Part 2 IIT Bombay and IIT JEE Counseling
Day 2 was counseling day. After discussing with many IITians, I came to know that any branch in IIT Bombay will do better than other IITs. So, I had put IITB quite higher in my preferences list.
We reached the Convocation Hall and at sharp 9 am, counseling started. Some so called eminent persons gave their speech while I was busy in counting the number of girls present out there. I had intentionally chosen the seat where the concentration of girls was quite a bit higher.
As everyone knows, the only thing in which IITs have been unfortunate are ‘the girls’. There were very few of them. But still some of them were too good-looking.
The girl sitting in front of me was with her whole family ~ mom, dad, younger brother, mama and maami. It’d appeared she came here for some family picnic. Yes, getting selected in IIT is a big thing, but still I couldn’t stop laughing at this. The next half an hour, I concentrated towards the proceedings of counseling.
On the stage there were lots of professors seated from different IITs and backgrounds to answer our queries. Some people asked about scopes of branches, others were inquiring about new IITs. But the most interesting question of the whole session was:
“Can you tell me about the ‘expulsion’ rules of IIT?”
The professor got horrified and agitated of this. I mean who on the earth asks about expulsion before even getting admitted. The whole hall was burst into giggles.
Then we were told to sit quietly and patiently till our turn comes. While I and Anshul were busy in rechecking our preference lists, the girl’s mom asked Anshul:
“Whats your rank?”
“Aunty, mine is 4500“
“Ohh…and you Betaa?”, she asked looking towards me.
“umm..well…mine is 3612.”
“Ohh…my daughter has 2000“, she said in a glorifying manner. I felt pity that a girl has a better rank than mine. How stupid of me!!
Then we talked for more than an hour. The girl was beautiful, but she was a ‘Mummy’s girl’. I can say this, because she didn’t has her own opinions. She kept approving and nodding for whatever her mom said.
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Then they showed us music-videos on IITs. They were damn rocking!!!! I liked IIT Madras Video specially. It represented the college life of a student there. Then there was a documentry on IITs called ‘CBS 60 Minutes’. I must say I jumped off my feet after watching it. Some of the things which I remember and are worth mentioning are as follows:
“This is IIT Bombay. Put Harvard, MIT and Princeton together, and you begin to get an idea of the status of this school in India.” (Lesley Stahl, co-anchor on CBS 60 Minutes)
“And it’s hard to think of anything like IIT anywhere in the world. It is a very unique institution.” (Bill Gates, Microsoft)
“Per capita, IIT has produced more millionaires than any other undergraduate institution.” (Salon Magazine)
“The process for selection is absolutely draconian.” (McKinsey head Rajat Gupta quoted in Business Week article on IIT titled ‘Whiz Kids.’)
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After waiting for an hour, our turn came. Thank God, Anshul and I was in the same slot otherwise it would have been so boring. We were told to reach P.C. Saxena Auditorium where rest of the formalities are going to be happened.
The ‘Mummy’s Girl’ was also with us. It took 2 more hours for me to get completed. In the meantime, I talked to her to pass the time. I’ve got to know that she’s also from Resonance Kota. (I am from Resonance Bhopal).
Fortunately, I met with some students there who had worse rank then me. Also, a lady-professor came from IIT Delhi told me that 3612 is a very good rank indeed.
“New IITs have opened, seats have been increased, so your rank is very well above-average.”, she said. “Also in IITs, your branch doesn’t matters much. Infact, it doesn’t matter at all.”
I felt relieved after this.
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We had our return reservation to Bhopal the next night. But unfortuately, my dad got an urgent call from his head-office and he had to leave the Mumbai, the same day.
That night, I was alone in my hostel room of IIT Bombay, just like other students. I began to feel that I study here and that very feeling was the one I had been waiting for so long. It was heavenly. It seemed my 3 years of hardwork, late night studies, sacrifices and all have finally got some meaning.
