In this 37th edition of As We Leave, we meet Devansh Jain, who is a graduating “Y18.5” from the Department of Civil Engineering. Join in as he takes us through his life at IITK, narrating his journey from being a preparatory course student to Techkriti Festi. Read on to know more about his adventures in college sprinkled with some regrets and advice for the juniors.
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.
A1 Wing
TBH I don’t know if I will be able to write a typical As We Leave but here I am, giving my vague attempt to it, I will try not to give you BT this time (those who follow me on insta know what I mean) : *Drumrolls*
So it all began about 5 years back, Yes you read it write “5” Years back ( I swear, this time I am not high, or maybe I am 😉 ). You can classify me as Y18.5 since I am living on the campus since the Y18s but I am a Y19. (Long story in short, I am a preparatory course student – I will not go into detail yeh kya hota hai, but you can find it out on your own to meet some interesting & weird personalities on the campus).
I was very homesick when I had come here, the only reason I didn’t go to Kota for coaching was because I didn’t want to leave my home. Neither my parents nor I would have thought at that time that I will be able to survive here but interestingly it turned out the opposite. I didn’t even get to know when I got adjusted on the campus so much so that I never wanted to go home. The Preparatory Course year was very good, the academic load was very less in comparison to the first year. I made some good friends – Dilip, Subhash, Lochan, Jay, Kripendra, and my roommate Rajkumar. I enjoyed a lot in this year , we were given accommodation in Hall 13, and all my other wingies were Y18s so I got to know a lot about first year and campus culture from them, I actively participated in everything that happens for a fresher, so what if those things were not for us ( at that time I got to know fest/Club/Cell walo ke liye Mazdoori aur zihadi ke liye koi batch nhi hota ) .
We hadn’t had any orientation and nobody had introduced us to the campus culture so some very interesting incidents happened with me.
No.1: I participated in one of the takneek SNT Code fillers, and on stage I addressed one of the seniors as Bhaiya ( according to the general timeline, till this time if you are calling someone as bhaiya/didi, normal fresher to gya) , then he asked me in a rude tone ki “Baap kon hai ?” and I replied with a puppy face “nhi pta”, then he didn’t say anything, all he had was mercy for me.
No.2: During Ritambhara , I was a volly. I was asked to check everyone’s ID at the faculty/sponsor gate and direct them toward their seat. Everything was going smoothly but suddenly a man came with 3-4 people and I asked him for his ID, a person with him shouted, “pta hai kis se Id maang rahe ? “ and that man passed a smile and went inside. He was our Director Sir!! Come on what more daring thing can you do?
So prep year passed smoothly, I passed and we were given a long break and then the first year started.
I found Orientation and SG sessions very boring because I already knew all those things. (This is one of the reasons I was not able to bond much with my wingies and SG.) I had got to learn a few things about first year college life by observing my wingies in prep year like scoring 10 CPI is a next to impossible task, avg CPI is around 7, no matter how much you try you will not understand MTH101, and that you have to pass courses by pulling off a nightout before the exam. All of this “extra knowledge” that I had were enough to destroy my first sem’s CPI because I always tried for a 7 pointer, never tried to understand mth101 ,and never went to classes. If you’ll ask my biggest achievement in college, it is passing MTH101 in the first attempt, although I got a D!!
Bacche
D3 Wing
Freshers – Fine arts Club
My first sem was kind of lonely too because all of my prep friends got separated, my wingies became my seniors and started acting a little weird. I was not able to bond with my wingies so I used to hang out with the Telugu friend circle of my roomie. I wanted to make my separate place on this campus and I wanted people to know me, so I started making memes and started social media bakchodiya. I ended up making myself a lot of acquaintances but not a single friend. Through this I realized it is very easy to make acquaintances in IITK but very difficult to make friends and there is no place lonelier than social media.
