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In this 40th edition of As We Leave, Aayushman Gupta, a Y21 student from the Aerospace Engineering department, shares his vibrant and emotionally layered journey through IIT Kanpur. From online beginnings and early confusion to student leadership, club culture, and personal transformation, he reflects on how the campus shaped his identity. While facing setbacks, rejections, and evolving aspirations, Aayushman found belonging, purpose, and unforgettable friendships. His story is a reminder that even through chaos and uncertainty, IITK leaves you with clarity, courage, and a lifetime of memories.
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 IITK.
Semester 1: The Online Beginning
It was 15th October 2021 when I got my JEE Advanced result. I had secured a rank good enough to finally chase the dream I’d held onto for years—Aerospace Engineering, all because of my childhood ambition to work at NASA 😂
So I chose AE at IIT Kanpur. Our first semester was entirely online, and it barely felt like college. I struggled to make friends in those initial weeks and felt oddly left out seeing Instagram stories of batchmates meeting up virtually and having group calls. Gradually, I started interacting with a few people and, like most others, joined the unofficial tradition of light academic collaboration (read: cheating) in online exams.
My first friend at IITK was someone from my coaching institute who reached out to ask me to be his seconder in the senator elections—though he later backed out due to health issues. Around the same time, I got introduced to my wingmates, and we had some good online banter and fun moments.
I was drawn to the Dramatics Club and Humour House. Since I genuinely loved making people laugh, I ended up joining Humour House and performed my first stand-up set online for the Fresher’s Showcase. Learning to write jokes and seeing people laugh during my performance was an incredible experience—I absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait to perform offline someday. I had no idea that this small decision would end up playing such a big role in shaping my college life.
On the academic front, I was lost. I didn’t know what or how to study for exams. And since my cheating group wasn’t as “efficient” as others, I scored pretty low—ending my first semester with a 6.55 SPI. And just like that, semester one was over.
Semester 2: Ritviz, Resets, and Real Life
Ever since we joined, Y21s had been requesting to come to campus. Finally, it was announced that we could arrive starting 2nd April 2022. Our second semester had already begun on 23rd March in online mode, but after one week of classes from home, I packed my bags and landed on campus.
That’s when I met my wingies and wing bapus in real life. We bonded quickly, and that very first weekend was Antaragni. And guess what? Ritviz opened the show. It was my first-ever concert and felt absolutely out of this world. I went with my wingies, and we danced like maniacs. It was such a blast that I don’t even remember the rest of the pronites.
But soon, the real challenge hit. While classes continued online, our mid-sems were scheduled to be held offline. I had barely followed anything in class and ended up messing up almost every paper. The most memorable disaster was MTH102. I scored 7/70 in the mid-sem—6/20 in the objective and a heartbreaking 1/50 in the subjective. I panicked and seriously considered dropping the course. After talking to some friends, I decided to stay and fight it out in the endsems.
Post mid-sems, my life revolved around two things: Humour House and the constant struggle with ESC101. The Humour House Freshers’ Showcase was scheduled for 5th June. For two weeks, I prepped for my first offline stand-up set, attending every meet and writing new material. I poured myself into the club, found friendships that still matter, and discovered a place I truly loved being a part of.
At the same time, ESC101 was wrecking me. I had scored back-to-back 0s in the labs, other courses weren’t going great either, and the overall pressure started taking a toll. I was slipping into a bit of a depressive phase, but I reached out to my bapu and a CTM, and they helped me steady the ship. The showcase finally happened—and for someone performing offline for the first time, I think I did well. People laughed, some praised me afterward, and it felt amazing.
In June 2022, I became a secretary of Humour House. I also landed a summer project with Team Humanoid. I’d chosen them because I believed it could help me get onto the core team—and it worked. I officially became a Technical Team Member.
I also took on a bunch of other PORs—I became a Student Guide, Academic Mentor, Secretary of the Outreach Cell, and Secretary of Raktarpan. No clue what I was trying to prove, but it did feel like I was doing a lot.
