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In this 53rd edition of As We Leave 2026, Prabhat Mishra, a Y22 graduating from the department of Chemical Engineering, share journey told through the spirit of Antaragni—starting as an unnoticed fresher and growing through friendships, hall politics, failures, elections, leadership, and unforgettable hostel chaos. From Freshers’ Inferno and startup dreams to becoming Organizer Hospitality and finally Festival Coordinator of Antaragni’25, it is a story of ambition, resilience, and finding one’s place on campus. Beyond positions and placements, the journey celebrates the people, late nights, victories, heartbreaks, and memories that truly define college life.
Disclaimer:- The views presented below are the author’s own and are not in any manner representative of the views of Vox Populi as a body or IIT Kanpur in general. This is an informal account of the author’s experiences at IIT-K.
Sitting alone, far away from the chaos of hostel corridors, late-night Bakchodi, Cbot ki vibe, and the madness that once defined every single day on campus, I often find myself replaying the last four years like fragments of a life that passed too quickly. And somewhere in that silence, I realize that these years were never just about classes or grades; they became a journey shaped by Antaragni, friendships, General Championships, failures, responsibilities, and the constant urge to prove something to myself.
An unnoticed fresher (Goan ka Pehla Engineer), carrying silent dreams and an urge to explore everything life had to offer…
(Looking into the eyes of the reader, 45 degree angle between the feet , Attention!)
Mera Naam Prabhat Mishra hai
Mere baapu ka naam Dharamraj hai
Mai yha ayodhya se aaya hoon
Aur yeh meri kahani hai
meri hee jubaani hai …
Antaragni was a major part of my college, and these four years’ vibe resembles the same as the 4 days of Antaragni. Shuru krta hoon main apne fest(college) ki journey ka Day 1.
Day 1: शोर और शुरुआत
Pehle din IITK mein kaafi normal tha. Hostel pehle bhi aa chuka tha, isliye kuch zyada naya nahi lag raha tha. Papa aur didi chhodne aaye the, aur shaam lagbhag 4 baje wapas chale gaye. Unke jaane ke baad mila mujhe ek aisa banda, woh kehte hain na “friends from day 1”: Surya Shukla. Bas phir kya tha, padhai thodi side hui aur naye khwaab, naye log, aur naye kisse shuru ho gaye. Freshers, General Elections, GC, GBMs: IITK ki kahani dheere-dheere apna pehla chapter likhna shuru kar chuki thi.
Freshers was probably the first time I realized that IITK wasn’t just about academics and Placements. It was a place where everyone was silently trying to find where they belonged. Then came my first Senate Election. Contested. Lost. At that time, it felt like a small defeat, but looking back, maybe that was my first real introduction to Campus Janta, PoRs, and the invisible perceptions that quietly shaped my campus life. First GBM bhi hui… jisme gaya hi nahi. I was still someone who preferred observing things from a distance rather than becoming part of them.
But somewhere in between all this, the Freshers Inferno happened.
I played as the center-back for the Pool Peshwas. First match hi haar gaye, Hall 2 ke referee ne Hall 2 ko penalty de di. That was probably my first intro to “Hallwaad.” Penalty shootout me match gaya, but deep down we all knew we had the strongest team. Aur shayad wahi se woh team spirit aayi jiske wajah se Hall 12 ke Y22s ne decide kar liya tha “Freshers’ Inferno chaapna hai.” Seniors ne jo alag level ka “Hall ke liye enthu” dala tha, usne freshers ko warriors bana diya. Uske baad knockout pe knockout jeete, football gold jeeta, aur finally Freshers’ Inferno bhi.
OAT se trophy leke nikle toh poora campus apna lag raha tha. Baaki Pools ko troll kr rhe the, Nawabs gate bnd karke, nawabi ki neend so gaye, Aryans ke third years humare first years par upar se paani fek rahe the, aur Kshatriyas ko as usual koi fark nahi pada , unka toh issi saal BAN hata tha.
