Visit to College of Mechanical Engineering, Pune
Our Council Member Cdr Mukund Yeolekar suggested that a visitb to CME and especially to the newly laid out Rowing Track and Training Facility could be an interesting way of spending an afternoon, and volunteered to organize it. So instead of the regular weekly meeting on Friday, the 23rd of December, we decided to take on the offer and met up at the gate of CME at 3.30 pm.
A minibus awaited our arrival, and we were off on our visit at the appointed time. Maj Saurabh was our host and guide for the afternoon. The first stop was the CME outdoor museum, where they have on display all the various equipment used in combat by the Corps of Engineers through the past six to seven decades. From Tracked Mine Clearance Vehicles to Railway Engines and other specialized vehicles, to the various Bridges used in combat, they have it all there. We then were taken to the see the famous Yacht that the Corps of Engineers have created history in, by sailing it around the world – Trishna. Hoisted on a derrick, Trishna continues to be an inspiration to newer generation of engineers who are smitten with sailing and especially long distance sailing.
After a brief stop at the Yachting centre, we reached our main destination, the Rowing Training Centre. This facility was completed in 2009 by creating an artificial lake that is about 2.5 km long and almost 100 m wide, with 10 rowing lanes. The facility is the only one of its kind in the country, and deservedly the Engineers are proud of it. An audovisual presentation followed by a walk around gave us the confidence that they are well on their way to achieving their stated aim: A Gold Medal at the Olympics.
A refreshing cup of tea brough the excellent and educational visit to an end.