As endsems approached, I had to pull things together. I wasn’t confident in any course—especially MTH102. So I made the student lounge my second home, pulled multiple all-nighters, and managed to score decently enough not to fail anything. I wrapped up Semester 2 with a 6.7 SPI.
Then I packed up and went home for the break—exhausted, but a little more sure of myself than when I’d arrived.
Semester 3: Stage Lights, Sleeper Trains, and Stand-Up Sets
Now that we Y21s were finally in sync with the rest of the batches, the semester kicked off in full swing. I was juggling DC courses alongside a long list of PORs. At one point, I also became a secretary in both Udghosh and Antaragni but stepped down soon after—realizing I couldn’t manage everything with full commitment.
Most of my best moments this semester were with Humour House. Our meetings were full of unhinged, absurd conversations with the other secretaries, and it became the place I looked forward to the most. I formed a solid friend group—Parth, Pranjal, Lakshay, Divyansh, Amritansh, and Raman—and we started hanging out, going on trips, and becoming a tight-knit bunch.
The highlight was Thomso, IIT Roorkee in October 2022—our first performance outside campus. The moment we reached Roorkee, we had to perform. So we changed behind the bus and rushed straight to the auditorium. Though none of us won (judges were definitely biased, okay?), the experience was unforgettable. It felt like my first real college trip.
Another special moment came during the orientation of the Y22 batch. I was a Student Guide and absolutely loved being part of it. That’s when I seriously started dreaming of becoming a CS CTM. Watching the Y20 CTMs—Vedant Gitte, Deepanshi, Yashvardhan—run the show lit a fire in me. I already wanted to be a CTM, but orientation cemented that goal.
Being a Raktarpan secretary was unexpectedly fulfilling too—never imagined myself organizing blood donation camps, yet there I was. And I made a few good friends there too.
Academically, I encountered some core department courses for the first time, and my performance was decent. The one that stood out—mostly for the trauma—was ESO209 (Dynamics). Prof. Ishan Sharma was excellent, but the course was brutal. He failed 56% of the class. I managed to crawl my way to a C, but ended the semester with a 7.7 SPI—my best so far.
Winter brought something new: Inter IIT Cult Meet 5.0 at IIT Madras. Our Humour House team trained for weeks in Hall 3, mostly for improv. It was a great bonding period—we made tons of core memories. The event happened from 9–11 January 2023.
Our improv event was on 9th Jan—my birthday. Both our teams felt we had done well, but none of us made it to the top 20. Turns out we lacked exposure to professional improv—we just did what we enjoyed, unaware of the scoring criteria. On 10th Jan was the stand-up event, and our coordinator Raaghav bagged the 6th individual rank. Overall, IITK placed 4th, which felt pretty great.
The best moment? After my team’s improv performance, the entire room suddenly started singing “Happy Birthday” for me. I’m guessing one of my teammates whispered it to the audience and judges. It was unforgettable.
The next night, I was feeling unwell—thanks to the sleeper class journey, half our contingent was down sick. I skipped the events and was resting in the room. That’s when the boys—Ashutosh, Raman, Amritansh, Parth, Lakshay, Divyansh, and Pranjal—dragged me out and surprised me with a cake. It was such a wholesome moment.
Semester 4: Gold Medal and Gut Punches
This semester gave me one of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows of my time at IITK.
It began with the CTM interviews—and I got rejected in the very first round. That hit harder than I expected. A lot of people had told me I was a strong candidate, even a Y20 closely connected to a CTM had said I had a good chance. So I had started believing I was almost in. I don’t know where I messed up—maybe the interview, maybe something else. I tried talking to a few CTMs afterward, but I didn’t get any real clarity. The rejection hit me hard, and I sank into a phase of self-doubt.
