EXCELSIOR 2022

Speak Through Excelsior Speak Through Excelsior AZAD MAULANA

Excelsior ’22 Excelsior ‘21

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL

EXCELSIOR

2022 83

1

Editorial Board Core Team'22 (ED-iots)

Ritwik Kumar

Medhaa Chaklanabish Joint Chief Artist

Chief Designer

Jyoti Khatri

Shantanu Choukikar

Nikita Parashar

Poorva Kale

Dipanshu Vatsa

K S Smruthi

Pushpita Patel

Metta Lokesh Kumar

Adviti Tuli

Raktim Mondol

Joint Chief Editor

Chief Hindi Editor

Artist

Designer

Artist

English Editor

Designer

Chief English Editor

Artist

Designer

Deepansh Gupta

Ansh Kaushik

Garima Dhurvey

Mohammad Shehzad

Aditi Singh

Owais Hashmi

Suraj Nigam

Aastha Dwivedi

Aniket Sharma

Pratyaksha Sharma

Vaishnavi Jaiswal

English Editor

Web Developer

Designer

Hindi Editor

Artist

Designer

Hindi Editor

Kavita Agrawal

Seshal Jain

Sankalp Mahajan

Hindi Editor

Artist

English Editor

Hindi Editor

Web Developer

Designer

English Editor

It is that time of the year again. The excitement of releasing the new magazine. The sense of achievement in seeing the final outcome. The sorrow of leaving it all behind knowing it is the last time you will be part of this organization. The last three years have been nothing less than a foundational cornerstone for me and my career. I have seen myself and my teammates grow in every aspect of life and we all have the Editorial Board to thank for the same.

Excelsior is not your ordinary everyday college magazine. I truly believe it is unlike something most people are able to achieve. This magazine is a reflection of its people, the ever-evolving culture of MANIT, the hopes and aspirations of the team, and the collective knowledge of wisdom and insight of the generations of alumni before us. I truly feel that Excelsior is a timeless tradition which is bound to stay alive regardless of anything. And I feel proud to have been a small part of its evolution.

The biggest thing which has stood out for me after all this time is

Editors’ Letter

the fact that there is no right or wrong way to be in EB. We do not look for particular traits nor do we reject people if they lack talent.

All we ever ask for is a passion for our cause, and more importantly the team. Never have I ever witnessed an organization put its team members and their needs before everything else - including the magazine. Because we firmly believe that the magazine exists because of us and not vice-versa. And it is this collective trust which we place in our members which makes them shine and out-do themselves year after year.

A few years down the line, all the juniors and batchmates I have ever met might be gone from the campus. Maybe a few decades later, all the faculty who taught me might have retired. But I know that somewhere on the campus, there would be a group of people working on releasing the next Excelsior and I can walk up to them and they would become familiar faces instantaneously. To everyone who is out there reading this, know that this magazine is a result of blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of love. The pages which unfold ahead will tell you everything you need to know about the batch of 2022.

Take your time and savour the pages ahead. Till then lightspeed!

Ritwik Kumar Joint Chief Editor

When we started our respective journeys at EB, we

Once an EB member, always an EB member. We

were upbeat that through our words, we would be

really felt that. When we joined EB, our only

the ones modelling, shaping, and sculpting our

thought was to nurture our individual personali-

annual magazines. Little did we know that

ties, and we can proudly say that EB has groomed

through its life force, it would be the magazine,

us exceptionally in every aspect.

and the Board by extension, that would model, shape, and sculpt us to make us the writers that

Right from childhood, we were motivated to be

we are today.

crazy for our passion. It was said that only when you followed something with your heart and mind

This year, our challenge as Chief Editors was to

would you get what you dreamt.

pick other editors up when they were at their lows. Though we always believed that an editor is

Excelsior’22 is the journey of every college student.

much more than just a writer, getting to know

College can be overwhelming at times, but it can

others in order to understand and elevate their

also be immensely rewarding: it can help us under-

writing made us even more empathetic.

stand who we are and what is important to us.

