Opinion | Columnists
Hidden treasures
I went to Stanford. I also went to Oxford and Cambridge. Not to get a triple degree. Just visiting.
- By Sudha Subramanian, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 January 9, 2012
I went to Stanford. I also went to Oxford and Cambridge. Not to get a triple degree. Just visiting. People find it amusing. "Why do you want to see a university campus?" they ask. "It is not just the campuses," I tell everyone, "sometimes I take pictures in front of the offices of well-known journals or even freeze the moment, when I pretend to ride a complicated and scary roller coaster."
So, when, I was in the US, I was thrilled to find out that I was just a few kilometres away from Stanford. It is not every day that one ends up seeing the huge university campus that has been witness to some of the most fascinating brains in history.
Our friend offered to drive us to this little town of Stanford where the university is. The drive offered some exciting views and the sheer anticipation of being in one of the best educational institutions made it all the more interesting.
As we neared the main block, the sight was mesmerising. The roads were flanked by trees on either side and the inner quad itself was imposing. The whole varsity campus looked drenched in green.
We parked the car and decided to walk around the place. In the main square, I saw the beautiful chapel that I have often seen on TV. The chapel overlooked a huge square where a few kids played football. I watched as a few students biked across the main quad with their bags dangling behind them.
I have often dreamt of being a grad student in one of these elite universities and therefore, it was immensely satisfying to walk around the pathways pretending to be one. So what if I didn't make the cut and am not part of the cream? I still loved just walking and savouring every moment of my stay there. I would have loved it even more if someone had stopped by to ask me for directions mistaking me for a student. But that didn't happen.
Tale of tiles
I noticed a few inlaid tiles with dates on the floor of the chapel outside. It was like a series of clues and I diligently followed the trail of year marked tiles. Just then I heard a man talk to a fellow tourist.
My first reaction was that of relief because, after all, I was not the only tourist walking aimlessly in the campus. The man was explaining something about the chapel. A little later, unable to hold my curiosity any longer, I asked him what the dated tiles meant. What he said left me intrigued. Every year, when the students graduate, they pull out one tile, put in whatever they wish, close it and then mark it with the year of their graduation.
The students think of what people would like to think of them many years from then and accordingly fill the space. That got me thinking.
If I were one of them, I would have probably put in my picture and the draft of my first novel. But, then I wonder what goes on in the minds of those people who graduate from one of the best universities in the world. Posterity is surely going to have some fun looking into these treasures hidden in those time capsules of Stanford.
Sudha Subramanian is an independent journalist based in Dubai.
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