At the same time, Inter IIT Tech Meet 11.0 was being hosted at IIT Kanpur. The PS I got to work on was the Robotic Charging Challenge by JLR, jointly taken up by Team Humanoid and the Robotics Club. I became part of the contingent, and honestly, it was one of the best experiences of college. We worked like mad for two straight weeks—and it paid off. We won gold. That moment, when the hard work turned into a medal, was surreal. The celebration afterward, the party—it all felt so earned. Easily one of the biggest achievements of my college life.
This was also the semester I participated in my first GC—Galaxy. I took part in the improv event, and we won (even though the whole Galaxy got scrapped later). The best part wasn’t the win but getting to bond with so many juniors. It felt wholesome.
Now comes one of my biggest regrets—Humour House. It had been my favorite part of college since day one. I always saw myself becoming its Coordinator, especially after not making CTM. People on campus mostly knew me through Humour House, and I was deeply attached to it. So when the coordinator interviews happened, I gave it everything. Like every other coordinator interview, it had its share of “ritual humiliation,” but this time, things cut deeper.
There were misunderstandings—things the Y20 coordinators believed about me that I hadn’t even realized were a problem. Some judgments, some assumptions. And in the end, they didn’t consider me for the coordinator role. That rejection broke me. I hadn’t become a CTM. I hadn’t become the Humour House Coordinator. And I saw people around me achieving both.
Still, I decided I’d stay with the club till the end of college, no matter what.
In the midst of this, I picked up a third-year POR—became a Manager at the Outreach Cell (probably the easiest one to get). I also became a Senior Technical Member of Team Humanoid—mostly to stay connected with the team in some way.
And then came something special—the formation of ALs (Achhe Launde), my favorite internal wing group. It started when six of us—me, Akshay, Chetanya, Rachit, Pankajh, and Sahaj—watched Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania together and realized we had the same sense of humor and hated the same people Later, Rohan joined us too. That group became my comfort zone.
On the academic side, there wasn’t much change. I ended with a 7.6 SPI.
Summer After 4th Sem: Internships, Industry 4.0, and another Shot at MnC
When the summer term started, I chose not to take any courses. I wanted to focus fully on internship prep—but the problem was, I had no idea what to prepare for.
Most people were doing SURGE projects, but I missed out on applying since I was neck-deep in Inter IIT Tech Meet when the application window was open. Still, I managed to land a solid project with a professor from the Mechanical Department. The project was on implementing Industry 4.0 in the Ordnance Factory, Kanpur. While there were some hiccups during the project, I did learn a few things—and it looked good on the resume.
Apart from that, my prep strategy was a chaotic mix. I dabbled in coding, explored core opportunities, read up for analyst roles, and even looked into non-tech profiles. Basically, I was trying everything and figuring nothing out.
In June, for the first time, nominations opened for Council Coordinator posts in the MnC Council. Having been Humour House’s secretary, I had closely followed MnC events and had grown to love the vibe. Becoming a Council Coordinator felt like another chance to be officially involved with MnC in my third year—so I applied.
I became the Council Coordinator for Marketing, with Lakshay taking Finance & Logistics and Prateek Mishra handling Media & Publicity.
Semester 5: No Sleep, No Shortlists, and a Set That Stuck
The semester began with internship season, and it felt like rejection season too—I wasn’t getting any shortlists. Somewhere around the first or second week of August, Orientation for the Y23 batch was happening, and the Y21 Humour House coordinators asked me to perform.
It meant a lot. I had missed performing at last year’s orientation for Y22s—my set was scheduled last and had to be cut short by the CTMs due to time constraints. That moment had left me feeling pretty low. But this time, I got my shot. I performed, and the response was incredible.
One Y23 even posted a joke from my set on his Instagram story saying, “This joke is stuck in my head.” That felt amazing. Later, I found out that someone had recorded the performance and uploaded it to YouTube with the title: “Hero of Humour House.” Safe to say, that moment carried me through a lot of what came next.
As MnC Council Coordinators, our first major responsibility was the Freshers’ Weekend. For the first time in council history, we brought in sponsors. We had branded stalls and pulled off a Freshers’ Night that was lively and well-received.
