Every campus has its own life, unique in its traditions, which continue as they are passed down from one generation to another.
Once again, due to a conference scheduled at the Humanities Department, I got a chance to explore it. It’s been over a month since I visited BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus, Rajasthan, and I must say, now and then I keep going back to it, a part of it is due to the lovely people I met there and partly due to the campus, which I fell in love with. I can’t help but praise the vision of G.D. Birla in establishing such a beautiful campus at this place, and the generations that have kept nourishing it. I am happy to relive, if not all, then some of those moments through this blog post.
As the James Thomson building is iconic to IIT Roorkee, the clock tower is iconic to BITS Pilani, where the campus was founded. The clock tower is the centre of the campus auditorium, the institute cafeteria, and a few offices.
How to Reach
- Loharu is the nearest and convenient station if you’re travelling via train. Pilani campus is 24 km and 30 minutes away from here. Both cabs and buses are readily available. The cab charges around Rs. 500-600/- whereas the bus fare is Rs. 30/-
- The bus stop is at walking distance from Pilani. If you’re checking the bus route, search for ‘Pilani Rajasthan.’
- IGI Delhi and Jaipur Airport, both are around 200 km away and both offers a better connectivity to Campus.
What to Explore: Saraswati Temple, Birla Museum, Clock Tower, Library, CP, Looters Cafe, Dominos, All Night Cafe, Nescafé, Various Departments and Hostels, Panchwati (outside campus), Local Sweet Shops for famous Pilani Peda.
Transportation Mode: You’ll find auto-rickshaw @ 20/- though it’s not frequent. I’ll advise troubling your feet.
Nearby Places: Mandawa (65 km); Jhunjhunu (41 km); Bagar (31 km); Shekhawati (111 km)
Stays: Prefer inside the campus.VFAST is one of their guest houses. Hotels are also available.
Note: Pilani is a small town. So there aren’t many things to do around it. Whatever is there is the campus!
Now let’s take explore the campus with me!
1. Sarswati Mandir
Though each temple is an abode of the almighty and holds a significant faith and conviction, Sarswati Mandir, on campus of BITS feels architectural genius. You can begin your trip after taking blessings from here. I still recall walking barefoot on its icy-cold floor in the morning and how earthly it felt. This temple is unique in two ways. The first one, as evident when you step inside that it’s collinear with the clock tower and the statue of G.D Birla. The second is, as pointed by the director of the institute, Prof. Barai Sir, the architecture has the engravings from several religions.
2. Winter Blooms
It’s a lawn in front of Sarswati Mandir, adorned with various species of flora, from where the view of the clock tower is astounding.
3. Birla Museum
Opening hours: 9 AM – 5 PM (Monday Closed)
This museum is home to an aircraft carrier that actually landed back then (you can see the prop-fan in the picture), a luxury car of that time (on the right-hand side of the adjacent building), and the belongings of GD Birla. There is another Birla Education Centre beside it, which was open earlier to visitors but has now been developed into a centre.
One can explore some time here, immersing oneself in science and technology. If you belong to the Arts and Humanities, you might reflect on your choice after visiting this place. A memorial to G.D. Birla is also here, but it’s closed to visitors. A studio is also related to art and painting, but that was in a visitor’s restricted zone.
4. Library
The architecture of the library, together with the institute, is one of a kind. It offers a variety of sitting spaces. Visitors are allowed here; hence, you can spend some time amidst books. Interestingly, I found one related to my area.
5. Clock Tower
After relishing the evening view, with the birds chirping while hiding in the trees and retreating from their evening flight, the twilight illuminating the base of the campus, you wanna come back here once again to see the clock tower and the open-air stage (also known as Rotunda) in front of it, drenched under artificial illumination. The light faintly illuminates only the area needed. You’ll definitely love the soothing time spent here at this hour. It’ll take away the tiredness of the entire day. Also, take a walk on the road in front of the clock tower. The structure is marvellous, so are the feelings. Sit somewhere. Hold someone’s hand. If you’re alone, try to feel your conscience. Gaze at the stars. Do not utter anything. Let the silence communicate!
