My Own China War

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My Own China War

In March 1962, I stood first in the Mains Physics B. Sc. (Hons) Exams at the Andhra University, Waltair. My friend and benefactor, Linga Murty, (now Emeritus Professor at Raleigh) stood second somewhat way behind (He nonetheless bagged the prestigious Sripati Medal given to the First All-rounder including the Pass subjects Math and Chemistry which I barely scraped through).

And then the Chinese hordes swept Tawang, Chusul and co inflicting a humiliating defeat on our young minds.

The immediate aftermath was that the moribund NCC at our University was reactivated. Students were enticed with a whopping 5% of the aggregate marks to be added for those enrolling for NCC. There was thus a veritable flood from us the Final Year M. Sc.s whose exams were barely a couple of months away. We all thought that if only we slog every evening for a couple of hours at the NCC parade grounds, we would all be in the pink; and we compromised: except one lateral entry offside genius, Trivikrama Rao (later TIFR + NEHU). He took up the challenge that he would spend that time with books and outshine us all.

For two good months we all invented ways and means of cheating the unwonted PT, March Past, ‘dayaee mood’, ‘baayee mood’ and all other bad moods. Creativity of us lazy final year lubbers was met with equanimity from the genuine Junior Leaders, and we all managed to extract the necessary ‘Pass Certificates’.

Final Exams were held in March 1963, and I dropped down to a mean fourth rank, largely because of the Quantum Mechanics Paper. The Cal Univ Paper-setter (I now have reasons to suspect it was SDM, my subsequent Ph. D. guide at KGP) cruelly set 4 of the 8 questions ‘out of syllabus’. I walked out sullenly, but later learned that anyone who attempted those ‘ghost’ questions got 5 marks each gratis.

As expected, Linga Murty stood first and was awarded the Metcalfe Medal. But when the marks lists came out, we found to our dismay that Trivikrama Rao actually stood first sans the 5% NCC grace. I wrote a Letter to the Editor of Indian Express that he too deserves a Prize for his meritorious performance, and was gratified to learn that a Special Prize was awarded to him at a later date (he left for TIFR). Linga Murty left for Cornell.

Those of us who were stranded at Waltair all applied for CSIR Junior Research Fellowships. CSIR used to award at best one or two JRFs @ Rs. 100 each in previous years upon Interviews held at Delhi. So, we were all exploring other avenues too. I lectured part-time at the RSS-run Bharat Tutorial College at a measly but badly needed Rs. 30.

But Chinese invasion woke up the Central Govt too; and our humiliating defeat was attributed to the lack of encouragement for Scientific Research. As a result, all those who applied (22 in all in Physics) were awarded Fellowships at the staggering enhanced rate of Rs. 250 (equivalent to permanent University Lecturers) without any Interview!

And our JOY knew no bounds, thanks to Bloody Red China!

It is a different matter that our University couldn’t withstand the onrushing flood of JRFs with the earlier creaky infrastructure; and many of us had to flee, myself to IIT KGP as an Associate Lecturer with a princely take-home of Rs. 490.

But we did spend a 2-year picnic at Waltair which helped us all get good Govt jobs citing our (frustrating) 2-year ‘Research Experience’!

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Book of Morals - 2

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Lord pervades All,
Truth pervades Lord;
Stick to Truth & fall
Like Christ, Gandhi & odd;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Best earn your own bread,
Else father’s bequest;
Worst a brother to request;
Than beg your wife better be dead;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Sun blooms lotus,
Moon blossoms lily,
Clouds pour waters,
Great do good willy-nilly;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Craving Brahmin & a Content King,
Lusting Wife & a Loving Whore
Will get Nothing
& Go Nowhere
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Letter to DC: YSR Nallamala Forest

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Sir:

This has reference to the Report on page 3 of 1st October. The proposal to institute a memorial for YSR in the Wildlife Management Division is certainly ill-advised. In a decade or so people will forget, and it will lie neglected and its maintenance will be costly and purposeless. Instead, it is better to just rename the Nallamala forest as YSR Nallamala Forest; like Nellore District has been renamed PSR Nellore District 50 years after the martyrdom of Potti Sri Ramulu for a separate Andhra State. Generations later, people would still be curious as to the who and why of PSR and YSR; and they will be remembered forever.

Book of Morals for the Modern Brahmin with Ancient Values

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Books, Wives & Wealth:
Gone once they’re lent;
Recovered if by stealth:
Torn, Worn & Spent;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Learned living’s best,
Honest business’s wealth,
Govt Service’s worst,
Wealth by stealth’s Death;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Pauper father, Rover mother,
Ravishing wife like Helen of Troy,
Idiot son roaming hither & thither:
All are Foes & Killers of Joy;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Greed knows no mate or date
Lust heeds no fear or shame
Fast knows no taste or plate
Lore heeds no sleep or grime;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Works like a Slave, tricks like a Knave,
Looks like a Crore, mates like a Whore,
Feels like a Mom, cozy & warm,
Sharp as a Knife, the Ideal Wife!
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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Age, wage & leaky roof,
Cures, views & sacred rites,
Virtue, vice & clumsy goof:
Hide from public’s prying eyes;
O’ Raadhaa Raadhey Shyam!

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'Hungry' for some autonomy

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Mcuh has been written on the implied 'ethical, moral and intellectual' rectitude of IIT teachers going on hunger strike. The fact is that there is a dichotomy of attitude. There has been a boom in the number of IITs and the student strength in each. When I joined as an IIT faculty in 1965 the Lecture Class had a typical strength of 40. In 2005 when I retired it rose to 350! For quality of attainments, they are compared inequitably with Harvard, Yale and MIT. But student strength, quotas, fee structure, pay structure etc are decided elsewhere. If the elder 5 IITs were completely left to themselves, they would become self-sufficient and more in no time. But in a country like ours it should not be done, because IITs do serve a social purpose. But a limited autonomy in pay structure and academic policies is perhaps not too much to ask for.

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Letter to DC...Jews

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Sir:

This has reference to Khushwant Singh's op-ed article of Sunday, 2 August.

In his sentence: 'Kasab and his co-murderers killed over 171 Indian men and women, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians..'.; I am surprised he forgot to mention Jews. This reminds me of a Soviet regime joke: Jews went over to complain to the Commissar about a graffiti saying "Death to Jews and barbers". The Commissar was curious: "Why barbers?".

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Family of Lawyers

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While looking for alliances for Sonoo on the Net, we got several suitable ones from parents belonging to 'family of lawyers'. Rukmini forbade them all because:
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Heaven & Hell were separated by a Wall
Heaven was fully air-cooled, fans and all

Hell was hellish hot with blazes
Its inmates full of envy & rages

They made a hole in the Wall
So they can enjoy the breezes cool

The Heaven-mates furiously complained
And to Court they threatened them haul

The Hell-bound laughed and laughed and laughed:
"The lawyers all are living this side of the Wall!"
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