RPrint
Issue # 1 Editor: Savi Kumar Jain
Journal Secy: Kanhaiya Agarwal
From the Journal Secy’s Desk:
Hi! This is the first issue of RPrint for this academic session. I’ll constantly try to make further issues more interesting. Suggestions are always invited from any of the boarders of the hall for improvement. Articles are invited for future issues of RPrint. Articles are also invited for Arpian, 2007.
You can drop the article in my room, D-208, or can e-mail it at
rphall.journal@gmail.com
Parched With Thirst I’m Dying……
Fauja Singh was a nice man, a man of good extraction and a fair fortune. He owned a five acre land which was put under cultivation in Kot Ramshah, a far flung village in the dry and dusty district of Multan. It was a small village, seldom busy with nearly a thousand inhabitants. It was dry for most part of the year and exhibited fairly extreme weather with mercury soaring as high as 49 degrees Centigrade during the months of June and July. A narrow dusty road, 38kms long, linked the village to the district headquarters of Multan. The village was also connected to a rather small town of Roshan Raiwala 19kms from Kot Ramshah.A village bus shuttled between Roshan Raiwala and Multan passing through the village once a week.
The most precious thing in the village was water. Fauja Singh’s great grandfather had dug a well in the precinct of his home. After hundred years, this was the only well that sustained water throughout the year. Fauja Singh had made that family well open for all. He used to say that his greatest satisfaction lied in bringing solace to a thirsty person. In due course of time, he became famous for his obligation. The village bus would always stop by the well so that the passengers could relax for some time.
September 2, 1947.
Amidst a fracas at platform 2 of Multan Cantt. Railway station, Fauja Singh was waiting anxiously with his two sons, for Multan-Lahore Express. From Lahore he had to board a Amritsar bound passenger train. Amidst the torpid conditions with a somber expression on his face, Fauja Singh finally bade farewell to the place where his ancestors had stayed for ages. At half past seven in the morning, the train rolled into the platform. Thousands of people flocked into the railway compartment, pushing each other until not a single inch of space was left. Thousands of people boarded on the roof of the train. Fauja Singh clutching his two sons by his side, pushed through the crowd and fortunately found some space .Tears rolled down his eyes as the train left. His wife had been abducted a week before. All attempts to find her went in vain. With extreme helplessness and gloom, he boarded the train. The miseries of the people in the train were beyond the limit of human endurance. A 10yr old boy cried with pain as blood continued to flow down from both his chopped arms. There were parents with lost children and children with lost parents. Four hours later the train reached Jhang railway station, where the situation was no better, if not worse. For the last two days neither Fauja Singh nor his two sons had been able to manage even a single glass of water. The temperature was soaring as high as 43 degrees. Amazingly and unfortunately, that year was very dry and the glaring heat of the sun only brought more miseries to those ill-fated people. His younger son Diler Singh was growing restless with thirst till they finally reached Lahore. As the train left Shekhupura, the condition of Diler Singh deteriorated. He started vomiting out of dehydration. A little later, he lost his consciousness. He had grown pale and thin. Parched with thirst and pain he lied there dying.
Suddenly the train halted, amidst the green fields, Fauja Singh saw a well at some distance. He took Diler in his arms, jumped out of the compartment and rushed towards the well. Meanwhile Arjan Singh, his elder son stayed behind in the Railway compartment. As Fauja Singh pulled out a bucket of water from the well , a group of assailants emerged from behind the tall sugarcane grasses carrying swords and clubs. Before Fauja Singh could do anything,he was beheaded in a single blow. As Arjan saw his father falling down, the train started moving. Arjan rushed to get out of the compartment to save his younger brother but other fellow passengers did not allow him to do so. With extreme desperation and shock, he sank into oblivion. - Somnath
Snippets
1. 'Illu' is just around the corner and the tempo is running high in the residents of the hall, specially the 2nd years. This year, nothing can stop us from regaining our lost glory (assuming the judges do not 'makhao') A special mention to Shobhit's 'poltu' music collection, which makes working for 'illu' all the more entertaining, apart from the ‘bhaat’ sessions and the occasional treats.
2. We have performed reasonably well in the sports events so far (Sports has always been our forte). Even without the likes of Niket and Anirban this year, we managed a bronze in Inter Hall Water Polo (how?). Inter Hall 6km fetched us Silver. Open IIT Tennis, Volley and TT have just started. Our team is already in the semis in Hockey although Open IIT Basketball was a disappointment, what with the stellar performance last year.
3. In the inter hall Tech Quiz we got a bronze.
4. Our performance in the Soc n Cult events has been no less convincing. With a Gold and Silver in Open IIT 'Collaging' and a Bronze in 'Thermocol Modeling', we proved our mettle in Fine Arts. Our dramatics team fetched Silver in Open IIT English Drams with the 'Best Actor' going to Nangto. We also got individual Gold in Open IIT English Creative Writing. Let us hope that we perform equally well in the Inter Halls.
5. 'Online Mess Card System' (thanks to KD) and 'Butter Rotis' have ensured RP's mess a position amongst the best in the institute, what with people from other halls queuing up in our mess (Chauhan's dream finally coming true!!). This, with Rocky's 'bhelpuri' and 'juice counter' and Carlos' specialties has made RP a paradise for the gourmet (read, people like Anindya). A relief from the days of 'Monkai'(2nd years, ask seniors to elaborate).
Thought for the week:
"Enthusiastic people are the ones who actually get things done in this world. Enthusiasm is what turns any idea into reality. And enthusiasm is linked closely with happiness."
‘Illu’ Tit-Bits
Have a glimpse on how people enjoy while working together for illumination.
· Shreesh missing no chance to pull Shobhit’s legs and sometimes even more J.
· Imagine Anindya having a competition with ‘Nunnu’ in climbing the poles in Carlos.
· Arya dancing centre-stage, tuning to the ‘antique’ collection of songs by Shobhit.
· Not to mention the tempo fights with RK Hall, which as of now have become a tradition.
· Non stop PJs by Hari Om and Shobhit. The standard of the PJs are actually very high.
Nevertheless amidst the fun and frolic there is serious work going on for illu. It’s wonderful having so many people coordinating under one roof for one purpose.
RPtude is everything
YO - RP
Mahalaya Treat 2006
-Ritesh Agarwal
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