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In the 46th edition of As We Leave, Venkatesh Tentu, a Y17 student from the Department of Electrical Engineering shares his journey of self-realisation and hard work during his PhD days, the impact of the Adventure Sports Club on him, his solo adventures and the friends he made along the way.
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.
On April 28th, 2017, I was at IIT Madras, taking my MS exam. While returning from IITM, I received an email from the EE department at IIT Kanpur, stating that I had to appear for an MTech interview in 2017. Curious about experiencing the IITK campus, I decided to attend the interview. Over the next seven years, IITK became my home, where I earned both my MTech and PhD degrees.
I still vividly remember those days; the memories are fresh in my mind. On May 5th, 2017, I arrived at IITK to attend my MTech interview, accompanied by my brother. I stayed in Hall 12 and had my interview on the 3rd floor of the ACES building. After the interview, I felt it went okay, but I never believed that I would actually become a student at IITK. However, when the results were announced, I was placed second. My whole family was elated, as no one from our village had ever joined an IIT before. Then came the dilemma: should I go for the PSU job I had already secured, or join the MTech program at IITK? I decided to join the MTech program, and on July 21st, 2017, I officially became a student at IITK. The past seven years at IITK have been an amazing journey, during which I have witnessed major turnarounds in my life.
First-year (setback and comeback):
My first year at IITK was a rollercoaster journey. During the first two months, I enjoyed my academics, the sports culture at IITK, and hostel life, which offered plenty of food options ;). I chose weightlifting as my primary sport and started training for the Inter IIT Sports Meet 2017. I scored very well on the quiz exams, which boosted my confidence in coping with academics. However, my focus soon shifted entirely to sports, with rigorous training sessions in the morning and evening. Then the mid-semester results came, and to my shock, I performed below average in the EE621 course. The very next day, while weightlifting, I severely injured my right wrist. I questioned myself: why did I come to IITK, and what was I doing here? I decided to quit sports for a while and focus on my studies. In the end-semester exams, I secured the highest mark, 37/40, while the course average was 22/40. This success made me realize that I am fit to be at IITK. Apart from academics, I formed good bonds with almost everyone from my Y17 SPCOM batch and a group of Telugu friends from Hall 10. I still cherish the moments we shared during breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Hall 10 mess. Friends used to say, “No one can eat without laughing when Tentu is sitting beside you. :)” Good grades, good friends, and good laughs defined how my first year ended.
Maturity phase (Second & third-year):
In the second year, my life took a major turn both in my career and personally. My professor asked me if I was interested in pursuing a PhD. After thoughtful consideration, I chose to convert my M.Tech program to a dual M.Tech + PhD. We organized the 2018 Telugu Ganesh Chaturthi, Sankranti (Pongal), and Ugadi events. For the first time, my friends and I also ran a food stall during Antaragni’18. Although we didn’t make a profit, we managed to break even. During that period, I was fortunate to make some lifelong friends. Until then, I treated my female friends the same as my male friends, without considering how they might feel or if my words might hurt them. I learned that you cannot have the same approach with both male and female friends and that it’s important to respect each person’s perspective. I also realized that nothing is permanent in life, and this applies to friendships as well. I watched all of my M.Tech friends graduate and leave the campus while I slowly adjusted to PhD lab work.
Covid period (Poetry):
During the Covid period, I cleared my SOTA and was busy submitting my first journal. With nowhere to go and stuck in the same daily routine, I became completely bored. To escape this boredom, I began expressing my inner voice through Telugu poetry. I started a writing page on Instagram called “తను అనంతం (tanu_anatham)” with the tagline “అనంతంలో దాగి ఉన్న శూన్యాన్ని”. The page name means “(s)he is infinite”, and the tagline translates to “The void hidden in the infinity”. The basic theme of this page is to explore the love, pain, sorrow, and suffering in people’s lives by connecting these emotions with Indian mythology or comparing them to the five elements of nature. I ensured there was no space for negativity on the page. Within six months, it surpassed 10,000 followers and now stands at 17,000 followers.
Here are a few lines from my page:
“ కనిపించే బరువును మోసే.. భూమి గొప్పది ఐతే,
కనిపించని బరువును మోసే.. తను కూడా గొప్పదే.”
—————-
“ ఎల్లప్పుడూ సంద్రంలా ఉప్పొంగే, తన స్వచ్ఛమైన
మనస్సు కార్చిన కన్నీటి చుక్క బరువెంత?
గిరిని ఎత్తిన కృష్ణుడు మోయగలడా?
