26th July 2002; My first day at the college, a revered institution, a fervent passion of every callow in the country who aspires to be more than an engineer. I was in the IIT of my choice, destined to become an Electrical Engineer. They say that this place was the first engineering institute in the whole of imperialistic British Empire.
We were asked to assemble in the Senate Hall. This hall spoke of the tumultuous times this institute witnessed before being accorded the status which started the race of other institutions clamoring for the same. The hall looked as if this place left the argument to be in consonance with time long ago. I started to wonder whether I made the right choice by coming here, my friends in other IITs had already hinted against it, the sultry weather further aggravated my thoughts.
But my perspiration did not long last, as she entered the hall; I was led to fantasize, I was no longer a part of the babble going on in the first JEE batch. In a Blue green salwar sout, she adorned the moment. Her hair tucked in a pony tail, were all beaming to life, as if they were eager to explore the adventure that lied ahead. The lucky few had the opportunity to stroke her forehead. She was beautiful, her spectacles added to it. She should be having the smile of Preity Zinta, the same dimpled cheeks. That was my first guess. Wow, we had a star in our campus.
My day dreaming was broken with the Director arriving at the scene. Calling it a scene would be most appropriate, the chaos that prevailed on the registration with the DUGS shouting at the parents made it clear that administration was still uncertain with their new found identity. It did not take long enough for me to realize that the institute faced an identity crisis, as magazines and news papers repeatedly misquoted on the number. We were now seven and not six, seven, just like the seven colors of the rainbow, well may be.
It was where I discovered the joys of being at the threshold to enter a new phase that had just begun. My transmigration from an adolescent to…. a young man was besotted with; I even did not know her name. I soon realized that the director had invariably put the burden of building a resurgent India to a bunch of naïve freshmen. After all, IITs are known world over as leaders in technical entrepreneurship. I now belonged to bandwagon which included top honchos of the Silicon Valley and the Indian IT Industry. I recalled that few days back Bill Gates was quoted as saying that B2B no longer meant business to business; it was modified as “Back to Bangalore”. I could not agree more.
After the speech, we were to proceed to our departments to get oriented. I hurried to know her name, especially the department. There was a good and a bad news. The bad one was she was from a neighboring department, the good news was she was to be in the same batch with me for the next year. One year, I chuckled, was more than enough, my infatuation overcoming my senses. I was again woken up by my mother. She was waiting outside the hall. Mom and dad had a reason to be happy. They were; cautiously happy.
And then it started. I entered into the mystique duniya of dreams. I could see her, I could see a B.Tech from IIT, and I could see a handsome paying job, everything so exquisite. Who would want to wake up from such a dream, but dreams, they are meant to be shattered, and they did.
I soon realized that I was too much a idealist. Things never work the way you think, they are too be made to work. The rigors of IIT were never easy. At the end of the year, I found myself to be an above average far from good student academically having nothing extra to boast of. I never managed to say a “hi” to her, even when all that time I could see her sitting next to my bench. May be I wasted to much time fantasizing. Taking her down on a piece of paper only made me sulk.
But every thing was not that bad. IMG happened to me. This group gave me a reason to smile, actually to be hysterical. Sadly though, the coordinators decided against her, she was not to be taken. This was the first group that took future into account while deciding.
As the coordinator of the group three years later, I thank them, I would not have been what I am, and I would have gone into oblivion.
We were asked to assemble in the Senate Hall. This hall spoke of the tumultuous times this institute witnessed before being accorded the status which started the race of other institutions clamoring for the same. The hall looked as if this place left the argument to be in consonance with time long ago. I started to wonder whether I made the right choice by coming here, my friends in other IITs had already hinted against it, the sultry weather further aggravated my thoughts.
But my perspiration did not long last, as she entered the hall; I was led to fantasize, I was no longer a part of the babble going on in the first JEE batch. In a Blue green salwar sout, she adorned the moment. Her hair tucked in a pony tail, were all beaming to life, as if they were eager to explore the adventure that lied ahead. The lucky few had the opportunity to stroke her forehead. She was beautiful, her spectacles added to it. She should be having the smile of Preity Zinta, the same dimpled cheeks. That was my first guess. Wow, we had a star in our campus.
My day dreaming was broken with the Director arriving at the scene. Calling it a scene would be most appropriate, the chaos that prevailed on the registration with the DUGS shouting at the parents made it clear that administration was still uncertain with their new found identity. It did not take long enough for me to realize that the institute faced an identity crisis, as magazines and news papers repeatedly misquoted on the number. We were now seven and not six, seven, just like the seven colors of the rainbow, well may be.
It was where I discovered the joys of being at the threshold to enter a new phase that had just begun. My transmigration from an adolescent to…. a young man was besotted with; I even did not know her name. I soon realized that the director had invariably put the burden of building a resurgent India to a bunch of naïve freshmen. After all, IITs are known world over as leaders in technical entrepreneurship. I now belonged to bandwagon which included top honchos of the Silicon Valley and the Indian IT Industry. I recalled that few days back Bill Gates was quoted as saying that B2B no longer meant business to business; it was modified as “Back to Bangalore”. I could not agree more.
After the speech, we were to proceed to our departments to get oriented. I hurried to know her name, especially the department. There was a good and a bad news. The bad one was she was from a neighboring department, the good news was she was to be in the same batch with me for the next year. One year, I chuckled, was more than enough, my infatuation overcoming my senses. I was again woken up by my mother. She was waiting outside the hall. Mom and dad had a reason to be happy. They were; cautiously happy.
And then it started. I entered into the mystique duniya of dreams. I could see her, I could see a B.Tech from IIT, and I could see a handsome paying job, everything so exquisite. Who would want to wake up from such a dream, but dreams, they are meant to be shattered, and they did.
I soon realized that I was too much a idealist. Things never work the way you think, they are too be made to work. The rigors of IIT were never easy. At the end of the year, I found myself to be an above average far from good student academically having nothing extra to boast of. I never managed to say a “hi” to her, even when all that time I could see her sitting next to my bench. May be I wasted to much time fantasizing. Taking her down on a piece of paper only made me sulk.
But every thing was not that bad. IMG happened to me. This group gave me a reason to smile, actually to be hysterical. Sadly though, the coordinators decided against her, she was not to be taken. This was the first group that took future into account while deciding.
As the coordinator of the group three years later, I thank them, I would not have been what I am, and I would have gone into oblivion.