Meanwhile, my internship journey continued to be a grind. On 25th August, I got a shortlist for JLR’s GMET Intern role. I really wanted that one—it was the only core mechanical company that allowed Aero students and offered a decent pay. I stayed up all night prepping for the interview on the 26th, but couldn’t make it through.
Still, the next day we went ahead with Freshers’ Night. And shortly after, we organized the Treasure Hunt, this time backed by Coca-Cola. Finalists actually received prizes—again, a first for the council.
Despite all the chaos, I kept applying. I got a shortlist for NPCI but didn’t crack it either. The rejection streak was getting frustrating. In our wing of 7 ALs, only Rohan and Sahaj had secured internships by early August—the rest of us were still slogging it out.
Amid all this, I was constantly tied up with council finances. Another standout event we pulled off was Cook-Off—a competition that laid the foundation for establishing the Culinary Arts Society. We even managed to rope in a celebrity chef from MasterChef India as the judge. The turnout was fantastic, and the event was a hit.
And through all this—finally, a win. I scored my first 8-pointer this semester. A small victory, but a much-needed one.
DCL Winter: A Missed Stage and a Mad Trip
Looking back, my biggest mistake this winter was not joining Humour House’s Inter IIT Cultural Meet 6.0 prep. I had planned to use the break to prep for internships and upskill—but in reality, I just ended up wasting time. I wasn’t practicing for Inter IIT either, even though I really wanted to go.
Luckily, I still made it—as one of the Deputy Contingent Leaders. Chitresh, Anshuman, and I were the DCLs, and we handled all the logistics for the contingent. We gave it our all to make sure no one faced any issues, from travel to stay to event support.
Humour House did significantly better than the previous year. Divyansh won a silver in stand-up, and both of our improv teams made it to Round 2. We were thrilled—but honestly, I also felt a pang of regret for not being part of the team on stage.
Despite that, the trip itself was amazing. I had a great time exploring the KGP campus, and afterward, I went on a spontaneous trip to Kolkata with Lakshay, Parth, and Raaghav (our Y20 Humour House coordinator—he was at Inter IIT for word games or something, I forget The trip was absolutely chaotic in the best way.
We returned to campus on 2nd January 2024—tired, slightly broke, but buzzing with stories.
Semester 6: The ISec Dream and the Fallout That Followed
This semester brought the biggest setback of my entire college life.
It began with Galaxy. I was fully involved—bringing in sponsors, managing event setups, and organizing one of the most chaotic yet iconic events: the Dance Battle, this time hosted in Hall 1’s basketball court under Red Bull’s banner.
For the first time, we added cooking events to Galaxy, and as council coordinators, we were tasked with executing them. We invited the same judge from last time, and she brought in several top sponsors. The events were a huge success and eventually led to the formation of the Culinary Arts Society as an official societyl within the council.
Coincidentally, on 6th February—the day of the cooking events—I finally secured a summer internship. The company, Menon and Menon, wasn’t particularly great, but it was a core role and one of the few that accepted Aero students. I cracked the interview alongside my batchmate Shraman Das. With summer sorted, I could finally breathe and look forward to the rest of Galaxy.
After Galaxy wrapped up, I started preparing to contest for Institute Secretary (ISec)—something I had set my heart on after getting deeply involved with council work as a coordinator. The work of a Council Coordinator is closely related to that of the Institute Secretaries—we were working under them and were essentially handling many of the tasks they used to manage themselves in the previous tenure. I believed I’d make a good fit.
I wasn’t sure which vertical to contest for—Performing Arts, Films & Media, or Non-Performing Arts (NPA). Traditionally, Performing Arts ISecs came from performing clubs, FMC people took Films & Media, and NPA was seen as the flexible one. Since I’d worked closely with the NPA clubs during my time as DCL, I chose to contest for that vertical. But honestly, a big reason was that I felt there wouldn’t be much competition in NPA—unlike Performing Arts or Films & Media, which were usually contested by strong candidates from their respective clubs.
