Kanpur Coaching Days

Within a radius of one kilometer, Kakadeo is the hub of the coaching mandi for JEE, MBA, Medical, etc having at least 20-30 coaching institutes. The classes are run by individuals teaching a single subject with a completely one-man show. Few people object to the name 'mandi' but it's like a fish market only. Coaching Mandi is the perfect name for it because the teachers are earning the butter, not bread for them. When you go for admissions, people try to admit you to their institute with false advertisements and lucrative trial offers. It's altogether a mandi in which every teacher just wants students' admission, not in JEE, but in their institute. It was an urban legend that girls were used to seduce boys for admission in a few coaching centers. I and my friends tried in vain to find such lethal hunting beauties. My encounter with coaching mandi begins with JEE preparation.

Nalanda Hotel, Pamela Restaurant, Agra sweet house were my favorite places there. For others, love chaat of Hanuman chaat near Agarwal's (chemistry coaching) & search friends shop for cards. It was fun for coaching students to sit on the bike and have malai wali chai in winter after coaching classes. But to stalk beautiful girls with few appreciating words was favorite time pass of each boy. Now in Kakadev CCD's coffee, mandal ke momos or rock'n'roll 's patties are more popular. The lover point from JK temple has now changed to Rave Kakadeo. Time changes everything and makes you feel nostalgic about the past.

With my friends, I was engaged in various gossip ranging from academic degrees of coaching teachers to the ill-treatment of regular batch students by teachers. Fiercely debated discussion about the history of the expulsion of Ajay sir from IITK, the cheating scandal of Vishnoi sir at ITBHU, and the bank balance of Pankaj sir. I was in the league of those who wrath on Pankaj sir for giving no credit to Nirmal sir despite his sincere efforts. One of my best friends was dead sure that Pamela's restaurant was named after Pamela Anderson (most decent photo) (why my friend likes her is self-explanatory). I always pray that 'Barb Wire' or 'Baywatch' star one day makes her presence in this part of the world for sightseeing.

Scenario Inside Classroom:

Getting Inside and capturing seats in the coaching centers was like a mission impossible. The toughest arena of the Kakadev region was chemistry classes by Pankaj Agrawal. There was always a small queue of 600 students arranged before class from the stairs to a small room on the first floor. We may have to wait for about 20 minutes before we enter the class. There was literally no place to stand & people all pushing over you from all sides. People at the back would push the whole line forward and people in front would push it backwards. The whole line starts oscillating in simple harmonic motion. If by the great grace of God, you are captured in the middle, then pray hard that you remain OK to attend the class. Even one of the most intense physical exercises would not give better health than the exercise you get in this short span of 20 minutes. If not blood, then the sweat on clothes was enough signature of our struggle in the class. The 'staff' control rather tries to control the crowd with the additional responsibility of checking the I-card & checking unauthorized intruders.

Now the grand entry begins, a much enthusiastic crowd of film premier would be ashamed of the rush. The young Janta runs like hell, jumping over and under the railings, not caring for their life. Such scenes are rare to watch when students want to sit in front seats just to attend class. Somehow each time we crawl into the classes. Then, the saga of reserving seats for friends begins which can take a bloody end between young guns. The most difficult job for boys was to get to the next bench of the girl's row. Great battles have been fought for such issues between student gangs. It's no exaggeration but beauty Sensex declines gradually from the 12th batch to the regular batch and least in the ranker batch. It was amazing for us to stand on the edge of the desk and lean at angles extending up to 10 degrees for synchronizing his facial expression with his voice! What amazing balance we used to have to breathe and study in the crowded coaching rooms. The assignment sheets were full of questions that were distributed and mostly put in our register as a symbol of archaeological preservation. I have seen that even the toughest question of the sheet was done by some ingenious bastard. You get to know about amazing alien minds that few humans in your class only, possess. The thorough discussion with different styles by each teacher will be discussed in the coming post.

Till 2003, the classroom was non-AC. It was very hard to listen and involve in class after 2 hours. Then after the shout of 'bas bas' ,the important questions for JEE began to be discussed by teachers in all coaching centers at last moments. And, finally, the class was over after 3 hours. It was like more people running to the gate someway as they had entered, enthusiastically. They run as if they had been tortured in prisons for centuries...

I retreat slowly and still remember me gazing image of Celina Jaitley on Janasheen poster at Devaki Theater....Uff!!! Nostalgia revisited and more will be coming... For information of readers, On Orkut, you could even find fans of Shuklain, the lady who manages the vehicle stand of Pankaj sir.

PS: Thanks to Orkut and blogs for a few minor data. Any good photos of the coaching mandi, please send me ASAP.