I just kept laying on my bed looking at the roof for long time until I fell asleep. I was an IITian, at least for a few moments. But really, that was the time I would like to hold for whole of my life.
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I visited a few places like Gateway of India, Siddhivinayak Temple etc. the next day. We reached the railway station at 8 pm, a well 4 hours before train was supposed to arrive.
I was sitting in waiting room chatting with Anshul when a girl with her brother and mom-dad entered there. They were also for the same train. At first, she sat just next to me, but after a few minutes, she exchanged the seat with her brother.
She looked damn hot. I was just staring her, when her brother interrupted me:
“So are you here for IIT counseling?”
“Yeah. You too?”
“Yes.”
“So what is your rank?”, I asked.
“613“
Before he could ask my rank, I stood up and hurried towards toilet. Why it happens to me everytime!!!!
I prayed to God not to make them sit in the same compartment of train as mine. I really didn’t want to see her ‘613′ bro anymore.
Seemed the prayer worked out. I was in S-6 and they were in S-4.
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I don’t really know which branch/college I’ll get. But I can proudly say that I spent one of my most memorable days in the most-prestigious institute of the world ~ Indian Institute of Technology.
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PS — I love to write this post.
PS — It’d my two most interesting topics – IIT & Girls. 
PS — If you haven’t read its 1st Part, you can read it from here.
PS — Liked it?? Or not?? Please comment. 
PS — If you have liked this, also read a LOVE STORY written by me from here.
PS — Adios
IIT Bombay and IIT-JEE counseling 2008
And finally I saw it, the main gate of IIT Bombay. It was 6 o clock in the morning and I was half-awake. I had come here for IIT-JEE counseling with my friend Anshul and our parents.
“Hostel No. 3″, spoke the guard at the main gate after completing the formalities.
Let the magic begin.
IIT Bombay is spread over 500 acres, surrounded by beautiful Powai lake from two sides with a marvelous 5-star Renaissance hotel and Hiranandani Gardens standing along.
Just like every other IIT, it is also enriched by flora all around its campus. Many buildings of architectural masterpieces appear hidden behind the high coconut and eucalyptus trees.
I reached my room, took a short nap, got freshen up and departed out with Anshul for the ‘IIT-Hunt’. It was semester-breaks, so there were not many students there.
We wandered the corridors of hostel, watched the mess, TV room, Gymnasium. Yes, each hostel has perfect state-of-the-art facilities. Then we reached the common room to relax. While I was sitting astonished on sofa, a boy about of my age entered the room. He was looking sort of dumb and ignorant. He sat besides me and started reading newspaper.
“So you study here?”, I asked.
“Yup”
“Which year?”
“I’ve just entered third semester.”
“Which branch?”
“Electrical”
“Oops!!”, I yelled. Now for those who don’t know I tell you, IIT Bombay Electrical branch closes at All India Rank of around 120. So, the students who get it are the amongst the chosen god-gifted intelligent students of the world.
“Don’t ask his rank!! Don’t ask his rank!!!”, Anshul murmured in my ears. We had an average rank and so probably we didn’t want to feel inferior in front of this ‘Electrical Buddy’.
“What was your rank?”, still I asked.
“114. And yours?”
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After this pathetic encounter with an Electrical Buddy, I was determined not to ask anyone’s branch and rank here. Why getting depressed for such a weird reason!!!
We headed for breakfast for ‘Tansa’ House. Its a hostel and has a very good open-mess. Here there are no charges for tea and coffee. Even the bread and jam are free here. Everything is self-serviced and people really do follow it with great sincerity.
After breakfast, I and Anshul headed for some suitable IITian to get help with our queries. ‘Suitable’ means someone of Metallurgy branch or M.Sc. Chemistry. Someone close to my rank.
While we were on our way to main building, I saw a boy wearing ‘IIT Bombay Tech-Fest’ shirt walking along us. He was short in height and had some acne problems on his face. I reached him.
“Hi, do you study here?”
