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. 

वक़्त ने मिलाए कुछ लोग अजनबी ,
एक माहौल नया एक जगह नई |

आँखों में सपने दिल में इरादे लिए,
परिंदों ने उस सवेरे से न जाने कितने वादे किए|

थे वो भी घर से दूर अपने माँ-बाप के दुलारे,
करीब आए, घुले-मिले, बन गए कुछ दोस्त हमारे|

कोई स्वभाव में शांत, कोई बहुत बातें करता था,
कोई बेफिक्र खुशमिजाज़, कोई बात बात पर डरता था,
थे आये सभी अलग अलग दिशाओं से,
रूबरू अलग रीतियों से, अलग भाषाओं से,
साथ फिर भी सबका अपना सा लगता था,
हर मुश्किल दिन के बाद महफ़िल सा जमता था,
जहाँ मन हल्का करने को हम नाचते गाते थे,
कभी खुद की बारी आती थी, कभी दूसरों को सताते थे,
कभी साथ पढ़ते, तो कभी साथ खेलते थे,
अच्छे बुरे हालात सभी साथ ही झेलते थे|

बीते दिन साल बीते, एक परिवार सा बन गया,
हुए सबके सुख दुःख में शामिल, घर से दूर एक रिश्ता सा बंध गया|

न जाने उन महफिलों के बीच कब समय गुज़र गया,
ख़त्म होने को आया यह साथ, तब यह दिल मानो ठहर गया|

शायद उस वादों भरे सवेरे की यही शाम है,
आज़ादी भरे हमारे इस अध्याय का यहीं पूर्ण-विराम है |

अब लगता है कि काश उनके साथ आने से कभी मना नहीं किया होता,
काश तस्वीरें लेने की बजाए लम्हों को और जी लिया होता,
क्योंकि वो लम्हे कहाँ इन छोटी तस्वीरों में समा पाएंगे,
गुज़रेंगे जब भी वो पल सामने से, आँखों में नमी भर जाएंगे,
एक बार फिर हमारे रास्ते जुदा हो जाएंगे,
थोड़ा रोएंगे, थोड़ा मुस्कुराएंगे, जब भी वो दिन हमें याद आएंगे |

Written by: Archies Arck

Edited by: Ayush Anand, Abhimanyu Sethia

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. 

“Takleef hui iss baar, 

khushi bhi thi ki apne saath vaapis 

yaadon ka ek bada sa suitcase le jaa rahi thi, 

jinhe main kabhi nahi bhool paaongi.”  

-Naina Talwar (Get ready for more quotes from my favorite Bollywood film: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani)

Where do I even begin telling this story? It was a long journey that we traveled, and looking back at it now, I am gripped with nostalgia. Let’s start at the very beginning. Although my first year at IITK has given me some terrific memories, it was not a great start. I wanted to use my time here to try out everything that I had wanted to do after finally getting the freedom after JEE. I attended way too many workshops, responded to almost every email we received, and tried to get involved in many clubs and fests. I found it challenging to cope academically because of that, and an insincere effort to keep up with the classes and tutorials. Apart from this, in the first sem, I was too moody, disgruntled most of the time because of not being able to balance things. It was only after I met some of the most amiable people in my second sem (with whom I would stay till the end of my journey at IITK), did I start to enjoy my stay here.

In my second year, because literally ALL of my friends/wingies were doing it, I too applied for the post of HEC and became the Science and Technology Secy. I took up a lot of things simultaneously in this semester: Takneek, antaragni dance practices, FLP german course, techkriti, Ritambhara secy, SPO secy, aero club – all of this in one sem (and I bet there were some other things too which I cannot recall right now)! I wanted to take up everything at once and prove myself at multitasking. I felt I had matured after the first year, and this time I would be successful in balancing things. I kept oscillating from one club to another the entire day, leaving myself no time to study which resulted in single-digit marks in tests. After Takneek ended, I had just one week left to prepare for my midsem. This caused me a nervous breakdown. I sat down on Monday, trying to begin studying subjects from scratch, and I just couldn’t. I was crying and cursing myself for neglecting studies to such an extent. Monday went by, and I couldn’t open my textbooks. Since I didn’t want to disturb my friends because exams were near, I went to a solitary place in the academic area at night and called my dad and cried my heart out on the phone. In an effort to calm me down, he joked about not failing any course and told me he doesn’t care even if I get D in all my courses.