As Chief Editors, we had to make sure that the

The journey of designing Excelsior’22 with our

words that finally made it to the magazine

team was amazing. In nurturing every individual

encapsulated the vision of every member of the

till the release of our final product, we feel grateful

Board. We also tried to achieve a dynamic

as we realize that the magazine would not be

interaction between the writing and the art, so

successful without their support. We have tried to

that each influenced and strengthened the other.

design every page, every artwork, and every design detail conceptually, hoping that it would make you

Each magazine, and the individuals who were a

wonder many a time throughout the journey of

part of it, have their own stories. But

exploring it.

paradoxically, even after its uniqueness, each magazine also shares a similarity with the ones

The journey in EB was filled with multiple

that came before it. After all, we have always

moments of self-analysis and keen observations.

believed that our magazines have a life of their

We are extremely thankful to our patrons and team

own, and that each magazine guides us in ways

members for such a unique experience. It’s really

unknown. We hope that after reading these pages,

hard to end a journey full of beautiful memories,

you will be able to decipher all that it is that we

but it is a moment of great pleasure to give the

want to share.

reign to the next generation.

Finally, we would like to thank every member of

Hope you find yourself in these coming pages!

the Board, both past and present, without whose constant guidance and support we would not be able to reach as far as we have come.

Shantanu Choukikar Chief Englsih Editor

Nikita Parashar Chief Hindi Editor

Jyoti Khatri Chief Designer

Medhaa Chaklanabish Joint Chief Artist

FREEDOM 28 31 35 38 39

INTRODUCTION 08 09 10 13 23

Recipe for Perfect Article A Simple Word

िश�ा रचना के पेरणा सोत Future Past

B

Patron's Message Dean’s Interview College News Society News Achiever's Blog

A

C SOCIALIZING 46 The Archetypes Existence 49 सपने सुहाने मैिनट जीवन के 52 The Sophomore Notice 55 Backup Plan 57 Generation Z

CONTENT 6

INTROSPECTION 62 65 68 72

D

The Phenomenology of Love Not So Different C.V. Absolution

H FINAL YEAR TRIBUTE

F

122 MANIT Oscars 124 An APRIL

G

SPEAK THROUGH EXCELSIOR

E

78 84 85 86 93 95

to Remember

127 EB Profiles

Survey CAREER

MANIT Campaign MANIT Polls General Articles General Artwork Alumni Article

98 104 108 112

Alumni's Interview As I Graduate How to crack off-campus jobs Placement stat

CONCLUSION

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Speak Through Excelsior From the Desk

Excelsior ’22

Director's Message

DIRECTOR, MANIT Dr. N.S. Raghuwanshi

It is a matter of great pride and joy that the annual college magazine Excelsior'22 is ready for publication. The magazine stands as the voice representing the ethos of the students of MANIT. The magazine has a rich history and heritage attached to it and carries with it the weight of responsibility to uphold that history, while also keeping in touch with the changing times.

The magazine chronicles the progress of the institute throughout the academic year despite the unprecedented times impeding the process.

The magazine is a clear reflection of the talent of the institute’s students not in just the technical fields, but creative endeavors as well.

I congratulate the Editorial Board and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

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Speak Through Excelsior

Excelsior ’22 From the Desk

Dean’s Interview MANIT has a vast campus. While many students have their own personal vehicles, the campus does not provide any public commute for those who don't. Also, there are no designated paths for people who prefer walking and cycling to class. What steps are being taken in these regards?

DEAN PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT, MANIT Dr. Gajendra Dixit

The campus of MANIT Bhopal is spread over an area of 650 acres. With an ample amount of space for further development, it has all the potential it needs to become a green campus. As you explore the campus, you can observe that many buildings in the institute are well equipped with facilities like rainwater harvesters and other energy preservation devices.

Mobility on the campus, for students and non-students alike, is a very critical issue. Coming up with a proper and convenient solution in this regard is our top priority. We are currently working on the development of green corridors throughout the campus to promote healthy commuting practices and to further encourage students towards walking and cycling. The provision of public sharing of cycles and non-motorized vehicles will be made available soon as well.

It is our aim to make the campus accessible, clean, and green.

Patron's Message FACULTY COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. K. K. Dhote

FACULTY CO-COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. Deepak Kumar

As the institute magazine is a reflection of the previous academic year, it is only natural that we take into cognizance the events of the past year. This year's annual magazine is the digital form of MANIT’s public consciousness, an expression of its students, and a representation of our true spirit. With the difficulties presented in the recent past, we wish we learn from them and let go of them, as that is the way forward.

