, Sec 3C
...I had to accept the prestigious offer.
I didn't regret it though...I met and worked with a couple of the smartest physicists of India for all of 3 days and nights. And I had a chance to meet my didi who was in Delhi then.
On my fight to Delhi there were two other KGP professors known to me. Prof ST of our own department who was going to IIT Delhi on a one-day's work as the Professor-in-Charge of Prep; and Prof SKP of Chemistry who was going there for 3 days like me to help set the GATE paper in chemistry. On landing at Delhi airport there was this office car waiting to pick the three of us and dump us in the Nalanda Guest House in double rooms...we were not allowed into the VIP Guest House...just janata.
And there was a small dispute between Prof ST and Prof SKP as to who would join me as the second chap in my double room. Prof ST said that he had the priority since he belonged to the same department as I, while Prof SKP said he had the priority since he too was going on the same GATE work for 3 days...not just a day...SKP won in the end.
Anyway a day after I agreed to go to IIT Delhi, a professor of another department visited me in my Qrs C1-97 and said he wanted me to do a favor to him while I was at IIT Delhi...this rather surprised me since the whole thing was supposed to be a top-secret and no one was supposed to know that I was the chosen chap to fly to Delhi...it just shows...
My guest then told me that his daughter was in Class 9 in the Campus Central School (KV) and it was already 5 months since the session started but the NCERT books prescribed for them hadn't yet arrived in KGP. And he wanted me to buy and get a set from the NCERT outlet just beside IIT Delhi...all I had to do was to walk along the campus road connecting Nalanda House toward the Main Building and look for a mound of raised earth, scale the boundary wall there, slide down the mound on its other side, and there I would be right in the backyard of the book store godown.
And he slipped into my hand a thousand rupees (didn't ask me to keep the change though) and the list of a complete set of Class 9 NCERT books.
Being basically a nice and shy chap, I took the list and pocketed the money.
And on the third morning, after the back of our paper-setting was broken, I scaled the said mound and slid on its twin on the other side and bought the books I was asked to fetch and returned to KGP. The said professor, the proud father of the said Class 9 student, visited my Qrs in the evening and took the books (and the change) and thanked me endlessly till I felt as proud as a boy-scout.
Within a week, about a dozen profs were angry with me for not having informed them that I was going to IIT Delhi....they too had kids in our Campus KV...
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