I started studying from the very next day and talked to dad almost 3-4 times daily. I gathered strength by consoling myself that this sem doesn’t count, and I will perform better the next time (Next sem phod denge :P). In the midsems, I performed really badly in some courses and really good in others. Finally, when the much-awaited mid-semester recess arrived, I spent time at home and introspected a lot. And when I came back to the campus, I gave up everything, literally everything: every club or anything I was part of, to study. (This made facing some people on the campus really difficult over the next few years :P). I don’t know how I managed an SPI of 9.6 and an A in a course in which I had much below-average marks in the midsem. The success of this sem made me realize what actually made me happy. I understood that it is impossible to have everything in life at once- “Kitna bhi try karlo Bunny, life me kuch na kuch to chootega hi.”  But I am glad, I at least tried!

I don’t despise my third semester or wish that the first half of it had never happened. There is nothing I would go back and change. Because, in the words of Ted Mosby, “if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear” (though used in an entirely different context :P). The next four semesters were great- only academic and career pressure (XD). I studied a lot and became very competitive for my grades. I did not take up any POR since then because I felt I didn’t need anything apart from my studies to engage myself. Yes, I became that maggu who started doing “revision” (sometimes even multiple) before an exam! After my SURGE project in the second year summer, I felt strongly about pursuing a career in research and wanted to go for a research internship in the third year. So I didn’t sit for company internships and worked hard to grab a research intern abroad. And after coming from the internship, I applied for higher studies in the 7th sem. Although I summed up the other one and a half years of college in a very few sentences here, which might give one the impression that everything went smoothly. It was actually a combination of many ups and downs, tough decision making, and taking risks. It wasn’t easy to see everyone around me get good internships in the 5th sem, while I didn’t even seem close to getting one till the middle of the 6th sem. It wasn’t easy to give up on the placement drive without telling my parents about my decision to apply for a Ph.D. It wasn’t easy to see people get their dream jobs, while I was still applying to colleges and wasn’t even sure if I would hear back from them anytime soon. I didn’t know what the future held in store for me, while it seemed (at least on the outside) that everyone had their life settled.

Problems went by, but there were a few constants in the variables of my life here- my friends, who were there with me throughout these four years. Astha, Pragya, Bhumika, Smriti, Shreya, Navanya, Shivani, and Ishika- I can’t even tell you what your friendship means. No achievement seemed an achievement unless you appreciated me. No failure seemed to hurt that much when I had your shoulder to cry on. I made big decisions in my life telling you folks first,before telling anybody. You helped me become the person I am today. In these 4 years, I have grown so used to living with you, that it’s difficult to accept that our time together has ended and we have to part ways. Seriously, life in college is unimaginable without our squad! It was so fascinating to see us all grow together and mature. I still remember the words our director said to us during one of the auditorium orientation sessions: “People come here as boys and girls, but leave this place as men and women.” So true!

I want to devote one paragraph to the lessons I learned in IITK based on my personal experience. So that, when I face a similar crisis in my life later, I can look back to this post and relive those lessons. Or anybody, who reads this post, can take something meaningful from it. Firstly, do not let anyone think you cannot achieve something. I had people telling me that I was not good enough and would not get into some colleges, only to crush my spirits. I wish I could tell this to my 7th sem self: Do not let people dictate your thoughts and tell you what you can and cannot do; you’ll get through it, and do great. Secondly, never think that your experiences will remain constant- no failure or success is permanent. That is something I believe IITK teaches you fast, it gives you plenty of room for correction and I learned it in my third semester. And lastly, do not be afraid to take risks for following your heart and passion. This is the place and time to do it. I was terrified about some of the decisions I made, like not sitting for internships and placements and going for higher studies. But all’s well that ends well. Do not overthink because no decision is absolutely good or bad, but once you have made a decision, just stick to it no matter what. 

For a long time, I postponed writing this because I thought my journey was pretty ordinary, and my experiences were pretty much the same as everyone who comes here. But then someone made me realize, there will never be an idiot named Shivali Agrawal again, who lived in C-609, loved to dance, and celebrated every occasion with a pizza. This made me realize, you don’t have to put effort to make your journey unique, because it already is.