Then the Second Semester started, but just before the start I had my first breakup which completely destroyed my mental health, I remained in my room most of the time for the next two months, but then I thought of improving. I again started making memes and conducted Y19 ki Buaa ke election, it was fun. As I was coming out of my isolation, we had our midsem break and then COVID came. I remember making fun of one of my wingie who was purchasing mask for travelling in a train but I never could’ve thought that I will see everyone around me in masks for the next 2 years. All my efforts of improving my mental health went in vain, it got worse. I started keeping myself locked in a room for the whole day, I didn’t talk to my parents and I stopped studying. My escape from this situation was the depressed meme that I upload on social media. I had learnt that if you start making fun of your problem then somehow it becomes a little bearable. I was desperate to go to the campus but every time there was a -ve news. When finally I got a chance in RC to go to campus, I didn’t, since I knew that I haven’t studied for a long time and I will not be able to pass offline exams(if happened). When I look back at this period of my life, I am proud of myself that I survived it but I regret that I could have utilized that period to gain some skills & spend some time with my family. So, no matter how hard the situation is, always look for what best you can do!!
“Sometimes Life’s A B**ch And Then You Keep Living.”
Then after a gap of 3.5 semesters we got a chance to return back to campus. This time I had the pressure of covering up for the time that I had wasted in COVID, of making new friends and memories ,and of getting an intern and a placement.
My experience with Counselling Service
One of the best things that I found about IITK is its family culture… Amma, Baapu, Dada, Nani etc. The first time I dreamt of taking any POR in the campus, it was of Counselling service Core team Ops. I always wanted to become a part of CS but never thought I would even become an SG (but I became one.) I don’t know if was a good Baapu or not but after becoming one, the respect I had for my Baapu increased in my heart. I found out it was not an easy task and at the same time I also learned a lot of things ( you get to see life from a different perspective and while listening to your bachchas problems you find your own problems small and sometimes you find solutions to your own problem while helping them.)
But becoming a part of the core team was certainly out of sight. Still, I filled the form and cleared 2 rounds, and suddenly a confidence jumped in and I started believing that I can be a part of the core team but then in the 3rd round I realized that I couldn’t since my CPI was too low for CS head and Counsellors (who took my Round 3) 🙂 . After the final round result, I was shattered because I didn’t know what else I was good at, I didn’t apply for any other POR for the next 2 months. But When I look back I don’t regret it. If that day I wouldn’t have got rejected I would’ve never become EC Manager or Techkriti Festival Coordinator. With this incident, my belief in this beautiful line of poetry even became stronger “Kuch galat bhi ho jane do, Geet ko bhi Aditya train chutne par hi mila tha”. I also want to quote one more line from the same poetry “nahi milta jo kho jata hai. Kyunki khoya woh nahi jo tum paa na sake. Khoya toh woh hai jo kuch aur pane ke hord mein tumne gava diya “. It is nice if you get it, and it is nice even if you don’t get it, just don’t miss out other things while regretting that, because college life is too short for that.
Now to a question that came to my mind many times, I finally found an answer….
Does POR lend you a Job ?
I have met two kinds of people on the campus, one who were strictly against holding any POR, they find it a waste of time and the other who think that getting a “good POR” gets a you “good job”. But I disagree with both. POR never gets you a job but the skills that you develop, the connections that you make and the experiences that you gain help you get a job. POR helps you learn management and experience teamwork in college itself, make a lot of good friends, to understand how things work in real life and how the administration and things work in the college.
One thing that I would like to point out is the big shift in the POR culture from my first year, right now people don’t want to hold any POR and those who are holding it are either doing it just for making their resume look better or for the so-called status/power. I can’t see the spark, the passion or the respect for these prestigious positions anymore.
My remaining time in college just passed so quick, I can’t even remember. First Elections’22 then Techkriti’22 then intern then placements then Techkriti’23, it just all happened in a blink. Ahhh how can I proceed forward without sharing my Techkriti experience with you all.
After being Design head in Techkriti’22 and EC Manager I decided to spend my fourth year with some few close friends in some corner of Hall 9. Initially, I wanted to apply for CEO but later I dropped that plan and to get it straight I had never thought of becoming a festi because I didn’t find myself capable of that position until the moment Karan, Ex Festi asked me, “Would you apply for the Festi post ?” That single question and Karan’s trust in me motivated me to go through the rough interview process and the journey of a festi. I would never say it was a fairy tale, sometimes I had to become the villain in the team, sometimes I found myself crying alone that I had fucked up everything, sometimes I had to sacrifice my friends and
fourth-year life, sometimes I didn’t know what to do next but what kept me motivated was the image of my team which had put in a lot of efforts and sacrificed what not for this single fest, and I could not allow their efforts and sacrifice to go in vain.
