Gwyer Hall completes 80 years with a powerful evening dedicated to its alumni

"Gwyer Hall has made us what we are today,” was the shared sentiment on the second day of the annual meet and fest of Gwyer Hall recently. Nostalgia lingered as bureaucrats, professors, current hostellers and hostel staff of the men’s hostel reminisced about their good old days there. While many described the hostel as “the place where guys met their wives,” others said it was “a place of excellence.”
Kailash Satyarthi
The alumni meet and fest was organized by the students’ union to mark the the completion of the hostel’s 80-year journey.Since the theme of the fest was child protection, the first day witnessed the likes of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, his wife Sumedha Kailash, and former MP and veteran Congress leader Karan Singh. Kailash, while discussing the current state of affairs and reacting to the spate of rape cases in the country, asked the current hostellers, “Where are we headed as a society?”
The second day, however, saw a change in the tone of the event as Kailash Kher performed there. Before the singer began his performance, the alumni talked about their hostel days, and some of them had many ‘secrets’ to reveal.
Students also performed at the event
‘Is this the country that belonged to Bhagat Singh?’
On the first day, Kailash Satyarthi was presented with the status of honorary alumnus by the hostel staff. As he began his speech, he questioned, “Is this really the country that belonged to Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekhar Azad?” He then went on to say, “Kathua ki beti Kashmir ki beti nahi hai, woh hum sab ki beti hai, woh ek sampraday ki beti nahi hai, woh iss rashtra ki beti hai. Kyun Unnao ki beti ke saath ye hua? Kyun Surat mein ye hua? Agar ab bhi humein sharam nahi aati, agar ab bhi humari ragon ka khoon nahi khaulta, toh mere dosto, Bhagat Singh ka naam lena bhool jao. Subhash Chandra Bose ka naam lena bhool jao.”
SELFIE TOH BANTI HAI: Bhishma Singh, DCP (Crime), Delhi Police, an alumnus, clicks a selfie with Kailash Kher
‘This is an institute of excellence’
On the second day, the alumni remembered their hostel days before Kailash Kher’s performance. Kamal Nayan Choubey, Additional Director General, Border Security Force,who was a hosteller at Gwyer Hall in 1982, said, “It is indeed a hostel, but for me, this is an institute of excellence. When I came here in 1982, I remember that it was a matter of pride to get admission in Gwyer Hall. It is not so only because it produces civil servants but it is a place for serious research as well. My wife used to visit here, someone mentioned that this was the place where guys met their wives, I am one such person.”
Bhishma Singh, DCP (Crime), Delhi Police, added, “I got admission in Gwyer Hall when I was a research scholar, and this is the place where my life changed. Aaj jab main yahan aa raha tha toh unn dino ko yaad karke bahut achha lag raha tha. Gwyer Hall ka khana, meetha samosa aur yahan ka ambience jis mein hum padh paye aur civil service ke exam mein select ho paye. I would like to thank Gwyer Hall for that.”
Sumedha Kailash and Karan Singh, former MP and veteran Congress leader
‘Aaj yahan dekh ke lag raha hai ki shaadi mein aye hain’
Kailash Kher was also given the status of honorary alumnus. “I’ve heard a lot about this hostel. Par aaj yahan aas paas dekh ke lag raha hai ki kisi shaadi mein aaye hain. I know you all love our music but I want to tell you that we love you more,” he said.
Kamal Nayan Choubey, ADG, BSF and Prabhansu Ojha, President, Students’ Union, Gwyer Hall
RK Sharma, provost of the hostel and VP Gupta, educationalist and alumnus of the hostel