This place gave me memories and friends to cherish for a lifetime. “Yaadein mithai ke dabbe ki tarah hoti hai, ek baar khula to sirf ek tukda nahi khaa paoge.” I miss going to the canteen together and singing along to Nora Fatehi songs (there would always be one playing on the TV whenever we went!). I miss pulling pranks and teasing that one member of the group. I miss shouting “Veeras ka tempo high hai” at the top of my lungs, after coming second in group dance in the first year galaxy. I miss getting dressed up and roaming around the campus at 2 am for absolutely no reason, singing friendship songs with my gang. And I’ll always remember how, when we thought we would have “the time of our lives” in the last sem, we had to leave midway. Deep down, we all knew that saying goodbye to this place and the people would be the hardest thing we have had to do. And so, When our “see you soon” turned unexpectedly to “goodbye forever,” it was so bittersweet.

To Y16: We had to end this journey sooner than we thought we would. We’re not sure if we’ll get to meet each other anytime soon. They say time is the most mighty warrior. It destroys everything we do or make, even the most beautiful things in the world. But time cannot fade the strength of our memories. Nothing is ever lost as long as we remember it. A part of us will always be there at IITK, with each other. A few years down the line, we might lose touch, we’ll be in entirely different places, having our jobs and families. But our minds will keep going back to the timeless moments that we spent at IITK. And in that way, we will be there forever!

I thank Vox for bringing this series alive and letting us write our stories.”Kabhi kabhi kuch baatein hamare yaadon ke kamre ki itni khidkiyan khol deti hain, ki hum dang reh jaate hai” – that’s what writing this post did for me.

Written By:- Shivali Agarwal

Edited by:- Hemant Kejriwal

It has been raining outside for the past two days, and the campus looks and breathes like heaven. With less than ten days left on campus, everyone around me is trying to live their lives to the fullest.  On the one hand, Ramaiyyah and Deepu Chauhan are filled with final year students partying and trying to grasp as much as they can of the little time they are left with, while on the other, Hall 1 is aglow with sights of people hanging out by the canteen trying to relive the bulla sessions once more. One can hardly miss entire wings rushing out to the Air Strip dressed up in blazers and shorts. (After all, IITians are distinctly identified by “chaddas”).

I have been an avid follower of all the opinions and memoirs that have been published by Vox, and now that I have been asked to write one, it seems increasingly difficult to summarise the last four years I spent at IITK in a single essay. But then, we haven’t learned to fumble at the sight of difficulties, have we?

After JEE Advanced 2015, my life was more or less in shatters. Yes, I did manage to get into IITK CSE, but then, there was always this feeling that I could have done much better. What if I hadn’t screwed up Paper-2?  What if it had gone like one of those AITS, where I was ending up consistently with top ten ranks? With a bag full of “what-ifs” and another full of clothes, that July afternoon I found myself standing in the mess registration queue in Hall 5. And as I look at the rain pouring outside now, sitting comfortably on my bed in C110/1, I am delighted that I came here and spent my time with some of the most phenomenal people in an utterly fascinating framework. In contrast to what the  ‘just out of school me’ would have wanted, I am not graduating with a perfect ten, and I am not going to MIT or CMU for my Ph.D. But, I am happy, content and have learned to follow my dreams.

Before coming here, I didn’t have much to boast about other than my academic prowess. I was an avid quizzer, and I had qualified almost every school level examination there was, but the feeling that JEE preparation and academics held me back from really exploring my interests had always been there. After orientation, I was sure in my head that I will try my best to balance everything and won’t do injustice to one at the cost of the other. It was only later on, in my third year, when I realized that a career in Computer Science wasn’t something I really wanted to go for. And trust me, I was scared to admit it even to my parents. A nine-point-zero third-year student, going for an internship in a software engineering role and claiming that he isn’t interested in his own major isn’t a particularly encouraging sight to behold. Before I go on, I must admit that I have great respect for my peers who have found their calling in Computer Science and have already started making it big in their lives. It’s just that they found it there while I didn’t. A lot of people have asked me the question, “wouldn’t I be wasting the four years of my education” should I choose to take a different path, in both formal as well as informal settings. To that, I have always replied that the mere thought that things I learned in my four years while fulfilling my degree requirements are limited only to the matters pertaining directly to the field of study, is a dissuading one. Whatever I studied, has not only been utilized while writing tests or lines of code, but has taught me to think in a more structured and algorithmic manner. I haven’t just learned how to fetch marks, but have been endowed upon with lessons in perseverance, time-management and taught me to look at things subjectively, and perhaps these are the things that will last longer with me, than a mere sheet of paper.

