An ode to my alma mater

It had been a well-established practice of the Department of Geology at Central College to bid farewell to the final year BSc (Hons) students. This group photograph was taken at the farewell given to us in March 1954. Here, the students along with the principal and some of the faculty members of the Geology, Chemistry and Botany departments can be seen. Prior to the bifurcation of the University of Mysore in 1964, the Central College in Bengaluru was the seat of higher learning in Science and Literature.

Established in 1886 to award graduate, post-graduate and doctoral degrees,
the college, in its long span, tutored and trained thousands of students to become
scientists and administrators.

Two of its alumni, Dr M Visvesvaraya (Diwan of Mysore state) and Dr C Rajagopalachari (the Governor-General of Independent India), distinguished themselves to receive the Bharat Ratna from the President of India. Recently, another alumnus,  C N R Rao joined this list and has been bestowed with this prestigious award for his research in the field of Chemistry.

When I joined Central College in 1951 to pursue the BSc (Hons) degree with specialisation in Geology, L Rama Rao (Geology) was the principal of the college. A year later, B S Madhava Rao (Maths) succeeded him. The Department of Geology was headed by Dr M G Chakrapani Naidu. At that time, it was a privilege to listen to the lectures of stalwarts like V Seetharamaiah and J P Rajaratnam of the Kannada department.

During 1953-54, we were extremely fortunate to listen to the lecture of C V Raman, the Nobel Laureate in Physics, in the Chemistry hall of the college and later visit his institute in the city. As a preamble to his lecture, he cleverly highlighted the diverse physical state of compounds of some elements, saying, ‘Silicon dioxide is a solid (quartz), hydrogen dioxide (also called peroxide) is a liquid but carbon dioxide is a gas’ and quipped, ‘any result-oriented scientific research entails hard work, creativity and in-depth analysis of data’. We were all inspired by his profound knowledge and his words ring in my mind till today.

My college days were tough and entertainment, if any, was restricted to watching movies in the theatres around Majestic or a cricket match in the grounds behind the college hostel. Field excursions meant looking at rocks, rocks and more rocks on a hillside near Mysuru, Shivamogga and other places and collecting samples for further analysis.

I completed my course in 1954 with distinction. During my MSc course, Dr C S Pichamuthu took charge as the Professor of Geology. I passed the MSc exam in 1955, securing the first rank. I was also the proud recipient of the ‘P S Narayana Gold Medal’ of the Geological Society of the college in 1955.

In fact, the Geology Department of the college has made its own contribution and many of its students have joined the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Mysore Geological Department (MGD), the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) or have chosen the line of administration. Notable among them are Dr M B Ramachandra Rao (member tech, ONGC), Dr C S Pichamuthu and Dr B P Radhakrishna (directors, MGD), Dr S V P Iyengar (deputy director general, GSI) and Y N Rama Rao (AEC). The list, in fact, is very long. Dr G Thimmaiah became an administrator and held the post of Director of Public Instruction, Govt of Karnataka.

Amongst my classmates, N Madhukara and K Venkataramaiah joined the IBM. D Narasimhamurthy and V Venkatachalapathy moved to Mysuru as lecturers. S N Narasimhan and I joined ONGC.

A R Mahendra joined GSI and A E Vasudeva Rao moved to Delhi to join the Agricultural Institute at Pusa. K Krishna Iyengar joined the Bhilai Steel Plant. I am not sure about the rest of my classmates. I retired in 1992 as the Group General Manager (Exploration), Bombay Offshore Project, ONGC.

My alma mater has had a glorious past. The persons associated with it — the students, members of the various faculties and the principal and other administrative staff — understood their respective functions and goals well. Unlike today, there were no student unions or their demands. The concept itself was unthinkable and unheard of.

Even today, when I pass through the tower block of Central College, the voices of several stalwarts reverberate in my ears and my eyes blur. This is an ode to my college where I learnt the many important values of life and which made me what I am today.

(The author can be contacted on [e-mail])

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