How I missed my Nobel

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How I missed my Nobel

1988: IIT KGP:

In 1965 when I reached our IIT KGP Campus there was this impressive building housing the proudly proclaimed:

"Telephone Exchange"

beside the Harry's Petrol Station.

But I didn't see any telephone in any place I used to visit. Perhaps there was one in the Director's Office and one in his Bungalow. Maybe also in his PA's; and in the Registrar's Office.

My friend Chari and I used to visit the precincts of the holy Exchange out of curiosity...we never saw one earlier.

And we were charmed by the couple of dames sitting on their stools in front of huge boards with several rows and columns of sockets.

And, once in a while, wearing their headphones, pushing elastic rubber tubes with what looked like amphenol connectors at their ends.

But most of the time chatting with one another cutely.

And then the Exchange was duly wound up and a Kendriya Vidyalaya came up there.

A new and compact telephone exchange building was born within the institute premises beside the Rubber Technology Center.

But it took all of two decades for a posh digital exchange to grow up there. But still no telephones in our rooms. There was one in the physics office and another in the HoD's room.

One afternoon as I was walking past our office Didi called me:

"Professor Sastry! Telephone Exchange people called our office saying that you have a call from Europe. They asked me to inform you"

"Which country Didi?"

"They didn't tell me sir"

This was very intriguing. So I walked to the Exchange and spoke with the operator:

"I am GP Sastry from physics department. Our didi told me I had a call from Europe?"

"Yes sir! Some city I couldn't hear properly and when I asked the country she mumbled Europe"

"Is that all?"

"Yes sir!"

"She didn't leave any return call number?"

"No"

The suspense was terrific. I had only one friend abroad, Edwin Taylor, in Boston. And Boston was certainly not in Europe. And there was little reason why he should fake a female voice...he was no practical joker like me. And he was not so rich to waste good money on international calls when a "cable" would do.

I walked slowly and deep in thought to the office of the Professor-in-Charge of Telephones in his department.

Prof M was a good old friend of mine from our Faculty Hostel years two decades ago:

"Hey! Dumbu! Your Exchange says I had a call from a city in Europe. Could you please help trace that call?"

"Why Dumbu? Were you expecting any call?"

"Rather"

"From which city in Europe?"

"Stockholm"

And then he chased me till the end of the corridor...

;)

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