BE---- The Fourth Year( 1969-70)

Here's the blog on my 4th Year.

The results came in Jun and I found that I had a single ordinance in Strength of Materials.This came as a shock to me since this subject was actually one of my strong points.I had also got more than 60% in all my other subjects combined.

We had single rooms in the New Block and this was a luxury that we all enjoyed.Plus, we were now in the company of final year students who also had single rooms in the New Block.The mess continued to be in the Old Block and we had to walk the short distance for our meals.

The notable event of July 1969 was the Apollo-11 spaceship trip to the moon and Neil Armstrong's first footsteps and we all followed this avidly on VOA. I remember dad writing to me that he was also carrying the transistor to his Office to follow the moon landing.

I was made Captain of the College TT Team and was also a member of the College tennis and cricket teams.I actually became a member of the cricket team courtesy Nagabushan.I didn't have the time to attend cricket practice since I was busy with my TT and tennis and asked whether he could take me into the team anyway.He said OK and that was it.

We had a match against Hassan First Grade College and I remember being sent in at No 8 or No 9 with a few runs to get to win.I hit the winning runs and instantly became a hero.

In the next match, I was asked to stand at 2nd Slip for a fast bowler. One of the edges from the batsman flew to me and literally stuck to my hands.Again I was a hero.I then travelled with the team to Davangere and we lost there.

I went to Shimoga with a couple of my team mates to attend the University selection trials for the TT Team but we didn't make it.

I was also made a Joint Secretary for the Educational Tour and we had to write to various institutions and industries to arrange for visits apart from making arrangements for travel and stay.This was a good lesson in organizing things and also a test of our leadership since therewere so many opinions on places to visit and we had to take a decision.

Our route for the educational Tour was Bangalore-Mysore-Ooty-Coimbatore-Cochin-Trivandrum-Kanyakumari-Trichy-Madras-Hydrabad- Bangalore.The educational part of it was in Coimbatore, Trichy, Madras and Hyderabad.

In Cochin, my friends and I felt very thirsty and we went to this place called Grand Hotel on MG Road.As soon as we went in we realized that this was a 5 star hotel and we shouldn't have come here.Anyway, we went in and sat down. A waiter in his stiff starched white uniform came up to us and asked what we would have.My friends settled for a Coke but I ordered Orange Juice.
When the bill came, I almost had a heart attack.The others were charged Rs.2.50 for Coke ( it was available at 50p outside) while I was charged Rs.10 for my Orange Juice.

I had such a hangdog expression that my friends chipped in with Re.1 each to try and cheer me up.

I remember buying a foldable bamboo mat for Bhagya in Kanyakumari.

In Hyderabad, I shopped for bangles for mom, Rummy,Sandhya and Bhagya . Incidentally, Bhagya and Anand were staying with us in KGF since Anand had got a job in BEML.

While doing lathe work in the Workshop back in Hassan, a metal piece flew straight into my eye and got stuck on my iris.I went back to the hostel and repeatedly tried to wash my eyes with water but the piece wouldn't budge.By now I was suffering since I couldn't even blink my eye. In desperation, I went to the municipal hospital in Hassan but the sanitary conditions shocked me and I took the next bus to KGF and reached at night.

Next day, mom and I went to KGF Hospital and Dr.C.Rajasekhar delicately scraped the piec away from my eye. I got instant relief and immediately returned to Hassan. However, after 2 or 3 days, I got irritation in the same eye and again couldn't blink. I went back to KGF. Dr.Rajasekhar said thatthe problem was caused by rust particles.He put a solution in my eye and again I got relief immediately.

My parents were so worried about my eye problem that they took a vow to donate a metal eye at the Nanjundeswara temple in Nanjangud and fulfilled this vow at the earliest opportunity.As usual, they didn't inform me about this and I came to know about it indirectly.Typical of my parents.

The 4th year was when I experimented with beer and found that it was not bad. I had also experimented with smoking in my 3rd year and found that this was also not bad but I didn't take it up seriously.

You could say that I've been there and done that( well, almost).

1969 was the Gandhi Centenary Year. I took part in an Inter- College Essay Competition on Gandhiji and won the first prize.There was an Elocution Contest on Gandhi and I won the first prize here also. I remember making a point that it was a good thing Gandhi was cremated otherwise he would be turning in his grave with all the bad things being done by politicians in the name of Gandhism. I expected laughter at this point and made a pause, but there was complete silence.My joke had gone completely over the head of the audience and I was forced to carry on with my speech.

2nd Oct 1969 was also the day dad quit smoking.This was his way of paying tribute to the Mahatma.

The rest of the year passed off uneventfully.There was the trip to Bhadravathi for Deepavali but not much else.

I forgot to mention that I had asked for and got Mechanical Engineering as my Branch at the beginning of the year.
Our Mechanical Engineering Professor was D.K.Satyanarayana Setty who later went on to become the Director of Technical Education. Our other Mechanical Engineering teachers were Sherfuddin,Nanjundram, R.Narayana Rao ( we called him Sobers because he had just returned after doing Post-Graduation in the West Indies), Shadakshariah, M.K.G.Kumar--- to name a few.

That's it for now.