Us din pehli baar laga:
“College me sach me kuch ukhaada hai.”
Aur shayad wahi se shuru hua Hallwaad, General Championship ki woh kahani jisme har semester kuch nayi seekh mili, kuch naye dost mile, aur har baar campus ko dekhne ka ek naya perspective mila. Then came first-year Galaxy, my introduction to dramatics, seniors, and a night of campus life far beyond assignments and quizzes.
“Tab samajh nahi tha ki IITK sirf academics ka nahi, identities ka bhi battlefield hai.”
Day 2: The Dreams & The Delusions
Aur shayad wahi identity ki khoj, woh “kuch bada karna hai” wali feeling, meri identity crisis Shreyansh Ranjan (My Wingie) se match ho gyi baatein ki ek doosre ke thoughts samjhe aur Iman Gadhzi ko idol mante huae “Talkwave AI” ki shuruat ki
Around the same time, the forms for Antaragni secy also rolled out, but I didn’t fill it after hearing: “Bhai bahut kaam karna padta hai, fest me enjoy nahi kar paoge.” Funny how life works. The same festival I once avoided would later become one of the biggest parts of my college journey.
Let’s come to sapne ..
Shreyansh and I were those over-ambitious freshers who genuinely believed ki college bas side quest hai aur asli game startup hai. Client calls, automation demos, website banana, Instagram handle chalana sab karte karte ek hi sapna tha: “Sabse kam age mein unicorn build karenge.” Clients ko AI automation samjhate samjhate kab college autopilot mode pe chala gaya, pata hi nahi chala. Beech me shoulder fracture hua, football chhoot gaya, aur dheere dheere life sirf ek room, laptop screen, aur startup dreams tak simat gayi. Mujhe lagta tha ki bas ek din hum dono kuch bada kar lenge. Phir ek din randomly Instagram scroll karte hue realize hua yaar, baaki log college jee bhi rahe hain. Trips, night-outs, bakchodi, societies, memories… aur hum sirf “Startup” mode mein the. Pehle laga yeh sab distraction hai, but dheere dheere wahi cheez FOMO ban gayi. Aur shayad usi FOMO ne Talkwave AI par temporary taala laga diya.
Uske baad jo phase start hua, usne meri poori college life ka direction badal diya: E-Cell aur Gymkhana. As E-Cell Secy kaafi Ghisa (OC bnne ki chahat me & Shyd bn bhi jata ) & in the process, I found amazing friends, seniors, connections, and somewhere along the way, I started discovering my own limits and capabilities. The stage fear, audience fear, and everything were slowly able to be tackled. Saath mein Takneek aayi, where for the first time I stood in front of the Y23 batch as a senior, taking the GBM. That moment still stays with me
“Pehle baar laga ki shayad log mujhe sun bhi sakte hain”
Soon after the Esummit came the General Elections, the phase that completely changed how I saw the campus and how the campus started seeing me. The whole “beta vs non-beta” phase had the campus divided, and somehow I was stuck right in the middle. Friends on one side, hall loyalty on the other. Typical Indian kid ki tarah, baapu ki baat maan li, and started campaigning “Dhruv for PSG”. Around the same time came one of the most important people in my college journey, Ayush Chauhan (Head Marketing, Antaragni’24) & Rishabh Pandey (Overall Coordinator, Outreach cell). Politics, Antaragni, and leadership- they unknowingly opened a completely new side of campus life for me. At that point, I was confused about whether to go for E-Cell OC or Hall President, and I chose Hall President. Politics was giving me the kind of fun and connections that I wanted in college (UP se hai systum toh banana hi chahenge ), but Ayush asked me why President; I replied: “ PSG banna hai !” This was the first time I shocked him, and he replied affirmatively, then “CoSHA Chale jao”. Seniors aur doston se discuss kiya, Nikant jaa rha tha hall se, but I stood up and contested. Funny enough, I had heard about the post barely 4 weeks before its election. And found out that non-senators can also apply for it. But once I stepped into it, something just clicked. From someone with no senate political experience, Saare halls ke hall day attend kiye kshitiz ke saath, raat me votes ginna, kisko kaise IN karna hai iski planning. Ekdum, different experience that. I slowly began learning, connecting, campaigning, and understanding the campus’s psychology.
