Freshman Year at IIT Guwahati — Online & Offline & Online.
So, JEE Advanced happened, and I found myself landed at IIT Guwahati (Gotcha #1: well, not physically, but I mean I did get the ‘@iitg.ac.in’ webmail id :’) )
This story is an attempt at looking back on my first year and sharing what I learned, lived and loved in this one year (Gotcha #2: Eight months, to be precise). And yes, there were many highs and lows in this weird year, so be ready to be greeted by a bucket-load of gotcha’s that wouldn’t have happened had some person not eaten a sick bat.
So to start with, we were welcomed with an orientation by the college, albeit virtual; we got to meet the faculties of the CSE Department and the administration looking over various domains.
Then gradually, a bunch of random strangers who happened to get similar marks in an exam started to bond together. Our meets had stuff from skribbl.io to absolute nonsensical dares. A bunch of songs were sung, thousand of stickers were spammed, and new social media accounts were created overnight.
First Year has begun.
We were presented with a bunch of courses I never knew were part of a Computer Science degree. From Physics to the good ol’ Chemistry, with a new buddy Engineering Drawing. I didn’t have the slightest idea how much I would go on and curse this sadistic course. :-(
The classes came and went. My interest in attending classes fell flat faster than a decaying exponential. Throw in some exams every one or two weeks. Yes, I was having exactly the experience I would have never dreamt of a year ago. Life at IIT, they said!
But everything was not winter, as the wide variety of the clubs in our college surprised me, and I found myself interested in every single one of them at some point. That’s what happens when you are not good at anything in particular. Events like the Scavenger Hunt ( Sherlock Theme ❤ ) planned for us, and I have to applaud the fun it brought through a 15.6" screen. (Spoiler: Our team won the Scavenger Hunt, and I terribly played Sherlock in a task of the Hunt. Forgive me, Benedict! )
I also got the chance to be interacting with Neha Mam on her YouTube channel, sharing some tips to future JEE Aspirants. Was one of the first times I felt something proud of being an “IITian”.
Fast forward to Udgam — The Annual Entrepreneurship Summit by E-Cell of IITG. After a long time I was a part of some team and on the organising side of an event. It was a great chance, and I got to interact with some of the leaders in the industry and host Mr Sandeep Jain, the CEO of GeeksForGeeks (Thanks sir, for this lifesaver website). 🌟
To add to the fun I had, count in the Monologue I performed with Xpressions — the Dramatics Club of IITG. I was a saint who preached on the love of chicken.
P.S. — I am a vegetarian 💚.
The last few weeks of the first semester were harshly hectic. We had to give three complete tests in one single day. THREE EXAMS. ONE SINGLE DAY.
I was very disappointed by my grades at the end of the first semester. I knew that many of my dreams would lock away if I didn’t show a considerable improvement. 😞
However, I believe in seeing the bright side of things even though I use dark mode everywhere. So here’s the news. We. Were. Going. To. Campus. Yayyyyyyyy!!!!!
We only got a week’s holiday before the second semester was to start. Seeing this as a very apt opportunity to travel after so long, we (my family) made a short but refreshing trip to the North-East before visiting the campus. The skies of Meghalaya, the Caves of Cherapunji, the buzzing markets of Shillong and the majestic Lake Umiam. This trip was an aesthetic bliss!
I got myself RTPCR-Negative tested after the trip and before entering the campus. So, no worries. ✌️
After finally making it to the campus, it felt so good to be amongst people again. To meet REAL people. It was surreal cycling day and night with my group of pals just exploring the campus in and out. I was allotted the Brahmaputra hostel (largest in IITG), and for good, as it was brimming with people from my branch whom I knew earlier.
The following days raced past as if in the blink of an eye. Night outs, cricket and badminton games, eating chai-samosa at the Tapri beside the IITG Lake. But on a mean Monday afternoon, the dreaded email came. We. Were. Going. Back. Home. It had just begun, right? 😖
Then began the real campus experience. We booked our tickets home, shut down our laptops and came out in the open. We were going to live ourselves to the full in the next three to four days. Night walks, badminton challenges, Birthday GPLs were planned in almost no time. No moment shall be wasted. From that night onwards were perhaps the best nights of my life. We used to cycle around the campus, chit-chatting, looking for whatever canteens open that hour, vibing together to music, coming back to the hostel at 7 in the morning… I can write on and on. The best memory is when we sang Someone You Loved (in the Insta post below). 🎵
I remember we were out of our hostels on a thunderous night, and it was an absolute treat to see the Sun come up behind the Library with the mystic violet skies of Guwahati. We took shelter from one building to another as rain played with us. I am at a loss of words to describe that feel and essence. Can’t believe that an extrovert like me would be speechless? Have a look at the pictures below, and then come pinch me…
Here’s my Instagram post on the best memories from the campus…
And some of my favourite clicks of the gorgeous campus...
So with a heavy backpack and a heavier heart, I was back to the pavilion. It wasn’t exactly sad, as I knew that the cases were rising massively, and it felt comforting to be among your loved ones.
In this one month, I almost completely forgot about academics and programming. I had learnt Flutter (used to develop Android and iOS Apps) and was looking to participate in Google Summer of Code. I couldn’t devote enough time to create a nice enough proposal, but I will try my best in the coming sophomore year.
So now that we were back to our homes, club activities resumed online, and things got hectic again, but I guess that’s college life. Explore all you want! I focussed more on my academics and on skilling up and giving time to my near and dear friends that I made during the brief stay on campus.
I was also delighted to have become a part of several clubs like the E-Cell IIT Guwahati and the Coding Club, IIT Guwahati, and the Technical Coordinator of the CSEA IITG. I am also a part of Team Technothlon.
The second semester finished on a high note as I could do some damage control on my grades, and I can finally relax over these vacations.
With this legend of a meme, I take your leave and will be back when I conquer procrastination again. 😴
Signing Off,
G.D.
A note of thanks to Swapnal Shahil bhaiya, whose blogs have given me the impulse to write more.