పుట్టుక, గిట్టుక సమానమంటూ తిరిగే ముక్కంటి తనని అలా చూడగలడా?”
This is how I escaped boredom during the Covid period.
Post-Covid (Fitness 2.0):
After the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to campus in August 2022. This is when I was introduced to the Adventure Sports Club IITK by Chidanand, Manoj, and Lavish. This phase completely changed my lifestyle as a student at IITK. Until then, I had focused only on strength workouts and could barely run 1-1.5 km. However, as people say, “Your friends’ circle inspires who you become.” With the motivation from the Adventure Club, I completed the 10K run four times. We cycled 100 and 150 km, starting our rides early at 4 am, visiting iconic places in Kanpur such as Bhitargaon, Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, and Kalpi, and returning to campus by evening.
Of course, injuries and obstacles happen during cycling, and I cherish two such memories. One was while going to Nawabganj: in front of the IITK metro station, I toppled over a bicycle and severely injured my right wrist. My friends (Chidanand, Manoj, Guyana, Vijayanand Sir) insisted I quit the ride and return to campus. I chose not to and rode the entire 150 km by balancing the cycle with one hand. The second instance was while going to Kalpi. That early morning, I felt sick and had a stomach upset, leaving me with no energy for the cycling ride. Initially, I decided not to go, but after seeing my friends preparing, I changed my mind and joined them. On the return trip, with 30 km left to reach campus, I was completely dehydrated and exhausted but pushed myself to finish the ride.
Thanks to the amazing Adventure Club team and their motivation, I developed a never-give-up mentality. I was also fortunate to serve as the Adventure Club secretary for 2022-23.
Photography:
During the conditioning sessions, I formed a good bond with Chidanand Jadar, who further introduced me to the world of photography. Together with some friends, we explored some of the lesser-known places at IITK, such as the Oxidation Plant and Aam ka Bagicha (the mango orchard behind the airstrip). Through these adventures, I discovered my love for portrait photography. Below are some beautiful and memorable pictures of my IITK friends that I clicked.
Balancing my PhD research and fitness:
While exploring my hobbies and passion for fitness, I never compromised my PhD research. My PhD was always my first priority. There were countless days when I worked until 2 am and still showed up at the PE ground for conditioning at 5:30 am. There were also times I worked through the night to meet journal or conference submission deadlines. In June 2020, I published my first journal, and frankly, I didn’t feel much excitement at the time. Perhaps I didn’t fully understand the value of that achievement. Subsequently, I published six more IEEE journals and presented at four international conferences over the next four years. One prominent memory from my PhD is writing a conference paper in just 2.5 days, sleeping only four hours a day, and successfully submitting it.
I was also fortunate to guide B.Tech, M.Tech, M.S (R), and PhD students in their research. This wouldn’t have been possible without the constant support of my M.Tech and PhD supervisor, Prof. Rohit Budhiraja. He was always available to help; you just had to knock on his office door, whether it was for research problem-solving, dealing with paper rejections, or personal issues. He treated his students like family. I must mention the financial support he provided during my last year when I needed it the most. Very few professors at IITK support their students in such a way. I was fortunate to work under Prof. Rohit Budhiraja for both my M.Tech and PhD theses.
Conferences (Brazil 2022 and Italy 2023):
My first international conference was held virtually, so I missed the opportunity to visit Canada. The second conference, GLOBECOM 2022, was held in Brazil, and a record six conference papers from my lab were accepted. Six of us labmates attended the conference in Brazil, with financial support from the institute and my PhD supervisor. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights available from India to Brazil, so we booked our travel with layovers in Europe. This allowed us to explore Paris, France, and Helsinki, Finland. We had a great time at the conference and met some of the well-known professors whose work I had cited extensively.
I traveled solo to Italy for my ICC 2023 conference, with my conference travel fully sponsored by my PhD supervisor. Only a few professors in India support their students financially for conference travel, so I felt very fortunate. At ICC, I had a one-on-one interactive session with Prof. Emil Björnson, a researcher I cite and follow the most in my work. This conference also allowed me to experience solo travel for the first time and explore myself.
I traveled solo to Switzerland at my own expense, where I did two adventurous activities that I will cherish for my whole life. One was overcoming my fear of heights by skydiving from 13,500 feet. I experienced the feeling of weightlessness, floating in the air, and the intense fear after jumping out of the airplane. For the first time, I reached a terminal velocity of 292 km/hr. Those 50 seconds of free fall before the parachute opened are etched in my mind. If you ask me if I would do skydiving again, I would say yes, with a bit more immunity to the fear. I also witnessed fear in one of the female skydivers who jumped before me. As she looked at the view, she shouted, “I don’t want to jump,” asking the tandem skydiver not to proceed. Nevertheless, he didn’t listen and jumped anyway.
