(With due apologies to Nissim Ezekiel)It was the day of Zoology practical in our third semester .We reached the lab only to be told that the practical for the day was dissection of leech.We were told that the leeches were  alive and we had to wash them and ready them for the dissection. With fluttering hearts and trembling fingers we did as we were told. Throughout the practical periods we were obedience personified. When we finished with the creatures we rushed back to our hostels for a bath and lunch-we felt nauseated by then. However my friends Kala and Sangeeta got delayed at the lab itself. They reached the hostel quite late. They postponed the bath and rushed to the dining hall. We were trying not to think of the squeamish experience.  b-)When Kala finished her lunch, she was asked by a non- zoology student about the new sari she was wearing. Kala displayed the pallu in a theatrical manner and suddenly screamed!! A leech was stuck to it!!Normally animals bought for dissections are counted and accounted for at the end of the practical. That day must have been an exception. Girls screamed hysterically and left the mess as if they had seen a tiger!But we the brave gals who had just vanquished several leeches calmly finished our lunch and ran back to afternoon classes.For more info on leeches click on this link: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech

Once I was with a group of friends .All of us were cribbing about one thing or the other.

As usual I unrolled a list.

A list of complaints about X department where marks  in practicals were given on looks and other factors…

After each complaint /anecdote I said “WHY ME?”(-presuming that I was the sole victim)

After listening patiently to my grouses  one of my friends who was a compulsive doodler suddenly held up her book on which she had written WHY ME with a sad face below it.

Just one look at it  and I burst out laughing. All the pent up feelings melted away and we all went back to our jobs fully refreshed.

 We had to study applied sciences .For students of CBZ the only option then was soil sciences and crop practices.

We had two SUPERSTARS as our lecturers..

One was N whose English was a source of continuous entertainment.

Avara nudimuttugaLu were anarghya ratnagaLu.

We used to have his  classes in the somnolent afternoons ..zz ..zzz

His droning voice would make us doze off-as if it were a lullaby.

But tale- harteys like me would be busy writing down his notes seriously -as we would note it down in his  style-phonetically!!

The notes would provide comic relief when we would read them for tests and exams.

The other ratna was Mr.R who would come totally sozzled!!

To a middle -class ,sheltered girl it was scary initially to even look at him.Later we became so used to his inebriation that we would find it amusing to watch his eye-balls oscillating.

His lectures were totally a waste for us because his physical condition (or lack of it!!)was more arresting.;)

The years which defined a profession for an otherwise susegaad girl.

(susegaad in Konkani means  happy -go-lucky,araam maduva,take-it -easy—)

Those years at REC ,(now RIE )Mysore are –

The days of being a front-bencher for all classes,the days of running to the library to read a fresh newspaper  early in the morning(untouched by others)–

undescribable ansutte.

But after 23 years of just savouring I want to chronicle it too.

So watch out dear hapless readers-here it goes.

The weekly supplement on College Days- wah! kya din the..