Apart from these architectures, you can explore departments (make some local contacts), and hostels, whose architectures are also live havelis and not more than a couple of floors. Make sure to visit the Students’ Activity Centre (SAC). We also have one here at IIT Roorkee with a similar title.
Eateries form an important part of any campus for fun, meeting and recreation. Countless nights, several evenings, plans that were made, out of which some became successful, and others remained on the bucket lists, respite from the mess-food, love stories which began here and whatnot! A message hung in my bachelor’s mess said, “The most fondest memories are made on the dining table.” It didn’t specify the location of that table, so let’s assume it’s the eateries on campus.
6. CP of BITS Pilani
A replica of CP, I would say, with only 10 per cent resemblance to Delhi’s CP in terms of architecture. I am not sure whether it’s named after Delhi. However, around 150 metres of the straight road is occupied by Cafes, Restaurants, Stationery and Xerox shops, and general stores. I’ll definitely suggest feeling the ambience at least once. The students start gathering here in the evening, and the ambience is alive until 10-10:30 PM. I once visited in the afternoon only to find it desolate. Though we couldn’t try many dishes, I would recommend Sharma’s Kulhad Hot Chocolate. You can even customise it according to your taste. You’ll be astonished to know that the ice cream milkshake here is called Midnight Beauties (MNBs), and the shops serving those aren’t even open at that time.
7. Looters, Dominos, IDLI and Other Places
If you’re fond of evening snacks, these clusters of cafes around the same place are for you. The ambience of Looters (I kept pronouncing it Lootera) is one-of-a-kind. I didn’t expect a cafe to have such a vibe inside the campus. Though the place is crowded until night, the menu seems more suited to snacking. We checked in here during dinner time, and after glancing through the menu, we sneaked from here to ANC.
And guess what! Dominos is inside the campus. I can’t complain because we’ve got CCD inside our campus. Earlier, IIT Roorkee had a Subway, but it has since closed. I wished to visit the cafe in the evening with my book and read there while sipping coffee. However, due to the engagements in the conference, this wish of mine remained unfulfilled. However, I think there should always be a reason to return to the place. This might be the one for me.
8. ANC and Nescafé
ANC (All Night Canteen) and Nescafé are also major hubs for hanging out. While the former is situated near the main entrance, the latter is near the library. We were stationed at SR Bhawan, and this canteen was in proximity. Hence, we checked in here first and had a sandwich, Maggie and Lemon Tea. They were all great in taste. ANC basically serves as a respite from the mess menu. It’s open throughout the night. So whenever hunger strikes, fly to ANC. Also don’t you think it’ll me ‘meet’ instead ‘meat’ on the banner!
Click here if you are looking for more eateries on campus.
9. Another franchise that surprised me was finding Javed Habib on campus.
10. Panchwati
Opening hours: 9 AM- 5 PM; Monday Closed
It’s the only place outside the campus which I could locate. It’s a park located about 200 metres from the campus. It features statues of mythological figures amid lush landscapes, making it an ideal spot for visitors seeking tranquillity and reflection. I couldn’t visit there since it’s closed on Mondays.
I had to leave the next afternoon after the conference ended. Hence, I asked Pradeep (a conference volunteer and a friend) to lend me his bicycle so I could make better use of my time. Gladly, he did. I went to the nooks and corners of the campus before leaving. There were schools, quarters, parks, departments, sports facilities, and other spots that made the campus enchanting. I’ve collected them in the gallery below. Also, click here to take a virtual tour of the campus.
Not only the campus, but the friends I made here made my visit memorable. The time spent with you all– Madhurya, Vaishnavi, Ritzel, Pallavi and Mitali (we met previously at another conference like this in Jodhpur), singing and strolling on the campus leisurely till late at night, is truly indelible. I don’t know when I will be relishing such feelings. Can’t thank you enough, Pradeep, for being a wonderful host and a friend. Thank you, Swati, for the initial correspondence.
The story of the campus doesn’t end here. You need to visit and see for yourself which aspects of the campus you’ll unveil. Drop a comment if you’ve got any queries, feelings or suggestions.
©Shashank
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