The second adventure was completing Via Ferrata Mürren solo. Although I was in good shape, I had zero experience in rock climbing or mountaineering. The Via Ferrata Mürren is rated as a K3 difficulty on a scale of K1 to K6, indicating that it is challenging and difficult. Despite my lack of experience, I decided not to book a guide and prepared to do it solo. You are always connected to a steel rope through a harness and two carabiners, ensuring that you won’t fall off. Walking along the steep rock face secured by a rope, with only thin air between your feet and the valley floor, provides an adrenaline rush.
Even though I was doing it solo and felt afraid, I kept telling myself, “one step at a time.” By the time I completed the 2.2 km stretch, I was very tired, but the sense of satisfaction from finishing something solo, without prior experience, is indescribable.
The last mile: (M.Tech & PhD defense and 75 Hard)
In October 2023, after submitting my seventh journal, likely the final piece of work for my PhD, I discussed defending my M.Tech and PhD with my professor. Around that time, I learned about the 75 Hard Challenge, which involves adhering to six strict lifestyle rules continuously for 75 days to enhance fitness, health, and mental strength. If you fail to comply with any rule, your progress resets to day one, necessitating a fresh start. There are no excuses and no breaks. Daily tasks include: i) completing two 45-minute workouts; ii) drinking 4 liters of water; iii) reading 10 pages of a book; and iv) abstaining from alcohol and smoking (the latter two were easy for me as I don’t drink or smoke).
For my workouts, I began with a 45-minute session at the gym in the morning, often extending it to 90-120 minutes. In the evening, I took a walk for my second workout. One of the challenges I set for myself during 75 Hard was closing my Apple fitness rings daily. This proved to be the toughest part, especially on gym rest days when I had to go for a walking workout to meet the ring goals after completing my two 45-minute sessions. I had a gym partner, Manoj Maurya, and we engaged in rigorous strength training workouts lasting 60-90 minutes, followed by an additional 30 minutes of abs workouts. This was particularly grueling as our bodies were already fatigued, but we ensured we completed the abs routine each time.
During the 75 Hard challenge, I made sure that my academics wouldn’t suffer. I defended my M.Tech thesis on November 7th, 2023, and completed my PhD thesis. I gave my PhD open seminar on January 13th, 2024. After that, I faced a dilemma: should I join the industry (Qualcomm, Samsung, or Apple) or pursue a postdoc? I have always been interested in working in the industry, but not in India due to the less-than-healthy work-life balance (this is purely my personal view, not a reflection on anyone else). My options included joining an industry abroad or pursuing a postdoc and settling there.
I appeared for postdoc interviews and received multiple offers. Ultimately, I decided to join Chalmers University in Sweden for my postdoc. The only disappointment was being rejected by University College London (UCL), which cited my unsatisfactory answers to non-technical questions as the reason. Here is the feedback from my UCL postdoc interview:
“He was very strong candidate with a good presentation and interesting proposal. He gave satisfactory answers to the technical questions, less so on the non-technical questions relating to the role description.”
It took some time to accept the UCL result. I defended my PhD thesis on May 30th, 2024, and I became emotional and cried during the acknowledgement slide, thanking everyone who was part of my beautiful M.Tech and PhD journey at IITK. For the first time, my parents visited IITK to attend my convocation. My graduation degree is a gift to my parents for all the hard work and struggles they endured to provide us with a better education. I dedicated my PhD thesis to my parents by acknowledging them in the dedication section of my thesis; it is as follows:
“రక్తాన్ని స్వేదంగా మలిచి.. మాకు రాబోయే సముద్రమంత కష్టాన్ని, కన్నీళ్ళని అడ్డుకొని, మా నుదిటి రాతని మార్చిన మీకు ఇది అంకితం.”
“Translation: This PhD thesis is dedicated to you, Mom and Dad, who have turned blood into sweat, stopped the ocean of hardships and tears that lay ahead of us, and altered the fate God had written on our foreheads.”
This is my journey. I don’t want to say goodbye to IITK, because even though you may leave IITK, it never truly leaves you.
Written by : Venkatesh Tentu
Edited by: Diya Motagi, Zehaan Naik
Designed by: Sanyam Shivhare
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