Change as they say is the only constant in life. For a college or a university and the campus itself, changes do occur. Some things change in a campus, some don't.
BITS Pilani is Ghumakkad's alma mater. Every year on 1st friday of August, BITSians Day is celebrated world over. On the eve of BITSians Day, Ghumakkad goes back more than 50 years when he entered BITS.
What has changed in Pilani and what has not? Through the pictures spanning 50 years, we try and discern. If you are a BITSian, please do shoot a response.
Postscript for Dairy Farm: Update from reader PK Subramanian-- even the Dairy Farm has closed down. Some other readers who had visited Pilani in recent past, have also pointed it out. Thanks fellow BITSians for the feedback.
BITS came into being in 1964. The students conceived a campus newspaper titled 'BITS BEAT' which continued to run till 1982 or so. In between 'Sandy Times' also emerged in 1968-69. The titles thereafter changed to 'Sand Piper' and finally 'Cactus Flower' which has sustained till now. Similarly the Hindi publication 'Rachna' रचना of 1960s now has two parts-- 'Pravaah' प्रवाह (a monthly) and 'Vaani' वाणी (annual). Credit for this research goes to 'Nattu' Natrajan, 'Nagi' Nagarajan, V Ramanan, Prateek Om, Somji Shukla, Mohit Vyas, Ben Bendre, Pratik Maheshwari and Priyank Chauhan. Titles may have changed over the years, but the underlying spirit of creativity and innovation has remained same.
If the present generation of BITSians think that ANC-- all night canteen is a recent phenomenon, please read the fine print of the inaugural issue of BITS Beat above. 'Night Canteen' after 9 pm goes back to 1964 buddies! BITSians were always ahead of their times!
Postscript on Food Kiosks: Sunil Nanda pointed out another change in Pilani. The old mobile 'Rehdis' रेहड़ी near hostel cross roads- which served tasty snacks like samosas, kachoris, fruit chaat etc- have gone! Instead we have permanent food kiosks next to hostel messes. Although Ghumakkad had also noticed this change during his last visit in 2013, we did not have any pictures. Thanks Sunil for your contribution.
Next question we ask 'What is so great about BITS?'
Answer: Nothing. It is like any other college!
Really? Let us ask it's alumni.
That's precisely what we did some time back. A short video below summarises the reactions of some 500 alumni.
We invite those readers-- BITSians and others alike-- who haven't been to the other three campuses-- to browse the following stories:
BITS Dubai- Another Oasis in the desert
BITS Goa- The Campus that is cool - story to be added
BITS Hyderabad- Created out of rocks
As alumni, we all love our college or school. With time, institutions change, people change. But somehow the character and the spirit of an institution thrive and survive through changing times. Do you feel the same ?
Hail the spirit of your alma-mater!
Thanks for browsing
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 19th July 2017 and updated 19th July 2019
#BITS #BITSPilani #Almamater #alumni #nostalgia #change #campuslife #BITSiansDay #bondingforever #memories #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb
BITS Pilani is Ghumakkad's alma mater. Every year on 1st friday of August, BITSians Day is celebrated world over. On the eve of BITSians Day, Ghumakkad goes back more than 50 years when he entered BITS.
What has changed in Pilani and what has not? Through the pictures spanning 50 years, we try and discern. If you are a BITSian, please do shoot a response.
Postscript on Food Kiosks: Sunil Nanda pointed out another change in Pilani. The old mobile 'Rehdis' रेहड़ी near hostel cross roads- which served tasty snacks like samosas, kachoris, fruit chaat etc- have gone! Instead we have permanent food kiosks next to hostel messes. Although Ghumakkad had also noticed this change during his last visit in 2013, we did not have any pictures. Thanks Sunil for your contribution.
Next question we ask 'What is so great about BITS?'
Answer: Nothing. It is like any other college!
Really? Let us ask it's alumni.
That's precisely what we did some time back. A short video below summarises the reactions of some 500 alumni.
We invite those readers-- BITSians and others alike-- who haven't been to the other three campuses-- to browse the following stories:
BITS Dubai- Another Oasis in the desert
BITS Goa- The Campus that is cool - story to be added
BITS Hyderabad- Created out of rocks
As alumni, we all love our college or school. With time, institutions change, people change. But somehow the character and the spirit of an institution thrive and survive through changing times. Do you feel the same ?
Hail the spirit of your alma-mater!
