Before I begin, let me inform you of the following. This is a blog filler, as I haven’t blogged for a really long time and the yearn for it has driven me to indulge in typing absolute shit now because I still have no idea what I am going to type about. Or maybe it’s some sort of divine intervention that has bestowed its enlightening blanket upon me, appealing for a rescue out of the sorry world of blogging. Either way, my writings add to the world’s misery and literary drudgery anyway. A good start would be talking about third semester. A semester, that’s still on, and feels will take ages to complete even though there’s only a fortnight left. It was/is an eventful semester to say the least, and quite a few things happened as it came to pass.
The third semester, right from when it began, has been a rollercoaster ride. I have never assumed so many positions of responsibility before, and never put my feet (among other things!) into so many boats. Being a coordinator for Mood Indigo happened from the vacations itself. But now, I’m handling the MI Lounge, a grand success in MI’06. This year, it’s going to get bigger and better, pretty synonymous with how any fest, club or organization works in IITB in the first place. I was also a Coordinator for the Entrepreneurship Cell at IITB for Corporate Relations and Public Relations. I had been slogging in the vacations making calls, going for meetings, and random Googling for information and contacts of college representatives all over India.
As the semester began, and our H13 sophomore intros followed, it was time to contest for hostel positions as well. I was always enthusiastic for holding a hostel position right from second semester, only this time, I felt it dawn upon me finally. Campaigning in IIT is not always the most pleasant experience. Going to each and every wing in the hostel, calling people out of their rooms amidst their merriment of chilling at the beginning of the semester, does invite some serious pacification on the candidate’s part in his manifesto and/or campaign. The 4 days for campaigning wasn’t easy. But it wasn’t even remotely as hard as I reckoned it would be. I had good competitors, two others in all, one of whom who actually believed my campaigning was so awful that he would lecture me now and then on how casual I was with my spree. Ironically, he ditched midway realizing how many other responsibilities he had at hand. Just another day or two of effort covering all wings until finally it was time for the SOP Box. I campaigned alone, contrary to what the other secretaries were doing, but this was my competitors’ preference, not mine. I was quite unfazed at the SOP Box, and had reason to as well, as there was hardly anyone sitting there to tear me apart. Results were announced the next day, and I won, pretty much by a landslide… 179 to 111. I wasn’t overtly elated, but just felt this air of conscientiousness hit my chest. It was finally time to prove a point.I was also a panel member for Insight, the official English newsletter cum newspaper for IITB. Not really a prestigious thing, but good for a journalistic experience. Anyway, apart from the first few meetings, I wasn’t able to attend the rest, purely because there was so much at hand. But I always remained a part of the affiliation somehow by writing articles and doing the groundwork. This is also deleted some time and energy as well, although not as much as one should tend to believe.
For some strange reason, I was also roped in as a Media Coordinator for Techfest. I had to write the press release for Techfest, which required some detailed reading and skilled writing. Adding to what I was already doing, it became quite a pain in the ass. It needed constant editing and working on my part, who, by the way was already well past deadlines. I guess my lack of enthusiasm in addition to unethically working for Marketing in E-Cell already manifested itself to the manager, and I was out of contention for any other work in the future for good.
Then followed the advent of Zephyr’07; IITB’s Golden Jubilee version of an annual Aerospace festival. To be tersely honest, I had not worked for Zephyr as much as few others in my batch did, but kept giving suggestions and attending meetings now and then. But come those three days, and work was pouring in left, right and centre. The night before, without any meals to boot, I was busy engaged putting up posters of Zephyr all over the campus till late in the night. I was also selected as the compeer for almost all the events happening at Zephyr… all the lectures, flight simulator, closing ceremony and prize distribution etc. In short, those three days were very demanding as I had to be present at the IRCC at any and every point in time. At the end of the fest, I really felt nostalgic as a small department like Aerospace with an even smaller workforce actually pulled off a fest with quite a sizeable magnitude. Everyone at IIT was nothing short of in awe of what we had done as a team.
There was also this one night when a hostel council meeting was called with the General Secretary present with all the councilors. I was the only secretary present. A hostel newsletter cum magazine was proposed, with yours truly being pained to be editor of. After a brief discussion of what’s to be put into the magazine and what not to, it was assumed that I must coordinate with the Lit Secretary and get the job done in a month’s time. This, interest apart, was something I just wasn’t prepared to do, given the fact that I just didn’t feel like doing it, it wasn’t something I was supposed to do anyway and something I just wouldn’t be able to manage alone especially when other commitments have me engaged for most of the time. Luckily, I wriggled out of it somehow, although I still have some regrets about it even till now.
