Statutory warning: This post may seem to be charged with undue emotions appearing to be gibberish. But to some these make perfect sense.
So much for all the folklore about my clairvoyance. I proved myself right again. IIT Kharagpur (Kgp) invited me again.
Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the southland
I miss Alabamy (Kgp) once again
And I think its a sin, yes
- Sweet Home Alabama: Lynyrd Skynyrd
The thrill was back, the energy was back. Sleeplessness of the past 72 hours evaporated as I boarded the Indigo flight to Kolkata in the evening. The flight was late and the passengers in my row made no attempt to conceal their disdain by haranguing the air hostess. Kolkata airport was a fresh change with its spacious interiors when compared to its predecessor. The journey set forth. All of us were famished. Lunch at office and coffee at the Mumbai airport were the only things I had during the day. The taxi sped across NH-6 with as much speed as the thick fog would permit. It was just an hour before midnight that we halted at Sher-E-Punjab and I broke my half day fast. The arrival at Kgp was exactly the same way as my previous visit. Only this time, We did not have to pass the railway crossings. The new flyover permitted us to evade them. Things were changing. One of the new things I discovered was that the campus was now fully wifi. Another thing was that there were no juniors on the campus that I knew now, I was more like a stranger.
I will skip the events of the morning, it was all official work. Evening dawned, I shook of the shackles, turned back those years and began my walk towards my benefactor - Department of Civil Engineering. The academic campus in Kgp looks so beautiful in the evening with its lamps along the narrow lanes. The main building and the Hijli tower pierced through the mist, grim sentinels always on guard. Many conversations took place that evening with faculty, with some friends. But then, a visit to Kgp is always more than conversations. Having met most of the people, I had planned to, I started the walk for one final conversation : With Myself. Structural Engineering Lab - Main Building - TnP (or as we called it in our days) - S.N.Bose Audi - Netaji Audi - Insti gate at the Archi dept end - Vikramshila Complex (Where I had dinner) - Tata Sports Complex - Tikka - K.V - Tech Guest house. Could I describe the conversation? No, it is impossible to put it in words.
The evening turned into the night, night brought with it many reunions. Visit to HJB, visit to Shantanu da, to the old deserted JCB canteen, to VS hall canteen (which seems to be the new meeting point akin to the old JCB canteen). I trudged back towards the guest house at 1.30 am. There was absolute silence at that time, the great old trees flanking the Scholars Avenue shrouding the sky and the stars. At that time the soul of IIT Kharagpur was revealed. You could sense the power and the divinity which lies in that place, not by fluke has it grown from an institution with humble roots to an Institution so mighty. Such is the power of this place that IIT actually grows younger with age. I am hardly a spiritual guy but at that instant, I felt blessed.
So much for the emotional pourings, the next day resumed again with official duties but I took out time for lunch at our old hideout - Billoos. In the evening lengthier walks followed with more cups of tea and a visit to Tech Market. The blessed feeling surfaced again.
Saturday was free from any official work, so I decided to do something I had not been able to on my previous two visits. I walked down from the guest house to the rural development centre (RDC), a long road but its the future with the Nalanda academic complex being built on a grandiose scale. I crossed the gates to the NCC building only to find it deserted and dilapidated. On the return walk, a two hour spell at Tikka with unlimited tea and wifi was the time I spent reminiscing about those wonderful days, hopefully there be a time when we morons would gather again together at this wonderland.
The day followed with a seriously unflattering lunch at LS and dinner at Punjabi Dhaba. At night there was one final round of the long magical walk along Scholars Avenue. I was full, I was recharged. Next day I was back to Mumbai, back for a brief time, until when Kgp would summon me again.
I recommend a hearing of Lucky Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I will skip the events of the morning, it was all official work. Evening dawned, I shook of the shackles, turned back those years and began my walk towards my benefactor - Department of Civil Engineering. The academic campus in Kgp looks so beautiful in the evening with its lamps along the narrow lanes. The main building and the Hijli tower pierced through the mist, grim sentinels always on guard. Many conversations took place that evening with faculty, with some friends. But then, a visit to Kgp is always more than conversations. Having met most of the people, I had planned to, I started the walk for one final conversation : With Myself. Structural Engineering Lab - Main Building - TnP (or as we called it in our days) - S.N.Bose Audi - Netaji Audi - Insti gate at the Archi dept end - Vikramshila Complex (Where I had dinner) - Tata Sports Complex - Tikka - K.V - Tech Guest house. Could I describe the conversation? No, it is impossible to put it in words.
The evening turned into the night, night brought with it many reunions. Visit to HJB, visit to Shantanu da, to the old deserted JCB canteen, to VS hall canteen (which seems to be the new meeting point akin to the old JCB canteen). I trudged back towards the guest house at 1.30 am. There was absolute silence at that time, the great old trees flanking the Scholars Avenue shrouding the sky and the stars. At that time the soul of IIT Kharagpur was revealed. You could sense the power and the divinity which lies in that place, not by fluke has it grown from an institution with humble roots to an Institution so mighty. Such is the power of this place that IIT actually grows younger with age. I am hardly a spiritual guy but at that instant, I felt blessed.
So much for the emotional pourings, the next day resumed again with official duties but I took out time for lunch at our old hideout - Billoos. In the evening lengthier walks followed with more cups of tea and a visit to Tech Market. The blessed feeling surfaced again.
Saturday was free from any official work, so I decided to do something I had not been able to on my previous two visits. I walked down from the guest house to the rural development centre (RDC), a long road but its the future with the Nalanda academic complex being built on a grandiose scale. I crossed the gates to the NCC building only to find it deserted and dilapidated. On the return walk, a two hour spell at Tikka with unlimited tea and wifi was the time I spent reminiscing about those wonderful days, hopefully there be a time when we morons would gather again together at this wonderland.
The day followed with a seriously unflattering lunch at LS and dinner at Punjabi Dhaba. At night there was one final round of the long magical walk along Scholars Avenue. I was full, I was recharged. Next day I was back to Mumbai, back for a brief time, until when Kgp would summon me again.
I recommend a hearing of Lucky Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd.
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