Family Story – HOW SAD WE WERE ON THAT VERY DAY
Photo credit: Seemann from morguefile.com
Everyone knows that sorrow and pleasure are two different parts of our life and they tend to change one after another like the wheels of vehicles. We do not have control over them. It does not differentiate or distinguish between the rich and the poor.
It was the most memorial year, month and date for us. We mean – myself and my eldest son. It was 1994, month – June & date 16 and day Thursday so far as I remember. I was working in a PSU and my office was nearly 10 kilometres from my residence. I had an old scooter. I used it for attending my office regularly. Though old but it was well maintained & servicing was done regularly. Tyres were also replaced every two years and the old ones were not dumped in house but sold immediately then and there. It was my habit and still it is observed in right spirit & letters. My scooter never disturbed me anywhere, any time.
I don’t forget the day when I came back from my office at about 5.30 P. M. and parking my scooter in the passage provided for, my son, appeared from his face, was waiting anxiously for my, rushed to me & touched my feet as Hindu tradition and said in sheer happiness that he competed IIT and his all India rank is ( was ) 1587. He showed me the letter and handed it over to go through. I patted his shoulder out of the good – rather very good news beyond my expectation & congratulated him for grand slam. In fact I never imagined that preparing in house, he could be selected in the most prestigious entrance examination of the country for engineers. Not even imagined. He was a student of a local college , reading in final year B, Sc. Hons. in Math. In my village the news spread like jungle fire so quickly that his friends & mine too started congratulating whole day. In office the Chief General Manager, my controlling boss called me in his chamber the next day and congratulated me in front of his subordinates – all my colleagues HOD of their departments. He expressed his sadness his son could not qualify, bad luck.
The most surprising thing that happened with me that I could not sleep in the night even for an hour – thinking & thinking how this boy prepared day and night at home with the prescribed books and did a wonderful thing , opened the doors for his three younger brothers who were studying in Delhi Public School.
We were asked to attend counselling in IIT , Kharagpur, sorry I don’t remember the exact date.
We were prepared with all necessary documents those needed & two days earlier I went to Bhaga along with my son and from there by Gomoh – Kharagpur paasanger train we reached Kharagpur. We stayed in a guest house in Gol Bazar. We took rest that day as it was evening about 3 P.M. and decided to go to the college next morning at 9 A. M.
As decided we reached at the right place where counselling was going on and the students were standing in Q. All the relevant documents – certificates & testimonials etc. were checked up and the necessary forms were given and asked to fill up and deposit.
Here is the Turning Point of the theme of my story – now takes a turn to its finish.
Everywhere at the right place on the notice board the last year AIR & the discipline ( branch ) was duly displayed as a sort of guidelines to the students and their parents/guardians.
We took a note of it upto 1500 AIR and the opening & closing of the respective branch seats exclusively based on AIR merit list.
Some of the seats in the important branches in almost all IITS – Kanpur, Kharagpur, Delhi, Madras, Mumbai were filled up and closed within 1000 AIR. In 1993. Such as CSE, ETC, ME, EE, only out of the rest of the branches we had to select the branch & institute, no way out.
I can get these branches in any institute – IE, SE, OENA, CE, FT, AE, METE, MGE, TE,and so on …
Very clearly I advised him whatever you choose to study , study I had no objection but in IIT Kharagpur only as it would be the cheapest and the best , affordable to me in respect of the expenses for the consecutive 4 years.
I can advise you to fill up KGP only as your institute , none else as other institutes are costlier – very costlier and very far away from my house – I cannot go there to meet you time and again. My son agreed to my proposal as he was quite aware of my financial position.
Let me fill up CE in first choice , 100% chance to get it – he said.
Don’t take it as it can spoil you, you will repent over, my friends’life – personal & family … not better at all.
Only two options are there for you as parents I can advise you to fill up – one you must get in KGP.
What are those ? my son wanted to know.
OENA or SE
Papa ! I will prefer Space Engineering to Ocean & Naval Architecture. I want to be a Space Engineer, I have much more scope to join ISRO or NASA .
