Sparks from Memory

Our residence: Residency, the residential building of the British representative of the erstwhile Jodhpur state,  is a well known landmark in the civil lines of Jodhpur.  Residency road, which runs from east to west,  is one of the main roads of Jodhpur.    In 1962 the spread of Jodhpur town south of the residency road was … Read more

The following is the transcript of a  talk delivered by me on 17 December 1966, during  the winter workshop at Bikaner, for teachers of polytechnics of Rajasthan. It provides  a reflection on the life, that we lived and the threads that we weaved, during the early years of Jodhpur polytechnic from 1962 to 1966. Introductory: … Read more

Background: Before independence, the spread of education in the country was extremely limited. The princely states of Rajasthan had developed excellent educational institutions in their states, but, they were mostly concentrated at the capital cities of the states.  Birla Engineering College Pilani was the first engineering college established in Rajasthan in 1946 with degree courses … Read more

Thar Desert: Thar Desert or the Great Indian Desert  covers the  western borders of India from Gujrat to Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, lying  between Aravalli Hills in the northeast and the alluvial plains of the Indus river in the west. It is characterized by large stretches of sand and sand dunes, scanty rainfall and extremely … Read more

Our Residence at Jodhpur: The princely state of Jodhpur was a progressive and well administered state, before its merger in the newly formed state of Rajasthan in 1949.    Imposing buildings of High Court,   Jodhpur State Secretariat, Government Schools, Colleges and Hospitals and an extensive network of Jodhpur Railway provided an identity of its own to … Read more

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 … Read more

Mid-term break: Six to eight hours academic  schedule in the professional institutions, supplemented with a liberal dose of games, sports, literary and cultural activities during the first term provides considerable help in moulding the physical capacities and mental attitudes of the young boys, who join the polytechnics, after a sheltered life in the loving care … Read more

Athletics: Polytechnic had developed one 400 metres sports track, which was very much in use, in the evenings  on most of the working days. The students and members of the staff had got used to it and there were cries for some sort  of competitive sports. Total strength of the students was 300, with one … Read more

Outdoor trips  and picnics: The  sounds of outdoor trips and picnics bring cheer to the people and brighten their  faces. They immediately get into a holiday mood and for a moment the long hours and rigours of the daily grind in the institution are forgotten. Sometimes, the outdoor trips and picnics involve long hours and … Read more

A day at the polytechnic: The doors of the polytechnic usually opened at 8.00 AM in the morning. Members of the staff and students started trooping in, well in time.  Theory classes, tutorials and tests commenced at the stroke of 9.00 AM. When a student happened to be  a bit late and found  that the … Read more