Campus Calling: A railway officer chugs along the memory lane and rediscovers life at royal stables

A NUMBER of railway officers have opened their hearts and minds in response to babu blogger’s request for all officers to share their story of campus life at Railway Staff College. Read: “Sorry sir! Life is fun at Railway Staff College, Vadodara” dated August 2, 2009. Here is the byline of Mohan Menon, IRPS and currently chairman, Railway Recruitment Board, Thiruvananthapuram. And the dateline? 13th Feb, 1988, Vadorara. Mr Menon remembers his first day at the campus: When we set foot on Pratap Vilas palace, Lalbagh, Rajeevan and myself were not a pair of greenhorns, but battle-scarred probationers, as it turned out, bankers-turned railway bureaucrats! The old hostel in the 55- acre compound that housed us during the two subsequent years of centralised training, reminded us of the trappings of colonial grandeur when we stepped in those days. However, the hostel caretaker blew away any such misplaced notions or delusions of grandeur. During an informal chat, he disclosed that the "old hostel" housed thoroughbreds from the royal stables, with a disdainful look, which read 'Guys, in place of those horses, you’ve well and truly arrived. …Our PT instructor, a middle-aged man, while physically demonstrating the "oopar Thali bajao" exercise, left enough chinks in the armour, one in which we had to take off from terra firma, with legs spreadeagled like an inverted V and simultaneously bring both hands together, well above shoulders and give a resounding clap. During such graphic demo acts, momentary lapse of alertness let some of the more enterprising guys standing behind, to perform the "houdini act", from prying eyes of the PT master. They used to disappear in to the woods close by the square, with a few peacocks and stray monkeys who bear stoic witnesses to the "great escapades from PT", only to surface at Labha, a small restaurant outside RSC, for a steaming cup of morning tea! An excellent post Mr Menon. I am sure you have made many of your fellow railway babus nostalgic and romantic. I have mere four words to add: Party hard, work harder!

Nominations for Web Ratna Awards to close on 15th August Web Ratna Awards, which recognize those ministries and departments of the Centre and states which have made significant contributions towards the implementation of electronic governance, will close for nominations by next Saturday. Who is eligible: All Central and state government ministries, departments, offices, institutions, district administrations and Indian Missions abroad How to apply: All entries should be submitted online through Web Ratna Awards website http://webratna.india.gov Award Categories Citizen Centric Service Public Participation Initiative Outstanding Web Content Innovative Use of Technology Comprehensive Web Presence-Ministry/Department Comprehensive Web Presence-State Last Date: 15th August, 2009