I was meeting club coordinators, tracking everything on a spreadsheet, and every night, my wingies and Aviral would sit in my room and we’d figure out who should talk to whom, how to draw votes, and basically just strategize everything. Aviral and my wingies were my strongest support system during this time—they were always there, helping me out, calming me down, making plans. But if I had to name one person who stood by me in every single moment, it was Aviral. He was more than just part of the campaign—he was the one holding me up throughout it.
Initially, my only opponent was Anshuman Gautam, and I felt reasonably confident. But then, during Lakshay’s election party, Divyansh told me he was also contesting for NPA ISec. I was stunned. I went back to my room and broke down. Chetanya tried to calm me down, and later Parth and Divyansh came by. I lost it. I yelled at Divyansh and told him to leave.
Later, Parth explained what had happened. Divyansh had been unsure—torn between focusing on academics or continuing with MnC. Eventually, he chose MnC and didn’t go for Performing Arts because Nitish, a childhood friend of his, was already contesting there.
I slowly came to terms with it. If he wanted to contest, he had every right to. We were friends and from the same club, and I had chosen my path earlier—but that didn’t mean he had to back down.
Anshuman withdrew, and it was just the two of us in the end. I focused hard on convincing clubs, offering ideas tailored to their issues, and making sure they understood my initiatives. Some clubs were clearly with me—Dance, Music, and ELS—thanks to Bitthal, Kaustav, Rohan, Aviral, and Rachit. But the rest were unpredictable.
I wanted Humour House to stay neutral, but of course, they supported Divyansh—he was their coordinator. Same with Dramatics.
The day of the election came. My presentation, by most accounts, was stronger. Aviral and Rohan stood by me and asked pointed questions to Divyansh. Aviral was relentless—he even embarrassed him a bit. But what hurt was Parth’s behavior. He bombarded me with questions, making it feel like an interrogation. Later he said he had told me in advance that he’d ask tough questions and was acting in his role as a coordinator, not as a friend. Fair enough, I guess.
Then came the votes: out of 18, I got 5, Divyansh got 11, and 2 were NOTA.
I just stared at Aviral. He stared back. Neither of us could believe it. Just 5 votes? We had not seen that coming.
Kaustubh, Bidhan, Jitesh, and Nitin took me to the MnC office to console me. I cried uncontrollably. They said, “In the long run, these things won’t matter,” but that night, none of that helped.
Downstairs, I found Akshay, Rohan, Sahaj, Rachit, and Aviral waiting for me. They took me to Mama Mio for ice cream and tried to cheer me up. I skipped the other elections and went to my room, sleepless. I called Chitresh that night and poured everything out.
Turns out, Prateek Mishra—who had become a close friend while we prepped for ISec together—also lost his election, and there was a lot of shady stuff during the process.
Later, Prateek asked Bidhan why I hadn’t gotten his vote. He said I once told Nitin something that made them believe I might not be comfortable working with Lakshay. That was never my intention—I had worked with Lakshay as a co-coordinator and as a Humour House secretary. Still, that misunderstanding cost me.
From my experience—and Prateek’s—I’ve come to believe ISec elections are some of the messiest affairs in Gymkhana. No clear rules, vote manipulation, and far too much influence from the outgoing core team (GenSec and ISecs). You only discover who your real friends are in such times.
Later that semester, Humour House began prepping for the Roast of Gymkhana—one of the best events we’ve ever pulled off. I had a long set, and the crowd loved it. That night gave me back some of the joy I’d lost earlier in the semester.
On the academic front, I ended with an 8.1 SPI, bringing my CPI to 7.46, which rounds to 7.5. That small academic win felt really, really satisfying.
Internship Summer: A Chill in Kolhapur
I went to Kolhapur for my internship at Menon and Menon. Shraman, a fellow Aero guy, was interning there too. We also met an intern from IIT KGP and two more from IIT Bombay, and the five of us quickly became a close-knit group.
Our project work was minimal—there really wasn’t much to do—so we spent most of our time just enjoying ourselves. It was more of a break than a grind, and honestly, after the rollercoaster of the past semester, that felt okay.
