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In the 43rd edition of As We Leave 2026, Sujal Agrawal, a Y22 student in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics looks back at his memorable four-year journey at IIT Kanpur, a path deeply defined by tight-knit friendships, campus traditions, and spontaneous trips. While navigating the personal and academic ups and downs of college life, the unwavering emotional support of his friends helped him find his footing and successfully transition to the next chapter of his career. Ultimately, he concludes his college story with the bittersweet realization that leaving the community he built was the hardest part of graduation.
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.
“Yesterday, All my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday Suddenly
I’m not half the man I used to be
There’s a shadow hangin’ over me
Oh, yesterday came suddenly”
~ The Beatles
These lyrics perfectly describe how I feel after leaving the beautiful campus with even more beautiful people with whom I spent the most happening 4 years of my life. The weight of leaving this campus is quite heavy. I still remember telling each of my friends how much it is hitting me that it may be the last goodbyes with a few of them and while I will meet many again but not with the same self who was in this college.
Chapter 1: Building the Castle
I rolled into IITK on October 27th, 2022, after one of the hardest goodbyes. Homesickness hit me hard at first, but Bansal (Devansh CSE), Shaurya, and Divit pulled me through. Surviving that endless orientation was ultimately worth it because it brought me my people.
A random MTH meet led to Vedanshi and Gupil, sparking countless OAT hangouts where I met the Ajmeri gang (Riddhima and Vaibhav) and Vanshika. Soon, Ankit and Bhandsal (Devansh ES) joined the chaos to form the Kaam Ka Group hands down the best peeps of my college life, ngl. We had the absolute craziest birthdays: from Riddhima losing half her hair to my aggressive cake facial, to Vanshika’s bday where SIS guards intervened and we had to frantically mop the floor ourselves to avoid getting busted!
Pulling Agrawal (Devansh CSE) into the circle birthed the legendary “Mess Kab Jaana Hai” group. We spent our first year surviving fests and pure hostel madness including hosting our own unhinged hostel Olympics using frogs and lizards. We even turned Shaurya’s broken jaw into a VIP staycation, crashing at VH2 with him to keep the hangout alive.
Then there was my best friend and sister, Divyanshi, whom I met right after she somehow crashed an entire row of cycles like dominoes. Helping her sort that out was easily the best college detour I ever took. Eventually, the solid peeps from Parai Crow (all my bhai log + Akshat) became a core part of my life too.
First sem ended with a harsh reality check: trying to do everything while underprepared meant my CPI suffered kaafi jyada. But the break before 2nd sem delivered the best 10 days of my life. With Antaragni and Techkriti back-to-back, I dragged the Mess Kab Jaana Hai boys to every single event even if it was usually just me and Bansal showing up, lol.
The second sem kicked off my so-called “Maggu” era. I’d actually understand the concepts kaafi acche se, but come exam time, I’d inevitably watch a movie and get L lagwa ke every single time, lol.
But academics couldn’t beat the late nights. I loved doing the Galaxy DNA PS with my Dada, Varad, making weird art and actually winning (even if Galaxy got scrapped later, lol). The absolute peak, though, was the BCS PS in Takneek with Bansal and my Bappu wing guys, Pankajh and Sahaj. I stayed awake for 48+ hours straight just to finish it. We didn’t win, and I literally passed out from sleep deprivation right after submitting, but I loved every second of that grind. 10/10, highly recommended to juniors.
Chapter 2 : Getting used to chores
Second year kicked off with the pure chaos of Y23 orientation. Being in ARIITK and DNA, plus juggling SG and AM duties, meant I experienced the madness to the fullest. The baccha wing meets were a blast, especially staging a DID setup with our baapu wing as judges, or the baccha log raiding us for a treat. Kushal was vlogging the whole mess (getting my face in his thumbnail), and somehow Navya’s number leaked on YouTube in the process. The random calls he got were pure comedy.
