My college in Shimla is nowhere to be found

 My college in Shimla is nowhere to be found.

The year was 2010 and I was in Shimla reminiscing my old days in the city when I decided to pay a visit to my old college little past the Lakkar Bazaar on Elysium Hill. In 1957 it was home to Rana Padam Chandra Santana Dharam Bhargava College (SDB College). I started my first year there. Actually, it was the only college in the neighborhood. The closest other college was in Chandigarh.

As I walked past the Elysium Post office and reached the gate of my old college, I was about to go up the ramp, when a security guard said - ‘Hello, and where are you going’. He was in uniform, seemed determined to stop the intruders, so I informed him - “it's my college and I was a student here in 1957/58.” He nodded in disgust that it is no longer a boys college. That has been relocated to Sanjauli area long back. This is now a girls college. Now, I could see why he kept me off the ramp. 

An official (probably a lady professor) who was going up the ramp stopped to listen to the conversation and curiously asked me ‘when was it that you were a student here’. I informed her that about 50 years back. She laughed and oddly asked, whether I remember a professor who taught approximately at that time; she mentioned a name and I remembered that he was the chemistry professor. She kind of smiled and said... ‘My father’. Actually, she was checking to make sure I wasn't an imposter trying to get into the girls' campus. Satisfied, she started to converse more about that era and her father. 

In those days, education took off and all parents wanted their boys and girls to go to college. In 1950, a new college under the banner Bhargava Municipal College was opened with its campus at Carstaphen Hotel. My big brother joined it in 1950. All professors who had come from Lahore after partition and now unemployed were employed there. It was entirely financed by the Shimla municipality. But in less than 10 years, in fact, they were short of money to carry on. Instead of closing it down, it was decided to merge with another but not so popular Santana Dharam College, which had been relocated from Summer Hill to the vacant Elysium building. So when I got into college, it was Rana Padam Chandra Santana Dharam Bhargava College. 

Since Bhargava college had restricted admission one year before the merger, a whole bunch of boys and girls went into the newly renamed college. The enrollment in the first year of the 1957 entrance class was 275 and classes were divided into several sections. New staff had been hired, but a total of 800 number for four years degree was a lot for that small campus. Turns out it was unmanageable. Student disputes and classroom discipline kept the Principal BK Sharma busy all the time. His gentle ways of dealing with students made him loved by each and every one of us. The faculty of a few well-known professors (ML Sharma, SP Gupta, GR Sud, OP Joshi) is always fresh in my memory. There classes were always full as students allocated to other sections also attended their class. 

The first couple of months were good and we made good progress in the studies. Some professors maintained good discipline in the classroom while others had difficulty controlling a class of 60 boys and girls. The girls were the main focus of boys' attention. I would not call it eve teasing, but grabbing their attention, especially the pretty one’s, was the greatest sport of the boys (hormones very active). The girls always operated in a group which offset the boys' advantage of initiating silly jokes. Senior boys were the most active in dumb pranks.

Shortly the election of the student council was announced. Publicity bills of the contestants were posted on the college property at night and were taken down by the college staff next day. Finally the elections were over and student council with known roughnecks were elected President and Vice President. In a matter of weeks, they were looking for an issue to go on strike (silly eh!). 

The issue was handed over to them on a silver platter. From nowhere and unheard of before, the college managing committee fired the very affable Principal BK Sharma and appointed a very serious and not so pleasant person Vice Principal as acting Principal. The whole college was stunned by the notice on the board and even professors expressed a bit of displeasure at the development. The student council held a public meeting in the college square. Planted voices were heard saying.... strike..... strike and strike. In the afternoon, all the students left the classes and came together in a harmless crowd and shouted slogans against the management committee. By 5 pm, we all returned home and our mothers were already aware of the strike. Their first question ...... Are you going to the college tomorrow? Affirmative was the answer, and she warned me to stay out of trouble. That same advice came from my father at night. 

As we reached the college gate next day, there were boys, all well known roughnecks who were blocking the entry gate. Personally, I kept some distance, but I saw one parent arguing with the boy who was blocking the door. A large crowd of boys and girls gathered at the ramp and began to shout slogans. Most of us returned back to our homes. Next day students collected in the college square and a resolution addressed to the managing committee was passed to restore the old principal to his job. The new acting principal took that as an offense and expelled the top council members...... a wrong move. Now the press got involved. The managing committee was not ready to restore the old principal back. We did not even know why was he fired, yet all of us wanted him back. This continued for two more days. On one occasion, we went from campus to Scandal Point, shouting slogans. The police in force acted. They took three of the sloganeers into custody. We all scattered. Now, my parents and probably all parents have begun to pressure their wards to stay out of politics and attend classes. The police action had a dramatic impact. Next day nobody was stopping students' entry into the campus and the classes began. Soon a notice from the managing committee was posted on the notice board that a new principal will be appointed soon. Most of us heaved a sigh of relief. 

It was not easy for me to explain at home why I missed my classes for so many days. My father was of the opinion that once the trouble started, it will continue in one form or the other, hence I should go to Chandigarh where my brother was posted and study there. He was summoned and he was in agreement that in order to make to the engineering college, a better study atmosphere is necessary. Shimla college did not provide it. This process was initiated based on my quarterly review results to migrate to Chandigarh, Government College. My father will use his influence to have the migration certificate signed here and my local magistrate brother will use his influence at Chandigarh. In January, the winter month, all the paperwork was completed and I travelled to Chandigarh to become a student there.

My connection to Shimla College was short but full of improbable events. I did alright in Chandigarh college and won a seat to the Engineering College. After my departure from SDB college, a new principal in the name of AR Khanna arrived. He reintroduced the lost discipline and the college lasted another two decades before being relocated to Sanjauli... Well done.

The lady professor of the new girls college who conversed with me at the gate had no idea of the events 50 years back. She was not even born then. She was amused and glad that I had great memories of her father.