27th Jan 2017, VVIP’s, corporate moguls’ and the media were all crowding the already crowded gateway of the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. It was not a ‘Filmfare Night’ but even more important if not glamorous. Tonight one of India’s best entrepreneurs was to be chosen from a list which was not less imposing than the 2002 Brazilian Line up which won the Soccer World Cup. Inside the ‘Dhirubhai Auditorium’ the tension was mounting. I could see the tension on others faces but something in me still made me feel comfortable.
After the initial ‘speechery’ of the ‘distinguished’ guests (most of whom didn’t know anything about business); the ever cheerful hostess called upon Mr. Anil Ambani to present the ‘Best Entrepreneur Award’. The whole gathering went into frenzy and the next thing I remember was that I was flocked by all the ‘money-makers’, reporters the public waiting outside was already shouting for me. With some help from the security I made my way to my Benz and drove away to my parent’s place. In my house, the reception was no less heart-warming. I could see the fulfillment in my mother’s eyes and the happiness on my father’s face, their confidence in me was finally bearing fruit. Among all the celebrations, my mother did not forget to remind me of my formative years at (arguably) the best engg. institution in the country; no marks for guessing- The GCOEP!
Yes, the GCOEP had indeed done a lot in shaping my personality and character. The unusual ‘tension-freeness’ I experienced at the awards ceremony even when others were sweating due to the heat of the moment, was all because of the GCOEP. No, I had not forgotten anything of those four glorious years at the college. Those were undoubtedly the best days of my life.
Suddenly, I remembered that immediately after the Std. XII exam and all through the FE I had maintained a diary which had every major incident explained in detail. But was it possible to get that diary after a gap of almost 15 years? I gave it a shot! I looked through all my old books, right from the then outdated MS Office Manuals to the ever-reliable Manorama Yearbooks. Amidst the ‘dust and heat’ of bygone days I spotted a brown coloured book. You are right; it was my ‘treasure chest’. It was the key to my glorious past. It was my FE Diary.
My happiness knew no bounds. I felt the same joy and satisfaction which our Graphics lecturer must have felt while delaying my submission because it was flawless! [Caution: - Never submit a near perfect submission. Some obvious errors must be present so that the intelligent lecturer may correct them after hours of scanning and finally take your submission with the same errors but with good marks.]
The ‘CAUTION’ statement was at the fag end of the diary. I noticed it as I quickly browsed through the yellowing manuscript. I settled down immediately and opened the first page; [don’t get bored, the ‘Preface’ and ‘About the Author’ columns were not included in this abridged edition.]. The diary came straight to the point.
22nd May 2002:- ‘JUDGEMENT DAY’
“The final verdict is passed; Advait Borate scores 288 in his PCM group.”
288 did to some extent disappoint me but there was no reason feeling sorry for the train had already left the station. I desperately wanted COEP (Mech.); but the above aim was fast becoming a dream.
28th June 2002:- ‘THE ADMISSION ADRENALINE’
“The application forms for engg. admissions were up for sale. Got one for myself.”
What followed were a series of debates regarding the admission rounds. The above programs were a daily show on ‘Advait T.V’ and more often than not Advait himself was the host.
15th July 2002:- ‘ADMISSION MAGZINE: THE TRUE STORY’
“Round IA begins. I went to Pune to COEP today, saw the campus and more importantly got a seat in Electrical in the same college. My aim is partially fulfilled.”
Well, the initial disappointment about the std. XII setback was forgotten to some extent. But the seat that I secured was also due to the help of ‘Vasantdada Patil’ (Ex-CM of Maharashtra). Had he not given permission to start private engg. colleges, getting into COEP would have remained a dream. The subsequent rounds (only two to be precise) didn’t bring great news. So finally I became ‘Advait @ GCOEP (Electrical)’ [Not my e-mail ID]
5th Sept 2002:- ‘THE HOSTEL HOTCH-POTCH’
“I am in Pune; the hostel admission list was displayed 4 hours late (quite early by govt. standards). I did not get hostel had to find alternate accommodation.”
Well, it was the most disgusting day of my life. After waiting for 4 long hours I find that I am ‘hostel-less’. I bet I can never understand how they calculate the seat distribution as far as the hostel is concerned.
20th Oct 2002:- ‘THE RAGGING RAGA’
“In the hostel, I was ragged (Shh! talk silently, ragging is prohibited at least the sign boards say so!). It was the usual stuff. Hope I can do something innovative the next year.”
I must say that after this experience I am ready to face the rigours of the world. I certainly feel that ragging (not of the extreme kind) does help personality development. The ragging continued till the end of the first semester and it all culminated with a ‘Fresher’s Party’. After this, all our ‘Sirs’ were reduced to ‘Pals for Life’.
27th Nov 2002:- ‘THE SUBMISSION HEAT’
“The heat is on and even an AC can’t cool it. The lights in all the rooms are on throughout the night and the boys never look tired”.
The submission does help us to know how long the nights are. After the ordeal ends, the room is littered with a bucket, a glass, a bulb and yes many sheets (which finally end up being used for the college gathering promotion campaign). It is a nice experience and after this you understand what the song ‘Raat Baki’ really meant.
2nd Jan 2003:- ‘CROUCHING PL’s HIDDEN EXAMS’
“The joy of the New Year celebrations were diluted due to the pending first semester exams. The PL’s were really demanding”.
In the PL after slogging for 16-17 hrs. a day, in a pensive mood we do think “If only I had studied regularly”. But this never happens. Every semester result is decided in the 15 days of the PL. The actual exams went as usual but with less surveillance (to everyone’s surprise).
This diary reading experience was even more interesting than a Sherlock Holmes novel. Each and every incident was unfolding very slowly just like a newly wed bride during her nuptial night. It was all so comforting.
The next thing as far I remember was ‘Valentine’s Day’. I quickly turned the pages, but could not find the relevant entries. I checked the page nos. and found some pages missing.
I remembered the fight I had with my roomy; as he was secretly reading my diary and the missing pages were a casualty of this battle. I did not feel sorry for the casualties but now the loss seemed irreparable. I just sat there looking at the setting sun, thinking of all the fun I had at GCOEP and as the day ended, another chapter in the life of a COEPian had ended with a promise of a new day full of worthy challenges for a COEPian.