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As I mentioned that I joined Delhi College, which was a part of the Delhi University although its campus was nowhere near the University, which is now called the North Campus. The University also has a conglomeration of colleges that is referred to as the South Campus, it is situated near Moti Bagh, on the Ring Road. I had taken up Physics Honours in the B. Sc. course that I had joined. The strange part was that the classes of the main subjects, viz., Physics and Chemistry were held in the Delhi University and the subsidiary subjects classes, viz., English and Mathematics were held in the college. It was quite a grind that I had to shuttle from one location to the other for various classes. Someone suggested that I could apply to migrate to a college in the North Campus. Hindu College was the best running neck to neck with St Stephens, so as to avoid the hassles of classes being held in classrooms miles apart. I put in an application and it was accepted and I became a student of the ancient Hindu College. I call it ancient, as it was founded in 1899. It might interest some of my readers to know a brief history of the college
Hindu College was founded in 1899 by Krishan Dassji Gurwale in the backdrop of the nationalist struggle against the British Raj. Some prominent citizens, including Rai bahadur Amba Prasad, Gurwale Ji, decided to start a college that would provide nationalist education to the youth while being non-elitist and non-sectarian. Originally, the college was housed in a humble building in Kinari Bazar, Chandni Chowk, and it was affiliated to Punjab University as there was no university in Delhi at that time. As the college grew, it faced a major crisis in 1902. The Punjab University warned the college that the university would disaffiliate the college if the college failed to get a proper building of its own. Rai Bahadur Lala Sultan Singh came to rescue the college from this crisis. He donated a part of his historic property, which originally belonged to Colonel James Skinner, at Kashmiri Gate, Delhi, to the college. The college functioned from there till 1953. When the University of Delhi took birth in 1922, Hindu College along with Ramjas College and St. Stephen's College were subsequently affiliated to the University of Delhi, making them the first three institutions to be affiliated with the university.
Around the same time, Pitaji got an allotment of a Vespa scooter from the Central Government quota - which had a wait time of about 8-9 years in the open market. The scooter too had been booked on my suggestion and request, a few months earlier. Now I pressurized him into buying it for the home, it could be used by either of us for numerous errands that I could think of. For every little need, we had to either pedal or walk to the Gole Market or the Bhagat Singh Market. So the scooter came into our house. The Reading Road house had more than ample space to keep the two-wheeler inside our premises. Until this time neither Pitaji nor I had ever driven a scooter. However, I would dream of driving it and theoretically knew how to drive it even before I laid my hands on it.
Within a day or so, Mamaji - majai's younger brother came visiting and he did have a motorbike at one time. I immediately pestered him to take me to the Talkatora Gardens that had enough open space, to teach me how to drive the two-wheeler. I sat on the pillion and he drove us to the Gardens. After reaching the chosen area, he got foo and handed me the vehicle, and started telling me its theory. I cut him short, saying I know it all - just need the hands-on experience. I took two rounds of the garden and told him t sit on the pillion. Seeing my confidence he acceded to my request. I drove him back home. That was all the driving lesson I ever had.
With DU campus, a co-educational college, and a scooter at my disposal I wasted my time in galavanting. I had a good friend (a boy) and we used to literally spend time in the coffee home rather than the classroom. I just had to pass one year and then go into an engineering college that was my goal. I did not have any girlfriend as such - though I did go to see a play in St Stephen's college with a girl, my classmate in Physics Honours. I was quite shy and never asked any girl for an outing or a date. As a matter of fact, one day she casually mentioned the play, it had tickets, and said she could get them if I would be interested. That was the only "date" I ever had in this period of my education in Hindu College.
The year passed quickly and without any real studies. I was applying to all Engineering Colleges now, finally, a good choice came in the form of BIT Mesra. I had also attended the counseling for the IIT Delhi and was offered Textile Engineering. I got totally put off by that. So off to Mesra Ranchi. Pitaji sold off the Vespa, as it was decided that I would not require it there as I was going to be staying in a hostel on the campus.
