BLOG 11 - PROLOGUE AND MY STRUGGLES WITH ENGINEERING DRAWING AND CALCULUS

Academically - for an Engineering College - I was a weak student, having finished schooling in a medium which, later, I discovered was of a lower standard than Matriculation or SSLC. I realised I had made the grade for DMET selection on the basis of good English, good General Knowledge and and a sturdy knowledge of Mathematics. I have to thank my 10th and 11th Maths teacher for a good foundation. I was also naturally inclined towards Mathematics, which was further nurtured by Prof. Natarajan during my Pre University days.

In later years, I found that what I studied in Second and Third Year DMET, was what my sons studied in 9th and 10th Standards, under a CBSE medium.

Without a doubt, the average Engineering Graduate of DMET / MERI of today has very good theoretical knowledge. In my last decade at sea - 1998 to 2008 - I came across many of them. They were wizkids on computers but, sad to say, lacked the fundamental skills which we had learnt during our days as apprentices in Marine Workshops. I can give several examples, but I will decline, as they proved to be very good engineers after they had been with me for 3 or more months.

I was recently talking to a 2020 passed out engineering cadet, who had been searching for a job for more than a year. They do not attend Marine Workshops, only the College Workshop, so they cannot be blamed.

The exception to this were the cadets from Cochin Shipyard - they fitted right in.

Blog 11 - "Marine Musings 3"

Chapter 6 - My monumental struggle with Engineering Drawing, Calculus

One of the few things I observed during the first three months was that all you had to do was get passing grades in all subjects and, at the end of 4 years, all will join shipping companies as a Fifth Engineer with the same pay, with the same chances of promotion up the ladder.

(The same is not true today, as quite a number do not find employment even after a year of having passed out).

I was at a severe disadvantage in academics, as most of my batch mates had studied in CBSE schools, whereas my Anglo Indian High School Certificate was a mere paper, as the Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry standards were very low as compared to the knowledge my batch mates had. So, I struggled with Calculus and a couple of other subjects.

I dreaded Engineering Drawing, as it was the first time I came across fundamentals such as Projections, End Views and Plan Views. My Drawing lecturer never bothered to explain the fundamentals. A few months down the line, he went on leave and the Senior Lecturer in Drawing, the late Mr. Agnihotri started taking our Drawing classes. During his second class he stood beside my drawing board for an inordinately long period of time and finally, quietly, said “Come and see me in the evening after class”. That evening he asked me whether I had done any drawing in school. I frankly told him I had not and was, now, struggling to understand the basics of Engineering Drawing. He said not to worry and asked me to see him after workshop or after classes every day.

Using a pencil, he taught me Projections. Using a duster and a flower vase, he taught me to imagine the different views. A light came on in my brain. A massive window opened, much before the advent of Microsoft. A week later, after just seven hours, he said ‘Go on, you have the fundamentals’. Although I never topped the class in Engineering Drawing – there were some great experts in my batch – I managed to get 50% to 60% from then on.

My batch mate, Roy Chowdhry reigned supreme in Drawing, while other exceptionally good students could only thump their chests and yell "I'll beat him next time". Four years passed with the same cry reverberating in the hostel corridors.

Had it not been for those seven hours with Mr. Agnihotri and later, in 3rd and 4th year he would take our Drawing classes, I don’t think I would have passed my Fourth Year nor passed the 2nd Class Part ‘A’ exam conducted by the Ministry of Transport and Shipping (known as MOT exams), which is the first stepping stone to a seafaring career as an Engineer. The Fourth Year Engineering Drawing exam was the toughest I have faced, and so was it for 80% of my batch mates. 3 views in 6 hours of a pretty complicated part. Whew!!! I managed a decent 58%. A heartfelt “Thank You” to the late Mr. Agnihotri. I remember him in my prayers every Amavasya, when we pay homage to our ancestors.

In contrast, the MOT Part ‘A’ Drawing paper was a piece of cake as we had to do only 2 views in 6 hours of a more simple part.

Calculus and Mechanics became easier because of my batch mate and workshop mate, Ashok Kumar Sharma. Such a brilliant brain. After a few days of getting to know him and his brilliance, I realised that his only handicap was a sound knowledge of English. We made a pact – he would teach me any academic subject and I would teach him to speak English well. Both of us kept up our pact till we passed out of College. I am sure he would also remember those days with fondness in his heart. He remains my “Guruji” till date. Typically, he shunned the stage for the President's Gold Medal, preferring a quiet life.

In my Final Year, when the 40 cadets from Bombay joined the 60 in Calcutta, we were staying in the Senior Hostel, 10 in each wing, separate cabins. I was lucky enough to find myself close to another batch mate of mine, Thomas Varghese of the Kotakuzhial House. He was another genius and he spent a lot of his time guiding me through the Final Year academics. Full of hidden potential, he preferred to stay away from the limelight and kept away from the rat race of the President’s Gold Medal. I, of course, was never a contender, with my more relaxed, happy-go-lucky, fun loving attitude and character.

I somehow took to subjects like Thermodynamics, Strength of Materials, Metallurgy, Electricity and the like with ease. Although I never excelled in any of them, I did enough to ensure a good 50 to 60% mark. Looking back, I could have excelled in them had I studied harder, which I was not inclined to do. But, a good knowledge of these subjects provided me with many an insight when faced with problems at sea, at a much later period.

===== Please await Blog 12 =====