Mahima Arora is a graduating Y19 student from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics. In the third edition of As We Leave, she takes us on a captivating adventure through her college experience, intertwined with some of your favourite songs.
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.
Picture this: a typical Maths undergrad buried under mountains of rigorous MTH courses, seeking solace in actual mountains! Well, that’s me 😉
But when I confirmed this with my best friend from IITK, he told me I might not be as typical as I thought. Apparently, there’s much more to me than just numbers and theories. My story has a complex variable called “c,” with some significant imaginary parts that define my position in the complex plane of life. But don’t worry, there’s a real part of “c” too-academics, placements, and internships-and we will cover that also along the course of this story.
Let’s imagine our college life as a Netflix series with eight epic episodes, each with its own theme song. Unfortunately, thanks to COVID, we Y19s had two episodes deleted from our series!
Nevertheless, let’s rewind to the very first episode, way back in July 2019.
Dil Mere by "Local Train"
I was just a fresh-faced JEE Advanced 19 aspirant, ready to conquer the world. As I stepped onto campus, I felt like Farhan from “3 Idiots,” trying to capture every moment of its magnificence. While in the subsequent scenes, I realized that our interactions with seniors were nothing like the movie; we got our very first tribe as our IITK family to create our own version of “3 Idiots.”
With the “TEMPO HIGH” culture instilled in us during orientation, we all set out to discover ourselves and find excitement beyond academics. Like a true adventurer, I took on every opportunity that came my way, adding to the “imaginary” part of “c” while also safeguarding the “real” part, i.e., academics. I performed in nukkads, brainstormed with the SnT Humanoid team, and explored everything that caught my fancy.
Episode one of my college life web series was about exploring and meeting new people, hoping to build lifelong bonds.
The theme song? It had to be “Dil Mere” by the local train—the perfect song to capture the emotions of this episode.
“दिल मेरे तू है एक बंजारा,
माने ना तू क्यों फिरता आवारा।”
Mazaak by "Anuv Jain"
Let’s dive into the next episode of this wild college web series! We start with a month of intense Galaxy dance prep, followed by our ultimate victory in the dance competition after years! As an 18-year-old who was on fire after watching “Chhichhore,” winning the Galaxy Dance was an absolutely speechless and incredible experience for me!
But then, life had something else in store for us—a sudden lockdown that left us all stuck inside with no end in sight. Talk about a plot twist! The theme song for this episode could only be “Mazaak” by Anuv Jain because, honestly, life was playing a prank on us all!
“ये भी मज़ाक ही तो हैं,
मेरी नकल है या असल में गिर रहे हो तुम भी?
होता नहीं हैं अब यकीन,
क्या ये मज़ाक तो नहीं?”
Aaftab by "Local Train"
After a few weeks, we entered the world of online semesters, and let me tell you, contributing to the imaginary part of “c” was now harder than ever!
I thought it would be wise to focus on the real part: academics. But even there, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows! After getting completely screwed in a DC and dropping it after midsem, I quickly realised that if I relied solely on academics for my real part, I’d be doomed!
So, rolling up my sleeves, I shifted my focus to building skills and filling up my resume for the upcoming intern season. I tried everything from full-stack development to learning about finance, and after much hustle and bustle, I learned that the best way to acquire skills was through internships and projects. This episode started resonating with “AAFTAB” by the local train as I was on a quest to find what I really like and can build my career upon. Fast forward to my second year of summers. I luckily landed an internship at a US-based startup and got to work with the early-stage team. Let me tell you, working in a startup is an adventure in itself, basically a real-life version of “The Pursuit of Happyness.”! I got a chance to learn a lot about running a business, not just from the product or technical side but from various dimensions that are necessary to build a successful company. Plus, it gave a much-needed boost to my real part of the “c” variable.
And with this newfound confidence, I went on to secure an internship at Microsoft in my third-year internship season.
Finally, this episode comes to an end with the thrilling news that we will be summoned back to campus, bringing an end to the hectic online semester
“जब लगे हर घड़ी के
अब इस रात की ना है सुबह कोई
कर यकीन देख तू के
आफ़ताब वो हसीं है छुपा यहीं कहीं”
Gul by "Anuv Jain"
Life is full of ups and downs; sometimes, a hiccup can become a disaster. But, as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! While I was over the moon about returning to campus, something personal happened that knocked my self-esteem. To make matters worse, I also have a serious health disorder. I was in a dark place for almost a month, feeling down and out. But then, my friends and some amazing people who entered my life helped me gain a new perspective. They brought out the best in me and helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. We all know how it feels to go through a rough patch. But little did I know that plunging into physical activities would not only help me recover from this misery but also give me a completely new identity. As I went through my journey, Anuv Jain’s song “Gul” became my anthem.
Now, if I were to write my college life story, it would span across six episodes, but as a person, I’m two entirely different individuals pre- and post-this incident. My physique has certainly evolved, but the real change I felt was in my attitude.
These changes may not have contributed to any real or imaginary part of the above-mentioned variable. Still, they certainly added a new dimension to my life, boosting its overall efficiency.
College life can be tough, and sometimes we go through those gut-wrenching moments that leave us feeling like a shaken soda can. But fret not, my friend; patience and faith are the secret ingredients to making it through. Trust me, time is a funny guy, and he makes even the worst situations seem like distant memories.
