GRATIFICATION

Dedicated to My Best friends : Aakash Shukla, Nidhi Jain, Kamini Sharma, Deepali Agarwal, Nirav Samar, Rishabh Verma, Deepanshi Bansal, Ankur Verma, Avijit Sharma & *******

NOTE: This Blog has been written considering all my friends, who doesn’t know certain terms or things related to NIT-A. NITian’s may Skip that portion………………

It was 30 June, NIT Surat (Gujarat) has been allotted to me......I was neither too happy nor too sad. As i haven’t got my excepted college (NIT Allahabad). I was excited to go at new place....At that instance I was totally unaware of the Surat City. I was thinking whether the city will be good to flourish there and to enjoy the life? B’coz the enjoyment equally matters as the institute matters to which one is getting admission. Institute was satisfactory, the brand NIT of which I dreamt, finally I got that but not the expected NIT. I packed my bags to rush toward Surat on 23 July. It was a day long journey.

It was 12 O’clock when me and my father reached at college, it was neither too hot nor too cold there..........one can say it was pleasant weather. It took an hour to gather the information regarding admission procedure. Somehow I managed to get those forms to be filled. I was surprised to see that, to get registration completed I have to fill approx 20 forms, to get accommodation in Hostel a booklet had to fill separately, moreover I had to staple 5 photocopies of every certificates in order and different forms had to submit at different counters situated in different departments and at every place there was a long queue of students. I was roaming heather and thither to get every step completed of admission procedure. I was totally sweating out by that time!! By 4 O’clock atleast academics registration got completed! Now it was time to look for Hostel registration. Bank was closed by that time. So I had to wait for the next day. Next day I fulfilled all necessary requirements of the institute. Getting over with this, question started arousing in my mind, whether I will be getting NIT Allahabad in next round of counselling or not?? Somewhere in the corner of my heart, I was having belief that I will definitely get it!! Classes commenced on 26 July, I met with the students of different states and religion that was great moment of my life. My interest in NIT Surat was increasing exponentially.

From the day one, I didn’t feel anything indifferent in Surat, it did not took a minute to feel like home there. I was very happy till that moment. Unexpectedly only one room partner has been allotted in my room instead of two!! He belongs to Mumbai and was hoping to get call for IIST (Now in ISM). In the room next to my room, we were having a jovial kind of person Ravindra (Gujarat), who just cannot stop his mouth for a while, in one word he was totally hilarious, he always used to make fun of people. We were not allowed to go out of Hostel after 7:30 p.m. Still, in the meantime we managed to go out of hostel to watch movies........we had done this twice without permission!! We were enjoying life to the full. We were not allowed to go in Main Canteen; still we used to go there by hook or by crook!! Life was going so smoothly that I haven’t thought it. As the day passes AIEEE announced about the result date of next round of counselling, now another question stuck in my mind “What will happen if I will get NIT Allahabad??” Now I became afraid of getting NIT Allahabad as I started liking Surat so much. My Brain and Heart was struggling at that time. Heart was saying that “NIT Surat is the best” but brain was aware of reality “NIT Allahabad is much above in reputation and ranking”.

Result came on 6 August, and my college upgraded to NIT Allahabad, It was the happiest moment till date of my life. At last I got my college of which I dreamt of! My friends were also happy for me, Many of them told me that you are lucky as too many girls are there at NIT Allahabad (Which I realize later that they were absolutely wrong). This feeling dominated over the poignant feeling of leaving Surat and so many friends there. Now I had to pack bags to rush toward Allahabad. I left for Allahabad on 8 August at 10 O’clock with mixed feelings. Afterall NIT Surat was first college of my life! It took 20 hours to reach at home. I was thinking that now again I have to live in the hot weather. I was remembering the cold breeze which blows all time there, soothing pleasant weather and the view of roadside from the balcony of Hostel of Surat. It was the time to get prepared with all necessary documents required for the registration at NIT-A. This time again i have to pass through critical procedure of registration. While going to Allahabad, I was thinking whether Allahabad will be as good as Surat or not? As I had not seen Allahabad before. (By chance if I had ever came to Allahabad before, seriously I would not fill for upgradation across the states.) At last my curiosity came to end with what I was afraid of! Allahabad is the worst city I have ever seen. It was like “Bada Gaon”. I don’t know why this place is so much popular? Still being so popular “NO” development is there.

I reached at NIT Allahabad “Hellabad” on 12 August. It was very hard to bear the hot weather at that time. I was feeling myself to be submerged in the pond of sweat. In between I got to know that one of the draft was not proper, and my reaction was like “Ohhh God..........save me!!”. Registration got completed within 4 hours....which was too early in comparison with the NIT Surat. One more shock that I got there is that the Hostel for first year was out of the campus. By that time I was so remorseful that why I came to NIT Allahabad......I was feeling like “Apne hi pairon mein kulhadi marli ho meine”. Anyhow I wanted to get rid of NIT-A at that time....i was looking forward for the counselling, I was hoping that, may be AIEEE will announce for the choice filling again for further round of upgradation. Anyhow i wanted to be at NIT Surat again irrespective of having Big Brand NIT-A. But it doesn’t happened! Now I had to compromise with my fate....................

