As We Leave #47: Who Moved My Cheese?

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In this 47th edition of As We Leave 2026, Aadya Dhir, a Y22 from the department of Electrical Engineering, takes us through four years of unexpected friendships, unforgettable adventures, and moments that transformed the way she looked at change. Blending humor, nostalgia, and heartfelt advice, she shares how IIT Kanpur taught her that while life may keep moving the cheese, it also teaches us how to find it again.

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.

NOTE: I started writing this while on campus excitement but last 2 weeks on campus were a rollercoaster of emotions and hence I procrastinated until I realised theyve started releasing AWLs so here we go…

Its 2:07 am, im in my room, its the middle of our last endsems. my next paper is not until a week so i decided to pen down a bit about what life at iitk meant. i hear my friends trying to study but get distracted by reels with their 10 second attention span. other nights we spend hours discussing the most random topics in depth spanning from how an orange is supposed to be placed on a table to Nazis. corridor is quiet today after a day full of rainfall, still windy thank god. the only constant is the dim lighting and people who light up my every day living in it. 4 years ago, this wouldve felt like just another late night but now it feels like the nights im about to lose, forever.

I remember arriving here for the first time with my dad, tears in my eyes, always scared of change. this was a drastic one. he dropped me to my room with suitcases full of clothes, new bucket, new mattress, new life. i missed home so much i used to video call my mom everyday for the first few weeks. then after a lot of bicycle nights around the campus with a group of people i will always cherish, my mom used to scold me for not calling at all. I had found freedom in ways i couldve never imagined. suddenly all those long JEE nights seemed worth it. Today, most of my best friends from college were in that group.

I came to IITK with a lot mapped out but no plan to achieve it. Im glad i didnt cause nothing here worked according to plan for me. Deadlines, exams, internships, friendships- i thought i had control over most but this place has taught me to live with uncertainity. and thats life. My most unexpected of friendships came from clubs i got involved in, those i interned with who i never spoke to before, late night study sessions with a few batti girls i will always be grateful for – my degree actually.

Ok i took a break its 4:30 pm now, I am in the library with my fav person on campus. we got our usual- devil’s own from CCD, and called a few other friends to the wall to kill time. ive met some of the most versatile people on campus here who have helped me learn a plethora of things ranging from machine learning to learn how to play tennis (im still rly bad at it btw). these people have shaped me rly, always my bubbly, fun loving side with them. It’s strange how this place becomes a collection of memories more than anything else.
Not the courses. Not the grades. Not even the milestones we once thought would define everything.
Just people. And moments.

As I cycle past every road, trying to take it all in the last happy memories of this place, every hall has a story, every street has seen me grow these past 4 years; I think I will miss cycling alone at night with my favourite album on Spotify and always ending up at my favourite place- where sunset and stars both look equally amazing- my spot in front of the Library, between the walls around the fountain- maybe thats why I’ve captured most of my Batch Video shots there.

My dad gave me this book- Who Moved My Cheese? in the 11th grade to help me understand that change is the only constant in life (yes, during the pandemic :p). In the book, two mice run through a maze looking for their cheese when someone moves it — the thing they depend on for comfort and happiness. I think, for me, my cheese kept changing throughout IITK. Somewhere between home, freedom, people, and this campus, I kept finding new versions of it.

Instead of the regular sem by sem storytelling, I think I will just list down my best memories/traumas/lessons (am just very lazy like that):

Talk to everyone, even if u think the person is a loser, you will always learn something from them that might just change your perspective on life- some may even surprise you.
Treat everyone with respect- they are all here like you, whatever their background may be.
Leave the instant you feel someone is not valuing you as much as you are, everyone is smart enough to know what they are projecting.
First year friend groups will give you the craziest of memories and learnings, hold on to that even if you dont hold on to them.
Politics and elections in general are a waste of time leading only to baseless fights and unnecessary propaganda(unless you are contesting yourself), build your profile otherwise by taking part in clubs where you think you might actually learn something.
You just need one best friend, reciprocate, and make sure to take care of them
PLAY A SPORT, there is no other way on campus to relieve stress in a healthy and productive way, you will make friends for life, the early morning drills and sprints will bond you for life.Basketball gave me few of my most memorable wins and losses from Inter IIT to Udghosh.
Even if you dont make it to an inter IIT, make sure you learn something from the club youre in, and make meaningful junior senior connections most of all.(Thank you DebSoc and IISM team)
Go on trips! Take leadership, push your friends out of their beds, plan it yourself if required, there is no better time to roam a scooty/ Thar around in Goa than your final year. Take that bus to Mussoorie- the hot chocolate and maggi will change your life!(dono alag) Waking up in the mountains to hike is the best freedom you can get with friends. Do that difficult Trek and stay in a tent overnight- I gave my friends a hard time with my trauma stories but we had fun- 6 of us slept in one tent(lol)
Get out of your hall please, there is nothing worse than limiting your campus exposure confined to one set of people all 4 years.
Do well in academics, its more important than you think, than what your seniors might tell you about. Its what got you here in the first place, its what will get you to a better place.
PLAY POKER! Figuratively and literally, this is the only time you can gamble on your skills and don’t have much to lose cause nobody expects much anyway. PS: we used to spend the entire night playing poker, finally be able to have breakfast in the mess at 7:30 am, then sleep in till late.
Avoid SSAC meetings lol, you dont want to get into that trap at all. It will cost you more than you will expect.
Hall 4 ki cold coffee with a good BBC is the best post dinner refresher.
Buying Ramen in U shop and getting it made in Hall 6 canteen is the best/spiciest meal with friends.
Ordering Jalapeno Cheese Whoppers from naughty blenders and a good Domino’s pizza at 2:45am is the best meal when eating alone.
Create a playlist for every mood- especially for sesh with friends.
Please for godsake make girl friends, female influence is imperative for everyone on campus.
I think I will always regret not joining Vox, I’ve met some of the most extraordinary people there.
Hall 1 Gobhi Aloo with Boondi Raita is a goated combination btw.
I got my hair coloured CRAZY PINK(see pic below)- just two chunks one on each side at the beginning of 2nd year, never knew I had it in me, but am happy I got that out of my system, it was fun. I realised that surprising yourself is the key to happiness.

Looking back, maybe all these lessons were just different ways of learning how to find my cheese again.

Maybe someone has moved it again, but this time I am not as scared as I was in the 11th grade, or even on the day I first entered IITK with tears in my eyes. This place taught me that happiness is never really lost; it just changes shape. Sometimes it is a late-night cycle ride, sometimes the hall 6 solar panel rooftop, sometimes a CCD order, sometimes a sport, sometimes six people squeezed into one tent, and sometimes just the people who make any place feel like home.

So, as I leave, I think I am carrying enough of it with me. The cheese will move again, life will change again, but IITK has taught me that I will find it. Somewhere, somehow, with some new people, under some new sky.