1950-55

1950-55

In ’51 we appeared for matriculation exams, which was conducted by the university, and the thrill of seeing your name on print on the walls of the university was an event to remember. Later we found our names in the gazette also. From feb to around jul we had all the time to roam around see pictures and meet friends. Meanwhile we shifted to the official quarters near the stadium to a bigger house and the supdt of police of keonjhar with his family moved in the last house near the road, whose son was my friend at keonjhar. We renewed our friendship along with his classmates from another school.

The only college I applied was ravenshaw college the premier college of the state.

Normally the college opens by jul, but there was a strike for enhancing the fees from Rs 8 to Rs 9, and I witnessed the same from a safe distance, with police firing. I took Ph, Ch, Math and optional Bio and for final exam took spoken English also. I joined the NCC and the Rover Crew the senior version of boy scouts, joined in sports and games due to the influence of my classmates. The study was hectic with full 9 to 4 classes with no break, as against the arts students with all the leisure at their disposal. With all the lab works and all we had no time for library. We had several girls with the most comely one with roll no 57, and then there were 99 and 102. The first two groups with optional bio were treated as superior students, and the fifth group had geography optional and they were next. Other groups were so so. Most of the girls were in sixth group, with a few in our groups.

In ’52 my father got transferred to Baripada, and I had to stay in the east hostel in a four-bed room with an additional fifth seat and had to adjust to the hostel food. The one in the fifth seat was the cook’s relation, and therefore I used to get some special treatment. Then at night we used to raid the mango groves adjacent to the hostel in the quarters of a history professor, who had several daughters and dogs too. Then Chandi used to come and visit us, and I had a cycle for myself for sometimes. This was temporarily stolen on the day of final math exam, and I did badly in the same paper. The cycle was useful to visit one relation at rajabagicha, who had a daughter in one class lower than ours.

NCC parades were fun, where we used to get one samosa and a rasgolla, and finally promoted to the rank of corporal, and the uniform was olive green. Rover crew meeting was very few due to the preoccupation of the leader. Sports were an annual event where I could get a few 3^rd prizes.

After the final exams I applied only to the Director of Industry, who gave me an option of Patna, Sibpur and Trivandrum for Civil engineering. I choose the third since my brother was already there and it was the most distant place and the degree was B Sc (Eng), which was prevalent in England and not the usual BE as used in India. Most of the engineering colleges had a stipulation of 17 years of age whereas I was bellow 16, and therefore could not apply. The same is with the case of medical colleges.

Meanwhile on holidays I used to go to Baripada a large bungalow with mango trees. Once we five brothers fell down from a tree and I dislocated my right toe. Then our mutual visits to my auntie’s house with my elder brother.

In ’53 around jul/aug we left for Trivandrum the capital of Trav Cochin State, and stayed in the univ hostel which was on walking distance from the college of engineering and the univ college, where we study Ph and Ch in the 1^st year. The Univ College had 50% girls and the common room was a huge affair. In that place girls wash their hair everyday unlike in our state. The language was malayalam, but you can manage in English as the state had the highest literary percentage in India. Here I joined in the NCC, and became a sergeant, and joined four items in athletics and casually played games. At the cost of the studies I used to excel in rifle shooting, and a few prizes in athletics.

The rifle shooting range was at a distance in the hills and the food was poorie and potato curried with one banana, both for morning and noon. There were coconut trees around and the competition was for Burdwan and Earl Roberts trophies, where individually I used to have highest points in the battalion, and my rank was 7 in India and 25 internationally. Meanwhile I was promoted to the rank of Under Officer, passed my certificate B and C.

  

In the final year I went for SSB interview at Bangalore, and failed because my IQ was said to be 150 as against the requirement of an av 120, but stood first the rifle shooting competition as usual at Bangalore. Then there were winter annual camps, living on tents and turning dark in parades and exposure to light machine guns, pistols and grenades, along with map reading trekking etc. These trainings became very handy in my later life, and also the leadership qualities. In my younger days I was a loner, but now I developed friendship notably with one Pyarelal from east africa and one Gopalakrishnan from the state. Then there were few family friends, and one invited me to his house near Cochin, where I went by Indian Airline flight at Rs 30 with a student concession from Trivandrum. The airhostesses used to be Anglo Indians with skirt and blouse and the plane was Dakota. I wanted to join the flying club, but engineering college does not permit because of time and transport. I developed friendship with Commander DeAlmeida, Major Menon and the former used to take me to the airfield, convents to see the sisters and later to his beautiful home.

We used to go to picnic spots by hiring cycles at Annas 50 and take bread and butter for food, and many a time to Kovalam beach a few miles from the city. This was a sheltered beach surrounded by land on three sides with coconut trees.

This place also saw the death of a first year east african indian student by drowning. I used to write letters to 3 persons: one was my old friend from keonjhar days studying vet science at hissar in the then punjab. The letter used to take 1 or 2 days to reach, since all letters were airlifted. Second was my cousin from Baripada and the third was the girl from cuttack.I with Pyarelal acquired a friend known as Mohan, who had a family of five sisters. They were sindhis settled in ivory business, where we were invited for all functions and parties.

Other than the usual I got one air pistol for twenty-five rupees and one roller skate for the same amount. This I used to inform my younger brother in letters with sketches, and take them home for practice. Skating on the main roads hanging unto busses was real fun, and practicing shooting with air pistol was the other diversion.