Shivam Mandloi is a Y16 BTech+MDes (Design) student, graduating this year. In this memoir, he writes about his rollercoaster journey through the 5 years he spent at IITK.
Five years, those were my five years in IITK.
First Year (2016-17) : The year of Panjis
So let me first introduce myself, Shivam Mandloi… Bas “Mandloi”, that’s what my wingies call me. At least they cared to spell my name correctly 🙂 Although I belong from a small district Khargone (M.P.) but most of my childhood was spent in Ujjain. My primary department was Aerospace. It was the childhood dream of my best-friend. I had no one to guide me in school days. So that innocent me, with no dreams but only the desire to make my family’s life easier, simply bought his dream. My JEE rank was enough to get me AE at IITK and I was overly motivated by the then released Sci-Fi Interstellar, Martians & blah blah blah… f#ckin mainstream commercial shit. So, I chose to go with the flow.
First year was mostly about culture, ‘interaction’ and shitload of timepass. It was a period of transition for all of us, from an innocent child protected by our families into a person trying to make a place in this new world. With all the masti and timepass, here comes a well-deserved “Panji”! I always had a knack of being consistent so I kept on getting panjis for couple of semesters.
Never mind the CPI, the enthu was there for rescue, we enjoyed our days to the fullest. Being a hardcore Ronaldo fan since 2010, I am glad to witness those days of glory here in IITK. I still remember those UCL nights at OAT with our football buddies. IITK had a brilliant Football culture.
Second Year (2017-18) : Year of Emptiness
Every new semester begins with the same old resolution of working for better CPI. Now I was quite used to it, we got used-to with everything at IITK. But not we were not used-to being without our friends. The incident in our 2nd year got my friends suspended. It was a very unfortunate and devastating experience for us. We were all depressed after that incident, although the pain could not be matched with those suspended but the pain was real. It clearly reflected in our academics. That semester, my entire wing scored their lowest ever SPI. Some of us received their only backlog in that hell of a semester.
I started feeling lonely, I had no motivation at all, my enthu was completely drained to the point that I would have kept myself locked in my room during the entire Antaragni.
But there come my wingies, trying to cheer up me to attend the EDM night, they literally dressed me up with their own hands and dragged me out of my room. If not for them, it would not have been possible to break out of that slump. They are the best wingies for a reason!
Third Year (2018-19) : Addiction!
Yes, I got addicted to Korean Cinema! First Korean movies and then ultimately K- dramas & K-pop too! I had started watching all these stuff from my 2nd year, but then it turned into addiction during my 3rd year. I started binge watching kdramas and movies a lot, even to the extent of missing lectures. Well to be honest, I thought kya hi farak padta hai, I had already lost my interest in the core subjects, so I never bothered about them. While all the guys around me were trying to get hold of internship-offers, my lazy ass was lying on the bed, busy in an entirely different world. Just watching Asian movies and dramas all the time, missing out on social-life. My life was in a pause mode at that time. I didn’t have a plan about my career. I just had a Chaggi(5.98 CPI) so I thought let’s forget about the intern and go with the flow.
I thought I had lost my ability to work hard, I was getting too lazy. But then in 6th Sem, HSS department offered a course named ART401 “Appreciating Far Eastern Cinema”. The very word “Cinema” was more than enough to ignite my interest. I was one of the unlucky ones, who did not get the course in the HSS lottery! I guess all of us at IITK can relate to the struggle of getting an HSS course during the add-drop period. Well for the first time after couple of years, I thought, let’s try to be a bit persistent, thoda effort maar lete he yaar!
Imagine following the Prof after the bell rings, from the lecture hall, all the way to his bike, he is constantly rejecting your request as if he is testing your patience. And that’s how I got this course. Surely, Profs are humans too.
Now, for the first time in my life, I secured 100% attendance for any course, lectures used to be in the morning, still that enthusiasm to attend those lectures knowing you are definitely going to learn something new every day. So, the classes were extremely fun & knowledgeable (at least for the cinephiles). The teachings from Prof. Dr. Ritwij Bhowmik had immense impact on the way I used to perceive cinema.