Well , finally decided by both of us , then fill up the choices in one number KGP , then all one by one which you prefer , where you prefer to study.
Dear friends! likewise the choice form was duly filled up and was submitted to the counter concerned.
We came back home and started waiting for the letter from the KGP, IIT. A day came when we received a letter with the allotment of the branch i.e. OENA in KGP. Our first choice Space Engineering was discarded as the seats were fully filled up within 1300 or so AIR in all IITS. My son became very sad , so sad that I cannot describe in words. His eyes were filled up with tears, he held them inside so that his father didn’t become sentimental and didn’t … ?
We compromised with the fat that selected in IIT, that’s enough, why should repent over, study well, do better and be an ideal citizen.
Dear friends!, now the point is over but the turning is still continuing to its destination in the untold story :
We were ready and went to KGP IIT for admission bag and baggage by the same passenger train from Bhaga Station. We reached at about 3 PM there one day before and stayed in the guest house in Gola Bazar.
Next day we went to the campus of IIT. There was a specified office from where hostel room – double seated were allotted on the basis of lottery system – in one dabba the room nos with hostel names were kept and after entry in the register, my son took out a ticket and got the seat. We came to the floor and opened the room. My son occupied the one side and left the other for his roomed.
After due admission we brought the luggage from the guest house with a beautiful bi cycle my son had chosen by a rickshaw – nearly 3 kilometres. We held the bi – cycle on our laps properly and the luggage under our legs.
The moment we reached our room, we found another student duly occupying the second seat , Mr. Dutta , his father outside standing by the balcony. My son introduced himself to his roomed. He had got Space Engineering Branch , his AIR was around 1100. His father shacked hands and introduced himself as Dy. Chief Engineer in Calcutta ( Now Kolkata ) .
I also thanked him. We got together in the room and asked our wards to live together like brothers happily and perform better in study together. My son told him he got Ocean Engineering & Naval Architecture , though he filled up his choice at the top of the form Space Engineering , but due to lower AIR he could not get it, but what he had got , very good and he would perform better. He was satisfied. He was fortunate to read in the most prestigious engineering institute , that was enough for him.
Dear friends now the turning is coming to its finish within a few seconds. Please hold your breath.
When Mr. Dutta saw our beautiful bi- cycle, he asked me, “ Mr. Prasad ! why did you spend Rs. 2100 unnecessarily on this bi – cycle when very good bi-cycle is available for Rs. 1100 , 1200 only.”
Mr. Dutta ! you have only one son whereas I have four. I thought after 4 years his younger brother will join here and use this bi – cycle and moreover this bi cycle will be recycled every 4 years , so Rs. 2100 divided by 4 , how much , it is merely Rs. 425 only , so my bi- cycle is cheaper or yours for Rs. 1200 only ?
Mr. Dutta had nothing to argue with.
Dear friends! when on 24th. September 2014 at about 7. 17 AM the Mangalayan was about to enter the orbit of Mangal Grah ( Mars ) , I became sentimental when I recollected those memorable moments and I was forced from within my head and heart to share it with one and all attached with – “ yourstoryclub.com – a very popular site in net
well established and led by its Chief Editor – Ms. Soumya Tripathi. Really amazing!
Dear friends ! only the tail remains of the Turning Point .
Don’t you want to know about my son and about his roomed.
Mr. Dutta did his MS and Ph. D in Space Engineering and now ( not confirmed ) he is an eminent professor in some university of USA and my son is holding a key post in an MNC in India.
My rest 3 sons tried their level best to join IIT but only the fourth one competed, the rest 2 not. The fourth one used the bi – cycle of his elder brother.
Really remarkable!
Dear friends! Now the Turning Point has reached its destination.
It is not more important what you have read than what you have learnt from this untold story.
Wishing all of you a “ A Happy Durga Puja & Vijaya ” in advance.
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Writer : Durga Prasad, Dhanbad. Jharkhand
Dated 27th. September 2014, day – Saturday, Time – 8.41A.M.
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