Heard It At Chedis

My First Day at IIT

By Aditya Palit (1961 Azad Hall):

It was a hot day in June 1957 in Calcutta. I boarded the third class compartment of the Kharagpur local. I had a steel trunk and a bedding as my luggage and a heart full of apprehension. I was eighteen, passed my Intermediate Science, and selected at IIT KGP for Mechanical Engineering. Kharagpur was only about 70 miles from Calcutta. However, the journey seemed like an eternity to an eighteen-year-old boy.

Even the eternity ended for me as, the train rolled into Kharagpur station. I went to the rickshaw stand and was told that for a sum of One Rupee I can reach Azad Hall. One Rupee! The rickshaw walla must be a daku! The maximum amount I remember my Dad or Mom ever paid was four annas. The rickshaw walla would not budge an inch. Therefore, I gave up arguing and arrived at what used to be Hijli Jail. The British shot dead an Indian revolutionary in Hijli jail during freedom movement, was I going to spend four rigorous years in that camp?

At Azad Hall, I was greeted by a group of young men. One of them was introduced to me as the Director of IIT and the second, as the Head of the Mechanical Engineering. I was utterly confused. How can two geniuses who were just introduced to me, who seemed, no more than two years older than me, be in such a high position? I had met very matured professors earlier during my selection interview. This elite group advised me that I was expected to carry my luggage to my room all by myself. "But these are very heavy." I asked for help but was told that I must be strong enough if I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. I pleaded, that I recently suffered from a flu attack and therefore, weak. Immediately the entire group was full of sympathy for me. I was told to lie down on the street. At that point I realized what was happening. I was cautioned in Calcutta that all freshmen had to survive a period of ragging. It is called hazing in this country.

I was ushered into the hall by the group and was asked if I was coming after an intercourse. I replied in affirmative without realizing what I was getting into. The group asked me, 'what is the product'. Since I had just completed my Intermediate exam I gave them a grand total marks. "So many after the intercourse?" the group shouted at me. I then realized that they were asking me, sex related questions. It was shocking for me. I was coming from Belur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira where sex discussion was a taboo. I was then shown a poster of a woman model in swimsuit and was asked to describe parts of her body. While I was hesitating, a kind fellow offered to help me and described parts up to the neck, of the model in the poster. I was left to describe the rest of the body. Do you know what comes after the neck? I was determined not to be embarrassed, so I proceeded with biological perfection. They lost interest in me by saying: "Shala sob janta hai". My first hurdle in mechanical engineering study was over.

I look back with nostalgic memories of that encounter. Those seniors soon became my friends. The four years of my IIT KGP days were some of the best years of my life.

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