The first class that I had attended at the University of Lucknow was my chemistry practical class, an experience that marked the beginning of an entirely new academic journey for me. Walking into the lab for the first time, I was filled with curiosity and excitement. It felt like stepping into a space where learning would come alive through experiments and discovery.
However, as days passed, the charm steadily faded away, revealing the flaws of my ‘used to be favourite place’ that were hard to ignore.
It started with the infrastructure. The ceiling, visibly damaged, seemed as if it could collapse at any given moment, yet it failed to draw the concern it deserved. The sinks, drawers, and shelves that were meant to support the very essence of the laboratory were either dusty or malfunctioning. In fact, there was a day when a sink collapsed without even being touched, turning the place into complete uncertainty.
Despite these shortcomings, the professors remained dedicated to their teaching. They explained experiments thoroughly and ensured that students followed procedures carefully. Their attention to detail in academic work was commendable.
Yet, this same attentiveness often extended to areas that seemed misplaced. Students(usually females)were judged for their clothes that could be possibly ripped jeans or loose T-shirts,which was quite irrelevant for them to pay attention to. Ironically, concerns about physical safety within the laboratory did not always receive the same level of concerns.
Sharing the experience, a student almost burnt his hand while performing the experiment, but the professors didn’t seem to care about that incident , and rather instructed him to perform the EXPERIMENT properly!
Another challenge laid in the inconsistency of resources. Essential chemicals required for experiments were sometimes unavailable, and students were casually instructed to skip those experiments altogether, and those experiments werenever conducted. Moreover, these experiments were set in the question paper of our practical examinations and we were expected to perform the experiments which we had just read through in our textbooks.
Adding to this was the unpredictable water supply at the lab ,at times abundant, and at others so scarce that even cleaning a test tube became difficult.
What should be held responsible for these lacking resources from the laboratory? Might be some small malfunctioning from the side of the professor or lab assistants but is way bigger than they think it to be!
And yet, despite these setbacks, the chemistry lab holds a strange sense of nostalgia. It is a blend of bitterness and sweetness. A reminder that even flawed spaces can leave lasting impressions.
Perhaps what remains is not just the memory of what the lab lacked, but also the hope that future first year students will walk into a better environment. One where curiosity is nurtured without compromise and they could just have a sweet nostalgia relating to the chemistry lab. Somewhere,where learning is both guided by proper guidance and infrastructure.