Engineering final year ...

Good evening



Today I continue to talk about my final year of engineering course which in fact got extended into 5th year because of the political movement about which I made a reference in my last blog. In fact our session was disrupted midway and it took a few months before normalcy could be restored. This meant that we had literally lost one precious year but this was something over which we didn't have any control and so accepted it. Perhaps God had different plans for us and of course better ones.


One usually takes time to adjust to the food that is normally provided in hostels. You like it in the beginning because it's different to what you are used to at your respective places but you gradually start looking for a change as the hostel food is repetitive having the same menu and taste time and again. I am not blaming anybody but that's a hard fact of hostel life.

That's why there were occasions when we dined out and skipped the hostel food. But what we did in the last 02 years was that we decided to run our own mess as it was allowed and the institution was providing all the utensils free of any charge.


The rules we framed for the 8 of us of Octet group were quite different to what was prevalent during those days. We were able to hire a good cook of our choice. We also decided that our mess will be closed on every Sunday evening and the management will be changed in rotation at the same time. This allowed us to dine out every Sunday evening.  And we really enjoyed this system as the food was of our choice and cooked with great love ❤️ and care.


This apart we used to go for evening walk for about an hour every day, took a cup of tea, recharge our batteries and get down to study thereafter. This brought us closer even more. We would discuss on different subjects ranging from job, films, politics, family etc  while we were walking. Life was really worth it during those days.

Time passed by and we all were putting in our best efforts to do well at the final examination.
We also knew that we would be separating physically once the exams were over and wanted the enjoy the remaining days like anything. But we never did it at the cost of our studies. Fortunately, all the 8 of us came from middle class families and more or less were of studious type but not bookworms.

Another important and interesting part of engineering courses which possibly is prevalent even now in some institutions that the final result was declared considering certain percentages of the marks obtained in each year. In our case it was 25% of first year, 50% of 2nd year and 100% each of 3rd and 4th years. This could be one reason why some students do not concentrate fully in 1st and 2nd years.



I kept on telling myself that I must prove myself to myself and this is what I did. I did very well at the examination and was confident to secure a good percentage. My joy knew no bounds when the results were declared and I passed out in first class with Distinction. You needed to score a minimum of 70% for getting 1st division and minimum 75% to be awarded the Distinction. I can't say whether such a system exists now, possibly no.

I was naturally delighted with my achievement and wanted to inform my parents then and there but the fastest communication system was through STD calls during those days. And you had to wait after booking the call. It's not that you could simply dial and get connected. You could not depend upon Telegrams or Phonograms as their delivery used to be erratic at times.



We did not have any nearby STD booth and traveled some distance to find one. I informed my parents and could realize that they were literally in tears. And above all I was the first ever engineer from our family.



 Now of course there are  lots of engineers, doctors and lawyers in our family but the satisfaction of being the first engineer continues to be fresh even till today.


So to sum up and refresh about what I wrote in my few blogs in the beginning that I was witness to a bridge being constructed in 1960s which happened to be located behind my primary school. I was overawed by watching the manner in which the workforce  used to deliver. I saw one engineer literally running on steel beams at that height without any proper barricading fearlessly and that is when I decided that I also wanted to be one of them.



And rest is history....


U can view my blogs on

http://familyisreal.com
kumarskumar.blogspot.com
My blogs @ SK1955 on FB
@skumar272010 on Twitter