At Hostel: Again a big shock, we were provided with “NOTHING”. One room with a bed and a table (simple) were there. But in Surat we were provided with all new packed branded “Sleepwell” cushion, bed sheet, pillow, pillow cover, Tubelights, Godrej computer table cum study table(all things were new) and even a servant for brooming our room daily. Oppositely at Allahabad, all things were missing! I got totally exhausted! I had to manage anyhow. I decided to miss the class on 13 August as I was too tired and that was the first mistake I had done there b’coz we were having three holidays after 13 August and if I was able to attend the class on 13 August, some pending work could be completed in those three days. I passed those three days by playing badminton whole of the time.

First day of the College: I was already late..............I was having time table but was unaware of the classroom. My first class was of IEP (Introduction to Engineering Profession) Practical. I asked two professors for the place to go, but they told me to go at Seminar Hall which was wrong place. I was roaming here and there in the Main building and moreover the building was too big and was like “Bhoolbhulaiya” for me. I was rebuking “Jawaharlal Nehru” for making such Building. It took me exactly 45 minute to find correct place for the Practical Class i.e. Computer Science Department. Now in every Lecture I had to stand up and had to say: “sir, Newly Registered”. I was waiting “when these lectures will come to an end”? First day schedule ended at 5:30 P.M. I got to know about the course which I had to go through in the first sem. G1 Group was allotted to me and unluckily it was the hardest Sem i.e. all hard subject in the same semester. My whole energy got dissipates on the first day itself! Facing boring and unique(unique in sense of having unique features “not qualities” i.e. somebody’s voice is unique, either their voice is not audible to even first row or it is too loud that one can’t tolerate it, second feature includes unique dressing sense, another one is having unique face and blah blah....atleast they have something on which one can gossip in the class so that time passes easily, my big thanks to these kind of professors) professors continuously for 8 hours can make anybody sleepy and believe me, one can’t sleep so easily than one can, at engineering classes. It is like boon for back bencher but those who sits infront of professors have to struggle with the aggravation of professors and these students passes their time by yawning throughout the class and afterall what more they can do? And the remaining ones i.e. who sits in the middle rows, such students used to send SMS to their girlfriends/boyfriends which is sitting behind his/her row, whenever they got chance.

First Semester: A lot of work was pending (of about 1 month), among them the most difficult one was that I had to complete pending 4 sheets of Civil engineering drawing(CED) and 7 sheets of Mechanical engineering drawing(MED) and moreover I got to know that completion of sheets is not enough, it should be clean and accurate, otherwise profs. don’t take a second to write “REDO” on the sheets which means another 5 hours to engage with a sheet. It really sucks...... I was one of the luckiest who never got redo and was having a average of 8.5 in CED. There are two methods which exist at NIT-A to save time in drawing sheets. One is “TOPO”(using glass and lamp in dark) and another is “TEEPO”(simply copying from another sheet), I followed Teepo in whole semester. The only sheet which I made myself is writing “ABCD..........” in different dimensions. Thereafter I never looked a question sheet even once for solving a problem. We were not having the required time to cope up with running studies and which we missed due to late registration. Administration planned to run extra classes for late registered students. I was about to die by listening it......Now we had to face professors continuously for 10 hours (for 1.5 months). We had not got holiday for 2 months as we were having extra classes on Saturday and Sunday too. This Sem was too difficult to face as there were electronics practical, electrical practical, IEP assignments, mugging up boring chemistry, physics tute, maths tute also. That’s why I decided not to study anymore in this sem. I was ready to face the result whatever it will be! There was a girl(late registered) in my group who always used to study and was so active and brilliant that she completed her pending work in few days and got excellent pointers at the end of Sem. I was ashamed of myself by looking at her, if she can do it why I can’t? Actually my mind don’t gave permission for it, as my mind already got stuck in the preparation of JEE and AIEEE, so I don’t want to be studious anymore to that extent (atleast for this Sem)! Another jolt that I got is that we were having 6 exams in continuous 6 days, no holidays in between. Our preparation by that time was “NILL”. Anyhow we (Room No. 22 and 23 of Raman Hostel) managed to clear all subjects by studying few hours in the days of exam.

