....Patna Science College Continues....!!!!

....as the  Day  was  spent  battling  the  Difft. Deptts of Science College....post 4 Pm I wud make  my  way  to  the  hostel a  few  blocks away....it was  time  to  unwind  , a welcome glass  of  Tea with  dear  frnd  Lalan Pd Singh of Sec B (Maths)at  the Ramna Rd entrance frm the Ashok rajpath was a ritual....the  35 paise  glass  of  Tea  being  vended  by a  group  of  Tea sellers sitting  over a  few  platforms with  huge  steaming kettles & Boiling  Milk in huge Containers...as ritualistically  we  used  to  observe  this  particular Tea  service....wherein a  set  of  glasses wud  be washed  with  boiling  water nd  placed serially  for  the Tea....thr wud  be a generous  spoon  of  sugar a scoop or  two  of  the  boiling  milk, a  dash  of  BRU coffee nd  finally  hot boiling Tea Liquor being  poured  serially  over  the  glasses to  top  thm  up...... a  huge  effort  by  these  vendors , I  thought...followed by a feverish  cluttering  of spoons  into  these  glasses to  mix  up  the  concoction  of  this spl  "Vidyarthi"  Tea nd served  simultaneously....the  taste still  lingers  &  the aroma still  I can  feel....day  in  &  day  out.....on  the  hindsight I  thought tht  this  was  a milk  beverage which  gave  us  lot of  energy  before & after Classes....thr  was  also  a camaraderie  of offering to  pay  each  others  Tea, which  was  routine....Lalan was depressed whn I  switched  over  to Section D (Bio), but  our routine & Tea partnership  held  us in Good spirits....Lalan belonged to  Chhapra but  had  half  the  fmly settled  in  North Baluchar  Malda(WB)whr they  had brick  kilns...a mild  mannered large  hearted  Bihari ...I got a gr8 partner in the hostel &  we  wud exchange  all  infos  of  the Maths & Bio...sections....!!...as dusk wud settle in  over Ashok  Rajpath  frm BCE to Gandhi Maidan....we  wud  always  trudge  on  the footpath wel lit by  book  vendors , stationers,Tuck shops  for  our  daily  needs  & refreshment  stalls ....we wud enter Novelty, Motilal Banarsidas, Pustak Mahal & host  many footpath  vendors  selling New & old editions  , application forms  of various Competitive exams  with  last  date of  submission displayed...ultimately  entering "Regal restaurant"  serving  hot  samosas with  Tomatoe  sauce & Onions laced  with Tea, probably  for Rs 1.50p...if the Energy  demand was high,  we  wud  partake a huge "Jaleba" soaked  in sugary syrup  all very  hot & crispy.....the Jaleba shops  were quite a few  in  nos.  &  did  brisk  business in the morn & eve hrs...for  the  first  time  I was exposed  to  this  Mega version  of  a high calorie bomb of  a  Jalebi, typical  of the settings....a  few  steps ahead  Lalan  wud be  leaden foot  for   Lassi which  tasted  like heaven.....we  had  a very  gud  subtle understanding  of  each  others pocket  in  tht  if  I  paid @ Regal  , Lalan wud  without  fail pay  for  the Lassi....this  eve walk was refreshing  after  the days engagement @ College  ....nd  soon  we wud return for Evening  studies, with RamPrasadJi ringing  the  brass  bell....surprisingly a deathly  calm  wud surround  the  bldg as  all the "Vidyarthis"  wud  adjust  their table  lamps nd  start  studying in Right earnest.....tht  was the first  education unsupervised, of  a  sense  of responsibility towards urself &  the  community, in  tht  thr was  no  commotion  , no  indiscipline in  the study  hrs.....9pm dinner table meet  of  the boys  very  much  near  the Kitchen  of  Panditji frm Mithilanchal, being  served  hot , fresh  simple fare....visiting each others rooms nd finally parting for nite study &  retirement....the  meal was  highly  subsidised  ....Panditji  wud charge  us Rs 1.50p per meal(Veg) & Non veg  days were slightly  higher,  nd additionally for sundries  like  boiled  Eggs or Omlettes...I am talking of the yr 1980-82 &  the Mess bill seldom crossed  Rs 150/-....though  both Lalan & I wud  admit;our  Auto rickshaw  jaunts  to Gandhi Maidan  & further  with  Movie tkts far  exceeded  this Monthly Mess  Bill....!!!!....though 50 paise  was  the Auto ride to Gandhi Maidan , but , it  was  a  gr8  pleasure,  hitchhiking a  ride, on  a  Red  BSRTC Univ Bus service free  flashing  our I cards....!!!!