The magazine prominently speaks of the hard work and enthusiasm of the Editorial Board and provides an excellent opportunity through various genres of writing.

The magazine is a sound reassurance that budding engineers are excelling not only in the technical domain but also in the creative fields.

We appreciate the efforts and hard work of the students in bringing out this magazine.

The Manit Times

Speakthe Through From Desk Excelsior

Excelsior ’22

COLLEGE NEWS YEAR 2021-22 - MAULANA AZAD NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY EDITION

January’22 STARTUP EXPO The E-Cell ROLTA Incubation Centre MANIT Bhopal organized India’s Largest Startup Expo on the 5th and 6th February 2022. The event was inaugurated by the Honorable Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Opening Ceremony was graced by the presence of the guest of Honor, the Director of MANIT Bhopal, Dr.N.S. Raghuwanshi.

ARIIA RANKINGS’21 MANIT Bhopal has been ranked in the band “PERFORMER” in Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA),2021 by the Innovation cell, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India among Institutes of National Importance, Central Universities and Centrally Funded Institutes on 29th December 2021.

COLLEGE NEWS

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UNNAT BHARAT ABHIYAN

The Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) Cell of MANIT Bhopal has started a new initiative in the adopted villages to help underprivileged students by providing the basic knowedge of elementary symbols and names through charts and stationary articles.The Cell has also distributed Counting Charts, Alphabet Charts, Vegetable Charts, and symbols of numerals in the Government Primary Schools of the villages.

PATENT A patent entitled “Method of Making Biodegradable Natural Fibre Composite Using Cow Dung” has been granted to Dr.Savita Dixit, Professor, Department of Chemistry, MANIT Bhopal.

INAUGRATION OF CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Centre of Excellence in Cable technology was inaugurated at the Energy Centre of MANIT Bhopal on 2nd December 2021. Mr. John Kingsly, senior IAS and MD MPIDC, was the Chief Guest, and Mr.Gary Bateman, managing director, LAPPIndiaPvt.Ltd was the Guest of Honour at the inaugural ceremony. Dr.N.S. Raghuwanshi, Director, MANIT Bhopal along with the Dean and the Heads of various departments were also present on the occasion.

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Excelsior ’22 From the Desk

July’21 ICEPES-2021

ALUMNI PORTAL

The Department of Electrical Engineering, MANIT Bhopal,and the Department of Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering, SLIET Longowal, jointly organized the 2nd online EEEInternational Conference on Energy and Power System (ICEPES-2021) on 10th and 11th December 2021.

A new Alumni Portal of MANIT Bhopal (https://www.manitbhopalalumni.com) has been launched by The Director, MANIT on the 62 foundation day. The portal has been developed by Vaave with the objective to strengthen the relationship between MANIT Alumni and Institute. The new portal will help alumni connect, interact with other alumni, conduct events and mentor the students of MANIT Bhopal Lots of other features will also be added in the future. Along with the portal, ALUMNI CELL has also been developed at MANIT Bhopal.

RESEARCH PAPERS Research papers have been published in various journals from July to September 2021. The details in the link is given below: http://www.manit.ac.in/sites/default/files/documents/RP1

PATENT A patent named "A System and Method for Non-Destructive Testing and Detection of High Voltage Flashovers Using System Power Quality Parameters" has been granted to Dr. Ujjwal Kumar Kalla, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering.

INVENTIONS Dr. Ujwal Kumar Kalla, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering invented the "Self-Excited Induction Generator Integrated with Robust Automatic Electronic Voltage Regulator", Using this technique, the single-phase induction motor (usually used in water pumping applications) may be converted into a single-phase electric generator. This generator has an inherent short circuit protection feature. The present invention discloses a standalone, self-excited induction generator driven by any fixed speed prime mover such as a diesel engine or bio-gas engine having line and neutral output.

CENTRAL COMPUTING FACILITY (CFF)

MANIT Bhopal has developed a new Central Computing Facility (CCF) which is equipped with smart racks having a high-performance computing facility (HPC) and Virtualization clusters The CC-HPC has the ability to process data and perform Complex Calculations in high speeds for scientific research and Virtualization cluster which will help to create and host new servers with the desired web services for supporting the E-services of the institute. HPC facility has a total of 400 CPU Cores comprising of 8 compute nodes and 2 GPU nodes that provide the performance of 25.6 TFLOPS and 29.8 TFLOPS Rpeak respectively. It has an upper memory limit of 1920 GB RAM along with a 120 TB SAS-based storage system.