To be honest, at this point, the amount of time I have spent in Quads and SAC outweighs the time I have spent in the academic area. Starting right from the fresher’s inferno in my first year, then with our pool pulling off a major upset and winning the Galaxy in 2017, all the way through to standing on the pro-nite stage on the last day of Antaragni and rejoicing in ecstasy – there is no place that I would have wanted to be but here. I am glad that I was lucky enough to be a part of a diverse group of organizations – ranging from ELS and CS to Senate and Antaragni – I have had more than a scoop of every flavor this campus has offered. Obviously, the levels of involvement varied in proportion to my interests, but then, each and every one of them has contributed positively to my days here. Extra-curricular activities allow you to explore the hidden tenets of your personality. Not only do you interact with a lot of people and get involved in the grand scheme of things but you are also forced, at times, to introspect and contemplate your own life and actions. Moreover, you make great friends and get soaked in the wonderful feeling of camaraderie that, as of now, feels like it will last me a lifetime. To say at the least, my last year in Antaragni Core Team pulled me out of the depths of depression and had it not been for it; I would have been lying on my bed, sulking my year out. To look back at it, I often think that I was lucky enough that things fell my way, but without being modest, I would like to attribute a bit of it to the fact that I chose not to whine away in my room wasting my free time on the internet, but chose to spend it with people.

Now that I have already exaggerated and boasted about my stay here, I would like to tell you something which is a bit sinister and is in sharp contrast with the dreams we come with to this campus. At times, you might feel alone, anxious and miserable. Four years, after all, is a pretty long time and a crucial one too as we all enter this place as teenagers but graduate as almost full grown adults owning our lives and actions. You might feel cramped and trapped and might want to break-free even before your degree is complete. But then, I would like you to remember that there is not a single person on this campus who hasn’t experienced multiple lows in his/her campus life. Yes, for some of us (which obviously includes me), these lows are a bit lower than they are for the others, but then, that is life for you. You may not seem to realize it often on the campus, but you are amongst the brightest and sharpest in your age group. You managed to tame perhaps the most competitive examination on this planet and are currently in an institution that people are dying to get in. Competition around you and a string of (what you might think are) failures can take a toll, but the real problem begins when you start forgetting the kind of person you actually are, and that is – a strong and competent one. Take that phone in your hand and call your parents or even better, rush home on that rare extended weekend. Go out and barge into the rooms of your close friends. Talk it out, write it out or walk it out – just don’t stay in your room when you are at your low.  The world remembers those who have been star-performers throughout, but those who have fumbled and rose again – the world remembers them even more fondly. And the next time you hear the echoes of “IITK ka tempo high hai”, realize that you are IITK and IITK is you.

Cheers!

Written by Pranjal Prasoon, Edited by Ayush Agarwal

Why EE IITK despite having a below 50 rank in JEE?

I was exposed to microelectronics right after +2, and CSE did not interest me as much as microelectronics did so that is why EE. Choosing IITK was more random. IITB was too far away from Jharkhand so the choice was between IITK and IITD. Had seniors here who suggested IITK but I later realized having seniors here does not matter much. In fact, never met them again. But I have decided not to continue in EE and I will be taking up the role of an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Comparing Expectations from IITK and the Reality.

You expect a very intellectual crowd. Which you do not exactly get. This is true across IITs. Then again it has to be traced back to different kinds of reasons. What kind of intellectual crowd you expect and how right you are in expecting a certain type of crowd you have to live with and not just study with. These things have to be considered. Expectations are way above what you really get. A lot of people feel similar things and they do voice it through different means but we seem to be going nowhere.

On Issues in Campus.

There are a lot of things which happen with students when they come in the institute. The very same students who’d be good outside, might not be the same inside. There are a lot of issue and each one of them needs to be seen from a different view. Interestingly, when talking about campus community, what we often do is restrict ourselves to UG boys. Campus community includes a very diverse community of faculties, professors, students and workers and not all have the same role to play in any of the issue we need to solve. We need to figure out how the problem persists in a dynamic campus. Batches come and go but a few things are normalized. The campus needs to engage in figuring out the answer to these questions. Say for ragging, there are two very different and problematic stances that people take. One being this always happens and will continue to. The other being that this is about a few bad people who did something. The middle ground where we figure out questions and answers to why and how, that’s where the student community has not gone yet.

