It was March of 2018. We had butterflies in our stomach and adrenaline continuously rushing through our blood. It was the day of our JAM counseling result. After bearing all sorts of pain for three years at the undergrad level, finally it was the day of receiving something in return. The screen displayed “IIT-Roorkee”.

The next few moments were beyond description. I was utterly joyed. The preparations began from this day onwards. Next few months went by in no time and I arrived at one of the oldest engineering colleges of Asia, thousands of kilometers away from my home. But honestly speaking, on the day of our admission, when we were allotted our hostel rooms, I was actually disappointed. I was like “Seriously!!! Is this a hostel room or a bigger version of a cellular jail?? Are they going to treat us like criminals”… There were innumerable thoughts going on in my mind. But I was soon assured. It took almost no time to get used to the college’s hostel environment. We were supposed to have our first class nine days after our admission. So the very next day of our admission, when I got out of my bed the next morning, I had nothing to do except watch a few guys playing in the hostel ground. I couldn’t control myself and went to join them. Little did I know that this would become one of the permanent fixtures of my life. Although it was a cambise ball, I got my ring finger injured so badly that later on, the doctor informed me that I have a broken tendon. So technically, the string of my embarrassing moments had already begun; right from the second day of my hostel life. And it was to continue for the next two years.

Next major embarrassment was when I went cycling on the campus roads. I was riding down the slope in front of the library. That day, it was raining heavily. The above circumstances were enough to make me fall flat on my face.. I fell hard. Within the first two months, I had a damaged finger and a broken jaw. Sounds ideal hostel life…Right?!! Well, there were many more such “embarrassments” to come.

But yeah, there were some good moments as well. I went to the very first trek of my life, all thanks to IIT Roorkee’s HEC. It was a 4 days trek to Chandrashila and Deoriatal. After a grueling semester, this was a major stress buster!

How can one forget the chilling cold winter mornings of Roorkee. And by the virtue of our dearest faculties. They gave us so much attention that we had to attend their classes as early as 7 AM in the month of January. Kudos to their dedication. And to our tolerance. :)

With one blink of our eyes, our first year was gone and we were standing on the verge of setting out foot on the accelerator of our career vehicle. Bhawan day, departmental fest, late night hangouts, football on rainy days, even hostel change; all these events added a myriad of colors to my two years of IIT life. The next six months passed well. I was in my last semester, where everyone had mixed feelings, before this pandemic set in. All the endless sleepless nights, parties, divine refreshments, will be missed. Life at IIT Roorkee has been a priceless memory I’ll cherish for the rest of my days.