103 exams!
Wrote it yesterday itself. For some reason blogger.com was not opening from my computer.
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It's been 41 courses and 103 exams to be exact. It's been N number of projects, greater number of presentations, several extra classes, getting up at 7.45 to attend the 8 'o clock class, an exam at 9.30 pm after the dinner, extra class till 10.00 pm in deadly cold month of January, a class of 400 people, an end-sem for two persons and many more things. It's been IIT Kanpur.
Finished the last exam. Went around the academic area and then sat down at the convo ground. The name is a legacy; convocation is no longer held here. Its held in audi (auditorium) and that's where it will be held for us. Convo ground is used for opening show and some other events in Antaragni and Techkriti now. One can see LHC (lecture hall complex), Southern labs and Library from here. Glimpses of some other parts of academic area can also be obtained. CC and CSE buildings are not visible. CC is synonymous with night outs on fridays and morning 5 'o clock visits on rest of the days (in the first year; I did not have a computer then) for me. Library - alas! One facility I did not use properly. Took the resolution of visiting it frequently every now and then, only to do nothing about it. There is a notice on the lib (Library) door these days asking you to switch off your mobile phone before entering the P. K. Kelkar library. This is a major change I have seen in last four years. That India is a growing telecom market is evident at IITK. Number of cellphones is increasing like mushrooms. Like the earlier wave of computers - probably faster than that. Can't believe till my second year - cellphones with someone used to be news! Anyway, that's the ever-changing world. I myself got one in the last semester of the stay. And yes, the name of the library itself has changed. From plain Central Library to P. K. Kelkar library - don't know the reason though. Dr. Kelkar was the founder director of IIT Kanpur, but the change in the name was done rather unceremoniously. Wonder if it was indeed to honour him. Some people think it was also some kind of a propaganda. I do not know.
I look at the LHC again - the Mousetrap's practice in the LHC basement - amongst the mosquitoes. New LHC does not evoke much of emotion. First time I remember sitting there was when Dr. Prabhakar forgot about our Database exam and it started late. In order to avoid disturbing people from other courses writing the exam in L2, we sat in one of the rooms there. Besides that, have sat there only occasionally.
Southern Labs has the glass blowing unit. This was the lab that had fascinated me the most - besides the liquid Nitrogen lab, which also happens to be in the same building - during the orientation.
The security guard around the convo ground seems to have disappeared - good for me. I have been on these campus tours alone several times earlier and these are the only occasions when I hate having so many security guards around - you just can't be alone and there are so many beautiful places where you just want to sit alone for sometime. Why did he disappear though? Has he seen someone or the other every year sitting here at the same time of the year? Ah! Wild imaginations. He probably is just taking a round at some other part of his area.
It is a place from where you can see part of the traffic of academic area, especially those going to or coming from library. This is significant right now because most people have not finished their end-sems yet. And hence, you can have a glimpse of the night life here. "Night life" - reminds me of the affair of the students representatives, constituted for making a presentation to the IIT Review Committee, with the DOSA. Amongst the points to be presented they had put "Girls-Boys interaction" and "Night Life" next to each other and DOSA (Dean of Students' Affairs) was petrified!
My mind is wandering from one thing to the other - and I can see I am writing the usual sloppy sentimental ways in which many people write. But probably this is a very real feeling and it is not without reasons that at some point of time many people do have this feeling - the sloppy sentimentality - ah!
I have the cellphone with me. I am supposed to call up Karishma, when I want to go for dinner. She is giving me a treat with the money she has borrowed from me! I call her up - ask her to reach SAC. Food there is good these days - though service is as late as ever. But I am not in a hurry today. I move towards Academic Area Gate No. 2. Its closed. Security reasons?? I laugh to myself at "security reasons". I decide to take gate number 3 instead of 1. As I reach the road between hall 1 and SAC, I realize that this must have been the road taken to reach hall 2 reporting desk when I first came here. We had not lost our way; so it must have been the same road. When I reported there I was surprised that they asked me my name and not JEE roll no. or rank for directing me to wherever I was to go. I could not believe one can think of recognizing people by name in such a big institute - things must be kept very formal for it to function properly, right? That was just the beginning and I know to what extent I have fallen in love with the informal system that had surprised me at the first instance.
