The Gender Monopoly

It was the golden jubilee celebration in a prestigious institution and the engineers who passed out 50 years ago, including my husband, had an emotional and joyful time reminiscing their good old days in the campus.

As a part of the big celebration a concert by the super singers was in full swing. As soon as the instruments began to play a particular tune the gang which could identify that song rose to a big uproar of appreciation. I turned around to look for some hooligans among the 70+year’s oldies who had gathered there but that was not to be…..it was a gang of young girls, the budding engineers who had come to watch the free show in the open theatre and mind you….it was not boys who were responsible for this uproar!

During the dinner time the prime topic of discussion was the monopolization of the campus by the girls. One of the granddaughters studying in grandpa’s college shared with us the information that in any college function or tournament it is the girls who are the cheer leaders and the boys indeed seem to take a back seat! 

“Lucky girls…..” I said. “When I was doing the UG in a one horse town boasting of a single college prestigiously known as the ‘Cambridge of South India’ we   were prisoners rather than college students! We had no right to move around in that sprawling campus. We had no right to sit under the trees on the banks of River Kaveri and enjoy the cool breeze! As we entered the college through the pedestrian bridge over Kaveri our companions should be girls in the absence of which it should be a quick stride with the head bowed down. This was our protective first circle!

There were two rooms adjacent to the principal’s office, one for the few lady lecturers who accidentally land up in the place due to compulsory transfers and the next bigger one is for the students! Our duty was to contain ourselves in the ladies room and be in the protective circle of the principal!

For flag hoisting and assembly sessions we ladies would line up in the veranda front of our rest room while the boys filled the lawns!

If ever any one happened to see a handful of ladies standing outside a class it should be understood that it was no punishment but rather a waiting time for the lecturer to enter the class……. Can’t believe it? But that was the truth! Girls were not supposed to enter the class till the lecturer walked in! The row of desks at the corner closest to the entry door was reserved for the ladies and any extra seats in that row were forbidden for the boys! Second and third protective circles! At the end of the lecture the girls would walk out of the class first. It was part and parcel of the lecturer’s the duty to make sure that the girls left the place before him.  Fourth protective circle from another angle!

And as we changed classes every hour this ritual was followed with passion!

And thus our modesty was thoroughly protected by the college authorities”

As I ended the story, everyone laughed out except the one who declared that she had an even sadder story than mine as a zealous student.

“Today I have come to this institution as a spouse of an engineer having completed his studies 50 years ago. But I came to this same institution 50 years back with the record creating marks in my PUC with a great passion to do my engineering. But my application was rejected on a very frivolous excuse that I was a girl.  I didn’t want to take this ‘no’ lying down.  I met the principal and told him about my ardent desire to do the engineering course.

“But this is just for boys my dear “he explained

“Then show me an engineering college for women. While there is an arts college meant for women and a home science college for the same gender….. Where can I go and satisfy my great passion of becoming an engineer” one of the wife of my husband's classmate expressing her frustration in the 1960s.

“But why do you want to take up engineering. The purpose of getting a degree is to have good catch in the marriage market. Go for home science and become a very good home maker and you may prove to be a good daughter in law.” said the principle of the engineering college to her.

“Did you quietly listen to him?”

“I was very upset and angry…. But couldn’t give expression to it lest I lose my ultimate goal. So I continued

“Sir take the other professional course, medicine… where members of both gender study together. Is not engineering an equally prestigious and a professional one?”

“My dear girl I don’t have any answer to your clever arguments but think of my position. I don’t even have separate toilet for you……. I don’t even have a room where you can eat your lunch, I don’t even have a lady lecturer to whom you can confide and most of all I have to appoint a security specially for you who can safe guard you from this teaming young and energetic men……… moreover the constitution of the college had to be amended to let you in and I can vouch for the conservative nature of the board which would be responsible for this amendment. Can you please save me from all these tribulation?”

It was a passionate request to her from the man with folded hands.

We were eager to know how the story ended!

“I had no other option than to join an arts college and it was Midas’ touch for me throughout the college days and was a star student and I proved my prowess in the banking sector and till today act as a consultant”

“You seem to be having an interesting time throughout your career my dear…. I can tell from my man that engineering is not all as that exciting as yours! You are lucky that you were refused a seat. Instead of spending your days with machines and the likes you had served people well “The spouse of an engineer who had moved with her man and his machines till he retired thus beautifully closed the discussion on this subject!