I studied in Delhi University. Though this was long back, infact ages ago, I still have fresh in my mind, not only many incidents but the time spent in the University. Delhi University then was known for its good academic standard and had impeccable credentials. It had Departments of Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Anthropology and Law Faculty. It was not a very big one at that time and the student population was limited. Direct admission to the University was only for the post graduate courses. For the graduate programmes, one had to seek admission in one of the affiliate colleges. The so called Arts subjects were taught in the colleges. Thus, History, Geography, Economics, Literature, Mathematics, etc. were part of the college curriculum, all science teaching was at the University Departments. Most of the affiliated colleges were in the University area though some were far off in the city. But with the mushrooming of the Delhi population and, therefore, the growing need of colleges, there are now colleges all over the city. In any case area around the University could not accommodate many more Institutions. I remember at that time colleges in the campus, if you can say so, were Hansraj, Hindu, Kirorimal (KM), Ramjas, Stephens, Miranda House (exclusively women’s ) and the Delhi School of Economics under construction. In the sciences the University offered a pass course and an honours course. Both were of the same duration, of three years. The Honours course had more of both lectures and practicals.. The course material was advanced and covered the subjects in greater detail. Besides the principal subject of your choice there were two subsidiary subjects. For example if Physics was your principal subject then Chemistry and Mathematics were the subsidiary subjects. The duration of subsidiary subjects was two years. Examinations were conducted at the end of the course. In addition a short course of one year of English Literature was also to be successfully completed. Honours course students also got preference in admission to the postgraduate (M.Sc.) class. Over the years, because of the huge expansion of Delhi and consequent increase in demand for education, all has changed and it is no more the same. It cannot be!
The class rooms were classical with each row going up in steps. The blackboard was a long one covering the whole wall and of about four feet height with a long desk in front. Thus the last row was way above the front row and also far from the lecturer. This incident, which I am relating, could have taken place only in a small disciplined University like Delhi University. It was after Deepawali, the festival of lights and crackers. Somebody from one of the back benches burst a cracker in the class room when the lecture was in progress. The lecturer was taken aback and nonplussed. He tried his best to find out as to, ’ who had done it’. But try as much as he liked but there was no response at all. How could anybody admit that he had done the mischief. Finally he warned that he will have to report the matter to the higher ups. No result. Lo and behold, two days later Vice Chancellor was in the class, lecturing on the name and fame of the University and that he was very much pained by the misbehaviour. Of all, the Physics Department, the star department known all over the country for its quality and so on.., should have this kind of rowdy’s? Everybody listened to him in pin drop silence. Finally he finished giving his homilies and expressing the hope that that kind of mischief won’t be repeated. Sigh of relief!
We had only one girl in the class and only one foreign student. He was from Mauritius. He could successfully chase the girl and befriend her! Another interesting anecdote took place during a practical period. We were doing an experiment to learn the properties of a glass prism. The flat table over which the prism was mounted had a number of concentric circles. My partner asked the practical instructor, if there was some particular reason for the circles. He very promptly explained, “Butter on bald head”. He was implying the need for friction so that the prism does not slide. The Professor incharge for practicals was an old man and he liked students congregating after the regular hours around him. He duly rewarded such students by getting for them very high marks in the final examination as he was the internal one and controlled the external examiner. One of the specialty of Science Course in Delhi was lectures on ‘History of Science and Scientific Methods”. I believe these lectures were of great value. The Delhi School of Economics Building got completed when we were in the third year of our study at the University. Our country’s Vice President was invited to inaugurate the building. He was a great Philosopher and highly learned man. I have never come across another man pay tributes to the founder of that Institution, who incidentally was also our Vice Chancellor. The Science Faculty even put up an exhibition in the University which was open to all and was very well attended. Sir C.V. Raman(Nobel Laureate) was visiting the University and was a great inspiration to all. In the English class, ‘Augeon Stink’ came in some manner. The dramatic explanation of the stink given I have not forgotten to this day. It seems that that description derived from the story that king Augeon’s stable had become so dirty and stinking that he had to divert the river to get it cleaned. These are but a few memories, of myriad stories, just to present the flavour of the place. All in all it was great fun studying at the University of Delhi.