Heat Engines Lab at NIT Calicut

Many students who studied at NIT would definitely remember this lab. The only lab in NIT that makes noise when the engines inside work, There must be some reasons why I remember this Lab..largely because the lab report I made for this lab was  some kind of a masterpiece and many of my juniors were crazy about it.

In the third semester of our course we had a Mechanical Engineering lab..which was a composite of Heat Engines..Fluid Mechanics.....and Hydraulics. The Hydraulics part of it could not be done as the lab was jeopardized in a student strike around this time. The heat Engines lab had many engines like the 20 HP Kirloskar engine....a Ambassador Engine..and a reciprocating compressor.


I remember the exam we had for this lab where-in I got the experiment on a 20 HP kirloskar engine which I did very well.  I think Dr. Aboo Backer was incharge of the viva .

My photo in 2004

HOSUR

my site 447    other sites  448,449,450

My neice Shreya on the right

This is photo taken in Dunlap Peoria USA somewhere in August 2013 at play home PALS. To the left is the class mate of my neice  GRACE

MY SCHOOL

Not far from my home,
on taking a little roam,
a vast stretch of land,
with buildings well planned.

My mother crossed the rail and road,
to get me and my brother  on time aboard,
many a time she brought us lunch,
finding us in a some student's bunch.

Oh let there be thanks to heavens above,
that thrust me into this schools love,
as i yelled and rejoiced in its precincts,
over a long decade's stint.

There was laughter, there was pain,
there was running, there was game,
there were classes and exam,
and playing in the farm.

At times I stood at the school's gate,
wondering why my father was late,
somwhere beyond seeing his trace,
bounty of joy lights  up my face.

Some wandering saint put up this place,
long before I was born,
an edifice of inner grace,
never making one feel forlorn.

There was'nt academic pressure,
of learning there was treasure,
they taught us principles of life,
to avoid future strife.

Counsel was regular, not to drink or smoke,
they said it could lead to stroke,
they taught us temperance,
which we followed ever since and hence.

Then I have seen many a school,
they go by the law and rule.
terror in the face of the child,
all behave with him wild.

Then I have seen many a school,
crampled room and stair,
pushed around like a mule,
with very little care.

There was a meery go round in the corner,
a large farm yonder,
rock solid buildings in the crux,
and many a tree in the flux.

Sometimes in an awry mood;
I take a stroll through the school for good,
flashes  of lightning of days bygone,
fill my mood like an old ballad or song.

As I ride on the road beside,
inadvertently take a look inside,
my hands bow with reverence,
for education received within its fence.

Twenty hundred students at that time,
all dressed in uniform,
multitude of young humanity,
at any time you could see.

There was a downwell in the farm,
beside an old jumblem tree,
farm and sprinklers beside,
with a grove of oaks aside.

Why doth I write of my school long bygone,
for most have gone to one such place,
but as i look at Lowry Memorial School with hindsight,
feelings galore that they did things right,
nay, with students they weren't partisan,
crafting minds with skill of an artisan,
appreciate the larger context in life they said,
at the same time needing to be well read,
never miss the spirit of joy,
when one is a little boy.
from that spirit comes a larger verve,
to face life with every nerve,
hidden deep is a sullen faith,
into which i often bathe.
and uprise every now and then.
as this world tosses me as a writing pen.
emerging with a stronger face,
some lingering skill handed down by this place.

MEPPAYUR NEAR CALICUT

Somewhere in 1992 I made a surprise visit to Calicut for some documentation work at the Calicut University. I had noticed some mistake in the totaling of marks and got it corrected by the University. Calicut had changed from what I saw in 1986 but the morning weather was pleasant and I went to my local contact capt. Srinivasan at the Zila Sainik Welfare board and stayed there..meeting Capt. Srinivasan that afternoon..an emotional meeting of having seen him after a long hiatus. Anoop the son of my uncle was studying medicine at calicut at that time and he joined us that evening and we had a stroll all over Calicut.

Few days down the line I went to the home town of Capt. Srinivasan..Meppayur and stayed there for a few days.It was a memorable few days ..the geography of this place was not well known to me then but now I understand it better. Meppayur is a town almost at the foot of he western ghat mountains..no wonder the bus takes a right turn at Koilandy and goes deep inland crossing few rivers in the process and reaching this place.I found a very silent hamlet in meppayur at that time barring few buses that travel into this place occasionally..there was TV which was the only source of entertainment.

Why I chose to write about these events would be a welcome gesture. I just remembered this place out of the blue. What I did the following day was truly an act of temerity. Climb the mountain in the rear of the house which must be few thousand feet and reaching the pinnacle and thereafter having a look at the huge stretch of mountains that looked yonder.What a sight...what I saw ahead was probably  the Karnataka state ahead.

The following day both of us set out early and chose to cross the river by boat..and what happenned there after was amusing having to cling on to the edge of a jeep for some ten kilometers to reach  Koilandy..this was a risky journey in  many ways as the jeep was driven very fast with quick swirls.

So much so about Meppayur..the whole place must have changed now ..a peaceful hamlet with large houses and the serenity of this place is worth tonnes in gold.

Dr. RAJKUMAR

Dr.Rajkumar is a distinguished personality  in  this part of the world and a true artist par excellence who maintained an austere life-style and at the same time ensnared and enchanted audiences in the Kannada language for more than four decades donning various kinds of roles with great ease and single handedly driving his cinemas into success.

I dont know what much I can write about this man as his achievements as an actor is written in gold in the minds of people of Karnataka state and to my mind the world is yet to see an actor of his stature who had looks,talent, charm and enigma and who took all these titles upon himself without much fanfare and ado and went about the world of acting with versatility and a broad spectrum of roles.THERE IS NO MAN IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF CINEMA WHO HAD ALL THESE BUNDLED IN ONE. Not to forget he was also a singer par excellence.

I had met Dr. Rajkumar twice ; once on the sets of the film Purushottama produced by Madhu Bangarappa inside the Graphite India plant and thereafter at the Muhurat of  Gandugali Kumararama produced by Dr. M R Pattabhiram. I have met his sons at various instances.

What makes Dr. Rajkumar special. One...he was a distinguished hero...second..he played character roles with equal ease and was a high performer as an actor....third...even at an advanced age with marginal make-up he looked very young...he could dance with alacrity...he could emote well....fourth...he appears to me to have done risky shots by himself..for example in Gandada Gudi he climbs on the tusk of an elephant for a shoot..fifth...he never acted in any language other than kannada....sixth ...he sang in the films for himself...seventh...though not an emotional person per-se he could do romantic roles with great ease....eighth..there are few actors who can take a long shot without difficulty in that he could go on with dialogues for a longer duration without cut........nine...he never cherished political ambitions and did not try to capitalize his position in politics for he knew he was not cut for it...ten...he has sung many songs that would put many trained singers in the shade;  Dr. Rajkumar you were truly special.

One aspect of Dr. Rajkumar is truly special to me ..though a enigma at an young age he did not get anywhere embroiled in any controversy with any heroine of his time and chose to get married as a normal individual of his times and kept his private life largely private.

When will the state of Karnataka see another man of his stature ?  This is a moot question that must be going in the minds of the many film goers of this state.