Background: Improvising is something, which has been a common tool, since times immemorial. Improvising widens the frontiers and inspires the man to keep moving. It replaces static and dormant thinking and paves the way for action and keeping the dreams alive. Some of the most celebrated institutions of the world had extremely modest beginnings, but they kept moving and improvising for something better and still better. Thomason College of Civil Engineering Roorkee started as a civil engineering school in 1845. It was declared as a civil engineering college in 1847 and renamed as Thomason College of Civil Engineering in 1954. For almost 100 years it was the premier civil engineering institute of the country and at the same time, it conducted courses on electrical and mechanical engineering and training programmes for all types of technicians from time to time, for meeting the emerging needs of different levels of technical manpower in the country.
The first IIT was established in the country at Kharagpur in 1951. At that time nobody had any notion about the role, that, IITs were destined to play in the higher educational set up of the country. When a reference was made by the centre to all states about setting up these institutions, none of the states considered it as something, needing immediate attention. Dr B.C. Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal had the vision to see, what all that meant and he immediately rushed to Delhi, accepted all conditions and sealed the deal. Since, Calcutta did not have sufficient free land for accommodating an institution of that level, the first IIT of India was located at Kharagpur in the available building and lands of a detention camp and was subsequently developed with British collaboration.
Civil Engineering School Lucknow was started sometimes in 1934 and had been running a overseer’s certificate course for almost 18 years. It had continued to function in a rental building during all these years and had very limited facilities including accommodation and equipment for reasonable conduct of the courses. It may sound odd these days to know that before independence, Thomason College of Civil Engineering Roorkee was the only government institution in UP for the conduct of overseer’s certificate courses. The intake was 40 and all pass out students were absorbed in the public works departments of the state. Hewett Engineering School Lucknow and Civil Engineering School Lucknow were the only two private institutions of UP which were conducting overseers certificate courses in the state. After independence, their was sudden spurt in development activities of the country and the openings for field oriented working hands were increasing day by day. Looking to this, the state government had constituted an adhoc board of technical education, with the vice chancellor of University of Roorkee as chairman and had decided to affiliate the two civil engineering schools of Lucknow to the adhoc board of technical education.
Improvisation: Land, buildings and equipment are essential components for running all professional institutions, big and small. However, time does not wait for anybody and sometimes the basic needs and pressures of the community, dictate the establishment and running of institutions under limited resources. It is where the manpower and improvisation gets involved. Civil Engineering School Lucknow was affiliated to the Ad-hoc Board of Technical Education Roorkee in 1951 and consequently, the students passing out from the institution could see almost unlimited opportunities for employment in the development departments of the state and outside the state. That spurred the students and the staff of the institution, to work at all hours and in all conditions, to ensure that the boys were sufficiently equipped for field oriented jobs.
Consequently, two temporary sheds were erected in the available open space in the institution. One shed could accommodate a batch of 60 students for lectures. The other shed provided sufficient space for placing 30 drawing tables for the drawing and design classes. Although it was too little, but it made a lot of difference. All available space in the main building was sorted out and put to use. This provided a tremendous sense of relief to the staff and students. The students had a feeling that things are moving and they are being looked after and the teachers had sufficient working space for improvised class rooms, laboratories and workshops.
Games and Sports: The open space available in the institution was extremely limited for mass participation in games and sports. However, there were a number of housing developments and colonies, which were coming up in close vicinity of the institution. Staff and students picked up the initiative and started utilizing the available empty space in these townships in the evenings, for games and sports. After some time they started arranging friendly matches with other institutions on their home grounds on weekends. The activity helped in close interaction between the staff and students. In the meantime, the available open space in the institution was utilized for the development of grounds for volleyball, badminton and tennikoit. These courts provided a lot of incentive to the students to take to sports. Engagement of students and members of the staff in games and sports and other extra-curricular activities of the institution is an essential part of the activities of all professional institutions. Outdoor games and sports make a man physically fit and healthy, is something which everybody understands. But it is much more than that. Team work and working shoulder to shoulder with anybody and everybody rounds up most of the sharp edges and corners of an individual and helps in the development of a sense of accommodation and resilience. Without worrying about winning or losing, the mind is always thinking and planning about strategies, which keep a man going and perhaps, that is something, which everybody needs for steering his passage through all the ups and downs of life.
Other extra-curricular activities: Dance, drama, debates, poetry, music, skits and many more things are a common feature of the annual week celebrations of the institution. These activities bring out the best in all individuals. They help in enjoyment and relaxation and at the same time, they bring the students face to face with all the diversities of life. We had also introduced the preparation and exhibition of charts and models during the annual celebrations. Every student was expected to prepare a chart on any topic of his choice and every group of three to four students was expected to prepare a demonstrative or working model. Preparation of demonstrative charts and models helps the students in visualization and proper understanding of the tools, plants and processes. They were free to take full help from any of the teachers and could utilize the tools and materials available in the workshop. This activity was extremely productive and provided a lot of informative visual material for the students to see at one place.
Rover Scouts Camp: Bharat Scouts and Guides were helpful in the organization of three days rover scouts camp for the students of the institution. It turned out more like an icing on all the activities. The students lived together, dined together, worked together and played all types of improvised games. They enjoyed the whole exercise and parted with some fond memories to cherish.