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Soon after I landed up at IIT KGP on 1st May, 1965, I was amazed by its 120-feet high wonder-tower:
And my friend NC and I wanted to scale it to its top to have a bird's-eye-view of the campus. Those days the tower was open to one and all. It was later sealed for the public after a couple of students jumped from it and killed themselves for reasons best known to them.
The way up the tower was through the lift in the Central Library...you reach the 5th floor and then get out and climb a precarious winding iron staircase and, lo and behold, you entered the tower-top...which we did. And the view was dramatic...no buildings of IIT could be seen at all...only a vast green-cover. I think it is still the same...more so now since the trees must have grown to their maximum height.
There was a holder for the famous bright electric lamp on the ceiling of the tower. You can see it in the picture above. There was a special reason for this beacon...the Air Force Base at Kalikunda was just a few miles away and the fighter and bomber planes used to fly past at night and they didn't want to crash into our fond tower.
Within 5 months of my joining IIT there was this infamous Indo-Pak War of 1965 that lasted just a fortnight since both the countries were depleted of their meager weaponry and cash...like Tweedledum and Tweedledee...the Russians brought about a face-saving end to this war like the 'monstrous crow' that scared the pants of Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
But while it lasted we had a fun time.
A complete night-blackout was ordered since the Jessore Air Base of what was then East Pakistan was just 20 minutes flying time away from our Kalaikunda. And the frightening American-supplied Sabre Jets could bomb our airbase at night. So we in the hostels had to paste our glass windows with black carbon paper.
And the beacon in the IIT tower was switched off lest it guide the Pakistani Sabre jets and bombers. So we were scared that our fond tower might itself be bombed in the darkness.
As it happened, a few of their bombers and Sabre jets were also scared and decided to bomb Kailaikunda early one morning. And at daybreak we heard a couple of loud explosions and thuds rattling our windows and doors.
However, it turned out that our own World War II Gnat fighters engaged enemy planes and made them drop their bombs near IIT and fly back in a hurry...and our midget Gnats downed two of the mighty Sabre Jets.
Students being what they are, the residents of the Patel and Nehru Halls close to the airbase cycled down to the scene of action and picked up a handful of debris from the Sabres like their burnt-out engines and wing remnants. And fled back to their Halls.
And the Air Force personnel who went there lesiurely found it out. And our Director ordered the erring students to return their war mementos at once, threatening them with the usual Disciplinary Action. And they had to reluctantly obey the orders.
Since the treasury of the GoI went dry, the then PM, Lal Bahadur Shastri (no relative of mine), asked every one of his countrymen and citywomen to miss a meal every week. And declared that Monday dinners were prohibited.
But of course the married men and women of our campus residing in their cozy Qrs obeyed the order in principle...instead of rice and fish they ate loochies and alur dum.
But we in the hostels were not that lucky...all the messes were closed on every Monday evening. And the senior students landed up in their teachers' homes as unbidden guests...I think the Sanskrit term for it is Abhyagati instead of Atithi.
But we newcomers had to practically starve as the Tech Market was also closed...but Nair, the enterprising restaurateur, kept his back door open and we could eat hot dosas and idlis and upma.
That is the way of all orders of our GoI...
The entire futile thing fizzled out within a month and we were back to our evil ways...
...Posted by Ishani
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Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Agreed to have a battle
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle.
Just then flew down a monstrous crow,
As black as a tar-barrel
Which frightened both the heroes so
Which frightened both the heroes so
They quite forgot their quarrel.
Soon after I landed up at IIT KGP on 1st May, 1965, I was amazed by its 120-feet high wonder-tower:
The way up the tower was through the lift in the Central Library...you reach the 5th floor and then get out and climb a precarious winding iron staircase and, lo and behold, you entered the tower-top...which we did. And the view was dramatic...no buildings of IIT could be seen at all...only a vast green-cover. I think it is still the same...more so now since the trees must have grown to their maximum height.
There was a holder for the famous bright electric lamp on the ceiling of the tower. You can see it in the picture above. There was a special reason for this beacon...the Air Force Base at Kalikunda was just a few miles away and the fighter and bomber planes used to fly past at night and they didn't want to crash into our fond tower.
Within 5 months of my joining IIT there was this infamous Indo-Pak War of 1965 that lasted just a fortnight since both the countries were depleted of their meager weaponry and cash...like Tweedledum and Tweedledee...the Russians brought about a face-saving end to this war like the 'monstrous crow' that scared the pants of Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
But while it lasted we had a fun time.
A complete night-blackout was ordered since the Jessore Air Base of what was then East Pakistan was just 20 minutes flying time away from our Kalaikunda. And the frightening American-supplied Sabre Jets could bomb our airbase at night. So we in the hostels had to paste our glass windows with black carbon paper.
And the beacon in the IIT tower was switched off lest it guide the Pakistani Sabre jets and bombers. So we were scared that our fond tower might itself be bombed in the darkness.
As it happened, a few of their bombers and Sabre jets were also scared and decided to bomb Kailaikunda early one morning. And at daybreak we heard a couple of loud explosions and thuds rattling our windows and doors.
However, it turned out that our own World War II Gnat fighters engaged enemy planes and made them drop their bombs near IIT and fly back in a hurry...and our midget Gnats downed two of the mighty Sabre Jets.
Students being what they are, the residents of the Patel and Nehru Halls close to the airbase cycled down to the scene of action and picked up a handful of debris from the Sabres like their burnt-out engines and wing remnants. And fled back to their Halls.
And the Air Force personnel who went there lesiurely found it out. And our Director ordered the erring students to return their war mementos at once, threatening them with the usual Disciplinary Action. And they had to reluctantly obey the orders.
Since the treasury of the GoI went dry, the then PM, Lal Bahadur Shastri (no relative of mine), asked every one of his countrymen and citywomen to miss a meal every week. And declared that Monday dinners were prohibited.
But of course the married men and women of our campus residing in their cozy Qrs obeyed the order in principle...instead of rice and fish they ate loochies and alur dum.
But we in the hostels were not that lucky...all the messes were closed on every Monday evening. And the senior students landed up in their teachers' homes as unbidden guests...I think the Sanskrit term for it is Abhyagati instead of Atithi.
But we newcomers had to practically starve as the Tech Market was also closed...but Nair, the enterprising restaurateur, kept his back door open and we could eat hot dosas and idlis and upma.
That is the way of all orders of our GoI...
The entire futile thing fizzled out within a month and we were back to our evil ways...
...Posted by Ishani
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