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In the 65th edition of As We Leave 2026, Trijal a Y22 student from the Department of Electrical Engineering reflects on four years spent embracing every opportunity IIT Kanpur had to offer. From finding lifelong friendships in hostel corridors and leading the Institute Counselling Group to navigating internship setbacks, celebrating unforgettable victories at Inter IIT Tech Meet, and discovering purpose through the people around him, his journey is one of growth fueled by curiosity and resilience. As he looks back, he leaves with the belief that college is a blank canvas, and the memories we cherish are the ones we choose to paint upon it.
B113 and the Beginning of Everything
Finally, it’s time to write my own chapter of AWL. I will start with my school days, a bit of a pre-cap. Although school helped me reach IIT(kinda?) and I do have quite a few memories(COVID f’ed our 11th and 12th badly, and the rest I don’t even remember now much), it never gave me the comfort of true belonging. It was only when I entered college that I began to understand what connection, friendship, and community really meant.
I still remember calling Deham and Guddu in anxiety, wondering if I’d be able to match the vibe of people at IIT Kanpur. I had always imagined myself at IIT Delhi, my home was just 30 minutes away, and I never really had second thoughts.
Then I reached the campus.
Day One, Rishav from Bengal and Arnav from Delhi, both complete opposites of me, quiet and introverted, barely saying a word. And there I was, anxiously trying to start conversations.
I won’t reveal exactly how I found my core group (CC: Ishan) or how I made friends in Ebot H4 in the first few weeks. But yes, we started doing random night-outs on campus and just exploring Kanpur, Ganga Barage, Swarup Nagar, Blue World, and so many other places.
As our group grew, B113(my room) slowly became our hangout spot. Sometimes I’d enter my own room at 3 am and find Vatsie sleeping or Naman coming every evening, and I’d wonder if it was even my room anymore (miss those days). We “studied” together during exams, or did we? Mostly, we spotted couples and made noise in the library, went on random DOAA breaks. But somewhere in all that chaos, I found my people. Those friendships have stayed with me till today, and I’m genuinely proud of that. I’d gladly tank my CPI again for them (like we all did). And among them, I also found one of my mosttt favourite person, Anya.
Personality-wise, the first year was pure confusion. I was interested in finance, and attended all FAC sessions. Techkriti quant PS gave me the chance to meet so many quant seniors, and I still remember our genius strategy that gave 1800% return. I liked kabaddi, so I played kabaddi. I liked music, so I auditioned for freshers, didn’t get selected, and later performed at Galaxy anyway. I tried everything that came my way, and slowly, those random choices began to shape who I was becoming.
Things Started Taking Shape
The second year began with Snt’s secy recruitment tasks, all-nighters, discussions, and secretly hoping my friends wouldn’t apply for the same positions I did. I was close to choosing FAC, but at the last moment, I picked ICG instead, a decision that would shape the next three years of my life. From day one, I gave ICG everything: projects, sessions, tasks, ownership. I knew I wanted to lead ICG someday, not because leaders weren’t great (Divyansh, Mohika, Nishanth and Mridul were incredible mentors), but because I had my own vision. Also, thanks to Kanishk for making ICG more than just work for me.
The second year had one more crazy thing I did: I convinced half my EE batch that we needed to drop EME and take DSA earlier. Electrical people normally didn’t take DSA in the fourth semester, a small shout-out to Srijan and Saksham for believing in me.
That 3rd sem, I had a minor setback. I still remember talking to Prem and telling him, “Please let me go home for five days. I’ll come back”. I definitely wanted to go to IIT Madras for IITM 12.0, but he didn’t let me, so I wasn’t part of that contingent. Anyways, 😈.
Branch courses meant I met less often with everyone in our group, but my visits to Hall 6 increased a lot for obvious reasons. I used to go to Nitika’s, Pubali’s room randomly, and we’d exchange all our campus gossip and, ofc, plan imaginary trips together (PS: we never went on a trip together). My first Diwali without my parents or family, and these MFs didnt make me feel alone at any point; we enjoyed it so much together.