The nodes are connected with InfiniBand interconnect to support more tightly coupled parallel applications.Two labs equipped with 200 standalone systems have been deployed.

COLLEGE NEWS

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From the Desk

October’21 Best Paper Award

18TH CONVOCATION

NIRF Rankings 2021

Convocation was held on October 23, 2021 in hybrid mode. As many as 1447 students received their degrees which comprise 89 PhDs, 438 postgraduate and 920 undergraduate degrees.

Kamal K. Singh, Chairman & CEO. ROLTA Companies will be the chief Group of guests at the convocation

Mr. Vedankur S. Kedar, under the guidance of Dr. Rajshree Kamat, has received Best Paper Award at,the International Conference on Latest Trends in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (LTCMEE) for the research paper entitled, "Mapping the Urban Flood Vulnerable Areas through GIS Techniques: A Case Study of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

MANIT Bhopal has secured 60th rank in the recently released National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) published by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India for the year 2021 across the country among all engineering institutes. Last year, the institute secured the 65" position in the same category. This year, the scores have increased in all five parameters of ranking: Teaching, Learning and Resources; Research and Professional Practice; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity, and Peer Perception. In research and professional factors, there is a substantial increase due to the increase in the number of applications and improvement in the quality of the publication.

The Institute gave a strong push to Intellectual Property Rights and the filing of patents and this proved to be a game-changer in improving this parameter. The emphasis on submitting more projects and receiving Grants, Consultancy, and Continuing Education Programme also brought in credits. Under the adroit guidance of Dr. N. S. Raghuwanshi, Director, MANIT Bhopal, all the stakeholders of the institute have been working tenaciously in further enhancement and strengthening of the present robust innovation network and development of the startup ecosystem.

Zero-Waste MANIT Campus An attempt has been made to make MANIT Bhopal a zero-waste campus. Dr. N. S. Raghuwanshi, Director, MANIT had a discussion with Mr. Imtiyaz Ali, the Environmentalist wherein the latter presented his plan to make the institute a zero-waste campus. Mr. Ali has developed a waste management model which is being implemented by various State Governments. For his work, he has received 14 international awards.

PATENTS A patent named "Sample Holder for Optical Gas Sensing" has been granted to Dr. Fozia Z. Haque Khan, Associate Professor, and HoD, Department of Physics.

APPOINTMENT AS DIRECTOR GENERAL Dr. Tripta Thakur, Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, MANIT Bhopal, has been appointed as the Director-General of the National Power Training Institute (NPTI). NPTI, an IsO 9001 & ISO 14001 organization under Ministry of Power, Government of India is a National Apex body for Training and Human Resources Development in Power Sector with its Corporate Office at Faridabad.

It is the world's leading integrated power training institute.

Dr. Ghanshyam Singh Thakur, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Applications, MANIT Bhopal has been honored with the Best Faculty Award for their special contribution in the field of technical and higher education on 13th September 2021 by Vertex Research and Technology Institute recognized by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

COLLEGE NEWS

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From the Desk

Society Info Recruitments Months जन ू - जल ु ाई

Facebook Insta ID tooryanaad Linkedin Tooryanaad Gmail tooryanaad@gmail.com

Events

Goals

Recruitment क भावना का वकास करना ह।ै

Pandemic

Debating Society, NIT BHOPAL Recruitments Months October-November

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

The Debating Society, NIT Bhopal debsocnitb Debating society of manit debsoc.nitb@gmail.com

Events

Goals

The Debating Society, NITB is committed to developing a debating Recruitment culture in students and It consists of a written test followed by a conventional debate. The shortlisted candidates inquisitiveness. are then interviewed and inducted into the team.

As a debating team, our Institute have voiced their opinion in DU, NITD, ILS Pune, NLIU, etc.

Pandemic lockdown period, online meetup platform became our den.

