Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Rivers

Figure 1 The library of the Institution of Civil Engineers - I sat here for  my membership qualifying examination in 1970 - photo by my wife Kalpana Sen, 2014 Fifty years ago, in the spring of 1970, I sat for the membership qualifying examination of the Institution of Civil Engineers London. I sat in the library of the Institution, at this table, and on this chair. Since then, the Institution will have refurbished the furniture. But this is where I sat and took my examination Figure 1 . On that occasion, I was the only candidate for the membership qualifying examination. I sat in one of the corners of the vast library. Aside from me, there were a couple of women who worked there. I could not see them but could only hear their infrequent whispers, and the silence suited me fine.   Having earned my PhD in structural engineering at Imperial College London, the previous year, I had fulfilled the educational base requirements for membership. (Then the Institution did not recognise my unde