to be an IIITian

We were sitting in the library after lunch and searching something interesting in news paper. All of sudden a loud voice cracked into my ears “Eyes Down”.

“Eyes Down” again.

And all of ours eyes started dazing our foot wears wondering what wrong we did now and who he was to order us like that.

“Come with me.” He thundered.

We were taken into one of our classrooms with other classmates and seniors were all around us. This was formal Start of our ragging which was given a name “PDP” aka Personality Development Program.

Fairly saying it was the same. Ragging was light enough. We have to follow a dress code, which was humiliating, but we really enjoyed this dress code. White full sleeves shirt with third button red (we were to watch it continuously while facing any senior), black double plated pant short enough to show white socks, white shoe with black laces. No articles like belt, watch, ring etc. short hairs with oil. We learnt how to bow for a ninety.

After First PDP session we are told that we will be having Institute’s foundation day on 12^th August and we need to prepare some skit, dance or like to perform on stage for that day. They told us that they will come on 9^th for audition.

Once it got announced artists hidden in everybody started jumping. Everybody was at the same stage yet and everybody wanted to be centre of attraction elevating themselves from group of common people, everybody wanted to be a star. And this was the opportunity they were waiting for.

Our classmate Animesh started for a skit. He started audition for his characters. Candidates were endless but poor fellow was facing crisis of the mimics. No doubt he was a good mimic but he wanted the same for his skit and here was the problem. Well they started practicing at night with whatever they got.

And at the other corner you could hear “O O Jane Jana” song with choreographer Sujeet, our classmate, having his students selected from classmates for group dance and teaching them how and when to lift the hand in what manner, how much the co-ordination is needed and above all when all are needed to stop giving space for him to come out from back and perform a thrilling solo. I could see Parag, Pushpit and Uttam too in the dance group.

I tried for skit considering myself to be a good actor holding my acting past, but I can’t mimic even myself, so was kept side. Not tried for dance as I simply can’t. So I was at last in the audiences. 

Naini looked really happening.

From next morning we started arranging our dress code. We anyhow arranged shirts for just Rs. 40 and pant for 90. And with third button red and black laces on white shoes one can point us even in a crowd of thousands. And that’s why we enjoyed this dress code. We don’t need to say that we are from IIIT-A. People can identify us for this dress code and we could up our nose for being a part of this reputed Institute.

Some more girls joined B2K4 and we got some more topics to hang our chats.

I met Vishal same day (Or if I met him before; I can’t collect). I found people have started calling him mambo, which was name of a character from movie “Ishq Vishq”, with no reason. Or even if there was any reason, I wasn’t aware of. In fact his real name “Vishal” was a true antonym of his 5’6” pencil like frame, so I liked his nick; better to call him mambo.

While sitting with Pushpit and Vishal in library we saw her at very first time or at least I saw her for very first time. Instantly pushpit said

“mambo tumhari kamala aa gayi (mambo your kamala came)”.

Vishal smiled (probably since he liked someone else!!), I smiled wider (probably since I liked her itself) and pushpit laughed (probably since he liked both!! ………..or none of them?? ).

Well in that “Parrot” dress every girl of our batch was looking like some kamala kind of girl. Fair and beautiful but bad dressed. She was looking cute and innocent! enough. With twinkling eyes and a charming smile on her face she looked like a child. She was 8^th and unfortunately the last girl of our batch.

120 boys and just 8 girls, and you say enjoy the college life at fullest. Well that is the fate of every top engineering Institute in India. B2K4 found one more reason to get frustrated.

In between “that kind of” jokes were on hype. We were finishing our stocks of them. And in fact it helped us to find our kind of friends in some ways.

Naini Meetings became more firing and topic loaded due to Foundation Day performance practices. We had a poll to have our batch representative and the nominees were given a chance to prove their sides. Somebody given the reason of being close to seniors, somebody given then reason of knowing all three major languages for communication in our batch; Hindi, English and Telugu (We were having around 40 guys from A.P., so telugu was a major language for communication). I was again in voters. At last we found our leader to represent B2K4. But in fact he itself needed somebody to represent himself due to his plexed word-voice effect.

9^th Aug was approaching and performers were ready with their performance. IIIT-A has given us the energy to win the world and foundation day has given the platform. We will rock IIIT-A and B2K4 will be well known if we perform well.

But I was not feeling this aura. I have been topper at my school. Everybody knew me for obviously good reasons. Even the teachers praised me. But here I am nothing. I was Just another boy in class. Was I not that talented? I have never been in such situations before. And I was just trying to get one opportunity to show at least my presence in the batch.

How tough it is to be an IIITian!!