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From the Desk

Drishtant Recruitments Months August

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Drishtant- The Literary Society Of MANIT Bhopal drishtant_nitb Drishtant, The Literary Society of MANIT drishtant.nit.bhopal@gmail.com

Goals

Events During the year 2021, we conducted Stalkathon, Ripple and Mission D-Crypt. Halloween of 2020 was when we conducted the first Mission D-Crypt, which was an online escape room event. Ripple 21 included three sub-events - writing, speaking and a murder mystery conducted online. Mission D-Crypt 2.0 was conducted during December 2021.

Recruitment There are two stages in the recruitment process - a written test and an interview. The written test is meant to evaluate the students' vocabulary and creative writing skills while the interview gives us a brief idea of their expectations and goals whilst in the society.

Pandemic

Drishtant aims to provide a platform for students to voice their opinions and thoughts which is facilitated by the regular discussions, debates and our own blog. The prime motive is to enhance the creativity of each of our members

While in offline mode, Drishtant was limited to only two events throughout an year Illuminati in the odd semester and Ripple in the even. However, we grabbed the huge opportunities and flexibility that the pandemic and the online mode offered which led to a huge amount of participation in social media platforms. The online mode gave us the freedom to create numerous events.

Intellect Browsers' Consortium (IBC) Recruitments Months July

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Goals

Events 1) MUN'21 2) Azure '22 3) Crescita '21

4) Branding Moguls 5) Investment Pitching

Recruitment "The recruitment procedure begins with the circulation of a form on the social media pages of IBC, that is to be filled by those interested and submitted along with their resume. This is followed by an interview round to test your general skills and a personal interview."

Pandemic "While previously, the focus of the participation for the live events were colleges in the state of MP, the online conduction of events allowed a greater reach and participation from all over the country with the aide of web applications and social media."

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Intellect Browsers' Consortium ibc_manit Intellect Browsers' Consortium ibcmanit12@gmail.com Intellect Browsers’ Consortium is the literary cum management society of NIT-Bhopal dedicated to broadening the literary knowledge base and enhancing the managerial skills of the students. IBC offers an encouraging platform for young minds to articulate their work to inspire others, and organizes various events throughout the year, nurturing students’ skills in numerous fields such as debating, writing, management, marketing, and finance.

From the Desk

Inspire MANIT Recruitments Months October

Facebook Inspire MANIT - Home Insta ID inspiremanit Gmail inspiremanit@gmail.com

Events

Goals

"Inspire is the only club which conducted lot of programs even amidst Lockdown.

In academic year 2021-2022, Inspire conducted several events such as Aarambh, Avantikulam, Tech Sphurti and so on.

Our goals include:(i) Creating a class of people of high character and competence. (ii) Saving teenagers from self-destructive habits. (iii) Use art, culture, media, and music to propagate themessage Of ancient Vedic wisdom.

Recruitment "Inspire Recruitment procedure consists of 3stages:1. Written test- GSAT 2. Interview"

Pandemic During the pandemic, INSPIRE organized various sessions viz. practical teachings of Bhagavad Gita on Mind, Consciousness and Solitude via virtual meeting platforms.

Robotics Club MANIT Recruitments Months September month of third semester

Facebook Robotics Club MANIT Insta ID roboticsclubmanit roboclubmanit@gmail.com Gmail Goals

Events "Due to online semester only 2 events were organised.

1. Recruitment process 2. Robotics Club participated in DD Robocon 2022(a national level competition for college students)"

Recruitment "1. Technical and Aptitude test 2. Technical interview round ( 3rd year)

3. HR interview round ( 4th year)"

Pandemic

The Robotics Club, MANIT is the premier society to indulge in mechatronics. We design and build robots for international competitions such as ABU Robocon. Our aim is to develop the technical knowledge of our students by conducting workshops on the basics of robotics, electronic systems, and mechanical design.

Due to pandemic, the technical exposure which we get on campus was missing, we were not able to make our robots for competitions.

PURGE - MANIT Recruitments Months

October named as 'PEHEL'.

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Events During the year 2021, we conducted Stalkathon, Ripple and Mission D-Crypt.

