The wild and nostalgic journey began on 1st July 2017, when I went to NITK for the first time for a campus tour. Everything impressed me until I saw the first block rooms. However, knowing the reputation that NITK has, I pushed through the accommodation issues and joined Electrical and Electronics Engineering with the cliched plan of getting a branch change at the end of my first year.
My first year took me through a plethora of emotions. I used to go back home every weekend. Adjusting to the new college life was difficult. I used to score poorly in exams, and most importantly, I was extremely shy. Initiating a conversation was difficult. I didn’t have too much exposure to campus life due to this. However, things took a U-turn in the second semester. I signed up for multiple events, flash mobs. I kept myself busy and occupied, which helped me get through my first year without bitter feelings.
Moving on to second year, which is when you start exploring your interests. I got into ACM, the Vidyut sub-group to be exact. However, I realized that technical clubs weren’t my cup of tea. So I decided to move into events and organizing. I finally found my flow and started to get things done. I joined multiple clubs; Dance Crew, Flims Club, TEDx, Karavali Marathon, NIT Conclave, Engiconnect, etc., to name a few. Knowing Hindi and Kannada was a big advantage for me. I was able to raise funds and get sponsors for the various events with ease. However, I couldn’t enjoy Incident properly because I broke my leg and couldn’t walk. Although, I can brag about the fact that I’m one of the very few students who was allowed to bring a vehicle on campus!
All in all, my second year taught me how to adapt to different situations, channelizing my interests and most importantly, skill development. My seniors helped me a lot to do these.
Like everyone else, the stress of having a good career was getting to me in the third year. So I started preparing for internships. I applied for internships, even though this wasn’t my key interest. Over time, I realized that this preparation was wasting my time. I decided to take a step back. I went back to organizing events and contributed my bit to making Incident a success. I took up multiple posts of responsibility like Outreach head for the Karavali Marathon, Local Marketing Head for Incident 2020, Transportation Head for TEDx 2020. Taking up responsibilities and delivering was an important part of my third year. Assigning work, reporting to seniors and professors was tedious but fun. Managing such events, with the 2 weekends of January, where I had to juggle so many things, was easily one of the best moments of campus life.
Incident 2020 was my last cherishable memory on campus. We pulled off one of the best-ever Incident. It was perfectly organized. Everyone present there was in awe at the scale of the events and activities that were there. I thoroughly enjoyed myself out there, and I wish time goes back to that week and gets stuck there.
The final year, as everyone knows, was a massive disappointment. One word: Covid. I managed to accept the situation for what it is and performed many tasks like Operations Head for TEDx and Marketing Head for HackVerse 2.0. The main TEDx event was streamed in my house, and that was the only day I felt like I was in college, doing something constructive and being occupied. I’m extremely thankful to the college for letting me stay on campus for the last 2 months. I made the most of this opportunity. Final year students had their One Last Time parties and basically celebrated the end of our college journey together. My mind felt liberated. I hope to relive every single day of those last days again.
Here are my takeaways from 4 years of studying at this fantastic institution:
Do whatever your mind tells you to do. Don’t stick to just academics and follow your instincts, be it sports, drama, music, event planning, or anything else. Utilize these 4 years to their maximum capacity. The important thing to note here is that you aren’t doing anything to prove a point to someone else, but because you wanted to do it for your mind’s sake. You have to experience the ‘feels’ while doing something. That is when you know you genuinely like that particular activity/task. I got a holistic experience of the real world because of all the responsibilities that I took up in college. NITK by nature always throws opportunities at your doorstep. It is up to you to pick it up and make use of it properly. I will forever be indebted to NITK and everyone in it for my growth and increased maturity. That place is not a college. It’s home and will always be a home to me!
(Curated by Bharadwaj Manikandan)