Dr. Surekha Bhanot, a professor from the department of Electronics and Instrumentation and the long-standing warden of Meera Bhawan, holds a distinctive honour in BITSian history – she was the first female to graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Institute. Dr. Bhanot (batch of 1979) has been actively involved in Institute affairs since her graduation – she was a teaching assistant and assistant professor in the Instrumentation department from 1979 to 1983, after which she moved to Thapar University. She returned to BITS Pilani in 2002, and has been teaching here since.

Dr. Bhanot has witnessed BITSian culture morph over the decades into what it is today. She has experienced life on campus, first as a student, then a teaching assistant, and now as a hostel warden and a professor. According to her, the greatest differences in college experience between her time here as a student and now, are due to the technological and scientific advancements in society. The improvements in campus facilities, upliftment of infrastructure, and expansion projects have significantly changed the face of the campus.

She noted that in recent years the number, size, and importance of clubs and departments has risen sharply, along with the hype associated with joining them. As a student, Dr. Bhanot was a member of the Creative Activities Club (CrAC) and enjoyed clay moulding and painting. It was around this time, that Music Club had established its presence with a small group of talented musicians that engaged BITSians, without instrumental support. The early versions of Music Nite were an intimate affair – popular student musicians played for crowds deeply involved with the lyrics and delivery of the
music.

Oasis had been the only college fest during Dr. Bhanot’s college days – the week-long fest would involve blockbuster performances from eminent artists, just as it does today. Certain events like ‘Just a Minute’ (JAM) and Mr. BITS were very popular. Street Play had been a major crowd-puller in the 70s, with performers from the Delhi University delivering engaging performances on social issues. According to Dr. Bhanot, the plays acted as an important medium to spread messages to the masses. She felt that the essence of Street Plays has been missing in recent years, while agreeing that the Oasis event does its part to continue the legacy. The Auditorium concerts of classical musicians such as Ravishankar and Bismillah, Hemant Kumar and Manna Dey would create tremendous hype amongst the BITSian crowd, recalled Dr. Bhanot.

Often, these artistes would do repeat performances on consecutive nights, simply due to the crowd demand. She used this example to draw a key difference in the business-like mentality of performers today, who charge the Student Union significant sums of money and perform for a limited time. According to Dr. Bhanot ongoing trends are some of the strongest indicators of how society has changed. She observed that in recent years, Street Dance has become a popular event, with contemporary dance groups performing to fusion music. While she reiterated that it was important to stay in touch with modern practices and preferences, she felt that it was equally important to stay true to core cultural values.

Dr. Bhanot felt that the student experience had changed vastly from her time as a  student. Being a day scholar, she used to invite friends to her house for tea and they would spend several evenings relaxing outdoors. Students would visit the homes of professors and interact with them on a personal level, which created a unique teacher-student bond. However, she also drew parallels between the two generations, with students and teachers still getting together to celebrate Onam, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Durga Puja.

She then proceeded to highlight some of the salient features of academic life when she was a student. Before a strike that changed the nature of admissions, students weren’t assigned a branch while taking admission. A student would only know the specific branch of engineering in their third year of study, based on a system that weighed in academic performance and interest. She added that this would not be possible to implement in today’s world where placements and salary packages dictate the actions of the masses. Teaching had been blackboard-based, and the lack of internet created a culture of studying in the library, where access to a diverse range of books honed students’ scholarly intellect.

In parting, Dr. Bhanot had a piece of advice for students — she believed that with students being burdened by stress, anxiety, peer pressure, and expectations, it was necessary to manage time well and engage in physical activity regularly. She felt that with students increasingly becoming prone to internet addiction and substance abuse, it was important for all the key players in students’ lives—teachers, friends, and even seniors—to come together and create an atmosphere of support.