When we talk about conversation on issues that are significant to us. Issues such as ragging, drugs, sexual harassment. What we end up doing is conversation only with the people who have power over us, the administration. The other aspect is completely forgotten. Does the student community have proper forum to discuss this and then take suggestions forward? For instance, Vox comes up with an article, do people pursue it? If the article says students didn’t do these things right and the administration didn’t do these things right. What happens after that? These are the questions which have always been important to us but are not answered. We’ll have to engage students to be more perceptive of what is happening around them. Students do not feel that these are their issue. Issues become very localized. We need responsible stakeholders. Things become much more vague when you talk about things which are distinct. Environment for example. Sexual Harassment out there happens with people, ragging happens out there with people, environment doesn’t happen.

What changed your perspective

IITK should somehow be responsible for its immediate surroundings. IITK should be responsible for Kalyanpur, Bala Sirohi, Nankari. This comes from my strong background with my school. Where the school was responsible for its surroundings. Strangely, this was not something the institute did in IITK. There were a few things which were there like Prayas but this were student run. There is a difference between the institute taking the initiative and a student club doing the same.

One thing which I learned is how to talk to people. I was kind of this arrogant guy who did not talk to a lot of people when I came in. I think I have improved in that aspect. You learn to make interpersonal relations. Not only for a more fulfilling process but also to get work done. This changes the personal trajectory.

Are these changes spontaneous or Gradual?

There have been multiple things that make you question a lot of things but then because every time something happens, you build on what already has so it becomes a gradual process in that sense. For instance, in our second year, the professor who taught us microelectronics said silicon technology is driving the entire industry and such. That was how a microelectronics class should be. However, when you start reading up on silicon industry you realize the kind of problems it intrinsically has for the environment and workers. Then you start questioning things. This is the side of things which is not shown. What IITK ends up doing is it restricts the kind of education that you are receiving. If you don’t engage with these issues now, it will be even more difficult to do it later. This not just true about IITK this is true about most institute in India. Then you start thinking about since I am not being taught all of this but I have to learn all of this and then you start looking at other aspects of your life at IITK. And then you start looking at entire student body and the problems it is facing. So all these things start becoming relevant to you. Once you start engaging with these forums. So any event that happens in these forums become your events. And these stuff become turning points in your life.

What ahead? and Why?

I am taking up a job at Goldman Sachs. It was pretty good to be placed in a good firm. Goldman Sachs comes on day 1 slot 1 so didn’t have to sit for the other firms. It is a good firm and pays well. Probably it is in my nature that I will keep looking for things. I could probably venture into Social Entrepreneurship. If not that, at least the academic domains that focus on these studies. The entire arts field. sociology and related disciplines. These are disciplines where you can study about these issues. Eventually where I will go is still a difficult question to answer. What I eventually realized is that I will have to understand why I want to make this switch a little better and the best way to do this is to give yourself time. I will have to figure out if how and where I want to make the switch. The job in that sense becomes something that I do during this time.

Things to change on Campus

There is a lot that needs to be changed. What is our perception outside. The kind of money the alumni put back in the campus. The issues of student community. Such as ragging, sexual abuse and some threat of drug abuse. The student community faces the issue of legitimacy in front of the administration. We need better journalism, Nirvaak has to come out very strong. There are issues with workers that we need to solve. There are issue of access. Who can come in and who can not. For students, when people can go out and when they can’t. Alumni complain that they are not being kept in the loop. I personally think that Students’ Senate spends a lot of time talking about things that might not interest the GBM as much. I understand that these are procedural things that have to be done but as a general body member and not a Senator, they do not interest me.

Friends @ IITK?

Friends outside IITK are all of similar age. Friends in IITK are more spread apart. In UGs I have friends from Y7 to Y16. And then there are PGs as well. You get to talk to people from across age groups and you have different perspectives. Outside of IITK my friend circle completely identifies with who I am. Most of them are Bengalis, most of them live around the same place, have the similar background and the kind of upbringing we had. In IITK you have people from across states, across backgrounds. This gives you a varied perspective. People here are very focused on research, at least the people in my vicinity. Outside, the focus is on job. Thanks to forums like Facebook it would be easier to stay in touch.

Fundae

Only one advise. Look at what is happening around you and probably react to it. Even if you have to be a mute spectator, at least be a spectator. Even that will take you somewhere. The problem is that we choose not to see. We start by defining campus community in a restricted sense. If I define the community as my wing, then there will be a lot of things I won’t be able to see. That is not how things should be. Very rarely have I seen mute spectators on campus. People choose not to see. Seeing what happens around you is very important. Because if people see, they’ll come out and act on it.

Edited by – Smit Chaudhary