campuslife @IIT Roorkee

The shit we do.

2012-04-14T15:39:00.000+05:30

*subscribe to this blog by providing your email address at the top right corner.

Here is the flip side to the life at an IIT from a fellow blogger...

Check out the source blog: http://sidhupanda.wordpress.com

After almost 3 years of engineering, we’ve learnt absolutely nothing out of the crap. Here’s my summarization of engineering life, particularly IIT life.

What our parents expect.

Being an IITian, we’re some of the most enlightened beings in India(read the world!).
We’re the pioneer of the future researchers.
All we’re supposed to do after getting into an IIT, is study.
And we’ve to actually study to get a job outta here.
The professors are like Gods.

But actually the scenario is quite a lot different. What we actually are/do.

We’ve just cracked JEE entrance after studying the same old stuff for a couple of years. Any sane human being can, with the rigorous amount of coaching he’s made available to.
We’re just a bunch of lame, lazy, aimless morons, waiting to complete our quota of 4 years. (Sorry IDD guys!)
All we worry about is a placement.
People employing you don’t give a damn about your CGPA.
Professors too think they’re Gods!

Seriously, I don’t find a good enough reason, why I’ll look forward to enrolling my kid into an IIT, after going through all of this. Maybe among all, there’s just one that stands out of the lot, fat pay cheques.

…

Girls. One thing rare in IITs and guys here are particularly crazy about. All that anyone dreams about is getting laid with a hot girl.

Free Internet. All IITs have allowed students free internet access. Although sometimes there are restrictions over the time, but hardy anywhere close to constraining.

Facebook. Quite accessible because of the above mentioned point, and an easy, cheap, tried and tested medium to get girls, sometimes far across the seas and oceans!

Late night chats. The ones with girls, flirt with them, and win over them. You’ve already got this inherent advantage of being an IITian. But sometimes it works against you too. I’ve seen umpteen number of girls who indistinctively just hate guys, just because they’re from IITs. A lot more would after reading this post!

Porn. Inherent among guys, sometimes girls(I guess!). This being a derivative of free unlimited internet,

Fests. People are mad about fests, waiting all-round the year for them, maybe because of two reasons. Firstly they can hang out with their girlfriends in and around the campus unrestricted, and secondly because they can hope of getting laid with outside girls who come to participate. The key point here is girls again. And this trend is seen more obviously in 1^st yearites, for as they grow up, they realize, there’s nothing as such.

So, as you must have realized, anything and everything in our life is as sparsely, as largely connected to girls. Quoting someone’s facebook status, ”All the money in this world would be useless if there were no girls!” Why DUDE?! Why can’t you be as selfish as me?

So if you’re aspiring to come into engineering and dream your heart out of being in these reputed Indian Institutes of Technology, there is no more than solace for you.

P.S. Forgive me thou for the utter disgrace of this life of yours, Oh IITian!

Sidhant Panda

http://sidhupanda.wordpress.com/

The tennis story: Inter IIT sports meet

2012-03-13T23:16:00.000+05:30

Right since the age of 5, I knew what I had to do. Pick up a sport, and screw it. It was not all that complex. Hard work, dedication, talent and a couple more possessions, blended together to perfection. Anyways, skipping the immaterial part of what happened in the next 13 yrs, let’s talk straight. At present, I’m 18, a national level tennis player, and a 1^st year student at IIT Roorkee.

IIT? Well, even I can’t make out how exactly have things unfolded for me, but certainly all is well. I thought my tennis would die down once I stepped in IITR, but I was forced to reconsider my thoughts after experiencing the level of sports at this place.

Last year, the 47^th edition of the Inter IIT Sports Meet, the most prestigious event of its kind, was held at IIT Kharagpur in December 2011. The preparations for it started right after the 46^th one. Literally! For the new comers, selections fired up vigorously, scrutinising anyone and everyone, to get the best of the best. It took 4 months of thorough examination, along with a camp conducted exclusively for the probable students, before our fate was decided. Thank God, I was in.

Time flew swiftly, days passing smoothly under our noses, pumping us with confidence with each training session. At least that was the case with the seniors! For a 1^st yearite like me, it was hell shit! I was really nervous about whether I would be able to hold on to my nerves, or not! After all, the responsibility was big. But I welcomed it with open arms.

The journey began on the 8^th of December. Roorkee to Delhi was a nightmare. I just couldn’t sleep, shivering all throughout, more because of the excitement than the cold. Delhi to Kharagpur was as smooth as silk, thanks to the air tickets we had. Crawling out of the Calcutta airport, we boarded a taxi and within hours, reached where we had dreamt of being all year long. IIT Kharagpur.

