Ajmer Polytechnic in July 1961: The total strength of the students had crossed 700. Construction work was in full swing. Departments of Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering had requisite accomodation in the campus for their classrooms, laboratories and workshops. There was sizeable increase in teaching staff, with the appointment of heads of departments and other senior members of the staff. Everything had started moving smoothly, like a well oiled machine with enthusiastic participation of staff and students in normal academic work and games, sports and literary and cultural activities. First year students had common subjects for all branches. Bifurcation commenced from second year, where some basic subjects were common for all the three branches, but, rest of the subjects were different for different branches. In the final year, all the branches, had subjects specifically related to their branch. With the intention of remaining in touch with all the students of the institution, I used to take atleast one subject of first year, one common subject in second year and one subject of civil engineering in third year. Since, the intake had increased, the number of sections had increased and my teaching hours had gradually multiplied. Incidentally, in the process, I was involved in 24 hours of teaching per week ( 4 hours per day) during the working hours of the institution and 8 hours per week in the morning before the normal working hours of the institution. A total load of 32 hours of teaching per week seems to be very heavy, because according to the norms, the principals were expected to take 6 hours of teaching per week and the normal load of a lecturer was limited to 18 hours of teaching per week. Days rolled on and there was almost no time to think or to worry.
Inter-Polytechnic games and sports meet- Ajmer Polytechnic had taken a lead by organizing the first games and sports meet at Ajmer in December 1959. Since sufficient physical facilities were not available at Jodhpur and Udaipur Polytechnics, the second inter-polytechic meet was also held at Ajmer in 1960 and to keep the activity going, Ajmer Polytechnic had undertaken the responsibility for organizing the third inter-polytechnic games and sports meet also at Ajmer in November 1961. In the meantime, a new polytechnic had started functioning at Kota and therefore, the number of participating teams had gone up from three to four. Games included in the meet were: Hockey, Football, Cricket, Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis, Tennicoit, Kabaddi and Table Tennis. Athletics included eight track items, four jumps, four throws, two relays and tug of war. For conducting the whole show smoothly in six days, there was need for proper development and maintenance of physical facilities and for fine tuning the organizational set-up of staff and students.
Call from Jodhpur: One fine morning in November 1961, almost eight to ten days before the commencement of the inter-polytechnic sports meet at Ajmer, I got a call from Jodhpur, directing me to come to Jodhpur and to take over the charge of Jodhpur Polytechnic. My hands were full, my time was full, I was deeply involved in classroom teaching for 32 hours per week and another three to four hours per day in outdoor games and sports activities, apart from emotional attachment with the individual students, who were participating in the incoming inter-polytechnic meet. The very thought of leaving the students in a lurch suddenly, was almost unthinkable. The preparations for the conduct of the inter-polytechnic meet were in an advanced stage. All the students and members of the staff were extremely enthusiastic about all the goings on and were anxiously waiting for the show to begin. Destiny plays all such pranks from time to time. Whatever, a man may think, whatever, he may like to do, the final word and outcome does not rest with him. As the word spread out, from members of the staff to the students, there were murmurs reverberating from almost all corners. However, as the day wore off, almost everybody seemed to agree, that, the show must go on and I boarded the night train for Jodhpur, with a tremendous sense of relief.
Jodhpur Polytechnic in November 1961: With the establishment of Jodhpur Polytechnic in 1958, the admissions to Diploma Classes of MBM Engineering college were discontinued. First Principal of Jodhpur Polytechnic had been appointed in September 1958 and he was provided accommodation for his office in the administrative block of MBM Engineering College. Since, the building of Jodhpur Polytechnic was under construction, the classes of Jodhpur Polytechnic were running partly in the improvised accommodation in the campus of MBM Engineering College and partly in temporary sheds and rented buildings scattered all over the neighbourhood. When I took over as Principal of Jodhpur Polytechnic in November 1961, the building of Jodhpur Polytechnic was in an advanced stage of construction, in an area spread over about 140 acres. My immediate task was to pick up the threads and to have a look at all those places, where the classes of the polytechnic were going on. It was all mind boggling. The staff and students were moving from one place to another, for most of the time. Naturally, I decided to wind up the whole show, almost immediately and moved everything to the partly finished building of the polytechnic on the following day. I entered into an understanding with the public works department, that, the progress of construction work will not be disturbed at all. We undertook to utilise only those rooms, where the structural work had been completed and as and when PWD needed those rooms for finishing, we agreed to move to other rooms at short notice. That satisfied the PWD and helped us in moving all classes to the permanent building of the polytechnic. Nobody seemed to be worried, about the walls, that did not have plaster or the floors that had not been laid. Everybody got used to the improvisation in a week’s time and all classes, laboratories and workshops were running smoothly in the campus of Jodhpur Polytechnic, almost ten months before formal opening of the building by Dr Sampurnanand, Governor of Rajasthan in September 1962.
