The other day it was convocation time here at IIT Kanpur, where I teach. The institute, the students, faculty, and all the guests who came were all dressed up in twinkling lights and smiles. An outgoing batch was to be congratulated, given some life advice, and finally their degrees.
My department head gave me a rather hurried call just the evening before “Adhip, there is a possibility that some of us may have to attend the formal programme sitting in the first few rows in the main auditorium – would you be able to sit there?’
Apart from my inability to stay awake during formal speeches, the main worry here was to find a clean and presentable set of clothes that I could wear for the occasion. My treasure hunt for a clean kurta in my apartment did lead to finding one - the only problem was that it was wrinkled beyond recognition. As you might be aware, wearing a wrinkled dress to a formal event, such as a convocation, could be considered a crime. So it was that at close to midnight, I switched on my ironing machine and decided to give my kurta a makeover.
