Azad Hall
Azad Hall of Residence
NEWS: Azad wins Rangoli 1998. Illu washed out for first time in history. Named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Azad Hall is located in the PAN loop and is probably the hostel furthest from the institute building.
Hall organization The hall has four blocks named A,B,C and D. There are three levels in all the blocks except A which has two. C block has the maximum number of rooms and hence maximum residents. Nomenclature goes by specifying the block name, level and then east/west/middle as location within the block. A schematic of the plan of Azad Hall gives a reasonable picture of what it looks like. The photograph was taken from the point marked X in the direction of the arrow (approximately). The hall houses approximately 250 residents. The staff include around 20 mess workers and the staff in the warden's office. The hall has three wardens - Chief, Mess and Accounts. They are usually faculty members. The hall has an elected student committee which consists of a president, four general secretaries (Social/Cultural, Sports, Maintenance and Mess) and a number of secretaries. These members of the hall council are elected every year in the beginning of april. They are responsible for the smooth functioning of all hall activities. The Mess is the place where hall residents meet everyday for breakfast, lunch, evening tea and dinner. The hall has a common room where a music system, a few board games and magazines are kept for common use. A library is located in B-Top-Middle where a number of textbooks and fiction material are stored - hall residents are allowed to issue these books. A TV room and night canteen are located at B-First-Middle. The hall music room is in C-Ground-East - the hall possesses electric guitars, a synthesizer, tabla, drumset and some other music equipment for use in competitions. The Guest room is in A-First. The space above the Mess is empty and is used as a place of relaxation by many. The different blocks are connected at ground level by corridors and at the first floor level by catwalks that run above the corridors.  Hall Life Azad hall life was always full of excitement and one could always count on a few incorrigible nutcases to spice up the lives of the hall residents. The mess was a good place to have arguments, discussions and political talk. Some of the residents spent all their time lounging in the common room, or the mess top or just in their respective rooms. For the more enthusiastic people, there were always spurts in hall activity to keep their adrenalin running. Intra-hall events were organised every academic year in which the hall residents got a chance to unleash their inter-wing and intra-hall rivalries. Sports events were held during the day on holidays whereas, social and cultural events were usually held at night. A number of freak events too were organised which gave the residents the chance to enjoy, at times, some unusual kinds of entertainment. The canteen and TV room were in close proximity with each other and hence this location was an ideal place for people to hang out. The hall had a percentage of its population which loved to create chaos and cause random disturbances, at unearthly hours, all in the name of fun. The countless futile discussions, arguments and fights that ensued in the mess, canteen, common room, TV room and mess top give ample evidence to corroborate the theory that friends cannot survive unless they fight. The hall also had its fair share of "messiahs" and "gurus" - people who were self appointed and gave free advice to the gullible. These things only increased the fun and made the experience more enriching. And studies? Well, if there was time after all this, then we did study. Study periods were pockmarked with frequent trips to the canteen. A lot of people believed in group studies in which, during exam time, a bunch of people would get together with whatever meager resources they had (such as notes, books etc) and then, the whole course would be discussed, from end to end. Arguments and fights characterised such a form of study and the winnig argument was taken as the correct theory/answer to a question. Senior students with good GPA's were often in demand in this period for helpful pointers and fatherly advice. A number of seniors would move around in groups, looking for the unsuspecting first year and second year students who were mugging hard for their exams. Once someone was targetted, these seniors would spend a couple of hours chatting in his room and making a general ruckus. Exam time was also marked with an increased activity among the rumor mongering crowd. Many students claimed to know the contents of the exam question paper and a lot of speculative mugging was done. A number of people went around, announcing that a holiday had been declared because a political leader or some well known soul had passed away. Many a film star has had the enviable(?) honor of having his/her obituary screamed from the ramparts of Azad Hall. Other interesting things that we indulged in can be found by following this link.
Azad does it again!!Illu '96 Results (thanks Raja)1st AZAD 2nd PATEL 3rd JCB
For the nostalgic folks, remember this painting by Shailu? This was painted over later, much to the chagrin of residents. Here's a photo of C-Top West, Class of 1992 Update, May 2004: Here are some photos sent by Ramesh D Kandadai
Maintained by Vijay Jayachandran: jayachan_v@hotmail.com
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