Getting into BITS Pilani

Lately, I have read quite a lot of posts written by our batchmates reflecting on their stay at Pilani during the last four years. Reading through them reminded me of the wonderful days that we spent together at our little village. Four years zipped past us before we could realize it. That led me into thinking about the years that eventually led me into getting admission at BITS Pilani.

Well, here is how it goes. By the time I got into 10th grade, I was made to understand by the society in general that performing well in the board exam is a prerequisite for doing well later in life. I was made to believe that one’s percentage in boards forms the basis of comparison in determining how smart one is. And to make things worse, people used phrases like (I’m sure most of us must have heard it) “The first stepping stone” or “The first public examination”. For a normal 10th grader, all this can get quite intimidating. Therefore, I started studying quite a bit. I gave up the tennis that I had started playing a year back to save time to memorize some chemical equations. Reading for pleasure had gradually become a luxury and socializing had been curtailed to a great extent. All this went on for months before before the exams finally got over. When the results came out, I was quite elated to find out that my efforts had been rewarded well and I had crossed the 90% barrier. Not that I cared too much about the percentage but it sure made answering a lot of questions (about results) from officious acquaintances pretty easy.

That was the first turning point. The Indian society has quite a few in-built check points to direct kids towards their pre-determined careers. And the 10th board exam is the first out of those. Those kids who score decently are directed towards science (to pursue engineering/medical later) in their senior secondary and those who did not score that well are directed towards humanities /arts/commerce. (Things have started to change in the last few years though. I’ll admit candidly that Indian parents are less insistent nowadays and are starting to take their children more seriously hence we see a gradual shift towards people choosing streams other than science out of sheer interest.)

A lot of us blame the society in general (and parents in particular) for directing us towards their accepted goals. Kids often blame their parents for being adamant and not letting them choose their intended career paths. But the fault isn’t entirely theirs. How many of us had our career paths charted out right after class XII? Most of us would answer in the negative but of course, for the minority that can, forcing them towards something else should be completely denounced.

Later that year, I took up science+math in 11th grade. When you have taken that combination in higher secondary, preparing for engineering entrances is implicit. And when you are preparing for engineering entrances, you are preparing for the IIT JEE. No one prepares specifically for AIEEE or BITSAT. Those are things that we do in addition to (or not do at all) preparing for the JEE.

So here I was, aiming at the IIT Entrances without ever having a given a thought to the fact whether this is what I wanted to do. I just found solace in the fact that almost everyone around me was doing the same thing. So I thought, when so many people are aiming at it, it must be the right thing to do. The other problem was that at that age, I did not know the kind of options I had or what I really wanted to do. Plus there were many things that favored preparing for the IITs. These were probably the only set of colleges (at the undergrad level) that used to get unparallel coverage by the media and evoked a lot of awe from the society in general. The JEE results were highly publicized and the top rankers almost had a celebrity status for a few days after the results. All this gradually led me into deciding that preparing for the IITs would be the best thing to do at that stage.

Gradually, I got engrossed into the JEE preparations. Life had become far worse than I had ever imagined it to be. I thought class 10th would be the time when I would work the hardest and after that things would ease but it was quite the opposite. Till 10th grade, it had just been school. Now I had to juggle school with FIITJEE 4 to 5 days a week. A normal day for me would be spending 6 hours in school, coming back and having lunch and then spending another 4 hours at the coaching center. A workload of more than 10 hours a day! It’s hard to fathom how I managed to retain energy after all this. Along with this, one had to manage tests in school and test series at coaching. Most of the days, after coming back from coaching, I simply did not have the energy to do anything else. Above all this, free advices were available in plenty. Some kept reminding me how important the year was for my future whereas others reiterated the importance of using every second well in the crucial year. Statements like “ Those who work hard in these two years, enjoy later and those who enjoy now will struggle later” annoyed me the most.

This routine went on for almost two years. As most of you reading this have already gone through the same grind, I'll skip the details. Finally, the D-Day came. All the effort that we had put in for the last two years had to culminate in the 6 hour marathon (the IIT-JEE paper) that we faced. The sheer thought that these are the 6 hours for which we have prepared, for the last 2 years was enough to tense me up totally. When I got the question paper, I was so nervous that I lost the first few minutes just thinking about how important this was for me. And in a competitive examination in India, where seconds can decide whether you get through or not, wasting a few minutes was way too much. I was pretty disappointed with the way I had given the examination. Leaving that aside, I started gearing up for the remaining exams as I knew that I didn’t stand a decent chance at IIT this year. The Sunday on which I gave the IIT JEE was the first in a string of examinations that I was to give in the following weeks. So the weeks ahead saw me giving the AIEEE exam, the VITEEE(officially pronounced “Vity” :D), the BITS Admission Test(BITSAT) and the WBJEE( I have no clue why I gave that!).

