The Infamous Red Door Ceremony

In my last email update, I had promised a "continuation" to follow the next Friday. That was six months ago. While I've been consistent in my writing, I hadn't quite found the inspiration to send out another email newsletter until I stumbled upon a peculiar, deeply entrenched "Cambridge" tradition that deserves some spotlight.

When a PhD student submits their hardbound thesis—a culmination of years of work, akin to a book—it must be physically handed over to the Cambridge library at the Student Services building, which used to be at 4 Mill Lane.

This building boasted a striking red door, where, in true Oxbridge tradition, the candidate's close friends gather to mark the occasion. Recently, Cambridge consolidated its scattered student facilities in the New Museums site (Cambridge’s 31 colleges have always fiercely guarded their autonomy, in contrast to Oxford's 36 more centralised colleges).

Now, the famous red door no longer graces the entrance of Student Services. But PhD candidates still gather at 4 Mill Lane for their final moments as candidates. Ironically, the "Red Door" has evolved into a "Green Door" (someone had the marvellous idea to repaint it), tacking a five-minute walk from where the thesis is meant to be dropped off.

This quirky tradition, initially discouraged by the university (which decreed the use of another more ornate door, to little avail), has woven itself into the secret fabric of the ancient city of Cambridge (which is only a city on a technicality).

How does this relate to us? In case you missed my social media updates (Instagram/Facebook), Dr. Vidhi submitted her hardbound thesis on June 21, 2024—coincidentally, the 8th anniversary of my own company (a delightful happenstance). It also coincided with the Summer Solstice, though unplanned, based on the printing schedule.

We later went to the very historic Eagle Pub, where the discovery of DNA was "announced” to the world in 1953, to celebrate with drinks and cake.

Enjoy these extended photos from the occasion.