the other side of the clock tower

A very very short episode of my life which I thought of sharing with this world. Insignificant too, but yes, it had made its mark on me, and hence wouldn't get off, of my mind until I had written and given vent to all that had I had been thinking of about it.

This happened a week or so back, when I had gone to some State Bank of India branch to make the Demand Draft for my next semester fees. Had taken one of those blank forms which you need to apply for the draft, and had carefully filled it with a black ball pen. All well and good. The draft was made. The draft looked good, with BITS Pilani written in the blank that followed "To Pay ", the amount was written below that in figures and words, and everything else, wherever they ought to be.

The wizened old man, who handed over the draft was the typical State Bank employee, with the overflowing oodles of laziness so very evident, all over him, too lazy in fact to even trim the hair that obnoxiously jutted out of his ears. Before passing the draft over the counter, he shot a listless and casual glance at the draft. Perhaps it was the all-caps BITS that caught his attention, but he suddenly drew it back and peered at it intently. Then he grimaced and held it out, asking me "Erm ... excuse me for asking but what is this BITS whom you are paying so much?" The conversation was in Bengali of course, but that was what it meant.

"Huh", I thought to myself, the same question that many an ignorant bloke asked me, whenever the BITS topic was raised. But, I was in a good mood, and so opted to explain "Birla Institute of Technology and Science" to the poor fellow. He gave a grunt and continued with his work. Then however I was aware of a man, a middle aged man, who was staring at me with some sort of inexplicable shock written all over his face. Catching  my eye, he dared to ask, "Birla Institute of Technology and Science". Now whether that was a question, or an assertion or a test of short-term-memory loss I shall never know, but I nodded, deciding that that was the best I could do. The man however continued to stare at me with the shocked expression "You mean, BITS?" . I was again perplexed, and wondered whether this too, was a question, an assertion or maybe a test for a slightly-longer-term memory loss. I nodded again. His incredulous expression was becoming all the more unnerving with the passage of time, and after a short while he gasped "BITS Pilani?".

Now it was getting irritating. I wasn't the President of the United States, but I really didn't have the patience to answer "Yes or No" to each of his questions related to my college. Then however the man seemed to quieten down and asked in a more controlled tone, "Do you study there?" I nodded again, wondering whether he was a long lost senior and would ask me for my Intro. "But," he gasped, "it's a premier institute." OK, he WASN'T a long lost senior and he WOULDN'T ask for my Intro. I nodded again. "But it's difficult!" he continued. I was again perplexed now. More than the person, the alternating feelings his questions invoked were making me feel very weird and out of place. What exactly did he mean by "difficult"? The place? The weather? The desert?

He seemed to have gauged my incomprehension and decided to clarify. "I mean getting in. Isn't it terribly difficult?" Now I seriously felt like LOLing. I was stumped again. Then I slowly answered. 

"Yes, well ... it is through an exclusive exam ... " He interrupted me, and now he was all excited "Yes, the only online exam? Isn't it so? Oh my god! You must be brilliant." 

Now I was doubting myself. "If this is what being BITSian meant, was I up to the mark? I wasn't really the Zeus he thought I was, and BITS, I had no idea had such Mount Olympus like stature to the a general Calcutta citizen, especially with a humongous monstrosity like Jadavpur University around.

After a small amount of trepidation however, I managed to assure the guy that yes "I AM that brilliant :P " and yes, BITS WAS the next best thing to the International Space Station and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and would surely feature as one of the Wonders of the Ancient World a few millenia down the line.  

So, well. That's that. BITSians, if you are reading this, you can raise your collars now. Non BITSians, can ... well ... option a) drool, option b) cry, option c) feel happy for me and d) well post a comment  below :P