The Intern Season Lesson
My intern season started badly. While others were grinding LeetCode, I was stuck with a summer course and doing consulting cases that led nowhere. Shortlists came, and ofc not a single consult shortlist. I was shattered, questioning my worth and wondering if I had wasted two years at IIT.
The next few lists gave me scattered chances. ITC didn’t excite me. Deutsche Bank IB took six rounds and rejected me on the morning of Day 1. My only real shot was Salesforce. I remember sitting before the HR, with Guddu calling me constantly to check I didnt commit suicide. I was broken, but somehow, those three interviews brought out the best in me.
Then the result came. I got the intern. After that, I became a strong believer that life rarely follows the plans you make, but looking back, the dots somehow connect.
Almost There, Yet so far
I had always wanted to be Bappu, but the counselling service didn’t think that way. So when I became ICG Leader and got my secretaries after recruitment, I treated them like bachhas. I stayed around them, listened to their problems, discussed random things and random gossip, and somewhere along the way, they became a very important part of my college life. I genuinely hope these junior friends stay in touch forever. I really loved working with them more than I did with ICG; honestly, it was the team and the juniors who gave me what mattered most.
Intern season was the worst setback I could face. Then came Inter IIT Tech Meet 13.0, the Dream11 mid prep PS.
We had the most passionate team I could ask for: Naman, Yash, Harshit, Vedant, Kshitij, Manas, Akshat, Medha, Aritra, and so many others, who showed up every single day and gave everything. For a month, we worked day and night. But on the final day, due to poor planning and last-minute chaos, our submission was 3 seconds late. Three seconds. That delay cost us a 50% penalty, and to make it worse, the submitted file somehow got corrupted. Everything that could go wrong, did. I was shattered. I didn’t leave my room for two days. I felt ashamed, like I had failed my juniors, my batchmates, everyone. We still went to Bombay, made the best presentation we could, and finished 13th, but the result stayed with me. I knew this couldn’t be the end of my IITM journey.
After that, my sixth semester was mostly about recovering. I took light courses and spent time with friends, those nights in Tanush’s room as we roasted his fake ChatGPTed initiatives for Gensec. The ICG party remains one of the craziest parties I’ve ever hosted, and my secretaries still say it was one of the best they’ve attended.
Then came my first corporate internship, and… drumroll… it was nothing as I had imagined. The office was amazing, and the people were nice and friendly. But the work didn’t feel meaningful to me. Yash, Jindal, and I even began imagining ourselves as real-life versions of those TVF Pitchers characters. By the time I left, I knew I wasn’t coming back.
Overall, the experience was nice. Bangalore is a nice place, good weather, but my NaughtyKanpurians (Kanika, Ritul, Yash, Jindal, Guddu, Divyam) made it unforgettable. Every weekend, we were out either to places like Ooty or Mysore or to a cafe. Even right now, as I write this, Bangalore feels incomplete without you guys. Come fas fas!!!!!!!!!!
The Trophy Chapter
The final year began with a strange feeling: no seniors left, and suddenly I was among the most senior people on campus. Everything felt different.
Thanks to Tanush Goyal, I was in B-Top. I barely knew his wingies and wasn’t sure if I’d fit in with them, but I ended up finding some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. We partied like mad, and those nights will always hold a special place in my college journey. In just one year, that wing felt like home. BTOP ON TOP, AND TO THE GOATEST POOL PARTY EVER.
Then came the question: who would be the next Contingent Leader? Honestly, there weren’t any names, and I was the obvious one. But the right team was missing. And then, as I’ve always believed, things found their own way. Rachit and Mayank showed up. And just like that, the team was set with me, Rachit, Mayank, and the General Secretary.