Halloween of 2020 was when we conducted the first Mission D-Crypt, which was an

PURGE purgemanit Purge MANIT purge.nitb@gmail.com

Goals PURGE is the environmental society of MANIT mainly

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From the Desk

online escape room event. Ripple 21 included three sub-events - writing, speaking and a murder mystery - conducted online. Mission D-Crypt 2.0 was conducted during December 2021.

focusing on awareness programs for environmental pollution and cleanliness under the guidance of MHRD. We also emphasize research work in the fields of Bio-Waste management, 3D printing, Plastic recycling, etc.

Recruitment PEHAL is a recruitment drive of PURGE to recruit the new member for the society in month of October. Recruitment procedure involves two steps, the first step is group discussion and second step is personal interview of the shortlisted candidates.

Pandemic Purge MANIT organized five events in academic year 2021-2022 till now on various occasions such as on Woman Day, Earth Day, Diwali, Environment Week where posters were released to create awareness on various environmental issues.

ISTE SC MANIT Recruitments Months April

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Iste Manit istemanit ISTE SC MANIT istescmanit@gmail.com

Events ISTE MANIT conducted several events namely Version B, Chimera X, Codathon, Anubhuti and Megatreopuz.

Recruitment "ISTE's recruitment process includes a task as per the candidate's chosen vertical and 3 rounds of interviews. A resume/CV is required mandatorily during the interview."

Pandemic The pandemic forced all our events to be conducted via online mode further prompting events to either be rescheduled or modified. However, it drastically increased the reach of all events. This drastically increased the reach of all the events."

Goals Our goal is to inspire our nation's youth to think outside the box, broaden their perspectives, and deliver an unrivaled learning experience to all participants and attendees.

Zenith-The Programming club of MANIT Recruitments Months June

Insta ID geethika_1702 Gmail zenithclub.manit@gmail.com

Events Conducted 3-4 zenith forenighty tests

Recruitment "It consists of generally 3 rounds first round is the coding round /aptitude round In this round they generally asks about coding questions and logical reasoning question. second round is interview round where interviewer asks mostly from DS last round is HR round which basically tests our communication skills."

Pandemic "Before the pandemic tests are conducted in online and classes are also taken in online after the pandemic the events will organize in offline which is much more benefit to us.”

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Goals To guide juniors about placements by conducting coding tests and teaching sessions

From the Desk

Ae Se Aenak Recruitments Months April.

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

AenakWale aeseaenak Ae se Aenak aeseaenak06@gmail.com

Events

Goals

In the academic year 21-22 our organization conducted SWAANG22' (online open mic competition), released multiple online videos as annual productions on various social issues such as Social Media addiction, LGBTQ+ etc.

Ae se aenak is the official street play society of MANIT. The main aim of this society is to perform street plays i.e. "nukkad nataks" on the prevailing social issues, their causes, and solutions; giving the right facts and information about the social issues to the audience.

Recruitment "Recruitment is done in 3 rounds In the first round candidates have to showcase their talent in the provided verticals i.e. actor , musician, audio editor, video editor, photographer, designer.

Qualified candidates are provided with a group task in which they are provided with a topic on which they have to create an act .

Now in the final round candidates have to appear in the interview in which the final year constitutes the interviewing panel .

The candidates who qualify the personal interview finally become a part of ""AE SE AENAK"""

Pandemic Before pandemic our society performed street plays but due to the pandemic, offline nukkad was not possible due to the prohibition on mass gatherings but Ae se Aenak overcame this difficulty and posted online content to make people aware about prevailing social vices.

PIXEL Recruitments Months Feburary

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Pixel, MANIT pixel.manit PIXEL MANIT pixel.manit@gmail.com

Events "1. A series Podcast was hosted where famous artists, photographers, etc. were invited to share their experiences and knowledge.

2. Pixel Features was another series where photography enthusiasts were asked to send entries related to various themes."

Recruitment "1. The interested candidates are asked to bring their best photographs/artworks and CV for the interview.

2. Selected people are asked to complete a task to assess the level of their creativity."

Goals To establish a space for photography and art enthusiasts at MANIT to showcase their skills and broaden their horizons.

Pandemic Online mode completely changed the way we organized exhibitions, workshops and photowalks. Following the pandemics, the majority of events centered on social media interactions and the digital realm. During the epidemic, events like photowalks were completely out of the question. We had to adjust to the new circumstances in some manner, which led to the emergence of new ideas, such as the podcast.