Semester 7: Rejection, Redemption, and a Rooftop Offer
This semester was all about placements. That’s all anyone talked about—and rightly so. The pressure was real.
The first big decision was choosing which domains to focus on. I’d been leaning toward non-tech roles from the beginning—product management and consulting—but I wasn’t sure if my resume would make the cut. Akshay and I started taking part in PM School’s deck-making competitions. We made a couple of decks—didn’t rank great, but got a taste of what deck-making felt like. It helped us add two product projects to our resumes.
Resume submission followed. I put hours into building different versions for different profiles—core, product, analyst, consulting—and finally submitted them.
Then came the barrage of tests. All of us ALs were appearing for multiple tests. I didn’t really focus on SDE roles, so I skipped most of those. But I was preparing across multiple domains: core, non-tech, analyst, data science—you name it. October brought Flipkart’s APM deck challenge. I started working on it for two days until Rohan and Rachit came by and we debated whether I should spend more time on something with such slim odds. I dropped it.
Then came the shortlists.
HiLabs (Data Science) was the first, followed by Alvarez & Marsal, Accenture, Innovacer (APM + Marketing), Meesho (Senior Associate, Non-Tech), Ideaforge (Core Aero), Battery Smart, Axis Bank, and KPIT (which I found out after I got placed).
When I got the A&M shortlist, I dove headfirst into case prep. Until then, I had done very few cases—unsure if I’d even get consulting shortlists. But now, I was all in. I prepped day and night. I owe a huge part of that prep phase to Aviral and Tushar, who gave me their time and energy. I can’t thank them enough.
A&M was the company for me. MBB was out of reach, but this was the next best thing—and I focused solely on it for over two weeks.
On 30th November, A&M called to inform me I’d been hotlisted. I was literally jumping around. Most hotlisted candidates had big-brand internships or 4th-year PoRs—I had neither. I think my interaction with my A&M buddy helped a lot.
The interview was at 8:30 PM in D5—which also happened to be my wing in Hall 13. Aviral accompanied me. The first round went great, and I was quickly promoted to the second. But the second round’s case was a curveball. I didn’t think I did well.
Later that night, I got the result—I hadn’t made it.
Pranjal took me to A-block, where I just sat and gathered myself. Then I remembered—Meesho was still left.
I walked into the Meesho wing at 11:50 PM and got an early slot. Round 1 went okay. I wasn’t sure about a callback. I went to the canteen, and there I ran into my A&M buddy. Moments later, I got called for Meesho Round 2. It was an RCA case—I handled it decently. Then came a discussion on Meesho’s business model. Thankfully, I had watched a 30-minute case study video the night before and pulled some great insights from it. I think that caught their attention.
I stepped out and waited. One of our alumni managing the process walked up to me and handed me the offer.
I was placed.
The moment I stepped out, I saw all my friends waiting for me—they rushed at me, yelling, cheering, hugging me. It was surreal.
Then began the mission to get the rest of the ALs placed. Sahaj had already gotten into Squarepoint Capital before me. Then came Microsoft’s interviews. Pankajh and Chetanya walked in last-minute—and Pankajh got the offer. In 1.2, Chetanya landed Suki.AI.
Now, only Rachit and Akshay were left.
Rachit got Kotak in 2.2, and then came the toughest phase—getting Akshay placed. He was giving back-to-back interviews, getting rejected repeatedly. We were chasing walk-ins, talking to CoCos and APCs, pulling every string we could.
Finally, on 6th December, Akshay got placed. The relief… indescribable.
Those 6 days were hell. No sleep, constant running—and I can’t imagine what Akshay must have gone through. But in the end, we all made it.
I ended the semester with my highest SPI—8.7.
After placements, I stayed back on campus till 15th December with Akshay, as we had to attend Pankajh’s sister’s wedding. Everyone else came back from home just for the wedding.
On 16th, I left for home. And that’s when a new chapter began.