I genuinely tried to lock in academically, though I’ll never know how I survived Somnath’s MTH201 with a ‘B’. I also ended up rooming with Akshat. He was rarely around, but when he was, it was peak gossip and zero bt mostly because we were both insanely lazy. It ended up being my best academic semester, which naturally made me way too relaxed for my 4th sem (hello, my first and only ‘F’ in MTH301).
A core highlight was the impromptu Banaras trip with Bansal. Sleepless and hyped, we arrived a day early for Dev Deepawali, a blessing in disguise since we explored the city without the insane crowds. The semester wrapped with Gupil ki behan ki shaadi. Everyone “planned” to go, but it was really just me and Ankit. In peak gareebi, we literally shared kurtas to get by, but we attended every rasm acting exactly like the didi’s actual brothers.
Chapter 3: Take it Easy
Fourth semester started full caveman, foraging for wood to light bonfires right outside our room. Honestly, this sem would’ve been forgettable just a blur of trauma from Guin’s MTH301 , a billi eating Riddhima’s birthday cake and doing the BCG Ideathon with Gupil , Riddhima jismai hum bas dono milkar Riddhima ko bully krte the ( koi aur hoti toh hum dono mai 2 jute lagati she is sweet AF ) if I hadn’t met my OG chappar-chappar partner, Priyanka Arora (aka Single Pringle). She became the little sister I never knew I needed, and the prime target of my bullying for the rest of my college life. We met because of the open house, where Sufyan and I made it our personal mission to formalize all our MTH department grievances on LaTeX (I’m still surprised how much actually changed because of that effort). From there, it turned into endless nightouts with Priyanka, non-stop talking, and exploring every single chappa of the campus. I relentlessly bullied her, but every now and then, she’d randomly switch into amma mode to lecture me.
“Take it easy, take it easy
Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can Don’t even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand and take it easy”
~Eagles
Between all the chaos in this semester I guess I also found my place which made me stand and take it easy.
We closed out the year with a massive road trip in a rented traveller: Delhi to Rishikesh, Dehradun, Mussoorie, and back. Floating in the Ganga during rafting was indescribable. I felt completely, unapologetically free (even if my glasses broke and Bansal was too scared to jump in). Roaming Rishikesh with Muthi, hitting the Sahastradhara waterfalls, and eating at the Landour Bakehouse were the perfect ways to end the year
Chapter 4: Here comes the sun, doo-doo-do
“Here comes the sun
And I say, “It’s all right”
Little darlin’ It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darlin’ It feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, doo-doo-do
Here comes the sun
And I say, “It’s all right”
Little darlin’ The smile’s returning to the faces”
~Beatles
My 5th sem started on a bleak note between a low CPI and an ‘F’, my internship hopes were tanked. But knowing I couldn’t sink any lower brought a weird comfort, and getting Finmechanics turned out to be a massive blessing in disguise. With that weight off, I felt settled and genuinely happy, despite the occasional academic stress from Malay (MTH421). I finally opened up my routine: hitting the gym, taking evening walks, dragging Priyanka to unexplored campus corners, and actually enjoying the fests. I also went on impromptu trips with my best friend, Taneesha. Our Golden Temple visit is still my absolute favorite 5th sem memory. Winter break brought some FOMO over skipping the group’s Rajasthan trip, but a sweet getaway to Lucknow and nearby spots with Taneesha totally made up for it.
Then came the 6th sem, bringing back the pressure of maintaining an 8+ CPI for placements while juggling six MTH courses (I dropped one later lol, I hate stats courses). Academics aside, it was a wild semester of “firsts.” First time getting tipsy at Techkriti. First ambulance ride for myself when Vedanshi and Bhandsal hauled me to LPS. First time taking someone else to Regency in an ambulance Gupil chakkar khakar gir gaya tha, but insanely, we got him discharged and headed straight to a club for Ankit’s bday! Oh, and the first time getting completely drunk at the baapu party. But seeing the baapu wing folks leave campus hit me hard; it was the first time I realized my own time was running out.
