As I sit here, downloading as much of DC as I can carry in
my HD, packing out of IIT-B for the last time, saying my final farewells to
everyone who has been a part of my life; I look back and the cached memories
come rushing back to me.
I still remember the day I first set foot in this place; the
experience was ruinous to all my dreams and expectations about IIT with a dull
welcome at the un-boastful entrance and unassuming Convocation Hall, and the modest
habitat that were our hostel rooms. I was devastated to be leaving home, family
and my dreams of a career in CS (I had gotten into M.Sc. Chem.), for a few
acres of glorified land that had established itself as a brand. Yet, the
prospect of being a part of this famed institute was so attractive; I was ready
to risk anything to realise it.
I believe there are no right or wrong choices. There are only
choices, and you live with the ones you make! So have I... And I am glad,
almost proud, that I chose to be nourished here, amidst the great and diverse
pool of talent; chiselled at the sharp edge of competition; humbled at the
hands of hundreds who were better than me at everything I considered my best;
befriended by future Einstein’s and Zuckerberg’s, sure to bring glory to our
country and Alma Mater!
I came here a scared little girl, untrained in the ways of
the world; a frog who had never known an ocean deeper or larger than its own
little well. The vast pool of talent to learn from and grow with, myriad genres
to satisfy anyone’s passions and opportunities to excel in them, ample number
of over-achievers to idealise and be humbled by, company of learned men to gain
wisdom from, and the wide, intricate social web to laugh, love and live with;
left me awed! This same state of affairs has been my reality for the past four
years now, and will be sorely missed hereafter.
The one thing that IITians can boast of is freedom of choice.
Be it, freedom to choose one’s career path, one’s attire or the time of the day
to wake, eat, get out of rooms for fresh air or shit! Probably, this institute
is the sole holy temple of democracy where individual freedom is deified and
fundamental rights are absolutely worshipped.
However unconventional your passions may be, IIT has never
shied away from supporting excellence in incredibly diverse fields. If you
realised that you weren’t meant for the Department you chose, or that you did
not belong with Science and Technology, you only need to take a step, and a
path will appear for you to trod on; you only need to share a word, and you
shall find mentors ready to guide you at every stage.
All of us here, I am sure, have had several mentors, who
have volunteered to help and in turn, have made you the person you are. I do
not know how I would have fared if that one piece of advice hadn’t arrived to
urge me for the post of a Techfest manager, if those feedbacks hadn’t shown me
right from wrong, if that one Professor hadn’t offered a project (off his own
will) which eventually landed me at ETH Zurich, if the wisdom of so many hadn’t
helped me sail through my placements. Such mentors, with whom one can discuss
‘one-self’ and be heard and answered; be they friends, seniors or professors,
are a rare and fortunate phenomena. I will surely miss the ones we find waiting
at every turn and corner, here at IIT.
Yet, the greatest hole shall be the one left by friends I
have made here, the ones I have loved dearly. As the waves of sweet and salty memories
wash over me, I recall some of the best moments from the past four years of my
life. I see those times Puneet and Anjali embarrassed me with their crazy
little acts and my lips curl up into a smile. I laugh when I hear Anjali and I
brag about our dates or others calling us a couple. I can almost glimpse
Prashi’s scared face at the arrival of simple surprises and feel her joy at
hard-earned successes. I remember those long discussions JR and I had about
‘me’ and I hope I am able to return a part of what I owe him. The news of his
and Sudesh’s recent feats in typing, languages or SD and Scramble flash into
memory and I hit my forehead hard, tired of hearing them brag. I almost feel a
wicked satisfaction for having surpassed S(t)udesh’s performance at every
guitar lesson. I look upon the time Ankita and I spent, trying to help Aditi;
pouring wisdom into things, we ourselves understood little about; and I smile
with satisfaction as I sense the unity the tension had brought out in us. As
the retrospection session with Vallari flicks through my mind, I find myself
grown wiser, all over again. I curse my naivety for having ever tried to urge
Akshata to study in our first year. I stretch my hand to hold onto the blissful
past, yet the sands of time slip through my fingers.
So here I lay helpless,
knowing that I shall yearn for the long conversations about almost everything
with Prashi, the satisfaction of teasing her for no reason at all. I shall miss
those night-outs while talking for hours with Anjali, begging for sleep to
come, yet never submitting to it. I so badly want all those fun and frolic-some
‘Enthu-Punters’ sessions back! I will miss Alha’s fundae and philosophy of
love, life and happiness; she was always so ready to share. I feel sorry for
the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. sessions with friends that are lost to me now. Most of all,
I will miss the feeling of comfort from knowing that come what may, I have ten
stupid friends to share my joys with, to cry my heart out to, to accompany me
for a coffee, to share a night-out, to pacify my fears, to understand and
support my dreams; to be there by my side whenever I shall have need of them!
As I stand here today, about to leave, I know I'll look back
and feel blessed that IIT happened. I'll look back and cry hard for it
ended. Irrespective of what I take with me and what I leave behind, these
shall always have been the best years of my life! Thank you everyone for being
there for me! And I hope that the common thread that binds us together is
strong enough to hold us against the wills of time and distance!
Signing off...
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