The next stage was one filled with a lot of uncertainty about where I would be headed for the next four years. Finally the results started coming out and to my surprise, I did make it through JEE Merit List 2006. The rank that I got was not good enough to get the B.Tech degrees that I wanted to enroll for at the IITs (except for maybe mining and metallurgical engineering which I had no intention of taking up). I got through most of the other examinations as well that I had given earlier. As I had never had a great fascination for engineering, I did not have any preference of the branch of engineering that I wanted to enroll in. I just wanted to get into the best college. Finally after weighing all my options, I decided that the best bet would be taking up admission at BITS Pilani. That’s where this story ends! For those interested in reading a little further, here's the link.

P.S. After four years, I can vouch that I made the right choice. Thanks BITS Pilani!

Psenti Article

This was the last article that I wrote for the "Fine Print" as a member of the English Press Club.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." This quote truly sums up my state of mind these days. It's quite difficult to believe that it is already time to bid adieu to the place that I called home for the last three and a half years. Though it's hard to digest, the sooner we come into terms with the fact that change is the only thing that is permanent in life, the better it is for us. These years spent at Pilani have immensely contributed in shaping who I am and have helped me understand what I stand for. College days truly stand out from the rest of our years as it is here where we are high on adrenalin as well as idealism, a combination which can work wonders if honed properly. It's in college where you identify your call and start working in that direction. I am happy to have made full use of most of the opportunities that came my way in college. One thing that truly makes BITS stand out is the kind of exposure we get not just from our very well structured pedagogy but also from the gamut of extra curricular activities that go on side by side where we get to explore our creative sides. It goes without saying that I'll miss this campus a lot and leaving Pilani would create a void, quite difficult to fill. What I would certainly miss the most would be my friends, people who have truly made every moment of my stay at college memorable. Not being able to see a lot of them for a long time to come is something that makes me feel sad. Clinging on these wonderful memories, I look forward to making use of all this wonderful place has endowed me with, to live up to the name of this esteemed institution

Emancipation

It’s finally over. Ah, the inexplicable joy! The tutorials and the test series have all come to an end, although ephemerally. To wake up almost every morning to give a tutorial or a test when you sleep late into the night is a harrowing experience as many will tell you. I suddenly feel so liberated. I can safely bet that no one understands the value of a free day more than us here at BITS Pilani ! Only the incessant test series and tutorials designed to make students go haywire make you realize how invaluable a single free day is: a day without alarms, tutorials and classes.

If I were given the option of deleting two words from my life today, those would definitely be continuous evaluation. For those outside this village (or is it a town now?), continuous evaluation is a system of incessant pestering used by instructors against students, especially those who do not cram regularly, using various innovative techniques such as surprise quizzes, assignments and tutorials. Rumors have it that such a system was initiated here to keep students engaged in this isolated non-descript place which offered very little scope of whining away time. But now with the advent of the invaluable little port in our rooms, do we need to be kept busy? No points for answering that! What else can be the logic behind this highly unpopular way of evaluation? Some would defend the system by saying that regular evaluation moulds students into professionals who are well versed in their respective fields and have strong fundamentals. I don’t know how many people would buy that as many IIT (except our poor cousins at IIT-Kanpur) grads are doing just fine without going through the rigors of continuous evaluation. And if we go by that logic, why not just have four test series? I’m not even thinking that far! When you just get some hours to read scores of pages out of the various tomes prescribed for our CDCs, one starts cramming rather than comprehending. Enough about how bad things can get here but on the flipside, an important benefit of this system is that if you get out of Pilani alive, you would most probably never commit suicide!!

The chilly mid-October breeze not just marks the end of our tests but also brings along with it, as a panacea, yet another edition of our much anticipated annual cultural fest, Oasis 2008. The fest this year is set to scale new heights with the likes of K.K. and Euphoria (& the girls from Dilhi of course!) coming down to Pilani to enthrall the crowds. If that doesn’t satiate you, the rock bands performing during Rocktaves definitely will. Check out this link on what’s new this Oasis. Another blessing in disguise that Oasis brings with it is the opportunity to return back to modern civilization. Most of the creatures who call Pilani home make optimum use of this opportunity and so will I when I board the 2310 NDLS PNBE Rajdhani on 23.10. So until then, Au revoir!