Participation in Inter-Polytechnic Meet at Ajmer: I had started utilizing the evenings for spending time with the students of Jodhpur Polytechnic on the playgrounds. Most of the faces were familiar, as they had participated in inter-polytechnic meet at Ajmer in 1960. All budding youngsters need attention, help and support and with little inspiration, they are capable of working wonders. Jodhpur polytechnic was the biggest polytechnic of the state and had a large number of talented young boys, who were surging ahead for recognition. Field trials and friendly matches led to cut throat competition and by the end of the week, we were able to stitch together, viable combinations for participation of Jodhpur Polytechnic in most of the games and sports events of upcoming inter-polytechnic meet at Ajmer.
Games and sports extravaganza at Ajmer: Sometimes towards the end of November 1961, the contingents from Jodhpur, Udaipur and Kota reached Ajmer for a week long carnival and games and sports extravaganza. Faces were familiar, grounds were familiar, rules of the game were known and everybody seemed to be raring for locking horns with each other. The league matches on the first three days, kept all the participating teams perspiring on all the days. Knock out matches during the next two days provided some of the do or die performances for grabbing first, second and third places on the podium. Athletics stole most of the limelight on the fourth and fifth days of the meet. Most of the records were tumbling and new records were being posted on the record books. Student reporters could be seen hovering all over, for capturing the flashes of unyielding tussles and sporty gestures for publication in the daily newsletter, which could be found in the hands of the participants every morning. Student volunteers from all teams were rushing all the time, with baskets full of oranges, waiting for the final whistles to blow and taking positions for leaping into the grounds for putting the juicy fruits in the hands of the perspiring players. And, a crowd of almost 800 students could be found scattered all over the grounds, singing, clapping and shouting from early hours of the morning, till late hours at night for pumping life into the otherwise lonely area. It is one of the wonders of nature, that, in spite of the nerve raking, energy sapping and heart wrenching schedule of six days, there were no signs of loss of interest or wavering of commitment and concentration. The relay races, tug of war and prize distribution on the final day were like an icing on the cake. The number of medals and prizes were more than liberal and with the announcement for every prize or medal, there was a citation about the talents and potential of the winner, triggering non-stop chants, shouts and applause from the buddies. Soon after the prize distribution, everybody gathered for the campfire, where the participants were vying with each other, for an opportunity to perform and get into the limelight. Dance, drama and music and all types of mimicry, caricatures and comedies kept the people clapping, shouting and applauding till late hours of the night, when the curtains fell on the third inter-polytechnic games and sports meet at Ajmer.
Meeting of Principals at Ajmer: After a sudden call from Jodhpur in Mid-November 1961, I had moved to Jodhpur and had assumed charge of the office of principal of Jodhpur Polytechnic. There was hardly a week to go, for the opening of the Inter-Polytechnic games and sports meet at Ajmer Polytechnic. I utilized that one week with the perspiring students of Jodhpur Polytechnic on the playgrounds and thereafter, moved with them to Ajmer for the duration of the inter polytechnic games and sports meet. Principals of all polytechnics were also reaching Ajmer with their families and were expected to stay with us. The occasion was utilized for an informal meeting of the principals and to to provide to them an opportunity to get a first hand feel of the inter polytechnic games and sports meet and to enjoy the cut throat and do or die encounters of the budding youngsters.
Parting get-together of staff: Staff of Ajmer Polytechnic and the staff of Jodhpur, Udaipur and Kota Polytechics accompanying their teams had gone through ten to twelve hours of daily grind for a week during the inter polytechnic meet. It was a sort of unwritten tradition, that, an informal get-together of staff and the parting lunch for them was hosted by us, at our residence on the closing day. Normally, no invitations were issued and none were expected. People started pouring in and enjoyed chatting with each other freely and in the process, they stitched together useful associations and fraternal feelings. After all, human relations and human feelings are great motivators, which eradicate all wrinkles and bring flashes on the faces of people.