MEMORIES OF PRESIDENCY COLLEGE

Since my father attended Presidency College (PC), now upgraded to Presidency University, my parents made it clear that it would be an utter failure on my part if I did not go to PC as well.

- BASAB DASGUPTA

I did not disappoint them. I ranked among the top ten in the Higher Secondary (HS) Examination which assured my admission into PC. I chose physics as my Honours subject. The decision was an ego trip since smart students supposedly studied physics, and not from a burning desire to be a physicist.

I visited the campus for the first time when I applied for admission. We had driven past it on numerous previous occasions, with my father pointing it out with great pride and enthusiasm. I was awed by the majestic building, the wide stairway leading to the second floor, the green manicured lawns and location surrounded by Calcutta University on one side and two best schools in the city, Hindu School and Hare School across from it. I was fascinated by the endless hawkers peddling all kinds of used books on both sides of College Street and the quaint College Square providing a peaceful resting area for passing pedestrians.

The physics department was in an adjoining building, “Baker Laboratory”. As I walked to the classroom on the first day, I recognized Pranab Ghosh and Nikhilesh Kar, who ranked first and second, respectively in the HS exam, from their pictures in the newspaper. The first guy I met was Avijit who was standing in the corridor joining physics and botany departments. He was neither too friendly nor very lively, a slightly chubby fellow with a serious face, but I clicked with him because he was feeling alone like me.

I remember two classmates, Bratin and Saugata, engaged in a competition during a break to see who could name all fifty states of the USA. I was puzzled to see such an obsession with a foreign country, especially since I could not probably name more than twenty states. I realized that I had entered a different world.