Thanks for browsing
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 19th July 2017 and updated 19th July 2019
#BITS #BITSPilani #Almamater #alumni #nostalgia #change #campuslife #BITSiansDay #bondingforever #memories #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb
Gr8 :)
ReplyDeleteThanks much Zia.
DeleteGHUMAKKAD - It would have been nicer if we had more BiTSians in the pictures going about their day-to-day activities; mess, hostels, food pictures; volga, connaught, nutan, BC canteen, PO canteen, Museum Canteen - junta hanging around would give us flavor of BITS. Bhoothnath - miss it!
ReplyDeleteThanks much fellow BITsian. Point taken. Would include if you have such pictures. Due credit will be given.
DeleteThanks for putting this together ! Brings back great memories !
ReplyDeleteThanks much. That was the whole idea for BITSians across generations to re-connect through this story.
DeleteDear Cmde Harsh Sir,
ReplyDeleteThe chronicle leads to nostalgic lanes of the past. Almost relived those glorious days in BITS. While the Ghumakkad wanders; the readers are led to lo! Wonder. Thanks.
Thanks much buddy. Am glad it kindled nostalgia.
DeleteBits shaped our personality enabling us to meet the challenges in life with a positive attitude thus made us survivors.
ReplyDeleteYou said it! Positive attitude is a key differentiator!
DeleteSuperb harsh bhai , great style ,good natation , a master stroke like an indian navy commander _ well done send it to Bitsaa international as your story of bits
ReplyDeleteThanks much Ajay for your appreciation.
DeleteLoved going through Harsh. Feeling nostalgic.You brought it all back. Great work.
ReplyDeleteThanks much Subhashish. Appreciate.
DeleteJust superb,lived in Pilani for 23,24years of my life.Pilani is Pilani,nothing can take those golden years of our life. But as you rightly pointed out that peacocks are not to be seen as earlier days . Thank you so much for taking us right there. Heartfelt thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThanks much for your feedback.
DeleteShort of words, but would view anything and everything and get my moneys worth for free
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback.
DeleteVery nice
ReplyDeleteFeel like going again.. though we were there on February 27th. Just for a day. Can go any time. I liked the longest Holiday comment the best
ReplyDeleteThanks much fellow BITSian. Appreciate.
DeleteBhout achhey ,purani yadein, magic continue s to happen in the campus at bits Pilani, forever indebted to our Alma Mater, we r what bits Pilani made us , _ an opportunity to learn evolve n develop to face the world, salute to the campus ,staff mgmt, teachers faculty ,mess service providers, other s outside the campus , nutuan , cannaught place ,Shiva ganga ,the ma saraswati temple, pandit ji ,the daily arti n songs ,the Oasis ,apochhe , seminars ,labs ,the food environment ,post office chai pe charcha, the museum lawns ,never to forget the Audi program s , Saturday evng movie , the lawn cricket, the NCC , gym sports , educational curriculum, practice school, integrated multidisciplinary multidimensional education , the students union election n the major strikes of the seventies ,the musical night s ,the performance s of the various ustads ,who later formed the spic maccay __ so on so forth , at times nostalgic but yet a longing still alive for visiting our bits Pilani campus , _ we still cheer up , _ salute to the vision n execution , it is our home our family ,_ sincere humble gratitude n thnx rgds respects to each one associated with bits Pilani ,then now n in future, __ young minds get shape , intellect develops , __ to u all 🙏🎉👍🙏 with great love ❤️ sincerely yours Ajay Kumar goel 9268661546 goelajay16@gmail.com bits I'd 72E02077 and also 78HI7804 , proud to have been associated with the campus from 1972_1988( my three brothers narender kumar goel ( a gold medalist on the honours board _ 1982_ ( 1977_1982 ) also mohan goel ,1984_1988 , and now again when our younger daughter jyotsna got married recently in 2021 with a bits Pilani campus alumni ,Mr Prashant _ an engineering graduate of 2012_
ReplyDeleteThanks Ajai for your nostalgic note.
DeleteLovely photos and writeup. Being from 64-69 batch it brought back all the nostalgic memories of those years.
ReplyDeleteThanks much Kabra ji for your feedback.
DeleteWhat a lovely journey, reminded all those days in few minutes. Excellent creativ8and nicely put together
ReplyDeleteThanks much fellow BITSian!
DeleteWonderfully captured. BITS is Majic! Manoj Srivastava
ReplyDelete