Those were the days my friend!

Delving through my old pictures for Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta, I came across this college picture showing four of us, freshmen, in our undergrad days at a very-well known rather notorious college, according to the conservative Indian standards in those days. The college was Miranda House in University of Delhi. Undoubtedly the college had quite a reputation for its "wild and fast" girls. Essentially, for a woman to just have and then speak her mind in a very conservative social set up was almost sacrilegious and god forbid if she spoke or mingled freely with the opposite sex! That was enough to be considered "fast". Basically, Miranda House with its liberal hence rather revolutionary atmosphere paved the way for the new generation of Indian women- confident, smart go-getters fighting against the age-old restrictions and going on to become leaders in every field.

I along with three very hip Mirandians - the few who had their own private jeep as college transportation as opposed to most of us who commuted by University specials.

I recall when I graduated from my all-girls Catholic school, my father did the mistake of asking me if I wanted to continue studying in a sister Jesuit college. I almost hit the roof and said a vociferous "no"!!! Stifled and repressed under the strict disciplinary regime of the Irish-Catholic nuns, I at sixteen was more than ready to taste the freedom of university life in a college which was a breed apart from the other sedate girl-colleges.

Founded in 1948, Miranda House college is a premier residential college which also includes day scholars. Consisting of beautiful brick buildings and lush lawns, Miranda House is a true historic institution and among the top ten colleges in the country.

This picture does not do the college justice in terms of its architectural beauty.

Undoubtedly, Miranda House had high academic standards and produced some of the brightest women in different professions. Women who had broken out from the traditional mould and had a definite feminist approach. Founded in response to demands for institutions for higher learning for women, it encouraged women to freely express their viewpoint and ideas and be independent thinkers. Needless to say in those days, this philosophy was contrary to the general Indian society's image of a demure Indian woman who did not argue, but basically followed her man... Remember, I am talking about India in the late seventies when it was definitely a man's world.

Delhi University campus in which Miranda House College is situated is overall very beautiful with its mainly brick buildings

Of course, I wanted to go to that college and of course, I did. It was not too difficult to convince my parents as they were both very educated and mom had a serious feminist streak well-camouflaged under her serene exterior. After all, she had persuaded my grandfather to send her to an all-male college to study economics at a time when women barely finished high school.

Those were carefree days when we gals thought we were the fashion-divas blending our ethnic looks of kohl-lined eyes and Indian jewelry with western jeans and attire. "Mirandians" as we all were called were in great demand by our male counterparts who were both intimidated and in awe of these women who stoked their wild imaginations with their slightly hippy appeal, spunky spirited personalities and academic smarts.

But it was the girls in the hostels who gave the college a somewhat wild image. Coming from various parts of India, far away from their strict conservative families, these hostelers broke loose and had a time of their lives with the hostelers in the boys' colleges on the university campus. Dating and parties, generally taboo in the social setup, were the norm after the regular college hours. Boy, did we day-scholars feel deprived! On the other hand, the life of the day-scholar such as me was essentially limited to making it to the classes and the library with some time in the university cafe and then home...

We three boring day-scholars after reaching home - our campus life revolved around the University special timings and finding a seat on those buses where there were always little romances in play, normally limited to sidelong looks and loud comments etc. since it was just not okay to mingle freely with the boys!

Day-scholars' main excitement seemed to revolve around catching the public buses dedicated to the university students and appropriately termed as "University specials". If you missed those, you had to wrestle your way in jam-packed public buses where there was a good chance you could be groped and squashed. Sordid but unfortunately true.

For all its liberal thinking, like all the other women colleges, the only time guys were allowed into our college was during the inter-college festivals. That was the time when the girls really dolled up and could be seen hanging out often languidly with a cigarette in their hand- yes sadly the glamorous image of the Virginia Slims lady had also reached India. I could go on, but this is just to provide a flavor of college life so many years ago. Needless to say, it has all changed now like everything else...

Seriously, till today, if I tell someone from India, especially a man from my generation that I am a Mirandian, instantly a knowing gleam enters his eyes and I can immediately see his mind ticking away about my lurid past or so they think...