Sunday 1 November 2009
MY PLACEMENT WAS A CITY NAMED DURGAPUR
A letter of placement at the then Regional Engineering College, Durgapur, came through the office of the Royal Civil Service Commission in September, 2001. It was quite thrilling to learn about the confirmation of placement after having waited for a long time. It was learnt that nine of us were placed at the same Regional College. The prospect of reaping unfathomable experience over the next four years in the college, learning newer knowledge and skills, amongst new friends and environment kept us fully occupied during our journey towards the college.
The very first trip onward the reputed college at Durgapur via Kolkota without proper itinerary, guide and schedule was not so pleasant, though memories would languish itself in funny recollection of our destitutions. Moreover, none of us had traveled to the city before. The endless hours of waiting at the Howrah train station was more menacing than being cheated by the taxi drivers.
Having waited for more than five hours, we left Howrah for Durgapur, a new home to the new scholars and the whole new nine of us. The change of transportation mode from bus to train said it all! Life in India would not be the same as in Bhutan.
Night was falling like dark shroud over the unfamiliar and unfriendly landscape as we reached Durgapur train station. We reached the college clothed in strange darkness. It was not the darkness that petrified us. Darkness is so trivial at times than having no place to bask our tiredness after the much needed rest. At long length, we succeeded in requesting the warden to adjust some rooms for us, since it was not possible to allot any room (officially!) on the simple ground that we were not admitted to the college (formally!).
So, the eight future Bhutanese engineers were literally dumped into a seemingly tiny room that would not even accommodate the three of us under normal circumstances. Soon enough, the alien Indian heat started taking charge, making us sweat like guinea pigs! Everything passed on, we still sweated. Experience was taking an unusual twist.
There was a solemn feeling that the next day would usher us into our own rooms, which was not to be! Our admission was yet to be formalized. Our letters of appointment had not reached the college, which was supposed to be forwarded by the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India. Much to our bewilderment, the aspiring scholars were as good as tourists to the college until we were formally sworn into the Durgapur alma mater after three days. It took them another week to decide on allocating us rooms with creaky beds and fans that seldom worked. But, it was an experience of relief, joy, and of fulfillment in having finally formalized and officialized our admission into the college.
Food would have inspired any poet and writer to praise the taste and nourishment it provides besides the glutton to be greedy. However, the food at the deemed University did not provide delicacies worth the taste let alone the inspiration to the poets and the gluttons their greediness. None of the Bhutanese were used to mixing sweets and sugar into any of our menus, let alone tea and coffee.
As days and weeks and months and years rolled by, experience piled up in our memories, trimming our knowledge of how we know the world and how it should be known.
The heat that surrounded us, the putrid air that we breathed, the mosquitoes that we nourished, the creaky beds we slept on under the defunct fans, and the sugary food that we nourished on…brought us closer to reality, making us more humane. Every experience and difficulty that we underwent brought us closer to ourselves and to our country. Patriotism would only be experienced at its height away from home. Realization would only be drawn from suffering and endurance. Knowledge would only be acquired in times of adversity.
Indeed so, the difficulties that we faced and endured during our stay at the college have paid off well. We saw the Regional Engineering College grow with us, becoming one of the best institutes in the state of West Bengal. It was upgraded to the National Institute of Technology, a deemed university, ranked as one of the lead institutes of the state, second only to the famed and reputed Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
As we acquired newer knowledge, the Institute itself was undergoing progressive changes. With a total grant of more than 50 crores by the World Bank, new and sophisticated infrastructures that would meet the modern amenities are being developed. It is my hope that more Bhutanese would be placed in the institute, and continues producing the makers of tomorrow.
PRAYERS
Having gained a little experience in a neighbouring country, it is my hope, wish and prayers that the quality of education of our country would not deteriorate with the new breed of scholars and intellectuals sprouting in our emerging education system. It is my hope that the future citizens of the country would gain equal or more access to quality education, whereby the future of our country must ultimately rely on.
# posted by Sonam Phuntsho @ Sunday, November 01, 2009 
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