After spending yet another random Thursday at the pizzeria with my wingies, I realized it’s time to throw up words for a change. It was just yesterday when I saw my seniors packing up their college lives into trunks and suitcases, tying them up onto over-charging autos and sailing away unto the great unknown. And now, I’m not too far behind.
Around the end of 3-2, I decided to pursue a double-psenti semester, partly because I wanted to give research one last shot, partly because I’d get to meet all my friends who had adulted away on PS-II again one last time, but mostly because I’d never get the chance to be on campus as a student ever again. The last three years of my life have undoubtedly been the best ones so far, from finding solidarity in the bleak blue walls of Block-9 to living in a boys-turned-girls’ hostel (Buddh Bhawan) for a year, every day has been euphoric. Recently, I’d heard a rumor that the campus is always being renovated in some part or the other, because the superstition is that if the renovation is completely stopped, BITS will cease to exist. Whether it’s true or not, it seemed a great analogy to life itself; it’s our drive to keep reinventing ourselves that makes us stand apart from the rest and rise above. No two individuals residing within this 328-acre piece of land have had the same experience on it.
In my case, here’s a select list of the quirkiest things the batch of 2021 has been through: Old Acad and New Acad (relationships ended because of this division), One month of offline classes converted into online ones (holidays) right before our 2nd year compres, ChatGPT entered the chat- before this I literally thought plagiarism meant ‘the spread of the plague’, PCRC and Vishal-Shekhar concerts, Birla Institute of “Techonology” and Science printed on our official batch snaps, and so much more.
And just like the ever-renovating campus, we were changing and evolving with it, through all the wins and losses, peaks and valleys, assets and liabilities, learnings and un-learnings, there were unique character development arcs that sprouted out like the gorgeous flower bursts at south park every march. Therefore, the only relevant piece of advice that I would like to pass on would be, in Shakira’s words, “Try Everything”. Say yes to opportunities that frighten you, join that club you’re curious about, open up to the professor whose research fascinates you, strike up conversations with people you see around you, pull all-nighters not just for exams but for the joy of fests and deep discussions with friends, travel to nearby towns on impromptu adventures. Fall in love—with people, ideas, and possible futures.
In the end, I hope campus is as kind to you as it has been to me. I hope you’ll carry a delightfully heavy treasure trove of memories for a lifetime and that you find friendship, happiness, peace and growth from this quaint little town at 333031.