The whirlwind journey called "IIT Madras"

I am sitting in the basement lab of the NCBS campus waiting the arrival of one of the many PI's who are giving a presentatin of their work. This is my 4th day in the NCBS campus and I am still getting used to it.The PI fails to come so then I catch up some free time to pen down my experiences in my previous institute-the famed IIT.

Although I spent only 2 years in IIT Madras, it taught me a lot of things and I came to know that I did not know about things that even existed.The tedious theory courses and the practical work in the first year kept me occupied.A majority of my classmates were from Bengal and the competition was tough. Days and nights passed during which I pored over books and I hardly had time to do extra curricular activities. The only relief I had was during the Saarang fest. My favourite courses included the Biochemistry course during which I made good friends with students studying in the Dept of Biotechnology.

The second year was even more hectic and it was a mixture of madness, exhilaration and exhaustion.In addition to the theory courses we had to work in the lab for a project as part of course requirements.My labmates were all guys and they took relish in pulling my legs all the time.

Roopa was one of my closest friend I made in IIT. We both tried to hang out whenever we got the time. We would sit and talk for hours in the mess on a wide variety of subjects, the most favourite of them being movies and guys.I once attempted to climb a 60-70 feet water tank in the IIT campus in the midnight around 2 am. It was the only crazy thing I did in IIT.

I particulary enjoyed swimming in the huge Olympic-sized swimming pool. Sadly, my coursework took up a lot of my time and I ceased swimming after the 2nd semester.
The monkeys played havoc with my clothes all the time and once a monkey tried to peep under my long skirt when I was walking down the stairs. Ever then I have been wary of wearing skirts.

Mess food was good in the first semester and it gradually turned worse. By the 4th semester, I was eating in Tiffanys more often than in the mess.

Some of the rare moments that I experienced in IIT was watching the Indo-Pak cricket match during the WC 2011, first in the hostel common room and then in OAT.This was followed by the WC finals,also in the common room and then OAT.It was an awesome feeling being amidst the screaming crowd cheering hard for the Indian team.

Holi was another particular occassion that I enjoyed playing in the campus.We used to play for long hours and spend even longer hours washing off the colours from our clothes and body.

Saarang fests in IIT was one thing that all IITians eagerly awaited.It was a 5 day event filled with fun,frolic,entertainment.I attended a dance workshop during the fest, apart from taking part in various competitons.I used to enjoy the foods from the food stalls.

The final months of my stay in IIT cannot be explained with words. It was perhaps one of the most hectic moments, shuttling my life between end sem exams, thesis submission, and preparation for interviews into the PhD program. I had to go to Mumbai the next day my end sem exams ended and as soon as I returned I had to present a seminar on my MSc project, immediately after which I left for Bangalore to attend the interview at NCBS.Only after reaching Hyd for the summer vacations, did I catch my breath.

It was a big surprise to me when I heard I would be receiving the Best M.Sc Thesis Award in chemistry. Perhaps all that "pulling legs" in the lab paid off.

The time flew by very fast and before I knew it, it was time for me to join the graduating batch for receiving the Convocation degree. The title of this post sums it all up perfectly-a whirlwind journey.

All in all, it was a lovely experience at IIT. As for many students, I too had my share of both bad and good experiences in the institute but I prefer to keep only the good memories and ditch away the bad ones (not that I would ever forget the lessons learnt from them).