Play School I

The Pragati Power Station, New Delhi

It was with great enthusiasm that I boarded the metro from Dwarka towards Indraprasthra on the 22nd morning. It was the first day of our Practice School I (that is the internship we do after the 2nd year). Although it had started raining quite heavily by the time I got down at the I.P. metro station, it failed to dampen my spirits. Few minutes of wading through the waterlogged streets and I was finally at the IPGCL. The sight of some of my PS mates at the gate made me glad. We were not allowed inside by the C.I.S.F. guards as the permission letter was with our instructor who wasn’t there yet. Even his arrival could not ensure our entry as the person who was to accompany us inside had not come yet. It was finally about noon when we finally entered the power house. There was more in store for us even after we entered. The instructor told us that the we would have to wait for a few more minutes as there was no space to accommodate so many of us inside. Finally after wandering for another few minutes, we were finally seated in the “Training Institute,” a room on the 4th floor of the administrative block which had been lying defunct for months. The name gave me some hope that we would get to do something productive here. Here our instructor briefed the official who was accompanying us about our Practice School system. The official was taken by surprise when our instructor showed him a copy of the handout. He had wrongly inferred that the evaluative components were to be taken by the officials of the corporation and hence he was totally freaked out (He said it outright that all this wouldn’t be possible here). After some more deliberations, he summed up the conversation by an important revelation “After all, this is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) so don’t expect to get much out of it.” This statement gave me a rough indication of what was in store for us for the next seven weeks. Thereafter, he gave us a brief description of the organization. He told us that there were two power generating companies namely the Indraprastha Power Generation Corporation Limited (IPGCL) and the Pragati Power Corporation Limited (PPCL). These companies had four power plants under them. We were given an option to choose where we wanted to work. All of us unanimously chose PPCL as we were apprised of the fact that it was the most modern plant among the four.

Our next stoppage was the Pragati Power Station. The C.I.S.F. guards were here to bug us again as we did not possess valid passes. Getting passes made was the first thing we did after entering the administrative block. Even this task wasn’t as simple as we thought it would be and took us hours. For this, an official memo was created first which required the authorization of five different officials before it could make its way to the Assistant Commandant, CISF. It is due to such useless laws and regulation that the pace of execution of work in the government sector is so slow. After completing these formalities, we were divided into groups according to our branches. An official took us to our reporting officer, the Assistant Manager (Civil). We had quite an amusing interaction with him, on subjects as varied as coaching for engineering entrances to the new 1500 MW power project coming up at Bawana(don’t ask me where that is). Gradually through the conversation, we could decipher that there was almost no work for us here. He told us that there isn’t any ongoing construction work in the power house except for a small fire station and some regular maintenance work. He was quite amused at the fact that we were doing our internship here at IPGCL rather than at some top notch real estate firm (He was unaware of the fact that it was our institute that allotted our PS centers). After a few more minutes, he called in his secretary and told him to show us our cubicle. That is where I have been whiling away afternoons ever since! I forgot to mention the most important benefit of having your PS station at a government or a quasi-government organization : the flexible time schedules. People (that includes us now) start to fill in by about 11: 30 am and within an hour, it is time for lunch (I am still in a fix about when it ends, even people around are not quite sure !) and by the time you feel like working, the clock strikes five. What more could you ask for?

Tests Tuts Etc

That can sum up what I have been busy with for the past month or so. Despite having quite a bit to write about, I couldn’t even manage a single post. Though there are people on campus who keep churning out excellent posts despite all this, it is quite an uphill task for me. I feel like writing only when I am relaxed and don’t have to worry about a tutorial or midsem slated for the following day. And believe me, such days have been quite rare. Thanks to the continuous evaluation system we have here at BITS. It ensures that not a single day (well, Almost!) passes without an evaluative component. Most of us here, have overcome the fear that is generally associated with exams. It seems that the underlying purpose of our system is to ensure our leisure time is maintained at the bare minimum!

While typing this post, I was surprised to find out that the word blog is not recognized by Word 03. It’s quite difficult to digest this, given the millions of bloggers around the world today. The blogging fever has even caught on in our campus and now I don’t have to venture outside the college blogroll to read interesting posts. The number on campus has swollen from just about 50-60 about a year back when I started to about 200 (estimates). These days, I have regularly been reading quite a few blogs daily and they never fail to amuse me. Every blog is unique and provides a different perspective on an issue. Even reading posts on the same topic on different blogs doesn’t get monotonous. It is great way to vent out your feelings, views, beliefs, anger and whatever else you can think of. Keep blogging!

Psychedelia 2k7

As promised, Oasis 2k7 was truly a psychedelic experience. It kicked off to a spectacular inaug with dazzling fireworks and was able to keep adrenaline levels high throughout the 96 hours. The fest was packed with brilliant events that never failed to enthrall the participants and keep their enthusiasm high. Most people would agree that this Oasis outdid Oasis 2k6, with the increase in sponsorship money being the main factor behind this. Most of it was, as always, was spent on arranging the Prof Shows. Prize money for most of the events saw an upward trend as compared to the last year. Meticulous planning ensured that the prize money was distributed as planned without any major alterations.