I knew one thing clearly: this time, our submissions had to be top-notch. Rachit, Mayank, and I shared that design sense (wo design club kholna chahiye tha), and it made a huge difference. We worked closely with the Mdes people. When we asked fourth-years like Yash, Nandi, Divyansh, Sagar, Debraj, Gill, and many others to join us, they just came on board. Then came the sleepless nights, professor meetings, student discussions, problem statements, endless ideation, and TB room discussions.
The chaos of booking tickets for Patna, carrying lakhs of rupees, and counting notes at Kanpur Central while thousands of people stared at us will always be a core memory. And of course, the SnT party, where, right in the middle of Inter IIT stress, I somehow became the uninvited guest at the hospital.
Those three days at IIT Patna, Mayank, Rachit, Tanush, and I worked like one unit, unbathed, in the same clothes, sleep-deprived, and somehow still standing. Then came the night before the final Tech Board. Only Tanush, Mayank, Rachit, and Divyansh were left in that room, waiting with no idea what would happen. Our gut feeling was that we probably weren’t in the top 3, and that after everything, it still might not be enough.
The board meeting started around 1 or 2 AM. We were prepared, and man, we were on fire. Every Kharagpur contention (srsly fu), we defended like champions. The meeting went on till morning, and by the end, everyone, including the convenors, started congratulating us; everyone around had sensed what the result might be. We won.
Then the results came. WE WERE THIRD. Celebrations started in the hostel rooms, people lifting us, hugging us, celebrating together. I was with my contingent, and I felt truly, unbelievably happy. It was probably the best moment of my college life, even my whole life. We went for the award ceremony, lifted the trophy, and took a photo that I know will stay immortal.
And then, just as everyone was returning, I got a call from the convenor asking us to rush to the auditorium, and he just cut the call without explaining anything. Tanush and I had every possible thought running through our heads as we sprinted two kilometres. When we reached, with so much anxiety, fear, and I was this close to a heart attack.
The results had changed. We were not third.
WE WERE F’ING SECOND !!!!!!!!!!! Yaar ka name chale!!!!!!!!
That was a victory for me. Tanush and I both broke down right there. Mission accomplished. Goal achieved. We told everyone, and the celebration started all over again. I still remember that Auto Walla Bhaiya who took our photo while the campus was going wild. We killed it.
The Canvas I Painted
After all of it, came the legendary Vietnam trip. It deserves its own story, but simply put: best trip, best people, best everything. It was the peace I had earned after that entire rollercoaster IITM.
And then the journey entered its final chapter, our farewell dances. I am a really good dancer and choreographer. Also, with enough makeup (thankuuuu Aditi, Pubali, Pranjali, Anya, Nitika), I make a surprisingly convincing Saheli. Baarat was insane; the farewells were exactly what farewells are meant to be: sad, but our iconic batti farewell dance deserves to be in the Hall of Fame somewhere.
Because nothing is permanent, just when life starts feeling settled with friends around you, hostel rooms feeling like home, life throws you somewhere else again. Now I’m writing this at 2 AM in my PG room in Bangalore. I have an office at 8.
Four years felt like a fairy tale.
The boy who came from Delhi, hoping to find a small, close-knit group, somehow ended up making the entire campus his own. Campus really is a canvas, and you paint your own story on it. I painted a beautiful one.
I found brothers, love, friendship, passion, and parts of myself I didn’t even know existed. Whenever someone now asks me during counselling which college they should choose, I try to sound balanced and say there are many good options. But inside, I’m always screaming: please take IIT Kanpur. It’s the best.
I had entered college with one simple goal: to make sure JEE Advanced was not the last big achievement of my life. And as I leave, I carry the same hope forward. IIT Kanpur has been the greatest journey of my life. Nothing may ever come close to the joy, madness, and belonging I found here. But I hope this is still not my last achievement.
“Picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost.”
Written By : Trijal Srivastava
Edited By : Atharv Mishra, Saurya Singh