I am really thankful to Team Techkriti’22 and Techkriti’23 and Mohit (aka Pandey Ji) for being always there for me and for giving me the best memories of my life, molding me into who I am today.
As I pause to reflect back on my journey, I feel I have done almost everything from getting an intern and placement to going on an iconic goa trip to successfully conducting Techkriti’23 to dating someone to sitting in Aston Martin (Flex101), all of which had seemed impossible at some point in time. Through these years, I have made a lot of beautiful memories and a lot of wonderful friends – Yatish, Govind, Mahima, Mittal, Bansal, Dabi, Nishad, Aarjav, Anita, Saurab Bhaiya, Shruti, Dhruv, Randhir, Virendra, Vineet, Party, Deshanki, Ashok, Patel, Sanskar, Vrahant (Habibi), Kucchi, DOPA, Sparsh, Gamakshi, Zainab (Sorry if I missed anyone). It has been truly an honour for me to spend my life’s 5 best years with you all. I can’t thank you enough IITK and all the people who became my companion at different points in time in this beautiful kaarwaan.
EC Family
Dance Extravaganza – Team Techkriti
Goa Trip
Some regrets :
I could have done better with my academics, but I never tried actually. ( realized this thing in my last two semesters)
There are a lot of research facilities and exciting projects going on across various labs, but I never took a project under a prof.
I wanted to join HSS and Dramatics Club but never joined it.
I never explored SnT clubs and any of the sports here at IITK.
I never went to a prom night.
I was not able to take joyride before leaving campus.
I could have explored more, met new people and made more memories in my first year rather than spending time on social media.
And So on…! (Prepare a list of your own and try to complete it before ending the campus journey )
Some advice for my juniors :
Always buy a cooler, sounds weird but I met my two best friends Yatish and Govind because of cooler.
Avoid trying any kind of “stuff” in the first or second year, (for those who know me I know it sounds ironical from my mouth ), there is a right time for everything… for such things, you have third and fourth year but things that you can do and explore in your first year cannot be done in 3/4th year.
Never fear trying anything new, do everything that you always wanted to do, do as many mistakes as you can do, because college is the place to learn and prepare yourself for life ahead.
Always discuss your problems with your seniors and batchmates, because we always feel that our problem is unique but there is that fixed list of problems that is faced by our generation and there is a very high chance that the problem you are dealing with is faced by someone else around you.
I heard lot of people complaining about lot of things and comparing our college with other college in different things like fest , Inter IIT , placements etc. Complaining doesn’t help. I know a single person can’t solve all the problems but a single person can solve a single problem and together we can solve all the problems.
Try to interact with as many people as you can, not only your batchmates but also seniors, professors, various staff, SIS guards, mess workers, etc. and always try to be kind to everyone because sometimes we don’t know what the other person is dealing with.
Keep different kinds of people in your friend circle. From A Maggu friend to a Nashedi friend, because each person teaches you something different.
Don’t chase people and lower your self esteem for getting someone because that doesn’t help. I know it sounds a classy cliche line but that’s what I’ve learnt about relationships at the end, in a very hard way.
And lastly, spend time with real people rather than spending time binge-watching and on social media.
Feel free to connect with me on instagram if you want anyone to talk or for a advice or for any help, will be happy to interact with you 🙂
Last Days
One with her
Prep Batch
Techkriti’ 22
Techkriti’ 23
Wing Family
“For a daydreamer like me , IITK is nothing less than Hogwarts. There is something for everyone. You will find everything here from Hogwarts – Houses (Halls) to Dolores Umbridge (bad profs) to Hagrid (that one helpful mess/hall office wale bahiya ) to Triwizard tournament (Inter IIT) and the list goes on and on.”
Signing off – 190270
Written By: Devansh Jain
Edited By: Nandini Vaid, Kunaal Gautam
Design By: Mrunmay
