The Captivating Vibe of Panjab University
Fun fact: Ever wondered why ‘Panjab’ in Panjab University is not spelled as ‘Punjab’, the Indian state? Hold on to your hats because here’s the answer: Initially, Punjab University was founded at Lahore (present-day Pakistan) in 1882. After partition, the Indian campus was started at Chandigarh in the 1950s with the name Panjab University to avoid confusion with the University in Lahore. To this day, both the universities excel at what they do.
Spread across a green campus of more than 550 acres in The City Beautiful — Chandigarh, Panjab University ranks among the top positions in various university rankings. The University includes museums on History, Fine Arts, and other disciplines. The campus has a huge library that has a collection of innumerable hard-to-find-anywhere-else books. With more than twenty hostels, several playgrounds and gardens, multiple auditoriums, a health center, a sports complex, a temple, a gurudwara, and shops that sell everything you need, it is a mini-city in itself.
What drove me to the University was the excellence of the Economics department which had a long list of remarkable alumni including the Prime Ministers of the nation (Former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, is an alumnus of the Department of Economics, Panjab University). In addition to that, I had heard thrilling tales about the faculty of my department and the culture of the University. The tales turned out to be true. I was enamored by the teaching methodology, empathy, and knowledge of my professors.
No words could ever do justice to the culture and vibe of Panjab University. The Student Centre, popularly known as Stu-C, brims with food joints and students can be found chatting and eating, practicing for competitions, or strolling there 24*7. It stays decorated for most of the year due to fests and exhibitions organized by various departments, societies, and organizations from time to time. I have not foregone even a single chance to take part in games, dance to the music, and eat with friends on any such fest, especially when popular singers grace the occasion with their melodious performances. The late-night parties at the hostels with music booming over loudspeakers are one of the liveliest things at the university.
Student Council elections are another fancy affair. The preparations, manifesto declaration, rallies by several student parties, and voting closely resemble the national elections in terms of procedure, engagement, and enthusiasm. If put together, the vibe of Panjab University is captivating!
Sector-15, which is a few steps away from the main gate of the campus, is a go-to place for all the students. If a PUite wants to buy anything at all or just wants to hang out with friends, it is the first place that pops up in their mind. It has a market that sells goods and services of all types, ranging from medicines to stationery, from hair salons to pizza outlets. Due to its proximity to the university, sector-15 is a hub of student accommodations as well.
The history of Panjab University fascinates me. Apart from the history associated with Lahore, independent India also caused changes in the location of its various regional centers. The centers of Panjab University were spread across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh. However, after the reorganization of the state of Punjab in 1966, the affiliated colleges of the University got limited to Punjab and Chandigarh. Today, these two locations have more than two hundred colleges affiliated to Panjab University.
I have thoroughly enjoyed each day of my student life at Panjab University. I still look forward to anything that can take me back there. My trip to Chandigarh is incomplete without a gedi (leisure stroll) on the University campus.
