Chronicles of KGP: The Grand Viva — Can we outsmart our Professors?
The four years of our engineering days were probably some of the best days of my life. Even if one considers the fact that the girls to boys ratio in IIT Kharagpur during our times was something like 1:25, life was still fabulous. We had such fantastic friends that lack of female company was not an issue. Those 4 years were filled with countless memories. The “OP” period, the freshers’ party during which some cute first-year guys were made to dress up like girls and then made to do a fashion parade, the classes which went completely over the head, the first viva, the mid-semester and end-semester exams, Spring Fest, Illu, the various sports and cultural competitions between different halls are all associated with so many memories! One of the clearest of them is the Grand Viva and you’ll know why by the end of this. So here it goes.
The grand viva was probably one of the last events of our engineering days after which we were unofficially done with our undergraduate studies. It was one of the most terrifying experiences, particularly for mere mortals like me. Unfortunately, we had to endure it and emerge out of the grand viva room alive — although completely battered and bruised.
The previous night, few of us from my hall, LLR and from the Electrical Engineering department became very philosophical and sat outside the common room and started talking as we thought there was no point in studying for the grand viva anyway at the last moment. We were like the Indian Cricket Team of the 80s, about to face the West Indies pace attack. Just pad up, wear the necessary protection, go and face the West Indies fast bowlers and come back alive.
On the day of the grand viva, I cycled all the way from my Hall after lunch and reached my Department. I waited for my turn in the corridor while those folks who had roll numbers before mine were called one by one. The corridor was empty, and I could see the person being questioned through the glass opening in the door who had an absolutely blank expression on his face. Damn, he was a much better student than me and probably studied much more in these four years. For the first time in my life, I realized how terrifying silence can be.
Finally, they called my name. By then I had already turned into a jelly. I felt like I could faint any moment. Looking at me in such a bad shape, the professors took pity on me. Prof D C Saha was one of the panel members who asked — “Chandrakant, why are you so terrified? Don’t you know us? Ok, let me ask you a simple question — please tell us how an induction motor starts.” Unlike the answer that was given in the movie 3 Idiots, I gave a proper answer. Things started to ease out a bit, and I somehow managed to answer some, if not all questions. Professor A K Sinha (may his soul rest in peace) who taught us Power Systems was also in the panel. He asked me to choose a topic, and I said machines. I requested him to not ask any questions on power systems. He smiled and continued with machines. And after about 30 minutes I was asked to go. I was very relieved and thankful that officially all the activities pertaining to our engineering were over, and I am unofficially an Electrical Engineering graduate from IIT Kharagpur!
The next day a couple of my friends and I went to the library to return a few books and there we saw one of our batchmates sitting and studying very seriously. We were flabbergasted. Damn, most of us didn’t study even before the exam and here we saw someone studying after the grand viva was over. So out of curiosity we went and checked with this “scholar” and after what he said, we were in a fix on whether to laugh or cry.
This guy also had his grand viva on the other day. Everything was going on fine and as usual, one of the professors asked him what his favourite subject was to which he replied with something related to Material Science. He thought he could get away with this particular subject as none of the professors specialized in it. Little did he realize that it was the biggest mistake he committed in his four years at IIT KGP. Once he mentioned his favourite subject, the professors asked him only one more question and that was the name of the professor who taught that subject. This guy sensed that something was going to go seriously wrong, but he was already trapped and there was no going back. His situation was that of Abhimanyu in Chakravyuh in the battle of Kurukshetra. Upon asking the name again, he meekly whispered the name of the professor who taught that elective. One of the professors picked up the telephone directory and gave a call to the concerned professor, requesting him to come over to help them with the grand viva. This chap realized that he was going to be dead meat. All of them waited for the professor to come and probably those 10 minutes were the most painful minutes of his life. Finally, the professor came and the grand viva resumed. This guy was questioned on his “favourite” subject for 10 to 15 minutes and he could not answer a single question.
Here comes the parting shot. The professors told him that while he seemed to be genuinely interested in this subject, he probably needed to study the subject a bit more thoroughly. So they asked him to go and come back better prepared so that the grand viva on that subject could be resumed after a couple of days. And there he was, reading that subject more thoroughly.
What happened next is not relevant here, but I am sure he learned a big lesson. Not to be over smart with the professors. They will outsmart you any time, anywhere. God bless all my professors. We are what we are because of them.
By: Chandrakant Ekkirala (EE| LLR Hall |1994)