Meanwhile, a lot of my time had been spent in preparing for the Debating GC events being debating secretary of the hostel. Debating is considered to be a very niche talent at IITB. Hence, to find junta and then train them for the GC events, that too at the hostel level is painstaking in every euphemistic sense. Right from radio play, to Mock Courtroom Trials, participating in both was a very novel experience. But getting other people to participate was somewhat painful. All the time, we had people ditching at some time or the other. I learnt quite a bit from it, although I’m not too sure whether the experience will hold me in good stead later in life.
Out of nowhere, came somewhat of a bombshell. For gross mismanagement of the Debating GC events; constant anarchy on the part of snooty seniors and few debating secretaries of the other hostels and the pressures of being taken for a ride having a position of responsibility, the Institute Debating Secretary resigned. The new man on the job now needed a new convener for the Speakers’ Club. We had hopefuls, but strangely enough, I was in the fray as well. I never wanted to become convener, more so with so many other responsibilities up my ass! But on peer and sheer persuasion, I mailed my expression of interest. The interviews followed. The same night at around 3.15 a.m., I received the telephonic confirmation. Congratulations followed in the coming days, for something I felt I didn’t deserve or didn’t owe my belonging to. My selection was purely because of the fact that a) my competitor was NEVER found in a Speakers’ Club meeting b) I had addressed all the problems of the club in the interview, and must’ve convinced him somehow that I knew what needed to be redressed. c) Hardly anyone wanted to become one anyway! I was then briefed on how painstaking life could be next semester, again for pretty much the same reason. Everything in IIT needs to be larger than life.
In light of all this, you might be wondering where has the academics gone? Trust me, I’d have written about it if I myself knew where it had! Even after making grave commitments of proving a point this semester, academics just didn’t work out. Either I’m too dumb to be in a place as competitive as IIT, or my time management leaves a lot to be desired, or both! Courses this semester weren’t really tough, but I just blew it. When last minute studying did it for a lot of people, I just slept though those vital times. Attendance reached such deplorable limits, that I nearly awarded myself an XX (repeating the course for lack of attendance) in Thermodynamics. Just when you thought things can’t get worse, you realize that there is no strict definition of how worse is worse! In some courses, I’m forced to crack the end semester exams to even be in contention of getting a pass grade! There were instances in which my regular panache was just drained out completely as I laid on my bed like a miserable fuck thinking of nooses and fans! I actually would go through phases when I found depression very soothing and comforting, something more precious to humankind than even hours of porn. I realized… maybe I’m just too enthusiastic for my own good!
The third semester, right from when it began, has been a rollercoaster ride. I have never assumed so many positions of responsibility before, and never put my feet (among other things!) into so many boats. Being a coordinator for Mood Indigo happened from the vacations itself. But now, I’m handling the MI Lounge, a grand success in MI’06. This year, it’s going to get bigger and better, pretty synonymous with how any fest, club or organization works in IITB in the first place. I was also a Coordinator for the Entrepreneurship Cell at IITB for Corporate Relations and Public Relations. I had been slogging in the vacations making calls, going for meetings, and random Googling for information and contacts of college representatives all over India.
As the semester began, and our H13 sophomore intros followed, it was time to contest for hostel positions as well. I was always enthusiastic for holding a hostel position right from second semester, only this time, I felt it dawn upon me finally. Campaigning in IIT is not always the most pleasant experience. Going to each and every wing in the hostel, calling people out of their rooms amidst their merriment of chilling at the beginning of the semester, does invite some serious pacification on the candidate’s part in his manifesto and/or campaign. The 4 days for campaigning wasn’t easy. But it wasn’t even remotely as hard as I reckoned it would be. I had good competitors, two others in all, one of whom who actually believed my campaigning was so awful that he would lecture me now and then on how casual I was with my spree. Ironically, he ditched midway realizing how many other responsibilities he had at hand. Just another day or two of effort covering all wings until finally it was time for the SOP Box. I campaigned alone, contrary to what the other secretaries were doing, but this was my competitors’ preference, not mine. I was quite unfazed at the SOP Box, and had reason to as well, as there was hardly anyone sitting there to tear me apart. Results were announced the next day, and I won, pretty much by a landslide… 179 to 111. I wasn’t overtly elated, but just felt this air of conscientiousness hit my chest. It was finally time to prove a point.I was also a panel member for Insight, the official English newsletter cum newspaper for IITB. Not really a prestigious thing, but good for a journalistic experience. Anyway, apart from the first few meetings, I wasn’t able to attend the rest, purely because there was so much at hand. But I always remained a part of the affiliation somehow by writing articles and doing the groundwork. This is also deleted some time and energy as well, although not as much as one should tend to believe.