I reach SAC at almost the same time as Karishma. Its a nice weather - not very common at Kanpur, at least not in this season. The breeze is really charming. We decide to eat outside. The Rasoi guys put the chairs for us. We are recalling our initial experiences - when did we come to SAC first. Karishma's experiences with Mr. and Miss Antaragni and Rithambara. And yes, when we went for the meeting of Photography Club in our first semester. The meeting was in hall 4 and the smart girl, Karishma, decided to use the campus map to locate hall 4. And we ended up reaching hall 4 from old GH (now hall 6) after taking a round around the swimming pool (I am sorry if you do not know about the campus of IITK, but I guess it is not difficult to guess as to why is this a joke!). Sitting in SAC invariably reminds me of the night outs on those cold nights in the first year at Astronomy Club. That 8 inches telescope which was so difficult to mount! And that accident, when the balancing weight of that telescope had fallen on somebody's feet and it was a really cold night - poor guy. I do not remember who he was. SAC book club - forever running with the same rhythm. Opens four days a week, but Gymkhana Documents always used to mention 3 days a week. I had corrected the Science and Tech. secy many a times when I was in the senate. Now, I do hope it has been corrected!
Food came - we ate. Some normal stuff. The feeling - Karishma's plan to give GRE - a decision taken finally (sure?).
After reaching back GH discussed the department with Rohini and Rachna for a while, both of them have exams left. Am back in the room - typing this whole stuff. Karishma has asked me to get a laptop soon - when I go into the job, so that I can maintain my online presence - Blogging etc. - Office may not give me enough time and right environment for these things. I will try to do that.
103 exams - it has exactly been.
Categories: IITK
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It's been 41 courses and 103 exams to be exact. It's been N number of projects, greater number of presentations, several extra classes, getting up at 7.45 to attend the 8 'o clock class, an exam at 9.30 pm after the dinner, extra class till 10.00 pm in deadly cold month of January, a class of 400 people, an end-sem for two persons and many more things. It's been IIT Kanpur.
Finished the last exam. Went around the academic area and then sat down at the convo ground. The name is a legacy; convocation is no longer held here. Its held in audi (auditorium) and that's where it will be held for us. Convo ground is used for opening show and some other events in Antaragni and Techkriti now. One can see LHC (lecture hall complex), Southern labs and Library from here. Glimpses of some other parts of academic area can also be obtained. CC and CSE buildings are not visible. CC is synonymous with night outs on fridays and morning 5 'o clock visits on rest of the days (in the first year; I did not have a computer then) for me. Library - alas! One facility I did not use properly. Took the resolution of visiting it frequently every now and then, only to do nothing about it. There is a notice on the lib (Library) door these days asking you to switch off your mobile phone before entering the P. K. Kelkar library. This is a major change I have seen in last four years. That India is a growing telecom market is evident at IITK. Number of cellphones is increasing like mushrooms. Like the earlier wave of computers - probably faster than that. Can't believe till my second year - cellphones with someone used to be news! Anyway, that's the ever-changing world. I myself got one in the last semester of the stay. And yes, the name of the library itself has changed. From plain Central Library to P. K. Kelkar library - don't know the reason though. Dr. Kelkar was the founder director of IIT Kanpur, but the change in the name was done rather unceremoniously. Wonder if it was indeed to honour him. Some people think it was also some kind of a propaganda. I do not know.
I look at the LHC again - the Mousetrap's practice in the LHC basement - amongst the mosquitoes. New LHC does not evoke much of emotion. First time I remember sitting there was when Dr. Prabhakar forgot about our Database exam and it started late. In order to avoid disturbing people from other courses writing the exam in L2, we sat in one of the rooms there. Besides that, have sat there only occasionally.
