ONCE UPON A TIME IN KOLKATA

The year: 1995,
The time: A period of a few weeks, sometime in the middle of the year and
The place: Kolkata.

The results were out, And so was I, out of schools, looking to move up the ladder of life to the next step. I was hoping (to say dreaming here will unnecessarily put a lot of burden in me) to get into a medical college. But I did not make it in the entrance examination. Why and how? Well, that is a different story kept aside for another time, another moment.

After a future with medicine was out of the way, I opted for my second love - Chemistry. After loitering around a few of the top ranked colleges in Kolkata, I made up my mind as soon I entered Presidency College for the first time. Yes, this is the place to study. For all the legacy it carried, for all the openness it offered, for the sheer aura in the atmosphere. I was in love with it just after my first glance. And it gave me another chance of proving myself at an entrance exam, as the marks obtained in the Board exam was not enough to get into Presidency College.

I remember the day of the entrance exam, and a few of the questions, rather problems that we were supposed to solve. One that still lingers in my mind is the one where we were asked to calculate the pH (the scale where we measure the strength of an acid) of a rain cloud hovering over a Sulphur-di-oxide factory! Ingenious! And my admiration for the institute grew further after that day.

The results came out, and it came out on a very typical monsoon day in Kolkata, heavy rains lashing the city, and the streets all over were water logged. I went to Presidency College with my father, and waded into the college. Very few had turned up at the moment. We went across to the notice boards, and was utterly delighted to see my name at the top. I had scored 78 in the exam, which I later came to know that was a record at that point. I was already attending Chemistry honours classes in Asutosh College. But there was no doubt, from where I was going to complete my graduation.

I joined Presidency on an indifferent August day in 1995. The first day had a grand welcome arranged by the College, and when we were let off after the presentation by the Principal, we were all led to our individual departments by our esteemed seniors. What followed under closed door supervision may be defined as "ragging" as per the strict definition of it, but at the end of the it had an extreme feeling of enjoyment. Being the topper of the class (!), i was made to wait till the last. And when I was called on the fag end of the day, I was given a set of three trick questions, of which I was somehow able to answer 2, and miss one. Though I remember the questions, it will not be wise to spill the beans. It was fun all through, and what happened at the end of the day, was we came to know the names and the corresponding faces of all the members of our class, but also our seniors who were there that afternoon.

Soon, Presidency College became a major part of life, and also its associated so many things. Like catching the 9:24 metro from Kalighat station everyday along with a few others like JK, Parha and Raju. And board the train through the second door of the second coach, so that we meet a few others like Mono-Madhuri. By the way, JK is Jaikrishnan Nandkumar, Partha is Partha Pratim Bera, Raju, being Rajarshi Guha, and Mono-madhuri is Anirban Bhaduri. How each got their names was a history of sort. There were others in our group. Ankan Paul (cannot mention his nickname here), Prabudhdha Sengupta, Dwaipayan Chakraborty (he was our Doi), and a few others. The girls in our section who stayed back to complete the graduation were Nabina Pradhan (very studious type), Sanchita Mandal (her major claim to fame was that she made it to the Finals of Femina beauty pageant from Kolkata), Nabanita Nag, and Sushree Mukherjee.

As days flew by, our lives had been totally engrossed by the aroma of the College. I had started to study Chemistry for the sake of learning only. It was a different feeling all together. I had started bunking the pass classes, especially the maths classes, and started enjoying loitering in the one and only Pramod-dar Canteen. I had statrted enjoying sitting in the green grass and playing a hand of Bridge, with Doi, JK, Raju, Ankan. I still remember JK asking in his broken Bengali, "Call Dibo? (Shall I call?)". The Chemistry classes started to seem more and more interesting. I was almost back to the glory days of science, walking around with the likes of Niels Bohr, Heisenberg, Pauli and others. Initially I had the inclination towards Atomic chemistry, which though turned towards Biochemistry in the third year, an after-effect of my initial love for medicine, may be.

As the first year was over, there was a sudden change. We were suddenly seniors, and the next batch had arrived. I had the chance to rag somebody. Well, it was not a bad experience to sit on the other side of the table, for a change.

We also had a intra departmental Cricket Competion that year, which had me as the captain of the Chemistry department, and we did pretty well beating Maths and Physics, but losing out to Economics. My best contribution was a score of 20 against the Physics team, and helping in a nail biting last over win against Maths, where I had opted for JK our leg spinner to bowl the last over. A definite masterstroke!

A major event happened after six months, rather a major overhaul took place. December 1996 experienced a departmental reunion being arranged in the Chemistry Department after a huge time gap of 12 years. It all started with the revival of the wall magazine in the departmental second floor, in front of the head of the department room. Our enthusiasm catalysed the department to go ahead with the massive plan of arranging a reunion, again. To collect all the loose ends together from documents dating back to 12 years, and yet making the event a grand success, was something that we even did not expect. Doi, myself were the fore runners in this as well. We went about collecting Advertisements, went on a deep search of all the possible alumni, tried to finalise Indrail Sen as the guest artist, finalising on the menu, maintaining debit-credit worksheets, yet sitting all together with the Alpona or paper craft for decoration, joining in rehearsals for chorus, and even a drama.

The event was a grand success. The gathering was big, and actually all went almost perfectly. But something changed permanently in my life after that event, 22nd December, 1996 to be exact.


(To be Continued.....)