Noticing Dr Baker's Notices

Dr David Baker was my block tutor at Allnutt North block in the residence of St. Stephen's College, Delhi. I stayed in the block for my entire college life that fortunately or unfortunately spanned mere 3 years (2014 to 2017). The day I arrived I was given a room in the extension wing of the block - only to be told the very next day that I had to shift to F-5 (and to G-2 and F-15 in subsequent years) in the main block where the block tutor resided. It was certainly the cleanest and quietest of areas in college. 

In the days that followed, I realized that the block had been maintained well because of the personal interest (read: OCD) that Dr David Baker took in the cleanliness of the premises. He would keep surveying the campus and communicate with the students living in Allnutt North through notices that he would pin on the coarse bulletin boards of the block. I happen to read them and notice the quirky humour that Dr Baker brought along with his strange choice of words and his direct tone that you could hear out loud while glancing through the notices. 

Me being a college noob with a Nokia Lumia (my first phone)...I would click a photograph of the note that I found funny and save it in a small repository of Dr. Baker's Notices. Here are some of them, clicked between 2014 to 2017, with a substandard phone camera...   

       A step-by-step explanation by Dr Baker of how our midnight dietary patterns upset the balance and stomachs of the species in the urban food chain. Notice the excessive use of capital letters, "(junk ?)" and "not very hopefully" before he signs.

Residence allocation was a huge thing. But Dr Baker wasn't sure when to do it for his block. So he put a tentative date on the notice - as tentative as a true historian can put - notice the "circa 10 May" (c.10 May) ?!!  

A stickler for grammar, here Dr Baker corrected the notice from Dean, Residence by adding "interview(s)" and "mistake(s)"...he even rewrote the subject of the notice in classic Baker fashion (all capitals). In fact I could never get the spelling of "ocassion/occasion" right in my notes to Dr Baker. He would always send it back corrected.

Some of us couldn't take it anymore with all these notices. In the summer of 2015, Dr Baker started noticing how suddenly his notices started disappearing. He investigated, found the culprit and warned him in every subsequent notice to dare not touch^

I started writing the underground one-page publication of the college S.P.I.C.E in my second year. But we didn't print many copies as it would be hard to circulate it anonymously in the night. Dr Baker would take out the copy stuck on the board and take it for the college archives. After this note, we started sliding an extra copy of S.P.I.C.E under his door each time we came up with one.

This is magnum opus in its original form: 

"TUTOR-TIPS to keep [ROOMS] COOL

TIPS

[1] Keep Raushandans (2) open (ventilators)

[2] Windows & shutters open by night, closed by day

[3] Door into corridor open at night/closed by day

[4] Use ALL OUT, ODOMOS etc.

[5] Buy mosquito netting for window. It'll cost 200-300/-

[6] Tidy and arrange room so that it is cool to look also!

[7] Fans not at toofan speed!"

I repeat: "toofan" speed. :)

 This "could" happen today! The "Tanki" would have been quite intimidated.

He followed all the rules and ensured that they are followed by the book. But sometimes, it would come across as being a little possessive about his "space". Day scholars would drop in to chill in their friends' rooms, but they would always ask 'Baker toh nahi hai na?' (I hope Baker isn't there). 
 

Dr Baker loved festivals. He would start planning days in advance especially for Diwali and Holi. He would also visit his old students living in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha for Easter, Christmas and other festivals/ long breaks. This would lead to a good long party time back in the block here.

He was really fond of Holi. I have always been scared of this festival. I wasn't in college for Holi during the first two years, but I would hear how other professors and especially Dr Baker enjoyed playing it with the students. 2017 being my final Holi in college I was seriously considering going for it, but I didn't...

 We had a Block Tea once every semester. This event had to be strategized along with Dr Baker. He would become a General in command of egg sandwiches and black forest pastries. Chips, tea, coffee and candies followed. It would be a really fun gathering of all the junior members of the block. 

In my final days of College, Dr Baker was fighting a crusade with this injured dog that had been roaming around across North Campus. It had sought refuge near the Allnutt North block because of the peace and quiet perhaps. It had a really bad injury, but Dr Baker couldn't stand the smell. He put all these notices across the block. We were all leaving for our homes on preparatory leave for the final exams. When I came back from leave, the notices were gone.

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