Although I was already into Korean Cinema but the lectures helped me to broaden my horizon. Now I started exploring cinemas from all the other prominent Asian countries. Entire credit for this goes to my Professor. Yes, Ritwij Sir you are the coolest Prof I have ever met. So, the semester ended on quite a high note. But then it all got back to the usual race against the time. Summers were approaching and so was the placement season!
3rd Year Summers: Breaking Through the Dilemma
While most of my batchmates were strengthening their resumes with interns and projects, some delusional hopeless guys like me were spending the Summers in campus taking extra credits, to improve our CPI. Well, this time I got lucky, with the lottery system. I was taking two courses- Prob & Stats for placement prep and a course on Chinese Cinema, which later ended up getting me an A* grade! Still, I didn’t have any plan, I was trying to get hold of every possible options- CAT, UPSC, Placements. Then, comes the decisive moment. Me & my summer term roomie (all time Aero buddy, haan Soni teri hi baat ho rhi hai) were just about to finish off watching the 4 hour long Taiwanese classic “A Brighter Summer Day.” Amidst that frustrating summer, that good-for-nothing buddy finds himself motivating me to at least contact Ritwij Sir. Well, it was the second time I was to email a Prof for seeking guidance, first time was in the end of the previous chaotic semester. Guess what, this time it worked. He introduced me to a whole new option- a Dual Degree in Design! I was very happy after meeting Prof Bhowmik, but again the struggle was not yet over. The application deadline for the Design program had already passed. This time it was the struggle with the administration. Writing tons of emails & letters to the concerned authorities, regularly making rounds to DOAA office and meeting several professors begging for the opportunity. That was my routine till the last day of the summer term. Those days were extremely frustrating & depressing. Remember, I had decided to be persistent. I learnt that every effort counts in the end. If it was not for my last effort trying to meet with the professors at the last moment, all my efforts would have been in vain.
Finally, that depressing period ended on good terms. Within the strict administration, there are still some supportive professors who care for their students and IITK will be forever grateful to them!
Fourth Year (2019-20) : And I Never Looked Back
Now, I had an additional year with an additional prospect(BTech+MDes) in hand. So, that was the new beginning. While my wingies were busy with there placements, I had a whole new secondary department to explore. Design courses were not that bad, in fact most of them were quite fun with all my fun-loving and caring MDes buddies. Believe me MDes peeps are the coolest matkas in IITK. So, it was all going smooth, but then suddenly I came across an insane opportunity that even I had never dreamt of. I told my Prof about this NCTU-IIT Elite Internship Program and he encouraged me to go with the application process. Guess what, NCTU (Taiwan) was Ritwij Sir’s alma mater! He helped me, again, through the application process and finally the opportunity came knocking at my door.
Winter Break: Internship in Taiwan
This turned out to be a wonderful opportunity, especially for me. Each and every moment I spent in Taiwan was a learning opportunity for me not just as a student but more as a person. This was the first time I was on a foreign land. I was very careless, lost my bag containing all the crucial documents & laptop in a High-Speed Rail. I was also, completely clueless at that time, worrying about the situation and guess what, in merely 3 hours I received all lost items back and intact. That was just a trailer, for every new day was waiting with a new surprise. I started exploring the university and the nation, it was full of surprises. I noticed how much their education system differed from us. The usual rat race and race against time was not as intense there as in IITs, instead they focused more on learning based on application. At least that was the case in their universities.
Almost all the professors I met there in Humanities Department were not just very kind and cooperative but were also very cool, irrespective of their age. They all treat their students as their friends. No wonder, why Prof Bhowmik is so approachable as well. Their classes were highly interactive, even a student like me who used to shy away from profs could easily interact with all of them together. Language was never the issue, they kept more emphasis on communicating ideas and learnings, that was just enough for the students. I made many good friends in Taiwan and many of them are still in touch.
All those memorable trips, night life, party culture, Taiwanese food, freely roaming in the streets at night without any worry & many such memorable moments, just thinking about them gives me chills. I have nothing but the utmost respect & admiration for Taiwan as a nation.
