For the students here at BITS Pilani, the campus they know today seems like a constant. Its various buildings, facilities, festivals, and eye-catching structures, such as the Clock Tower and the Saraswati Temple, form an integral part of student life. Yet the campus has not always been this way. Ever since its establishment in 1964, it has undergone significant changes, greatly altering not only its environment but also the everyday experiences of its students and faculty.
To gain a deeper perspective on these changes, the English Press Club sat down with Professor Sangeeta Sharma, one of our oldest and most beloved veterans. Over the course of her decades-long affiliation with our institute, first as a student and later as an esteemed faculty member, she has witnessed the campus evolve in several ways.
Professor Sangeeta Sharma recalled how much smaller and greener the campus was when she first arrived back in 1984. The New Academic Building (NAB) had not yet been constructed, and a large open ground stood in its place. The ground served as a playing field for students, a route between Krishna and Budh Bhawans, and the primary venue for Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations. She noted that there were very few vehicles on campus, other than the Director’s Ambassador, while almost everyone else generally moved around the campus on bicycles.
Student life back then was largely shaped by the absence of the internet and social media. Professor Sangeeta Sharma explained that students spent their free time in their hostels, in classes, with clubs or departments, or on other campus activities. Communication was slower too, with notice boards across all the faculty divisions (FD-1, FD-2, and FD-3), as well as the notice boards on messes, playing an important role in keeping students informed. She added that organising events involved distributing pamphlets around campus, and last-minute changes were difficult to communicate.
Some of the more unusual aspects of campus life were similarly different. Professor Sangeeta Sharma remembered the old ‘gate call’ system, under which the chowkidaar would announce over a microphone when a male student had come to meet a student in Meera Bhawan. The announcement could be heard by other students in the hostel, making it difficult to keep such visits private. She also recalled Mrs Meera Banerjee, the warden of Meera Bhawan at the time, who would call her a ‘trespasser’ every time she came to visit her friends, as she was a day scholar and not a resident. She noted that wardens exercised considerably more authority at the time and were far stricter than they are today.
The relationship between students and faculty has changed as well. Professor Sangeeta Sharma remembered a much greater distance between the two, with professors commanding an almost intimidating level of respect and authority. Today, she appreciates the greater openness between students and faculty, with students being able to approach their teachers more freely.
The fests also provide another window into this transformation. The cultural fest, OASIS, was an all-day affair back in the day, with events beginning around 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning. Events such as sports, clay modelling, street plays, and fashion parades would fill the schedule. Professor Sangeeta Sharma recounted taking part in OASIS from 1984 to 1988 and rarely saw students leave campus during the festival. She also remembered playing basketball at the first edition of BOSM back in 1986, including an incident where she accidentally shot the ball into the wrong basket — an embarrassing moment she now recalls with amusement.
Professor Sangeeta Sharma identified gliding as one of her favourite campus activities and recalled becoming the first woman on campus to obtain a gliding pilot licence. She would arrive at the facility as early as 4:00 or 5:00 AM to secure the first flights. She also remembered swimming here at BITS, although both the swimming pool and gliding club have since closed. Other aspects of campus life, such as the redis and the Birla Museum, have also changed over time.
Looking back, Professor Sangeeta Sharma missed the greenery, the quietness, the simplicity, and the teachers, among many other things. At the same time, she acknowledged the opportunities and greater openness available to the students today. She encouraged current BITSians to make full use of the facilities and opportunities on campus, noting that they may not always remain available. For her, the changes across the past few decades serve as a reminder that every generation experiences a different BITS Pilani, and that students should make the most of the campus while it is theirs.