Amidst all this, my Kashmir trip with Taneesha easily ranks as one of the best of my life. Looking back, my third-year highlight reel is incredibly vivid: late-night gossip sessions with Akshat, beautifully random plans with Priyanka, and routine Baba Jaan visits with the boys. The only real bummer was Akshat losing the Isec elections, which scrapped our plans of moving to Hall 1 with the wing. That was kaafi sad. Even though I have friends outside the wing, I really loved our bhaiyo wala group, and spending 4th year causing madness in the same wing together would have been legendary.
Chapter 5 : Octopus’s Garden
I landed in Bombay on May 17, 2025. People call it the city of dreams, and I completely second that. I went in with mixed feelings and zero stress about grabbing a PPO. I just wanted to breathe and genuinely enjoy my time.
“I’d like to be Under the sea
In an octopus’s garden in the shade
He’d let us in, Knows where we’ve been
In his octopus’s garden in the shade
I’d ask my friends to come and see
An octopus’s garden with me
I’d like to be under the sea
In an octopus’s garden in the shade”
~ The Beatles
Luckily, I had Vaibhav and Vanshika to visit the whole octopus’s garden. We explored every possible corner of Mumbai via locals, maybe South Bombay thoda jyada hi, while practically skipping Vanshika’s side (sorry, it just wasn’t interesting enough!).
Bombay gave me this crazy, intoxicating sense of independence. I’d practically bunked my intern, rolling in at 11 and leaving by 5. Yet, miraculously, it was there I actually fell in love with Finance, all thanks to my mentor, Prathamesh.
I’m also deeply grateful for my flatmates Naitik, Agrawal, and Burhaan (aka Dhruv for the OG Bombay lore, DM me). We bonded kaafi jyada over our low budget adventures and uniting against the other roommates (iykyk).
For those months, I lived purely in the moment with a complete ‘IDGAF about the future’ energy. I felt so unapologetically free, and I will miss that absolute independence forever.
Chapter 6 : With A Little Help From My Friends
The start of this semester wasn’t bad at all. I had my 8+ CPI and was gearing up to sit for placements. But the semester picked up at a crazy pace by the end of August, we were asked to submit our resumes. Cue the sleepless nights spent perfecting my CV and diving into actual placement prep.
That’s when the isolation really kicked in. Being stuck in Hall 5 while most of my friends were in Hall 1 (kaafi tragic kahani hai, not apt for AWL) and a few in Hall 9 felt pretty lonely. I tried to console myself, thinking maybe it was for the best I could just put my head down and focus on prep, aur fir toh Hall 1 mai hi pada rahunga. 8th sem mein kya hi farak padta hai? (Spoiler: farak padta hai kaafi. My friends were incredible, so they never let me feel the distance too much, maybe tumhare paas na ho). Everything was going according to plan until the first placement test. That was the reality check: I was quite underprepared. I started feeling a bit distant from everyone, though it got better later.
I was already depressed by then, and suddenly, the only thing keeping me on my toes was gone too (the breakup era). I honestly don’t know how, but with the massive support of Priyanka and Divyanshi, I kinda started everything from scratch. I went right back to those good old CP days, the daily grind of 1800+ rated questions for the next two months. Because of this hyper-fixation, I fluked a few of my initial OAs, but I eventually found my footing and got my confidence back after the VISA OA (it was easy AF).
Things were getting better mostly, with occasional help from my friends (the emotional support was immense). But as time progressed, my mental health was still taking a hit. I wasn’t getting over her, and heading into endsems without a single shortlist was brutal (looking back retrospectively, I know I performed poorly in the initial OAs). But I always had my friends by my side, even if they didn’t know shit about the storm in my head. OG shoutout to the people from my fav “Kaam ka group”. Finally, the dry spell broke with a Nomura shortlist, and then many more followed.