Do you believe in God? Well, I don’t. I believe in Goddess, Goddess IU – one of the most respected and powerful figures in Korean entertainment industry.
I have been a big fan of IU since I started exploring k-pop. It was her last concert tour in December 2019 just before the pandemic. I was extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Believe me, IU’s Live Concerts are truly energizing. I spent my entire scholarship on just buying that ticket, that too at double the price (since tickets were sold out within couple of minutes on the official website). If you ask me, it was still worth each penny!
I returned back home for my last semester with my buddies. It was going to be full of extreme fun. Indeed, we had a lot of fun and why not, since all my wingies were placed, while I was enjoying my time in Taiwan. Little did we know that it would end earlier than expected. Covid struck and we returned back home!
Final Year (2020-21) : Placements!
Well, to be honest, I still had no plans about the future, but the pandemic was and still is the truth. So, PhD was clearly not an option especially in Arts & Humanities. I thought the wise thing to do was to first get a job. Since it’s my 5th & final year so I already had an idea about the preparation for placements. Started with the resume building. Now, I was a 9 pointer in MDes to compensate for my lower grades in BTech. Yes, I am lazy but not dumb! Since Design courses are mostly project based so they were of great help in building my resume. Even I had options in UI/UX Designer profile but it was never my motive to pursue the degree. So, I prepared for usual non-core profile jobs. We all knew that this year it was going to be difficult and I understood that persistence is the key to the placements.
After 3 full night outs, on the 3rd day of the placements, it was technically my 13th interview, which finally got me placed at ICICI Bank. Imagine going through several round of interviews in several companies, just to realize that a single 20 min voice interview round gets you placed where you had least expectations. Friends & even family were great mental support throughout the placement season.
The Last Ride: A month of Vacation in IITK
Since the pandemic had hit us hard, let’s be honest we all were desperately waiting for that one email from admin calling us to return back to campus. IITK didn’t disappoint this time. But this time going back to campus wasn’t the same as before, and how could it be, without my beloved batchmates from Y16. Still, I managed to have a whole new experience and it was again quite memorable. Since it was surely my last semester, so I tried to relive every moment to its fullest. Thanks to my fellow dual degree & MTech peeps. Honestly, for the first time, after a year I felt alive! We all missed the campus very badly. The campus was almost revived to its usual charm but then again, the second wave struck. After an unfortunate incident, a group of people, including me, were asked to leave the campus. Haan bas yhi dekhna bacha tha TT. We tried to figure out all the possibilities to return back to campus, just in case covid gets under control. But deep down we all knew that this was the end of our chapter.
Evening of 30th March 2021, after a full nightout. I packed my stuff for the last time, left my room, went down through the stairs of Hall-9 for the last time. Every step took me further & further from my beloved IITK. As soon I reached the quad, suddenly tears started rolling down through my eyes. I tried my best to hold them back. Signed off the hall register, returned back the room key. My cab was waiting and I was already getting late for the bus. Out of the hall gate, all my close friends were there to bid a final goodbye. Knowing that this was the last moment with my friends, I could not hold back anymore. I burst out of tears. My eyes were full of tears throughout the way to Fazalganj. I was just able to catch my bus. Conductor seeing my red eyes, rushed back in search of the lost temperature gun. And that damn beep ultimately broke the moment!
I am writing this in May 2021, and I am yet to finish the 1st draft of my thesis which is actually based on Korean Cinema (Hallyu Wave, to be precise). Well, as you know, I was never the guy with a plan. Nothing to worry though, IITK has mastered us well in getting our job done before the deadline!
Some final words- Life me thoda chill karo yaar, do whatever you like, never lose opportunities to explore, be persistent, do your best for the moment and let things unfold naturally. Even if IITK can’t always guarantee a job or clarify your life goals, but I assure you IITK will definitely find the best version out of you.
Let us end this journey with this memorable dialogue from one of my favourite movie Parasite:
“You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all.
You know why? If you make a plan, life never works out that way!”
Written by: Shivam Mandloi
Edited by: Abhimanyu Sethia, Ahmad Amaan Jaafri