We entered in style, not because of our plain, yet elegant Adidas sponsored tracks (although it might not be totally unrelated, because it did turn a lot of heads), but because of the conviction with our preparation levels which made us look tall. It took me quite some time to settle down in the haunted hostel, but I didn’t really care. For all I knew it was show time man!

Other IIT’s arrived late. Not knowing what was on their way. The draws in tennis were out soon. Mandi, Patna, Ropar and Roorkee were in one group. I knew that the group stage matches would turn out to be easy, but since I was starting with the singles match, I was still nervous. In tennis, each round consists of one singles match, followed by a doubles. If you win both, you win the round. If it’s a tie, just hope you don’t screw up in the last deciding singles. We won our group matches way more easily than expected, topping our pool with the belief that we could persist till the last. Next up was quarter finals against Guwahati, and from this particular point, the competition was no longer a piece of cake! Guwahati was good, but we, were better. I won my singles match 6-1, 6-2 comfortably and my seniors were equally impressive with a 6-2, 6-2 victory which cruised us into the semi finals. Now only 4 teams remained. And as was expected, it was last year’s winner Delhi, runners up Kanpur, third placed Bombay, followed by fourth seed Roorkee.

And it was around the same time when the predictions and the betting started. We were surely the underdogs, for Roorkee hadn’t claimed a medal in tennis for years. I personally believe bearing the ‘underdog’ status proved to be an advantage to us, because we had nothing to lose, though a lot to gain, which surely helped me play with a cool head.

We were up against Kanpur in the semis, the team which had defeated us last year. Honest to God, Roorkee will prefer to lose against any team but Kanpur. They have been our long time most-hated rivals. And as expected, the court was a cauldron, with supporters from the opposite sides exchanging words you wouldn’t want to hear. I played against a 4^th year guy in the first singles, who had been really good with the ball throughout the tournament. But I got the better of him, owning him 6-2, 6-2. A nice way to grant someone his farewell, haan! The doubles, which followed soon, was nothing less than unusual. Unusual in the sense that it turned the whole battle into a murky affair. Both the teams lost all respect, if any, for each other and it was all and only about winning, as both desperately wanted a birth in the finals. We somehow managed to overpower them 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. It was the first time ever that we had reached the finals in an Inter IIT, and we were all feeling on top of the world.

The stage was set. We were actually there. The finals of the Inter IIT! I felt I had already won, for having reached this far. It was Delhi on the other side now, but it didn’t really matter. It was the last test of our sacrifice. I had to play a 4^th year guy, considered as the God of tennis, for he hadn’t lost a single Inter IIT match in his entire career. I was determined to end his streak but damn, things didn’t really go the way I wished. I fell to him 6-7, 6-4, 1-6, in a 3 hour thriller, before we lost the doubles, and consequently the title to Delhi.

Though we lost, I was in peace. I did my best, and couldn’t complain, as we were rewarded handsomely. Inter IIT silver means so much to me. To be the best in something amongst the best brains in the country deserves everyone’s respect.

The progression

The closing ceremony in Kharagpur marked the end of this chapter in our lives, but opened another one. The 48^th Inter IIT Sports Meet 2012! And with God’s grace, the host IIT is none other than IIT Roorkee.

The Roorkee Tennis Team for 47th Inter IIT Sports Meet

Rahul Adhikari

Ist Year

B.Tech. Civil

IIT Roorkee: The people around

2012-02-14T00:28:00.003+05:30

One of the best things about being here in IIT Roorkee (or for that matter, in any good institution) is the people who are around you. You come across all sorts of brilliant (and sometimes twisted) minds who create an impact on you. Everybody is better than you at something or the other and you are amazed by how quickly people become good in something they had no clue about before coming to college, except, of course, in the matter of interacting with the female population. But we can be allowed a few quirks i guess.

Initially arriving you get humbled by the amount of stuff people already know, even amazed. You might have an NTSE scholar living in front and a 95% CBSE scorer living right beside you. People know all kinds of stuff from sports to software programs and music instruments that you didn’t even know existed (ba dum tsss). You gape. And then the bonds start forming. The bakar sessions start and you realise how people have a lot in common with you. You start sharing stories and drawing analogies. The amazement transforms to respect and friendships. More of such coochie coo in other articles though, for now we are focusing on more inspiring things.

Then there are groups where people with similar interest come together. Each group seems to be a small rainbow nation with people from all over India. But the barriers, be that of language or culture start falling in the face of genius and expertise. A few brilliant seniors are set as a benchmark and journey begins.

Being around such people you can’t but explore new things which you hear of be it related to humor, great conventions, brilliant people who are lesser known or great people who were once where you are now. Even passing your time will consists of brilliant competitions be it poker matches or shooting the other team down. Ah! And of course you’ll find people in conversations about life, human nature and various other philosophies once in a while. You are exposed to so many brilliant things if you just keep your eyes open and absorb like a sponge.

seniors will be there to help with everything: studies, masti, chapo.