“Yes.” He was walking fast, so I’d quite difficulty to match his pace.
“Do you know someone of Msc. Chemistry branch here? We need help for our counseling!”
“Yeah, go to hostel 6, there’s a guy named Bankim there. He’s in final year.”
“Thanks. By the way, what’s your branch?”
“Electrical”
O_ops again…! “Don’t ask his rank! Don’t ask his rank!!”
“So, what was your rank?”
“17“
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I stopped after this shock. It was the first time I’d seen someone of such high rank. All India 17. Mind blowing! I wanted to talk to him, wanted to ask what he did, how he studied, how he got such a great rank. But he was gone, in his usual walking speed.
We dropped the idea of going to main building and decided to visit Bankim at Hostel 6. My legs already had started to ache of walking. The campus is quite large.
Bankim’s room was in Wing 3 of Hostel 6 at the end of the corridor.
“Hie, Bankim?”, I asked as he opened the door.
“Yes”
“Sorry to disturb you. If you are not busy, we need some help from you. We are here for counseling.”
“Oh..sure. I was just sleeping. Come inside”
His room appeared perfectly a pile of books, deos, computer wires, posters of Mood Indigo, timetables. We talked to him for more than 30 minutes. His rank was 3105. So, it made us more comfortable to discuss our doubts with him. But he appeared more confident than those Electrical Buddies. He said, he’s a member of Placement Cell and is involved in many cultural activities.
“Msc. Chemistry student got the second highest package in IIT Bombay this year”, he told me. He also stated some of the companies like McKinsey, BCG etc. which visit here.
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Utterly satisfied, we left his room. Now we were hungry. We decided to eat in Hostel 12/13.
Hostel 12 & 13 are newest hostels of IITB. Inaugrated by Nandan M. NIlekani, Chairman of Infosys and an alumnus of IIT Bombay, these hostels are the landmark in the history of IITs.
Just look at them. Each of them contains more than a 1000 rooms. Their buildings are connected with a tunnel just like you have seen in Petronas Towers of Malaysia. Their jumbo-sized mess is totally underground.
Its quite a different experience eating with hundreds of IITians. Food tastes great here.
The best thing I noticed in IIT was the tee-shirts which people wear here. Leaving a few, everyone here likes to wear shirts stating some caption, slogan or company-logo related to IIT Bombay. I’d seen Mood Indigo Shirts, Hostel specific shirts, Inter-IIT Sports meet shirts, BCG, General Electricals, Tech-Fests, IITB Golden Jubilee Shirts.
“You say its our attitude, we say its our superiority. IIT Bombay”
“I am what you dream to be. IIT Bombay”
“Its never too late. IIT Bombay”
and others.
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rest continued in Part 2
PS — Waiting eagerly for the branch allocation scheduled on 30th.
PS — In the next post I’ll write about the girls of IITB and Mumbai.
PS — If you have got something about other IITs, please let us know through your comments.
PS — It was Parth who accelerated me to write this post.
PS — Good Bye.
Just a ‘Tagging’ Post
I am writing tagging post for the first time.
Procedure:
Here is me filling up my first tag post.
The rules:
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you – Tsshar
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
So here’s mine:
- I love the doors and windows always shut. (May be to just keep all my non-sense thoughts escaping into the open world )
- I hate studying except when I am interested in it. And my interests do not include physics, chemistry and mathematics.
- I love going for walk in night instead of morning especially on dark lonely roads with my favourite music.
- I love girls with long hairs and cute smile. For example Avril Lavigne.
- I have no fond of eating. But, I have my taste in music. I always select my favourite artists and listen to them with complete devotion. Right now Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Rehmaan and LP are my favourites.
- I hate travelling because its too boring. I wish I could visit new places without the pain of passing my time in buses, trains etc. But someone has told me : Life isn’t for destination, its about journey.
So it was me. Now since I require to tag 6 more people, I tag Parth, Vee, Sameer, Suda, Ankit and myself.
