The Hindu Business Line : Pappi and the biobull

After what happened to Kaavya's Opal not long ago, it may be natural if you veer clear of books by students. But this one seems different: "Anything for you, ma'am: An IITian's love story," by Tushar Raheja (www.raheja.org) , from Srishti.

Meet Tejas, the hero studying industrial engineering in IIT-Delhi, very much like the author. He is deeply in love with Shreya in Chennai. He is desperate about meeting her. "I have many options," he tells her over the phone. It could be `industrial tour' or inter-IIT meet, down South.

Plotting and planning happens, even as a boring lecture on `significance of solar energy' is in progress. Easy to chat in the class, one learns, because the professor is `both long and short-sighted', blissfully cut off from all extracurricular activities - such as `couples getting cosy', and `wild boys aiming missiles at each other'.

You can't miss professor P.P. Sidhu, alias Pappi. The coolest professor in IIT Delhi, informs Tejas. "Just keeps busy with his work and doesn't mind students bunking or talking." One of his projects is `pneumatic linear double sided anti rotation tubeless air transfer cylinder'. It seems this was to be installed in a breakthrough bus to run on biogas.

"Often a problem with writing novels is that one has to follow a theme," rues Tushar in page 181. "One can't stray here and there too much or else he'll be called directionless, incoherent and all those adjectives that only critics have knowledge of." Therefore, he `painfully' deletes incidents, `no matter how interesting'. Such as `some really amusing things' that happened on the train journey from Delhi. "They can of course be produced separately as `A Treasure Trove of Train Tales," promises the author.

Enter Chennai to watch puja by professors and students for `the splendidly shining green Biobull'. With eyes closed and muttering a prayer, Prof Iyer tells the driver Pandey, `Turn the keys slowly.'

After the key is turned, the engine roars and roars and then goes `Phusss... '. Iyer takes charge and turns the key as slow as he can and the engine comes to life, and the bus starts moving. The only drawback with Biobull was the speed limit, as a result of which rickshaws and cycles could overtake the bus.

Good to chug along!

SayCheek@TheHindu.co.in