The thing that tops all the above is the zeal to learn and the ambition with which people enter the college. Maybe you can feel it in yourself right now. It may be a bit of a hindrance at the beginning as you see people designing, playing sports, programming, dancing, acting, singing, managing events, competing in quizzes, gaming, foosball, designing robots, working with startups etc. That’s about half of it. There are so many things it take a whole blog post to only name them. You may get confused in the beginning and don’t know what to do and what to leave. A lot of what people around you are doing and what you knew earlier determines what you achieve. But this limit has its root in the students, not the opportunities.

And the icing on the cake is that the peers are a helpful lot. You can learn designing or squash from the guy who lives next to you and he’ll happily teach you. The seniors will help, rather push you on working harder for the car you are making for the next Pan India competition (or maybe even abroad). You get a lot of help during the exams as well, without which, i ensure you, the grades will not be what they are.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of people i can label plain stupid. You’ll find pretentious idiots trying to screw things up for others and many others such but what will be life without somebody making you cringe every now and then eh?

this breed exists as well

At the end a lot of it depends upon you. How hard you can work, how persistent you can be and how you learn from the others around you.

Wish you luck.

Nishant Chandra
IInd Year
B.Tech. Production and Industrial Engineering

IIT Roorkee: My experiences, sans academics

2012-02-06T00:35:00.000+05:30

2244. “THE” number!! That’s what I call it. The number that altered my life. The number that transported me from the astounding, storming city of Bangalore, where I was residing happily, to a small town named Roorkee. The number, which snatched me away from my terrific life in the city, from my dear parents, from my lovely friends, and a couple of thousand more things (well, some private of course), to the gloomy hostel life. Sad huh?

Those were my thoughts in the beginning ... which have changed with time. Six months down the line, I am here alright. In Roorkee. Telling you all this! Why so? Because of that number! 2244. The number that changed my life. But only for good.

I am a first year student at IIT Roorkee and pursuing my Civil B.Tech degree (I guess that’s how you formally put it). Already past a semester and hell, it is getting insane! Crazily magnificent. For I never have experienced such an incredible life before. The way things have unfolded seems just like one would expect castles in the air.

Enough of dreamy paras, let’s get to the bottom line. What I want to disclose to the readers is the amazing life at IIT Roorkee. To me, this is a podium where everyone gets to live up to their dreams and aim for the sky. Apart from the brilliant, it even provides the reticent, the introverts and the presumably shy, a chance, a priceless one, to explore themselves. IIT Roorkee is something which draws out the waves of talent in you.

In my early days in the college, it occurred to me that an uneventful life hangs around the corner, waiting to turn the apparently “nerdy guys” into nerdier ones. Thank God, I was proven wrong.

Let me ask u something. Are you into debating, or would like to be? Have any plans related to entrepreneurship? If not, probably you want to code your own website? Or else learning German would be cool, haan? Do you believe you have the perfect blend of talent and composure, and the required competencies to persist on the sports field for hours and emerge victorious? How about some social work! Would surely be pleasing, wouldn’t it?

Well, if that got you excited, then this is just the place. Here at IIT Roorkee, you’ll find everything. Literally everything.

I am a member of the IIT Roorkee tennis contingent, and have already visited IIT Kanpur and flew to IIT Kharagpur in just over six months and won silver at both the places.

Moreover, I have been able to hunt my inner talents, and really explore what I am capable of doing. I have somehow developed deep bonding with programming, something which I earlier thought to be just not my cup of tea. Moreover , through the Entrepreneurship Development Cell, I have acquired valuable information about businesses and enterprises through successful entrepreneurs from IIT Roorkee itself, and have even got an opportunity to present my ideas about the same in the much awaited competition “Jugaad “ , which even provides financial support to the capable entrepreneurs. Recently, me and a group of 4 more guys, turned actors for an ad shooting competition recently, and won the second prize in the Inter Bhawan (hostel) Cultural Fest. I even managed to capture the 2nd position in the 18 km Annual Cycle Race, taking place early in the morning at dark conditions. And while I am typing this, some part of my attention is already lost in deciding which events I will take part in Cognizance, the annual technical festival of IIT Roorkee, and not to forget mentioning, also the second largest technical fest of Asia, after IIT Bombay’s fest.

These are zillions of events and opportunities which come your way at IIT Roorkee. Seven more semesters to go for me, and I already wish there were more, for I learn and enjoy new things every single day. The late night outs, mid night treats in the canteen, the daily dose of pj’s ... oh God, I could keep writing but it would never really end. The simple fact is that you get to know about so many different things that help you to develop your personality and identity required to compete in today’s world.