Then came D Day. I hadn’t slept for days, and it was very evident. I somehow dragged myself to the final rounds of mostly all the companies I interviewed for, but always fell short. By 5 AM, I was completely devastated, exhausted to my core, and honestly just crying. All I wanted was to sleep.
But then came the most important detour I took. My whole philosophy has always been about doing stupid stuff and taking detours, but I will forever thank Navya for talking me into this specific one. I got a walk-in at Qicap for a QR role. I was super reluctant to go because they were just rejecting people left and right, and my body was begging for sleep. Somehow, I gave a 3-hour interview. I thought I got rejected on the spot, but as I was leaving for Hall 5 to finally crash, I got a call from HR. They wanted to take more interviews later (apparently, they wanted to hire me right then, but I was just too sleepy to even comprehend what they were saying, so they scheduled a few rounds with my future team instead).
Then I went into Day 1.2 and got the offer from VISA. I finally let go after that and slept for 14 hours straight. I truly believe that if I didn’t have such a solid group of friends and juniors I wouldn’t be in the good position I am in today.
“Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends”
~ The Beatles
After that madness, my main focus was just ki baaki doston ka bhi sort ho jaye. Literally, if I knew someone and could anyhow be of some help to them, I wanted to be there. Eventually, everyone got placed or got what they actually wanted. By mid December, I got the official offer from Qicap too, and I was finally content and happy.
Chapter 7 : Memories
And finally, my 8th semester kicked off and it was absolute chaos right out of the gate. Looking back, maybe knocking out a couple of courses beforehand would’ve been the smart play, but instead, I found myself juggling 65 credits (including one extra DE, just in case the MTH department decided to bite back). But academics quickly took a backseat to the most anticipated family function of our group: Bansal ki behan ki shaadi. People literally got custom outfits stitched for this. For the first time in my life, I attended every single wedding function, clicked photos till my storage gave out, made endless reels, and, for the very first time, got properly drunk with the whole gang.
Midsems came and went smoothly (though I later realized I was bordering on failing two DEs, a crisis I somehow managed to avert). Then came Goa. Hands down, the best trip of our lives. We embraced every possible nuisance together: witnessing the absolute menace that is Vedanshi, the all-night nautanki in the pool, epic dance battles between Vedanshi and Bhansal, Bhandsal and Ankit’s never-ending sutti sessions, Vanshika and Riddhima’s non-stop photoshoots, Riddhima and Ankit’s impromptu hospital visit, and somehow fooling that scooty wali aunty. And of course, getting bullied by Vanshika and dragging Kushagra on crazy detours because honestly, doing stupid stuff and taking the long way around without Google Maps is just how I operate.
Back on campus, reality hit, bringing a brief period of intense padhai to save my degree. Amidst the chaos, I started spending a lot of time with my Bhai log. Navya and I bonded deeply over the true pain of adhura prem, which led to countless evening walks and, obviously, the mandatory Baba Jaan visits.
Then came the DE prep and the legendary coat photoshoot. A massive shoutout to my gurus: Pranav for Parai crow, DeMO sir (Abhigyan) for MTH, and Vanshika and Vaibhav for keeping the Kaam ka group afloat. Knowing my pathetic dancing skills needed an upgrade, I dragged myself to extra dance classes with Divyanshi. It paid off, because DE day turned out to be one of my favorite memories. I danced on stage for the first time, and I honestly didn’t care how I looked. I just soaked in every second of the journey. During the photoshoots, we shot some crazy reels. The one directed by Garima and Vedanshi with all the MTH peeps took us 3 to 4 hours, but it remains one of my absolute favorites. The last month also featured intense poker nights with Agrawal, Ruthvik, Kartik, Siddhant, and Bhiyani. Sadly, by the time I actually figured out how to turn a profit, college was already over. 🙁
After endsems, the toughest phase began. I had never felt closer to my friends, and knowing the end was near made me incredibly emotional. My coping mechanism? Sleep as little as humanly possible. I dragged my friends into night-outs just to delay the inevitable. I still remember Priyanka telling me around 4AM, “Bhai, I know aap bas bahane dhoondh rahe ho taaki wapas room na jaaun and bas chappar chappar karti rahun.” How do I tell her she was completely right? I didn’t want her to leave. I just wanted to sit on the Outreach roof with Odomos for the rest of my life, talking nonsense. Navya and Priyanka were my first real goodbyes. Before Navya left, all of us bhailog decided to get hammered and pour our hearts out. It got a little too emotional by the end, and I ended up passing out right there. Lol.
