Room No. 57 !

Heart Beats of SPCE: Part 2 

Room No. 57 !

l canceled my admission at VJTI and joined the second year of the Civil Engineering branch at SPCE, Andheri. It was October 3, 1979!

After completing all the admission procedures, paying the college fees, submitting the original certificates, etc., I headed to the hostel. I was assigned Room Number 57!

In hostel, Seniors Sabnis, Hasabnis, Vajpayee, staying in the room opposite ours, warmly inquired about us and assured their cooperation. They gave valuable advice, saying, "The exams are in December, and since there isn't much time, start preparing your submissions immediately. Focus on studying Math Ill thoroughly; there's no need to worry much about other subjects." Later that night, I joined them for dinner at Bachchu Bhai’s Mess. After dinner, we watched the program Chhaya Geet at Prof. Bhavani Prasad’s residence who was rector and living in the upper wing.

The next morning, Chandrakant Nehte and Ashok Dahad, both from Jalgaon, studying at J J School of Arts, but staying in the SPCE hostel, showed genuine care and concern for me. We had breakfast at the nearby Swadesh Udupi Hotel.

After that, I headed to college. Regular classes had started two months ago, and the syllabus had progressed significantly. Admission to Direct Second Year after completing a diploma meant I had joined quite late. I reached the class at 9:30 a.m., where Math Ill was being taught. Without the foundation of Math I and Il, understanding Math Ill was quite challenging. Prof. Mrs. Kanekar entered the class and swiftly solved 4-5 problems on Fourier Series. I tried to grasp and remember every word she said. In subsequent lectures she taught an important topic called the Jacobi Series. Prof. Mrs, Kanekar, calm and gentle in nature, spoke very little. She would head to the staff room immediately after her lectures ended.

Later, Prof. Perera taught Statistics and Matrices in Math, while Prof. Reddy explained topics like Heat and String Equations. Prof. Perera taught in a composed and clear manner. He spoke excellent English, frequently paused during lessons, and gave us time to write down the problems he solved on the board. Prof. Reddy would write meticulously across the full length of the board, leaving little need to erase it. Both professors were highly experienced and imparted their subjects in a simple yet impactful manner.

During the Math classes, I would try to understand the topics being taught while also thinking about how to use techniques to solve problems. At the same time, I would carefully observe the teaching methods of all the professors. At night, discussions on these topics would happen at the hostel.

By the end of November, the first semester was over. The exams were completed in December. After 8-10 days of holidays, the second semester began. In due course, the results were announced. I had scored good marks, which made me feel very relaxed.

During the holidays, outings to nearby places, trekking, watching plays and movies, visiting Goregaon Film City to watch shootings, strolling at Juhu Beach in the evening, and late-night chatting sessions at Hotel Neelkamal, mess, or our hostel room became regular activities!

At the hostel, I shared the room with Suresh Mahajan and Rajan Bunge. Suresh and I were from the same hometown, Changdev, and were good friends. Suresh, being a mechanical engineer, had worked in Mumbai for a year and was well-acquainted with the city. His knowledge often proved helpful to us.

Rajan was from Malinagar in Solapur district. He had a sharp nose, jet-black thick hair, fair complexion, and a well-built physique, with a rugged personality! Every morning in our room, he would complete a routine of around one hundred Surya Namaskars and an equal number of sit-ups. After that, he'd spend half an hour on worship and reciting hymns. He had a large Rampuri knife, which opened with a button, kept in his suitcase. He would demonstrate how to handle the knife. He often narrated mysterious stories in an engaging way. Many times at night, he would conduct planchette sessions to invite spirits of great personalities and seek answers to questions-a skill he had mastered!

On the door of our room, instead of writing our names, I had written, "The Men With Guts Live Here!". One day, I pasted photos of models from a Kingfisher Airlines calendar on the walls of our room and wrote appropriate lines from Hindi movies and my poems beneath them. For instance, "Tumse Accha Kaun Hai?" "Tumsa Nahin Dekha," and "Mala Baghun Gali Ka Vruthach Tu Hasate?" On the walls near the ceiling, we wrote different instructions for visitors, such as "Yanha Bhari Banduk Lekar Baithna Mana Hai" (Carrying loaded guns here is prohibited). Visiting friends would interpret these in their own way!

Over time, Room Number 57, a place where something or the other kept happening continuously, became the center for various activities conducted in the hostel and college!

Dr. Mahendra Ingale, Former Principal @ Pune, March 19, 2025