Ayyar's injured hand

Bloemfonteyn, the male medical hostel near Carey College, had it's quota of rioters. During the period before the exams, all the chaps were busy cramming, keeping up late. The rooms accommodated 2 beds in a bunk formation one on top of the other, two big study tables on either side with table lamps and a balcony outside. There were four floors. Each floor had the rooms in two rows separated by a common corridor. The corridors on either side led to a common landing with the stairway on one side and the toilets on the other side. A glass swinging door separated the corridors on either side from the landing.

There was a prank used very often. A bucket full of water was placed in the corridor, near a closed door leading to a room and the bucket handle tied to the door handle on the outside. A gentle knock was made on the door and the perpetrator vanished from the scene. The inmates of the room when they opened the door inwards in answer to the knock tipped the bucket of water inwards making a hell of a racket at the dead of night and spilling all the water into the room. All the doors along the corridor would open amid curses and the students would commiserate with the room mates of the affected room. This acted as a lively interlude in an otherwise boring night of study.

        We had a student called Ayyar who would lead in all these escapades. These tricks had to done without getting caught. He planned this one night. He got all the corridor lights extinguished. He got his room mate to keep the large swing door open, in readiness for him to go quickly to his room after tying the bucket full of water and knocking on a door on the other wing.

Everything went according to plan but unfortunately his room-mate, let go of the massive glass swing door onto his body. as he was making a quick scarper to his room. There was an ominous sound of a crash of glass following the racket of the bucket overturning at dead of night. All the late crammers came out of their rooms and put the lights on. The huge glass panel had broken with pieces of glass in the corridor. But more intriguing was a trail of blood leading to Ayyar's room, which gave the outward appearance of being calm. The inmates were called out and it was found that Ayyar had a gash across his forearm which was bleeding. He was promptly taken to the casualty ward where the necessary cleaning and stitching was done. Ayyar never heard the last of it till he died quite young as a medical officer.