PUNE, May 13: Marriages have taken place in the sky, in aircraft, under water, in submarines, but here is the case of a wedding being solemnised in an examination centre. The location was Tikaram Jagannath College at Khadki. Here a wedding took place, even as exams were in progress in the same building.

For the over 200 students of B Com (third year), attempting an economics paper with songs from the film Raja Hindustani playing loudly in the background, the wedding bells couldn't have rung at a more inopportune time.

``Ek to `hard' paper, upar se inka nachna gana (A difficult exam and on top of it, their song and dance),'' complained Abdul Shaikh, one of the students.But the complaints fell on deaf ears. The occasion was the wedding of a college peon's daughter. And ``traditions'' couldn't be set aside.

To begin with, there was the powerful music system, belting out Hindi film songs from early morning; then there was a massive shamiana at the entrance to the college building; band with drums and trumpets; and a stream of two-wheelers and rickshaws for the guests, almost 400 at the last count - all adding confusion to the examination hall setup.

The entire ground floor with the principal's cabin, classrooms and other offices, was let out for the ceremony.

The music system fell silent at 12.20 pm. But the ceremony was on till late evening, continuing during the exam for the next batch of students - this time from B Com (second year).

When Kiran Shinde, a B Com (third year) student, requested the college authorities to talk to the wedding organisers, he was asked to ``go and sit'' in the other building. Another group of students, sitting in Block No 4, protested to the invigilator about the disturbance caused by the loud music. But nothing changed for long.

After the economics exam was over at 2.00 pm, some of the students vented their ire at the authorities. ``If I fail,'' said Prahlad Jadhav, one of the students, ``I will hold the college and the university responsible.'' Such activities, he added, were common at the Tikaram college.

According to another student, no lectures had been held in the institute from mid-October to mid-January this year due to ``sports and cultural activities''.

For all its bend for the extra-curricular, the Tikaram Jagannath College of Khadki has been making news for other reasons as well. Late last year, it hit the headlines when it dismissed a history lecturer, Swati Pungalia, for not adhering to the college ``dress code''. A university and college tribunal verdict in her favour has not been accepted.

Yesterday, the college played it safe. The Indian Express was refused permission to take photographs of the examination centre by the university senior supervisor, who claimed only the principal could authorise the same. The principal of the college, however, was not available, being on a holiday.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.