I passed my High School Leaving Certificate Examination (Class X Examination) in the year 1973 with a second division from Ramakrishna Mission Highs School, Cherrapunji. Now the challenge was to get admitted into a college. But colleges were not available in Cherrapunji.. My sister was studying in Guwahati and was staying with one of our maternal uncles. Shillong was the only possibility. Dad took me to St Anthony’s College where we contacted Prof A. R. Mukherjee, Head of the Department of English. He sent us to the Principal (Fr Joseph). Not knowing the convention that when the red light was on outside no one was allowed to go inside we requested to be allowed in and promptly we were asked to enter. But the principal told us that unless I got a hostel seat I would not be admitted. So we rushed to the superintendent of Stephen Hall, where we were informed that unless I got admitted to the college I would not get a seat in the hostel. The option left was St Edmund’s College, a college run by Irish, missionary brothers. A distant uncle to mine (my mother’s cousin) Prof Jayanta Lahiri, Department of Mathematics took us to the Principal (Bro R.B. Vieyra) who was taking care of a tree in the afternoon.  He asked me, ‘What do you do in Cherrapunji? Collect water?!!!’ Before I got an opportunity to react I was admitted to the prestigious college which became my home for the next five years. St. Edmund’s was a college with a difference. There were great teachers and even better Principals. I was admitted to Pre-University (Science) and stayed as a Paying Guest in Mawkhar area. Later I moved to a mess (Kusum Cottage) in Jail Road area, where I stayed till December. Early next year I shifted to ‘New Hostel’.