My childhood in IVRI, Izatnagar

We are reproducing a write up of Mrs Shyamali Dutta, elder daughter of late Dr S C Dutt  . The article expresses feelings of a daughter towards his renowned father as well as the atmosphere of IVRI during fifties.

My childhood in IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute ) Izatnagar ,Bareilly, India seems like a distant dream. Now as I try to recollect those days, I get nostalgic. Those delightful childhood memories are coming afresh – as the sight of flowers in the wild or the sound of chirping birds at dawn. A dream so far away and yet so fresh as yesterday. Sometime in 1959 or so, we moved inside the IVRI campus from Bareilly city. My first impression was that of a neat and well planned campus, long roads with no traffic those good old days. Pollution was something unheard of in IVRI. It resembled to some extent, those cantonment areas which became my abode later in life, when I got married to a doctor from the Indian army. There was greenery in plenty – huge trees, green lawns surrounded by varieties of flowers and the bungalows having large plots, sometimes with lush green wheat crops swaying with the wind. It was an ideal place for children to play and roam about in bicycles along the roads. Jamun trees used to be a source of delight for the children, with the ground covered with ripe fruits during rainy seasons. A huge jackfruit tree in our backyard was a source of incredibly sweet and aromatic jackfruits – which were shared with neighbors and friends.

 There used to be sporting events quite often where everyone from adults to children were encouraged to participate. All types of races, specially three-legged race, sack race and musical chairs for the parents used to provide plenty of entertainment, whereas flat races were more or less the domain of Deepali and Shyamali Dutt. During Badminton tournaments, sister Deepali and brother Shekhar were steady partners. Deepali was the champion (women) while Dr. Rangnekar was the champion in men’s category. Mrs. D.P. Mukerjee (aunty) was a strong and stylish player despite her heavy frame. Cultural activities were given a lot of encouragement and importance in IVRI. Regular staging of Puppet shows and Ramleela used to be the crowd puller for children. A funny act which I remember vividly, during a Ramlila show, was when Laxman fell unconscious after being hit by Meghanad’s (Indrajeet )arrow, Ram and the rest got so worried as Hanuman was not available that day to fetch the ‘Sanjeevani Buti’. Suddenly one of the actors shouted “Arre, koi Dr.Joshi se APC le aao”, as the audience laughed to their hearts content. Dr. Joshi, the then medical officer, IVRI, was very fond of prescribing APC for most of the common ailments. Rabindra Jayanti, Poila Baisakh (Bengali New Year) and Saraswati Puja were other cultural events though Bengali but equally participated and enjoyed by most of the residents. Mother was very fond of recitation and other literary activities. She and others like Dr. S.L. Mukerjee and Mrs. Mukerjee guided the children to participate in recitation, dramas and dance-dramas. Mrs. D.P. Mukerjee (aunty) was famous in IVRI, for her excellent singing. For Vijaya sammelan, Holi & Diwali, mother used to prepare delicious sweets at home which everyone enjoyed. Even those days, many of the ladies took active participation in Ladies Club activities.

 As children we were all familiar with the scientific atmosphere at IVRI. Nutrition, Genetics, Poultry, Parasitology , Snails, Guinea Pigs and even Schistosomes were part of our common lingo. Father had created a tiny “poultry farm” with ‘Deep Litter’ system, in a corner of our courtyard. The white leghorn hens were ten in number, all given a name. A couple of names were borrowed from classics of Tagore and Sarat Chandra, which my elder brother Shekhar and I had been reading during those days. It was my duty to collect eggs everyday. I used to carefully write the name and date (of hatching) on the eggshells. The brooding season was in the peak of summer when the egg output depleted. Otherwise daily one egg per hen, used to be the output. The birds were healthy and playful but later a couple of them got inflicted with uterine cancer and we cried as we lost them . There are so many childhood memories but I shall conclude with one that is most vivid and exciting. We had a thrilling experience of the visit of our Prime Minister Nehru along with visiting heads of the USSR – Khrushchev and Bulganin. Many of us were given leaflets with these inscriptions to memorize and chant loudly as the VIPs arrived ; later as the visitors were about to pass through the main road after their brief visit, Amar the best friend of my brother Shekhar, brought out his telescope to get a closer view. After a suspenseful wait, Amar then Shekhar had their chance. Finally my turn came , and the only view I could catch was a fleeting glimpse of Nehru’s pink nose. That was a great sight and my most exciting moment …. from my childhood memories of IVRI . F