Open Writing

On the south east side of Kharagpur was the Railway Institute, the town’s community centre. Kharagpur boasted two institutes, one for the English speaking citizens and one for those who spoke Hindi and Urdu.

The European Institute was a large red brick structure built on one corner of a sports and recreation complex that covered a whole town block. Included in the grounds were a lawn bowls complex plus badminton and tennis courts. The sports field, used for cricket, rugby, hockey and athletics covered two thirds of the grounds. Each sport had its own pavilion.

The Institute, the hub of the town's social activities, was a great social levelling ground for all the classes. This is shown in the following incident, according to my father.

The most senior executive, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, Robbie, Denis Robinson's Austin Ten was missing from his driveway one Saturday morning. He remembered driving it home. He waited for a reasonable hour before hopping onto his bicycle to check out the most likely places where it could be. No one knew of its whereabouts.

Little did he know that the group of young apprentices casually cycling behind him were involved with him or his car! They eventually rode past and bade him the time of day. He did not think to ask them if they had seen his vehicle in their perambulations, being too preoccupied other than to acknowledge their greeting.

Knowing that he would eventually make his way to the Institute, the pranksters raced ahead and took up their positions under a large Tamarind tree opposite the Institute’s entrance. They watched him turn the corner and almost fall off his bicycle when he saw his precious little car perched precariously on top corner of the large building. Open-mouthed in amazement he suddenly heard the young lads laughing uproariously.

After Robbie had driven home the previous night, the young men followed him, waited until all was quiet, then first pushed and then drove the car back to the Institute where other apprentices were waiting, tools at the ready. Others stood at the ready on the roof with a block and tackle. The car was quickly disassembled part by part, before being pulled up and reassembled.

Robbie’s car was later returned in immaculate working condition. It was story he dined out on for the rest of his long life. I cannot think of any other Chief Mechanical Engineer who would have taken the prank in such good part. He was a true gentleman in every respect.

It was through Mr Robinson that my father, sister and I went on our first flight in 1936. Dad had taken us to see a barnstorming biplane that was giving short flights on Chandmari Maidan. Mr. Robinson insisted on paying for Dad’s, Gloria’s and my flight. My father was not a popular man when he returned home and told my mother what we had done.

On Tuesdays and Thursday evening's the main hall of the Institute was used for bridge or whist drives or for Hops (informal dances). Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays were film evenings. And on Sunday afternoons, a band played in the Institute's outdoor bandstand.

The Friday night Dance was the social event of the week. My mother felt passionately about being in the height of the fashion at these dances. She and her friends would scour the latest overseas women's periodicals for photographs or advertisements to check on the latest fashions of Europe and America. From these scraps of information the local Durzies (tailors) would be called in to produce facsimiles, these garments using light summer materials of georgette, silk, satin, or good quality cotton. It was not unusual for these ladies to have a new gown each week.

Everyone, regardless of age, rank or status gathered together on these nights. While the younger ones danced, the elders would gossip with their contemporaries or help care for the little ones. They were either assisted by the children's own Ayahs or by the Institute's female attendants. It was very rare indeed for my sister and me not to go to these evenings, as our parents always took us with them.

Two very special balls were held each year, The Apprentices Ball and The Ex-Apprentices Ball. The men traditionally fiercely tried to outdo each other.

I particularly remember the Apprentices Ball in 1942.

The hall was lavishly decorated with balloons, and tissue and crepe paper streamers. Two bands performed alternately, that night The Canteen Cats, a Swing Band, on the main proscenium stage, and The Swingtimers, playing more traditional dance music, on a decorated especially built dais at the other end of the hall.

Suspended from the high ceiling in middle of the hall was a“Khoee Bag, a ball about five feet in diameter made from thin bamboo strips, covered with coloured tissue paper and filled with puffed rice and small articles such as watches, bangles, money, and confectionery. At midnight an apprentice was blindfolded, given a lathi, a long bamboo pole, spun around a few times and sent on his mission to burst the bag.

People screamed at him, "Left, left you Ulu, Don't you know your left from your right?" After many misleading and confusing directions, swings and misses, the young man finally connected causing the bag explode strewing its contents over the floor. Everyone immediately dropped onto their hands and knees to scrabble through the puffed-rice. It was a hilarious sight seeing formally dressed men, women and youngsters shoving each other playfully out of the way as they grovelled around searching for some quite valuable prizes. Everyone was laughing and acting in a most undignified manner.

After the puffed-rice was scoured through, much of it eaten and thrown around, the combatants dusted themselves and each other off and adjourned to the adjacent canteen for supper. The fun and games continued there with organized entertainment At the end of the break, one half of the room was singing - I should say yelling - Daisy Daisy, trying to drown out the other half, doing their rendition of Danny Boy. The noise and laughter was deafening.

After the meal and high jinks were over, everyone trooped back to the hall where the floor had been swept and once again dusted with whiting (powdered chalk).

We were among the hardy ones that night staying on to about four o'clock in the morning.

My father, who had been involved in the organising committees of both groups on many previous occasions, told us that this had been the best that he had ever attended. Many others agreed with him wholeheartedly. I will always be very grateful I was able to enjoy such a unique experience.

© Clement 2006