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| THEN - P K Thakur |
FLASH BACK OF ISM DAYS:
When I was young, I could remember everything that had happened and even some things that never happened. Today it is different. My mind has better comprehension but not as well for retention.
The best memory of ISM, of course, is the friends I made and the education I received, which I believe is the best we got in good old days. But the events that had a lasting impact on me are only two: one sad and one happy.
Day of Sadness:
On February 19, 1958, Chinakuri 1 and 2 Mine exploded and one of our alumni died along with 175 miners. The school was closed on the 20th February’1958, to pay respect to the departed souls. I did not know any of the victims but felt very sad for the tragedy and cried. I prayed for knowledge so someday I can eliminate such tragedies in the mines. (You may not know this but I always pray for anything and everything I want in my life; some silly, some very profound.) I made up my mind to get higher education and learn how to get the mine gas out of mines in my year’s to follow.
R K Agrawal, Late D N Thakur and I took summer training in Chinakuri #3 mine in 1959 and planned on getting Ph.D. To this day I rejoice that dream became a reality as all three of us finally did so. Later working in Chinakuri 1 & 2 mines as PGPT, my desires became even stronger. Today I am so happy & thrilled in penning down, that my wishes were fulfilled beyond my wildest dreams & imaginations. Thanks to CONOCO and CONSOL Energy. I have traveled North America and the rest of this world many times teaching and preaching methane drainage to save lives, improve productivity and use the deadly gas for creating revenue for the coal companies.
Day of Happiness:
The second event on happy note happened same year in June’1958, I got married on June 26, 1958! But we began to live together only when I finished my First Class Mine Manager’s Examination (FCC) in 1964 and Meera finished her BA from Ranchi University. As we all know, that the marriage in Northern Bihar is consummated in two parts; the wedding (more like a betrothal) and “Gauna”- official arrival of the bride in her husband’s house. But I used to sneak out with her (as her family & folks lived in Dhanbad) to see a movie and have some ice-cream whenever I could afford it (did not have much money). Some of my classmates knew about it and all had a lot of fun off course at my cost. The ISM school bus always stopped at my in-law’s house on the main road whenever we were going out on mining excursions or other wise. I had to go in and say hello to my folks; it did not matter if Meera was there or was at her school. Prabal Dutta was the biggest trouble-maker. Too bad he is not coming to our Goldie reunion. I wish his wife gets better and they can travel.
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| Me and My Wife |
Meera is my love of life - a true co-traveler on the journey of life. The attached picture shows us at our 50th anniversary. We raised two good kids. Life is good on most days. We still fight for trivial things but on the whole we all know how many wedded couple who would have never fought and that's how love blossoms.
Let me pen down here, as I have unlocked my great school memories, which I am sharing with my mates, by quoting Shakespeare:
"I count myself in nothing else as happy as in a soul remembering my good friends. (Richard, II)"
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| NOW - PK Thakur |
It is hard to even think in my wildest dreams of forgetting our good old school day’s friends, and it’s with that great excitement I have in mind to meet all, yet at Goldie’s reunion of our batch when hopefully we all will share our destinies and our days spent together at school.
God bless ISM!
Pramod K Thakur (61’ Mining)
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