For some strange reason, I was also roped in as a Media Coordinator for Techfest. I had to write the press release for Techfest, which required some detailed reading and skilled writing. Adding to what I was already doing, it became quite a pain in the ass. It needed constant editing and working on my part, who, by the way was already well past deadlines. I guess my lack of enthusiasm in addition to unethically working for Marketing in E-Cell already manifested itself to the manager, and I was out of contention for any other work in the future for good.
Then followed the advent of Zephyr’07; IITB’s Golden Jubilee version of an annual Aerospace festival. To be tersely honest, I had not worked for Zephyr as much as few others in my batch did, but kept giving suggestions and attending meetings now and then. But come those three days, and work was pouring in left, right and centre. The night before, without any meals to boot, I was busy engaged putting up posters of Zephyr all over the campus till late in the night. I was also selected as the compeer for almost all the events happening at Zephyr… all the lectures, flight simulator, closing ceremony and prize distribution etc. In short, those three days were very demanding as I had to be present at the IRCC at any and every point in time. At the end of the fest, I really felt nostalgic as a small department like Aerospace with an even smaller workforce actually pulled off a fest with quite a sizeable magnitude. Everyone at IIT was nothing short of in awe of what we had done as a team.
There was also this one night when a hostel council meeting was called with the General Secretary present with all the councilors. I was the only secretary present. A hostel newsletter cum magazine was proposed, with yours truly being pained to be editor of. After a brief discussion of what’s to be put into the magazine and what not to, it was assumed that I must coordinate with the Lit Secretary and get the job done in a month’s time. This, interest apart, was something I just wasn’t prepared to do, given the fact that I just didn’t feel like doing it, it wasn’t something I was supposed to do anyway and something I just wouldn’t be able to manage alone especially when other commitments have me engaged for most of the time. Luckily, I wriggled out of it somehow, although I still have some regrets about it even till now.
Meanwhile, a lot of my time had been spent in preparing for the Debating GC events being debating secretary of the hostel. Debating is considered to be a very niche talent at IITB. Hence, to find junta and then train them for the GC events, that too at the hostel level is painstaking in every euphemistic sense. Right from radio play, to Mock Courtroom Trials, participating in both was a very novel experience. But getting other people to participate was somewhat painful. All the time, we had people ditching at some time or the other. I learnt quite a bit from it, although I’m not too sure whether the experience will hold me in good stead later in life.
Out of nowhere, came somewhat of a bombshell. For gross mismanagement of the Debating GC events; constant anarchy on the part of snooty seniors and few debating secretaries of the other hostels and the pressures of being taken for a ride having a position of responsibility, the Institute Debating Secretary resigned. The new man on the job now needed a new convener for the Speakers’ Club. We had hopefuls, but strangely enough, I was in the fray as well. I never wanted to become convener, more so with so many other responsibilities up my ass! But on peer and sheer persuasion, I mailed my expression of interest. The interviews followed. The same night at around 3.15 a.m., I received the telephonic confirmation. Congratulations followed in the coming days, for something I felt I didn’t deserve or didn’t owe my belonging to. My selection was purely because of the fact that a) my competitor was NEVER found in a Speakers’ Club meeting b) I had addressed all the problems of the club in the interview, and must’ve convinced him somehow that I knew what needed to be redressed. c) Hardly anyone wanted to become one anyway! I was then briefed on how painstaking life could be next semester, again for pretty much the same reason. Everything in IIT needs to be larger than life.
In light of all this, you might be wondering where has the academics gone? Trust me, I’d have written about it if I myself knew where it had! Even after making grave commitments of proving a point this semester, academics just didn’t work out. Either I’m too dumb to be in a place as competitive as IIT, or my time management leaves a lot to be desired, or both! Courses this semester weren’t really tough, but I just blew it. When last minute studying did it for a lot of people, I just slept though those vital times. Attendance reached such deplorable limits, that I nearly awarded myself an XX (repeating the course for lack of attendance) in Thermodynamics. Just when you thought things can’t get worse, you realize that there is no strict definition of how worse is worse! In some courses, I’m forced to crack the end semester exams to even be in contention of getting a pass grade! There were instances in which my regular panache was just drained out completely as I laid on my bed like a miserable fuck thinking of nooses and fans! I actually would go through phases when I found depression very soothing and comforting, something more precious to humankind than even hours of porn. I realized… maybe I’m just too enthusiastic for my own good!
2 comments:
seems like a roller coaster sem! stick on dude! it will pass through! just give acads more time when they deserve! and u sure did win many accolades :) good going rather keep it going!! cheers!!
So u got single room in sec sem. The wardens here at iitb make u believe that it's not given in 1st year. But is that true?
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