I got into a relationship with Pratiksha, a Y22 whom I met because of Rohan, who introduced us. We started talking, and in December, we got together.
I’m really grateful to Rohan for helping me meet my beautiful girlfriend.
Semester 8: Love, Goa, and a Goodbye to Remember
And just like that, the final semester began. With no PoRs, no placement stress, and no big goals left, it all felt… open-ended. Aimless, even.
The biggest shift? Spending time with Pratiksha—this was the first time we were meeting after getting into a relationship. We had known each other earlier, but being together on campus post-relationship was an entirely new and beautiful experience. I spent most of my time with her—and because of her, I genuinely grew. We went on countless cute little dates, shared silly jokes, and made memories I’ll always carry with me.
Meanwhile, in my wing, the vibe was different. Everyone was in full-on “peace-out” mode—“one puff at a time” became the unofficial motto. Akshay’s room became the hangout spot, complete with cards and clouds of smoke.
Because I was spending so much time with Pratiksha, Akshay, Rohan, and Rachit started pulling my leg—saying I’d changed, that I wasn’t around like before. Honestly, I get it. I struggled to balance time between her and the wing. That phase taught me a lot about maintaining friendships and relationships together.
In March, during the mid-sem break, we ALs finally went on our long-planned Goa trip—something we’d dreamed of even before placements began. And it was delivered. It was chaotic, freeing, and completely unforgettable.
April brought Gymkhana Roast 2025, where I performed again for Humour House. Soon after came Dance Extravaganza, and this time, I performed with my wing. We absolutely killed it on stage—it was a perfect send-off.
Then came the endsems—and surprisingly, they went great. My exams ended on 3rd May, and I ended the semester with a 9.2 SPI, my highest ever. For the first time, I had the top SPI in my wing. I was set to graduate with a CPI of 7.8.
On 8th May, I saw Pratiksha off. Watching her leave, knowing we wouldn’t see each other for months, hurt more than I expected.
Later, my wing and a few other friends planned a villa party. We booked a place and had one last wild night together—chaos and the kind of emotional drunken hugs that only make sense at the end of something big.
In those final few days, I met all my old friends, revisited every corner of campus that had a memory attached to it, and shared the kind of conversations that only happen when you’re saying goodbye.
And then… it was time. We packed our bags, looked around one last time, and left—each of us carrying years of memories, heading toward whatever came next.
Conclusion: In the Long Run, It All Makes Sense
I didn’t become a CTM—but looking back now, I realize that maybe that was for the better. After seeing the inner workings of the Counselling Service, I came to view it as a fairly toxic and pretentious organization. In some strange way, I’m a little relieved I never became a part of that structure.
Not becoming the Humour House coordinator was a big blow at the time. But because of that, I became a Council Coordinator, and got the opportunity to work on setting up the Culinary Arts Society. I could write Co-founder, Culinary Arts Society in my resume, and I genuinely think that played a big role in getting me shortlisted for a lot of non-tech roles. Even in my Meesho and A&M interviews, there were discussions around it.
And then there was ISec—the one that hurt the most. But even that, in hindsight, gave me space. Had I become ISec, I wouldn’t have had the time to prepare so extensively for placements in 7th semester or to truly enjoy my time with Pratiksha in 8th semester. That freedom made a huge difference in how happy and grounded I felt in my final year.
My friend Parth once said to me:
“In the long run, jo bhi cheezein hoti hain, achhe ke liye hi hoti hain. Aur agar nahi hoti, toh thode time baad tumhe samajh aayega ki woh bhi achhe ke liye hi ho rahi thi.”
And honestly, that’s exactly what these four years have taught me.
To all the friends I’ve mentioned—and the ones I may have missed—thank you. You made this journey beautiful. These years at IIT Kanpur have given me memories, lessons, heartbreaks, and the kind of laughter that stays with you forever. These four years… they’ll always be one of the best times of my life.
Written by: Aayushman Gupta
Edited by: Dhriti Barnwal, Anubha J
Designed by: Pankhuri Sachan, Pragya Puri