But ambition comes with a cost. The image of “isko sab kuch karna hai” started building up, some friendships changed, and people I once considered close slowly became distant. Mere hall se jo banda CoSHA jaa rha tha, jiski maine uske election mein help bhi ki thi, woh hee mera sabse bada rival bn gya, although shuru mein 4 candidate the, but the election eventually narrowed down to Chiranshu Kataria, who later contested for PSG, won, but nomination cancelled & Me… and I lost by a 35-34 margin so small that it stayed in my head(in the start thought it’s “heart” but obv not) for a very long time.
Those days were isolating. I pretended to be normal, but I wasn’t. And maybe for the first time in life, I learned how to sit alone with my own thoughts. My girlfriend & a few seniors and friends became my biggest support system during that phase.
Aur wahi samajh aaya: “Shayad main candidate banne ke liye bana hee nhi hoon.”
2 elections, both lost: “ अपनों की ही वजह से! “ . A few days passed. Everyone around me started becoming coordies, heads, secies, while I felt left behind. For a moment, I genuinely thought I’d disappear into coding for the next two years, grab a placement, and quietly leave campus behind.
But destiny clearly had different plans. Post-CoSHA, I unexpectedly became one of the active faces of Hall 12 politics. Galaxy mein kaam na karne ka guilt tha, toh votes the toh Aumkar(Y20) ki leadership mein Galaxy ki PCR pass nhi hone dii (definitely not recommending this). Seniors advised me to contest for the Mess & Canteen Secretary post, and I contested and won. However, there were 2 candidates for 2 posts, so the election did not make any difference. With this, I had the hope ki main PSG ke liye contest krunga. Kaam dekha tha aur Sympathy thi, jo log against the usme bhi kuch saath dene lage aur PGs ka support toh tha hee. And while working for this, another thing happened: Ayush asked me, Organizer bnoge ?? I replied, “Bilkul,” pocha ki vertical, maine bola “Hospi”. This was the second and last time Ayush was shocked by my decision, but again replied in the affirmative, “toh bhar do”. I started preparing for it. And all the 5 ex-hopsi who were then the core team members helped me a lot in gaining the knowledge for the post. Interview toh khair ho gya ( was a nightmare ..got blank but and thought ki nhi hee bhara hota ), but at the end they showed trust in me, and I became the Organizer, Hospitality and Transport, Antaragni’24. Kandhon par aa gyi, Prakhar aur Ayush Garg ki legacy ko continue krne ki jimmedari, kaffi criticism bhi hua, same cheez ki “is bnde ko sab kuch karna hai, “yeh bina secy bne hospi bn gya” & “politics ke wajah se bna hai, kaam nhi kr payega”.. And with my effort and hard work, I proved them wrong with the then all-time high participants of my Dramatics reaching 720+. And a total of 2300+.
And somewhere between politics, responsibilities, and hostel chaos came the first real college trip. 6 boys, 4 girls, old-school parents, somehow agreeing on Mussoorie, Rishikesh. Ghar se bina batye Rafting ki aur bhi bahut kuch (iykyk) . Some trips aren’t remembered because of the places; they’re remembered because ki uske saath tum kaise person ban gye ho.
Day 3: Truly one & finally Won
And then came the phase none of us were ever truly prepared for, the Intern Season. Chappu wingies started getting interns left and right, LinkedIn updates became a daily thing, and everyone looked like they had life sorted.
Meanwhile, I stepped into my Antaragni Hospitality tenure, neglecting the intern season as it doesn’t affect me ( but it does). Along with my co-Hospi Coordinators, I gave my all to bring participants to the fest, eventually reaching a count of 2300+. Somewhere between the sleepless nights, endless calls, negotiations, chaos, and exhaustion, Antaragni stopped feeling like just a fest and started feeling personal. The campus notices the lineup, the crowd, the artists, the glamour. But only a few truly witness the sacrifices, pressure, breakdowns, and dark days that the men in black go through just to make those four days happen.