Scheduling of events, on the whole, was done quite well by Controlz. There was almost no clash between major events although quite a lot of people were surprised that Axetacy and Oasis Quiz (OQ) were held around the same time. Scheduling of the prof. shows should have been done more efficiently. Set-up and dismantling ate away precious Audi slots. Better co-ordination between departments and clubs would help in making the schedule smoother.

If there is one thing that should be done to make Oasis bigger and better, it would be providing better and increasing the accommodation. A lot of outstation participants were ruing their lot because of the type of accommodation they were provided. Many of those who were putting up at the staff quarters complained of lack of basic amenities. Security was another concern among the outstation participants, especially the girls. Because of limited accommodation available here, PCR had to put a cap on the maximum number of participants from many of the colleges. This led to a lot of disenchantment among the outstis, as at the last moment they had to cut down on the students that were participating in the various events. Despite these constraints, Rec n Acc put up a brave front and ran their show smoothly.

This year also saw the first yearites giving complete thumbs down to their cultural fest. This happens almost every year but the scale on which it happened this year around was quite intriguing. Leading the pack, the otherwise vibrant Ashok Bhawan wore a completely deserted look with most of wings reduced to a series of locked doors. More than 100 of the 146 first yearites that Ashok Bhawan houses had left Pilani during Oasis. Quite a few second and third yearites also headed home during the same time. These are the people who’ll be in charge of the fest in times to come.

The sponsorship reached an all-time high this year. The title sponsors, State Bank of India (SBI) and Vodafone pumped in more than nine lakh rupees (more than 3/4th of the entire sponz money). Other sponsors such as Gazelle, JAM also helped financially. Posters publicizing Oasis 2k7 were put up at all the Café Coffee Day outlets in Delhi and Jaipur. The official website for Oasis 2k7, whose aim was to spread awareness about the fest, was put up quite late this time around and also left out some essential details. Uploading the site a few months before the event kicks off would ensure more publicity and sponsors. Drawing more people to fest would definitely help in fetching more money from sponsors as they are assured of more publicity.

Oasis this time around came of age in terms of getting big names on campus. Brands such as Domino’s and Café Coffee Day set up their stalls here and did brisk business. BITSians, who generally don’t have access such eateries in town, made the most of it. Channel [V] interactive session hosted by VJs Neil and Juhi in Audi saw a huge turnout. VJ Luke Kenny was the judge for Rocktaves. The Paintball Wars, which was sponsored by Mountain Dew, was also a new event, but failed to attract a huge turnout. Big brands making their presence felt during Oasis point to the fact that our cult fest is only going to bigger and better in the years to come.

BITS-Pilani

I had never thought that I would get stuck at this tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere near the sands of Rajasthan but fate had this in store for me. I had never even heard of this place before I landed up here (that is because BITS-Pilani doesn’t sell itself enough unlike many engineering colleges which are not even half its worth and also partly because of the IIT-centric mindset of the city I lived in.) If you are wondering, why the stars were so kind to Pilani, it was because G.D. Birla was born here.

A tiresome five and half hour expedition from New Delhi gets you to Pilani. The first sight of the Pilani campus came as a real shocker (especially cause I had been transferred from the ultra-mod BITS-Pilani Goa campus). The buildings made me wonder if I was in the colonial era. The Pilani campus of BITS was setup way back in the 1950’s and not much has changed since then. The hostels look like pre-independence forts sans the extravagance. Although the institute is a totally privately funded institution, its administration and functioning resembles that of a government college (nominal tuition and hostel fees, comparable to the IITs). I thought I was sacrificing a bit too much for the brand tag of a good college.

After a few initial hiccups and some mild ragging sessions, Pilani started suiting me fine and now I am totally enjoying my 4 year prolonged vacation.

Now I am not going to bore you with stats and facts about Pilani that you’ll inevitably encounter. What really sets the system of education at Pilani apart is the degree of independence that the college confers upon its students. “Freedom of Choice” is implemented in totality at Pilani itself. Right from the first day itself, the system in place lets you make all your decisions right from choosing the people you live with to choosing the courses/electives you opt for. The independence we get from the start of our college lives really helps later on (that is according to the seniors, I am in no position to verify this statement). Doing away with the system of compulsory attendance at the lectures and tutorials is also a first at BITS.

Also the gamut of activities that goes on in BITS-Pilani cannot be easily matched by other institutions. Everyday we have an event or two going on in the Audi or elsewhere which keeps the junta engaged. Here engineering students who share a common interest gather together in forms of clubs/departments and assocs and channel their creativity in a positive manner. The numbers of clubs and departments is about two dozen, which shows the interest of the junta for these societies. These also serve as a good platform for interaction between seniors and juniors of different branches at very close level.