And you know the best part? Like a good old-fashioned software update, these incidents can turn us into a 2.0 version of ourselves. So, while waiting for the update to install, don’t be afraid to make new friends! They might become the peanut butter to your jelly or the Batman to your Robin. True friendships are often born in the trenches of adversity.
“किताबों के घर
दुनिया है तेरी
इन धूल भरे पन्नों में
तू क्या ढूंढती
और क्या हो गया जो तुझे
इस दफा ना मिली प्यारी सी
परियों की वो कहानी।”
Ek Zindagi Meri, 100 Khwahishein of "Angrezi Medium"
Ah, the final year—the last hurrah before adulting hits us like a tonne of bricks. It’s like that Angrezi Medium song ‘Ek Zindagi”—we’re ready to make the most of what’s left. No more regrets, no more excuses, just pure “Babomoshai, college life, lambi bhale na ho badi honi chaiye!” energy.
And let me tell you, this was the episode to end all episodes, as I was finally able to create a perfect balance between the imaginary and real parts of my complex variable “c.” From trekking in Annapurna, Nepal, and being a part of the Udghosh core team to juggling between MTH courses and exploring business roles in an internship at a Singapore-based company, it was a bit overwhelming at times, but it taught a lot about time management.
The funny thing is, if you had told me during my first year of college that I would be doing all of this in my final year, I would have thought you were crazy! But it just goes to show that we are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. I mean, in my first year, I barely passed my morning PE course, but now I was waking up at 5 a.m. for the deadly adventure club conditioning every day. Crazy how things change, right?
In this episode of my college journey, the dreaded placement season was also upon us. Luckily, I landed a pre-placement offer, making all the other adventures possible. But it wasn’t just about me; I had to help my friends with their job hunts. And you know what? Seeing them succeed was one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had so far. It taught me that sometimes the greatest joy comes from helping others achieve their dreams.
“हाँ एक ज़िंदगी मेरी, सौ ख्वाहिशें,
मैं पूरी, मैं पूरी, मैं पूरी करा।”
Subhanallah of "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani"
Welcome to the final episode of my epic college journey! And what an episode it was! I got another chance to go on a snow trek organised by the Adventure Club, and I loved it! My passion for mountains grew even stronger. But wait, it gets better! My two best friends came along with me to knit my own version of YJHD “Subhanallah,” and to top it off, I also got to lead the trek as an Assistant Trek Leader! Talk about being on top of the world!
Leading a group of 15 trekkers was tough, but it was an enriching experience! It taught me the true essence of leadership: setting the right pace for the team, motivating teammates who were ready to give up, and finally leading them to the summit. This was no ordinary course that one could take in college; it was a real-world lesson in grit, determination, and teamwork, all in all contributing greatly to my complex variable “c.”
“जो हो रहा है पहली दफ़ा है,
वल्लाह ऐसा हुआ, सुबहानअल्लाह।”
Just like any series wraps up with a memorable tune, it’s time to bid farewell to this journey . Let’s do it in style with the soul-stirring song “Kahin door jab din dhal jaye.”
Ah these lyrics
“दिल जाने मेरे सारे भेद ये गहरे,
हो गए कैसे मेरे सपने सुनहरे,
ये मेरे सपने, यही तो हैं अपने,
मुझसे जुदा न होंगे, इनके ये साये, इनके ये साये।”
So, that was my IITK web series. Maybe you’ll find yourself nodding along to some parts, and other parts might seem like they’re from a completely different show. But hey, that’s life, right?
As I reflect on my life thus far, I realise how much I owe everyone who helped shape me into who I am today.
First and foremost, there’s my trek buddy turned best friend, Rishabh, who kept me company on those long, grueling treks. From the deepest conversations to ridiculous jokes, I know I can always count on him.
Then there’s Harsh, who kept me on track when I was knee-deep in studying.
Next up, I have Dhriti, my go-to person for sharing my MTH BTs. Without her, managing MTH courses would have been a lot more brutal.
Lakshita has also been a huge motivator in my life, but in a slightly different way. You see, I have a bit of a problem when it comes to eating meals regularly. But thanks to her constant reminders, I’m pretty sure I’m eating three square meals daily.
Of course, not everything in life is roses and unicorns. And I had Parmar, Tanisha, DJ, and Deshanki to lean on through it all. When times were tough, they stood by me, and for that, I will always be thankful.
Next, there’s Nikhil, who made working in Udghosh fun.
And then there’s Bansal. The guy who stayed overnight with me in the hospital when I was admitted
Up next is Govind, the bro who gets you all the fun possible.
Then I have Ananya, who is the best Gen Z sister I could ever ask for. Our bond transcends mere siblinghood, as we traverse the realm of conversations, delving into the intricate tapestry of other people’s lives and the nuances of our own. Together, we have forged timeless memories, treasures of the heart that hold immeasurable value, far surpassing any material possession.
And last but not least, there’s Yatish. The guy who has been instrumental in making me who I am today.
Looking back on my journey, I am so happy with how everything turned out. I owe everything to these people and this place, which allowed me to discover myself and become the person I am today.
Who knows if there will be a second season of this web series or what else life has in store for me? But what I do know is that the experiences and lessons I have learned here at IITK will stay with me for a lifetime. It’s been an incredible ride, and I am excited to see where it takes me next. Thank you for tuning in.
Written By: Mahima Arora
Edited By: Utkarsh Agrawal, Mrunmay Suryawanshi