After Navya left, I clung to the Kaam ka group and took long evening walks with Divyanshi. We played pickleball at the oddest hours. Scribble Day was a blur of pure emotion we started at OAT for the event, moved to THF for Gupil’s birthday celebration, played another round of pickleball, and ended with the craziest campus exploration ever. Accompanied by SIS bhaiya, we wandered into places on campus I hadn’t seen in four years. Throughout the night, Riddhima kept saying, “Bhai, thak gayi,” and I just kept pushing her: “Bhai aur chal, aur chal.” I just didn’t want that night out to end. When I finally got back to my room and looked at my signed t-shirt, it hit me like a truck just how much I was going to miss these guys.
I realized that if I stayed to say goodbye to everyone, I’d completely fall apart. So, I made the call to leave early, on the 16th. We still had Abhinandan left, and realizing it might be the last time I saw everyone made it incredibly emotional. Sitting at the OAT later that night to sign yearbooks was truly special; as someone prone to forgetting things, reading those notes brought back the exact moment each of my friendships began.
The next day brought the hardest moment: seeing off Vedanshi. She was the first of our group to leave. As she was leaving, she was crying, but I tried to play it cool, laughing with the others and trying to make her smile. In retrospect, I should have just hugged her and cried like Riddhima and Vanshika did. Because the moment she left and by the time I reached Eshop, I completely broke down. I couldn’t stop crying. When Riddhima came to meet me later that evening, I couldn’t even speak properly. The emotions were just too heavy, and the reality that this was my last day on campus had fully set in.
“Here’s to the ones that we got
Cheers to the wish you ‘were here, but you’re not’
‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
Of everything we’ve been through
Toast to the ones here today
Toast to the ones that we lost on the way
‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
And the memories bring back, memories bring back you”
~Maroon 5
I split my final hours equally between my groups and Divyanshi. At 5 AM on the 16th, running on a massive emotional high, I hugged everyone left. I cracked cheeky jokes with everyone, just trying my absolute best not to cry. Akshat and Rishav accompanied me to the station to drop me off, and honestly, if they hadn’t been there, I would have cried the entire way home. I bid my final goodbyes to the campus. I will forever be thankful to everyone who helped me build my Castle on the Hill. But all good things must come to an end, and this was the end of my time at IIT Kanpur.
Kuch Gyaan ki baatein before I leave for my juniors
- Kabhi bhi train ke niche se niaklne ka try nhi krna chahiye
- Agar dost jyada jidd kare toh concert attend kr lena chahiye bhalaiye tumhein classical music pasand na ho
- Humesha ho sake toh proffs se marks ki bheek mang leni chahiye
- Kabhi bhi Scholarship na mili ke ilzaam institute pe lagane se pehle apna bank statement khona chahiye
- Kabhi kabhi sabse acche log tumhein roz MT lekar jayenge uspe unko judge mt krna ( bas tum try krna ki tum mat fookna )
- Aur shirt pe khana mat girana dost nhi bhulte
- Aur jitni ho sake utni trips pe jaana and tumhare photo acche kheechne se jyada imp tumhara dost ko acchi photo kheechna aana chahiye
- Aur pehla relationship bada soch samajhkar krna else bhalai woh 1 mahina chala ho aapke dost usko jeevan bhar yaad dilayenge
Written by: Sujal Agrawal
Edited by: Deeksha Jalan, Suhani Joshi