Kaafi BT aayi. I still remember standing in CC Type-2 when a large group of DU participants started protesting over accommodation issues. And barely an hour before all this chaos, I had found out that I’d received my first internship shortlist. While managing their issues, coordinating rooms, calming people down, and ensuring things didn’t collapse, I became fully absorbed in the situation and missed my internship GD.
And strongly, even today, I don’t regret it. Because the things I experienced in those moments- the pressure, responsibility, ownership, and madness- shayad woh phir kabhi experience nahi kar pata. That phase made me realize why this vertical is called the “backbone of Antaragni”.
Maybe that’s why, even after the fest ended, I found myself standing at another crossroads: PSG or Festival Team?
But deep inside, my soul already knew the answer. I wanted to witness those dark days once again. Around the same time, seniors started getting placed and were slowly preparing to leave campus behind. I also got summer sorted. On the other hand, my friends and I were fully invested in the election season because my closest friends were contesting. And trust me, “IITK elections teach you more human psychology than any classroom ever can”. You start to understand loyalty, perception, ambition, and the true nature of the people around you. Aur yeh samajh jaate ho kaunsa banda tumhre liye kabhi bhi kaam nhi aayega.
In the end, we won.
Ram for MnC, Apoorv for AnC, and Pawan for GnS.
Somewhere in the middle of the 6th sem, I became the Galaxy Pool Captain of Pool Peshwas. And Galaxy, more than competitions or events, became a bridge to some of the most amazing Juniors I met on campus(Hall Caps, Drams ke log, dance ke bacche, fine arts, everything). Pool cap meetings, endless preparation, and what still feels like “the best Galaxy parade of my life”. That Galaxy wasn’t just memorable; it gave us a foundation, something that made us believe we could create something even bigger the following year. And finally, after all the chaos, setbacks, and effort, we came last but learned how to compete.
Day 4: The Men in Black
During the summer, we tried to give the best, but somehow were not able to achieve what we planned. Just starting the semester, our team started hustling in any way possible to bring money for the festival. There were differences, debates, tussles, pressure, and at times even major obstructions from the admin. But despite everything, my team and I kept moving forward with one shared goal to make those four days unforgettable for everyone who stepped onto the campus. One thing I learned in festival marketing is that the Title Sponsor isn’t just a sponsor; it becomes the identity of the fest. And somehow, locking the title always felt like the toughest battle.
I still remember randomly hearing the name “InMobi” during a meeting with the founder of the company where I interned. Bas uske baad wahi dimaag me baith gaya. I kept knocking from every possible side: emails, LinkedIn texts, random follow-ups, finding connections, attending events without even knowing if anything would actually work out. And somehow, barely 10 days before the fest, by the grace of our Director Sir and the relentless efforts of the team, we finally locked in InMobi | Glance as the Title Sponsor for Antaragni’25. Behind the lights, concerts, crowd, and glamour was a team surviving on chaos, sleepless nights, last-minute fixes, and pure willpower. And somehow, against all odds, we pulled it off. Antaragni happened successfully. Day 4 ended with Sunidhi Chauhan performing in front of thousands, and in that moment, months of stress, effort, breakdowns, and dreams finally felt real.
But strangely, out of everything that happened during those four days, the moment that stayed with me apart from the crowd, the lineup, or the applause.
It was when my papa looked around and simply said:
“काफ़ी ज़्यादा अच्छी व्यवस्था है।”
And somehow, that one sentence made every sacrifice feel worth it.