The above listed were some of my own interests and experiences, which I could discover only after becoming a part of this lovely IIT Roorkee junta! I am aware of the fact that your interests will surely range across the extremes. But no matter what you want to pursue, here you will definitely have someone to support you throughout the process.

This article’s intention is to pass on the real-life rewarding encounters which one comes across at this overwhelming place. Our blog’s main objective is to enlighten the yet to come IITians about the charming as well as challenging life at IIT Roorkee and give them an insight about the engineering college of the country which has the longest history behind it.

I hope the future "cream of India" reads and investigates more about IIT Roorkee and be totally clear before settling down for it. We are hoping to see you people over here next year. And keep yourself updated about this blog. There is a lot of information yet to be uploaded. Study hard. All the best for your future. That magical number transformed my life. And may God get you guys even a more magical number than mine in the JEE.

Best wishes to all of you.

Rahul Adhikari

Ist Year

B.Tech. Civil Engineering

CAMPUS de IIT Roorkee!

2012-01-27T17:00:00.003+05:30

A brief overview...

Campus de IITR!! Ah! I don’t wanna exaggerate but still I think that IIT Roorkee campus is among the most beautiful campuses of the world. Covered with greenery and being exquisitely serene, the campus of IIT Roorkee provides you with an aesthetic and hygienic environment to live and study. IITR has two campuses, one in Roorkee itself and another one about 50kms away in Saharanpur.

The Roorkee campus of IITR is spread over a sprawling 320 acres of land area. The magnificent Main Administrative Building is a reminder of the institute’s glorious past. The campus includes 13 boys’ Bhawans (that’s what we call our hostels here) and two girls’ Bhawans along with accommodation facilities for married students. Supporting 18 different departments, the IITR campus is unique. It includes an Institute Computer Centre, a state-of-art library, a sports complex and a huge Lecture Hall Complex where most of the lectures are held. All the hostels and even some of the departments are wi-fi enabled giving you access to high speed internet. Now, talking about sports, IITR excels in it. Be it lawn tennis, badminton, cricket, football, squash, swimming, table-tennis and even billiards, IITR has facilities for all. It has two large stadiums especially for sports events.

IIT Roorkee has its own modernised hospital with 24-hour ambulance service. So, if you get ill, they send up as ambulance to pick you up right away.

Though there might not be a glitz of the malls or multiplexes here, the proximity to places like Rishikesh, Haridwar, Mussorie, Chandigarh, Delhi, lot of trekking ranges and adventure sports more than makes up for it.

The speciality of IIT Roorkee campus lies in its natural beauty, grassy fields, tree lined roads and clean, serene environment, that’s what keeps us bound here. There are many eateries inside campus buzzing with student groups, also each Bhawan has its own canteen. You can find all the things you need here in the civil lines, which is a large market just outside the IITR campus where there are shops for absolutely everything.

About extra-curricular activities, there are various groups here. The Hobbies club is the umbrella organisation which maintains many of the groups like robotics, photography, Software development section, electronics section, star gazing etc. and one can choose a group according to his/her choice. There are a lot of other societies and groups like literary magazines, entrepreneurial and economic cells, cultural council (drama, music, dance, management), NCC, NSS, Himalayan Explorer’s Club and a lot of national and international clubs.

There is a club for indoor games like pool, table tennis, foosball, carom, chess and many of them are available in each hostel as well.

Here we have is a Saraswati Mandir, a Masjid and a Church, all within the campus itself. So whenever you feel low, you can take God’s shelter. Many festivals are celebrated in them time to time as well.

Ragging is completely banned in IITR. All the first year boys are accommodated in a separate hostel called Rajendra Bhawan. So there is no chance of getting ragged by your seniors, the authorities are very strict, so rest assured.

Well that’s all I can say about the campus right now. We’ll be adding a lot to this blog in time, so stay in touch. Wishing you all the best for your future, we hope to see you here at IIT Roorkee.

Pranay Chaudhary
Ist Year
B. Tech. Computer Science & Engineering

An intro to the Blog

2012-01-26T22:09:00.000+05:30

We all have been through this, a desire to have a glimpse of what lies ahead. What’s in store for us. It makes us scrounge through the net, every website starting from the official ones to those who have more ads than content.

We all have been through this, unsatisfied.

So we, a group of students here at IIT Roorkee have taken an initiative to tell you about our campus and our culture and to cater to your queries and thirst for information. If you are considering coming to IIT Roorkee than this is the hub where you will find all you need. By this blog we will be telling you about the facilities that we have, the things you will be doing here, our achievements, experiences of people at IIT Roorkee, why Roorkee is awesome and why you should choose it.

So keep in touch with us through the blog and the facebook page for constant flow of information and contact us if you have any queries or suggestions.

Common Room Team