As We Leave… #17

Vatshal Srivastav is a 5th year student (BS-MS) from the Physics Department. Let’s have a look as he weaves out his journey here at IITK

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गुरु गोविंद दोऊँ खड़े, काके लागूं पांय।

बलिहारी गुरु आपने, गोविंद दियो बताय॥

-Kabir

In my five years here at IIT-K, I have been a part of a plethora of exciting stories, from being the good guy to the bad. In some of them, I have had friends that are now mere acquaintances, and in some of them, I have made best friends of those people whom I had never even noticed before. Well, that is what IIT-K is all about. One does not come here just for the placements but to live the most interesting 4-5 years of his/her life.

IIT-K has given me crazy friends who are always ready to take my GPL for no reason. It gave me countless heartbreaks and yet good enough people to help me get over it. From DOTA to start-up, I explored myriad opportunities to discover about myself. I lived with the best chaps in the country. I ate with them, played with them, had fun with them and even sometimes, had shit with them. All of these are common in a student’s life at IIT-K. However, I want to share something unique that I experienced and changed my perspective during my stay.

Before coming to IIT-K, I have always been told that IITs are known for their students. Indeed, the statement holds as alumni of IITs have proven their worth in various fields. But, this is just one side of the coin. Even in IIT-K, the underscored advice of that to maintain at least a decent level of interaction with seniors is skewed. To complete this advice, one needs to add ‘faculty’ in addition to seniors. To prove it, let me tell you a couple of stories that made me realize that interaction with professors on a personal level is a requisite. Finally, I will end with a short excerpt to cover the senior-junior dynamics.

The first story is of my seventh semester; it was the time of Diwali. Unfortunately, I was not able to go home because of the quizzes and project deadlines in the following week. But then I got an invitation to attend a Diwali party at Suchitra Ma’am’s house. Despite having my doubts, I accepted the invite. I had preconceptions like ‘Neither have I done any of her courses nor do I know her well enough to go to the party’. I convinced myself by saying that ‘There is a first time for everything,’ and hoping that I would not be kicked out from party soon enough, I went.

Poor me, I had no idea that this gathering will be one of the best times I ever had. Once I reached, the professor broke the ice right away by introducing herself and all the other people present there. She even invited me to participate in a challenge where the person who finishes a full brick of ice-cream would get a prize. FYI- a block of ice-cream is around half a kilogram, and it was November. Crazy, right? I would never have imagined that I will get to do this at a faculty’s house.  Amazingly, I was among the top three, competing with Ayush Mukherjee. After that, we had a long session of Dumb Charades and Pictionary. We later lit the sky-lanterns and flew it together. At that day, I was able to make a friend that was not a student of IIT-K. After the Diwali party, we had numerous gatherings and pizza parties at her place. During my graduate applications, Suchitra Ma’am helped me write my SOPs and personal statements. She has taken care of me during my emotional breakdowns and what not.

Next semester I took her course, and then realized that she has a wonderful sense of humor. If she were not a professor, she would be a top-notch stand-up comedian. Even though she has a strict marking scheme, no one is angry with her. Isn’t it amazing? In IIT-K, surrounded by a majority of students, it is indeed remarkable to make a friend out of a faculty.

The second story is of my masters project supervisor- Prof. Anand Jha. I found him to be the best faculty on campus. After the end of my summers working on the thesis, he gave me feedback. He gave me a choice of whether I would like to have a sugar-coated or a brutal feedback. I chose the brutal one. In that, he told me what I lack as a researcher, and the things I should work on. Also, he highlighted my strengths and told me that this masters project would be an attempt to shape my attitude towards my idea of Ph.D. His regular interactions, critique, and occasional humor changed my perspective significantly. From an aspiring theoretical physicist, he motivated me towards experimental physics. There are very few professors in your life that shape your mind in your adulthood when most of us think that we are almost impeccable. Anand sir tolerated my PJs, gave us many lab treats, and always kept the morale of the group high.

In my opinion, an attempt to know your professors can give you memories to cherish. But judging their personality based on their grading schemes or how difficult papers they make is the same as judging a book by its cover.

The story about IIT-K would be incomplete if I don’t talk about my fellow students. The senior-junior relationship is very similar to ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’. When I was a junior, despite those shenanigans that SGs did in the orientation, I was pampered a lot by my seniors. In my first year, I was in the Fine Arts Club and Prayas. I remember all those stupid reasons we made to ask for treats from my seniors. In the first year, my birthday was celebrated by seniors from the batches of Y13, Y12, Y11, Y10, Y09. I had never imagined that I will be able to get so much love and importance from such good people. From my failures to my little successes, I was never alone. Osama (Y12), Neeraj (Y13), Abhishek aka Maalik (Y13), Monika Di (Y11), Kammo (Y11), Isha Di (Y11) and Jeenu Di (Y11) and countless peeps were by my side.

When I became a senior, I was determined to pass on the love and the care what I got from my seniors to my juniors. I believed that the cycle of the senior-junior relationship must never die. Whenever I made plans for a movie or dinner outside campus, I preferred that some juniors join me. Then I realized how cranky I was, when my juniors asked me for treats for stupid reasons. I felt the nostalgia when I saw them all pumped up for their first PHY103 quiz and their long-faces after the quiz. Throughout the five years, IIT Kanpur has changed both in good and bad ways. But what hasn’t changed is that it still provides countless opportunities to make memories as strong as one can use in a ‘patronus charm’.

My only advice for all the current students at IIT-K is, don’t leave any stone at that place unturned. Exhaust as many opportunities and enjoy as much as you can, and make your four or five years the best time of your life. You will have a handful of great stories to tell. As a wise Lannister said,

‘There is nothing more powerful in the world than a good story.’

Adieu IIT-K.