Right after Antaragni came another battlefield placement.Resume submission to Maine Antaragni ke baad hi kiya. Tab tak Non-Tech ka resume Nishant ne sambhala hua tha, aur Tech ka Archit aur Abhishek ne. Mere RAS ka poora application bhi inhi logon ne dekha. Inhone hi padhaya, likhaya, mock interviews liye, aur interview mein baithna tak sikhaya. And honestly, I’ll always be grateful to these guys and all those wingies who stood by me during placements. Kuch logon ne directly contribute kiya, kuch ne hausla diya but har kisi ka role tha. Till Day -2, I had zero shortlists. By Day 0, I had five (except for the one in which I got placed)
Sabse jyada himmat toh tab aayi jab interview dete time yeh realise hua ki bahar
30-40 log (batchmates & juniors) khade hai just to witness that Prabhat Mishra gets placed. And after countless ups, downs, confusion, rejections, and uncertainty, I finally got placed at Meesho through a walk-in interview on Day 1.1.
That moment felt different. Loud happiness & celebration, but more than that, just relief: “Chalo… finally sort ho gaye.” Because placement sirf job nahi hoti: “कभी-कभी वो सालों की Anxiety का फुल स्टॉप होती है।”. And in this phase, I learned that Ki jitne bhi efforts dosti yaari, connections, kaam, seniors poore college me kamaye hote ho woh placements me hee nazar aate hain. I myself witnessed it and advised my juniors to work on it too.
Dosto ki lagi kuch ki offcampus lagegi, but the peak naukri season ends & here comes the most awaited….
After Party: The Paapi Sem
Shuruat hui elections se, jiske result aaye 2.5 months baad ( kuch logo ke faltu ke gyan dene ki wajah se ) as every year chich toh bahut hui, norms ude, results ke liye intezaar etc etc. usi beech doskto ke saath daily night outs, Bacchon ke saath Galaxy ki taiyaari… pata hi nahi chala kab March aa gaya. Aur phir aayi mandatory Goa trip, mere do aise doston ke saath jo IITK ke chaar saalon mein kab dost se bhai ban gaye, pata hi nahi chala; Pawan aur Apoorv.This semester wasn’t about running behind positions or proving anything anymore. It was about living every last moment before the campus slowly started slipping away from our hands.
Ghar par batake do trips ki, aur bina bataye usse bhi zyada. Nights at Literature ya Aslum, mornings at Suraj Tea Stall, random drives outside campus just hours before exams, this was the phase where decisions came more from “Dil” >>> “Dimag”. “2 ghante mein exam hai” was no longer a warning. It was just another reason to go out one last time. Also, achievement bhi mili; festival ke finances time par clear karke bina dues Next Core Team par nhi chadhaye. “No Dues” mil gya. Thanks to Kuldeep & Anitej.
Man kiya toh kahin bhi nikal liye. Kuch log naraaz hue, kuch ko bahut khushiyan di… aur iss sab ke beech bas ek cheez ka dhyaan rakha kahin apni khushi peeche na chhoot jaaye. In these four years, I saw, learned, lost, built, celebrated, and understood more things than I ever expected to. But out of everything this campus gave me, the two things I’ll carry forever are confidence and a handful of people who became memories too beautiful to ever fade away. Shayad log saath na rahein, but the moments we lived together always will.
Aftermovie: “Gyaan” to upcoming batches
Years later, you probably won’t remember your CPI before sleeping. But you will remember the people who stood beside you at 3 AM, the halls that felt like home, the victories that felt impossible, the heartbreaks that taught maturity, and the version of yourself you slowly became here.
“Always do whatever comes to your mind. Explore as much as you can. Grades aur placements ki BT lete lete apna poora college mat nikaal dena. In the end, IITK ki college life is a canvas hai. Paint it with the colors of your heart.”
IIT Kanpur gives everyone a different story. This one just happened to be mine.
Nana Patekar’s always ……….
हमारे जाने के बाद अफ़साने बयां होंगे,
बहारें हमसे पूछेंगी , ना जाने हम कहाँ होंगे।
Signing off,
Prabhat Mishra
Festival Coordinator, Antaragni’25
HEC, Hall 12
…………………& a lot more..
Written by: Prabhat Mishra
Edited by: Aadi , Abhinav kumar