Naamkaran : I have got many names or one cay say “title” in first semester and that was totally free of cost!! Few of them are “Google”, “Gamma 5”, “Computer genius”, “Encyclopedia”, “Multitalented” etc. (Do not take these names as other way, these are not written for self-praise). Actually there exist a reason for every name. Starting with “Computer Genius”, I have got this name b’coz of my capabilities of handling computer such as handling many programming language on my finger tips, handling almost all kind of softwares, touch keyboard typist, good debugger and troubleshooter. There is quite interesting reason behind the name “Gamma 5”; actually I used to write my name as “Anshul Varshney” at informal places and “Gupta Anshul Kumar”(Which is actually the international Format and written as it is in my all Marksheets) at formal places and sometimes “Anshul Gupta” also. All my friends got confused, that what’s the actual name of mine? So they took out permutation of my name, which is factorial 4(4 components: Anshul, Kumar, Gupta, Varshney) which is equal to Gamma 5. Many of you might know the story of having two surnames, but for those who don’t know i must tell them, Gupta has many category in cast, In Gupta’s we are specifically Varshney’s. So the actual Surname of mine is Varshney, but we can write Gupta as well. Many of my friends thought that I am an inhabitant of Mumbai, as the people at Maharashtra used to write their name in this format. I got Google ‘n’ Encyclopedia as a name because my friends considers that i am having information regarding everything and “multitalented” because of having so many talents like Singing, playing instruments, unique handwriting, Computer Knowledge, drawing(won Gold Medal for the best Artist of the School at St. John’s), Good in studies etc. One thing that I would like to share emphatically about my Hand writing is that it is one of the unique qualities of mine for which I have got immeasurable appreciation right from my childhood from all around and it is continuing even in B.Tech. Out of above mention qualities, singing and learning programming languages is my passion and it will remain till I remain. I am thankful to that every person who has created easy going life and world for me, it such a pleasure to have you all as my friend.

Second Semester: With the hope that atleast this time we will do hard work (same story in every semester), we started our second semester. This time I have got a devil “laptop” with me. That’s why i had to very careful about my studies as there is a dangerous weapon named as “DC­­++” available for us at NIT-A, if handled carelessly, can ruin all your studies fully! (DC++ : It is a software used for downloading the shared things on LAN systems and almost all things are available sometimes those things also which are even not available on Internet such as every movie with supreme print upto 15GB, games, softwares, educational documents, all reality shows, and something which I can’t mention here) Also I am addicted to Social Networking sites since last 5 years even it is one of thing without which I can’t live for a single day. As the classes goes off, I used to be with my laptop daily. In earlier days of Second Semester we decided to form a team of English Dramatics i.e. “Nervines” for our fest “Gnosiomania”. It took about 15 days to write a theme of play and another 15 days to practice it. Most of time passed in gossiping rather doing practice of play. Unfortunately just before elimination round, one of our members got injured! We planned to change our theme, and we were left with just one day for the final Round. Anyhow with the help of our mentor we were able to finalize our preparation in just one day. All things were gone fine on the stage; however we were not able to win in Dramatics! As the day passes, Minors was just about to come, again my preparation was NILL, by that time I became habitual of preparing in last few hours. One thing that saves me everytime is one ability of mine that i can study continuously for two days without sleeping (In End Sem exam of Second Semester i slept for only 9 hours in 6 days, average of about 1.5 hours daily). I have got excellent result in the first minors, unexpectedly I got highest in many subjects. After getting good result, I became more careless even than before. Enjoyment was on the peak on those days, we all friends used to roam in Allahabad in the free time (free time = 24 hours – time spent at college), whole night gossips had became a integral part of our life. We don’t sleep until and unless our mind pinged that “Soja bete subah uthna bhi hai”! Actually we were having a lot of time to sleep, How can you forget “Lecture classes”? Afterall, what else one can do in Lecture classes? Those are meant for only sleeping, so that one can enjoy whole night! In the Second Minors again unexpectedly I got highest in some of the subjects, I was hoping that this time I can get good pointers if I will work hard for the End Sem exam. I have got appreciation from many professors as well in second semester. But as you all know my habit, I do not take tension for exams until and unless I became afraid of getting fail. That’s what I did again, I prepared for the exam in days of exams only!(I have mentioned it above already). But this time I have done lot of hard work as according to me. I was expecting pointer about above 9, as my end Sem gone well except Math’s exam. But it seems that God has already written for me that “whatever I will expect, I will not get that thing”. I got only 8.1, by that time, I have learned to compromise with my luck. It looks as if pointers are distributed in lucky draw to the students, some of them may got jackpot also. On the last day at our hostel, I spent most of the time in downloading stuff from the DC++ for the holidays. I downloaded about 70 movies, Games, video songs etc. Now, It was the time to say Good Bye to all my roommates and other friends……………

Extra edge: If someone would ask me, with whom the life can be enjoyed to the most? (Don’t take it in a wrong way) It is neither your Girlfriend/Boyfriend nor your family! Without any hesitation I can say it is one person i.e. “FRIEND”. Friends are the only earnings which one has in school and college life! and the thing of which I was afraid throughout year, are the girls of G1 Group “Kitna padhti hain yaar!”

LOVE U ALL <3

To be continued…………