Ajay Kumar Pandey, fondly referred to as ‘Pandeyji’ by the BITSians, is the owner of ‘Mayur Paan Bhandar’ at C’Not. Being the shop owner for more than 40 years, he has seen generations of students come and go, which allowed him to view the way campus changed over the years. The English Press Club sat down with him to discuss his life at BITS.

‘Mayur Paan Bhandar’ was originally established by Pandeyji in the 1980s. He opened the shop without any financial aid or assistance from campus authorities. When asked about his experience during the lockdown, PandeyJi described it as a difficult financial period. The shop was completely closed as per the guidelines issued by the Rajasthan Government, refraining the faculty as well as the PhD students residing on campus from using its amenities. The alumni contacted him to offer support; however, he did not require it, stating that he was able to cope with those times by being patient. 

Pandeyji’s nephew helps him run the shop while he tries to manage minute things, such as rearranging the shop along with the chairs and cleaning the area. When asked about his family, he said he has three children, all of whom he helps financially through his business. Two of his sons are engineering graduates, and one of them has an MBA degree.

Being an integral part of the campus and the BITSian social life, he has seen tremendous changes in and around the campus. He believes that the campus has improved significantly, owing to improvements in infrastructure and faculty. According to him, the closeness and affection from the students was much pronounced earlier, akin to a family. In contrast to this, for the past decade, students have distinguished themselves more on the basis of a shopkeeper–customer relationship.

Whenever the alumni return to campus, they fondly recall the memorable times they shared there. Pandeyji states that most of the alumni, though US-based, have not forgotten their manners and humility, asking regularly if the shop needs any help. He recalls never getting into an argument or fight with a student or faculty member in his 40 years of service.

When asked about his involvement in the celebrations and festivals on campus, Pandeyji said that he is always invited to attend such events. During APOGEE 2022, the director also honoured him on stage. The increase in the number of people on campus during the various festivals also leads to a substantial increase in his sales.

Pandeyji observed that the number and scale of cultural activities and celebrations like Holi, Durga Pooja, and Ganesh Chaturti have reduced over the years. He believes that this decline started several years ago, around 2007 or 2008, and associates it with the sudden increase in the tuition fees after that point.

According to him, this also led to fewer customers coming to C’Not on a daily basis. He says that back then, even though the number of students on campus was much lower, C’Not used to be full all day long. He fondly remembers a time when the crowds were so large that people had to sit on the walls of C’Not while they waited for their orders. At the end of the day, he would sometimes have to close the shop with a promise to the remaining customers that he would serve them the next day.

Though he admits that his business has been affected by these factors, he cherishes all the wonderful memories and relationships he has been able to build over the years and is optimistic about the future of the campus and people like him who rely on it for their livelihood.