Southern Labs has the glass blowing unit. This was the lab that had fascinated me the most - besides the liquid Nitrogen lab, which also happens to be in the same building - during the orientation.
The security guard around the convo ground seems to have disappeared - good for me. I have been on these campus tours alone several times earlier and these are the only occasions when I hate having so many security guards around - you just can't be alone and there are so many beautiful places where you just want to sit alone for sometime. Why did he disappear though? Has he seen someone or the other every year sitting here at the same time of the year? Ah! Wild imaginations. He probably is just taking a round at some other part of his area.
It is a place from where you can see part of the traffic of academic area, especially those going to or coming from library. This is significant right now because most people have not finished their end-sems yet. And hence, you can have a glimpse of the night life here. "Night life" - reminds me of the affair of the students representatives, constituted for making a presentation to the IIT Review Committee, with the DOSA. Amongst the points to be presented they had put "Girls-Boys interaction" and "Night Life" next to each other and DOSA (Dean of Students' Affairs) was petrified!
My mind is wandering from one thing to the other - and I can see I am writing the usual sloppy sentimental ways in which many people write. But probably this is a very real feeling and it is not without reasons that at some point of time many people do have this feeling - the sloppy sentimentality - ah!
I have the cellphone with me. I am supposed to call up Karishma, when I want to go for dinner. She is giving me a treat with the money she has borrowed from me! I call her up - ask her to reach SAC. Food there is good these days - though service is as late as ever. But I am not in a hurry today. I move towards Academic Area Gate No. 2. Its closed. Security reasons?? I laugh to myself at "security reasons". I decide to take gate number 3 instead of 1. As I reach the road between hall 1 and SAC, I realize that this must have been the road taken to reach hall 2 reporting desk when I first came here. We had not lost our way; so it must have been the same road. When I reported there I was surprised that they asked me my name and not JEE roll no. or rank for directing me to wherever I was to go. I could not believe one can think of recognizing people by name in such a big institute - things must be kept very formal for it to function properly, right? That was just the beginning and I know to what extent I have fallen in love with the informal system that had surprised me at the first instance.
I reach SAC at almost the same time as Karishma. Its a nice weather - not very common at Kanpur, at least not in this season. The breeze is really charming. We decide to eat outside. The Rasoi guys put the chairs for us. We are recalling our initial experiences - when did we come to SAC first. Karishma's experiences with Mr. and Miss Antaragni and Rithambara. And yes, when we went for the meeting of Photography Club in our first semester. The meeting was in hall 4 and the smart girl, Karishma, decided to use the campus map to locate hall 4. And we ended up reaching hall 4 from old GH (now hall 6) after taking a round around the swimming pool (I am sorry if you do not know about the campus of IITK, but I guess it is not difficult to guess as to why is this a joke!). Sitting in SAC invariably reminds me of the night outs on those cold nights in the first year at Astronomy Club. That 8 inches telescope which was so difficult to mount! And that accident, when the balancing weight of that telescope had fallen on somebody's feet and it was a really cold night - poor guy. I do not remember who he was. SAC book club - forever running with the same rhythm. Opens four days a week, but Gymkhana Documents always used to mention 3 days a week. I had corrected the Science and Tech. secy many a times when I was in the senate. Now, I do hope it has been corrected!
Food came - we ate. Some normal stuff. The feeling - Karishma's plan to give GRE - a decision taken finally (sure?).
After reaching back GH discussed the department with Rohini and Rachna for a while, both of them have exams left. Am back in the room - typing this whole stuff. Karishma has asked me to get a laptop soon - when I go into the job, so that I can maintain my online presence - Blogging etc. - Office may not give me enough time and right environment for these things. I will try to do that.
103 exams - it has exactly been.
Categories: IITK
posted by Jaya @ 9:40 AM
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