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From the Desk

Vision Recruitments Months 3rd semester

Facebook Vision, MANIT Bhopal Insta ID vision.nitb Gmail vision.nitb2020@gmail.com

Events "A coding competition called 'Code Brawl' around August 2021. Flagship event of Vision C++ Workshop from Basics to Advanced in January 2022 Expert seminars in collaboration with Coding Ninjas and GDSC NIT Bhopal Arduino Workshop, PLC Workshop"

Recruitment First stage is the MCQ test with aptitude and coding questions followed by Technical and HR interviews separately.

Goals Vision, the technical society of MANIT, aims to train people and help them keep up with the technical areas necessary for a student.

Pandemic For the year of pandemic and online classes, the Vision Discord Community Server has proved to be an online platform to bind the student community of college and interact freely when the students were facing a lack of interaction. Small social interactions across batches helped us with interaction with the new batches.

Entrepreneurship Cell NIT-Bhopal Recruitments Months March-April

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

E-Cell, MANIT Bhopal ecell_nitb E-Cell | MANIT Bhopal (NIT-B) support@ecellnitb.com

Events The academic year 2021-22 took a headstart with its goodwill event E-Carnival after which a flurry of events followed. The limelight stealing part included our workshops :- Creativerse, Hack-a-Web, Crypto Mania which concluded with a fun event, Comedic Pitstop featuring Mr. Abhishek Upmanyu.

Recruitment The procedure of the recruitment drive consists of 3 rounds :1. Task-based Round 2. Technical Interview 3. Final Interview with the Core Team

Pandemic "In the pandemic, every event has turned its table to online mode. During E-Summit’22, E-Cell NIT-B was able to invite renowned International Speakers like Zev Siegl [Co-Founder of Starbucks], Greg S. Reid [Global Entrepreneur], Ryan Foland [4-time TedX Speaker], Raoul Pal [CEO of Real Vision], Jason Falls [Award-Winning Digital Strategist] and many more to share their success secrets with the audience.

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Goals Central India’s Largest E-Cell works with an aim to promote startup culture among students and become a potential source of resource and guidance in their journey from an idea to unicorn.

Our current goals include bringing together established global entrepreneurs and the young minds of MANIT and other colleges across India under one umbrella through numerous contests and talk shows.

From the Desk

Aaroha Recruitments Months September. But for the batch of 2021, we will be conducting the recruitment in the month of April due to pandemic reasons.

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Aaroha aaroha.youthorg Aaroha aaroha.youthorg@gmail.com

Events

Goals

"Major events organized in the academic year 2021-2022 included: 1. Bastishala 2. Pragya3. Pad-distribution drives

The primary beneficiaries of our organization are underprivileged children who lack access to basic amenities of educational infrastructure and a robust moral support system. We aim to provide quality education and an environment for the overall growth and development of these kids. We are also consistently working to extend our projects to put work in the segments of linear food availability and menstrual hygiene for the underprivileged section of the society.

Recruitment "The process of the recruitment involves following major stages: -Written test -Group discussion -Personal Interviews"

Pandemic During pandemic, fundraising successfully curved into the formation of ‘Project Aashrit’ wherein every volunteer publicized and gathered sponsors on individual basis.

Online quiz series, interview series and competitions along with consistent online classes were conducted even amidst difficult times for the overall development and co-curricular improvements of the kids to keep them motivated enough to reach their goals."

THINK INDIA MANIT CHAPTER Recruitments Months Mid February

Insta ID thinkindia.manit thinkindia.manit7@gmail.com Gmail

Events Our society organized several events during the academic session 2020-21 including Online talk shows, literature fest and an article writing competition on topic "Women in Politics".

Recruitment Think India MANIT recruitment consists of 2 stages after form filling.

1.Task allotment 2.Interview

Pandemic "Post pandemic, myriad technological applications have enabled the seamless online conduction of events, seminars, conclaves, meetings and conferences, involving a large number of participants. We worked with minimized finance and organized still effective and successful events.

Goals "Think India's objective is to impart a nation-first attitude among students and impart leadership to them. We, here at Think India raise the social and political issues influencing the nation and society. And that's how we spread awareness, enable youth to voice their opinions, give innovative solutions to problems and contribute to nation-building."

19

From the Desk

SAE MANIT Recruitments Months April

Facebook SAE MANIT Insta ID parabellum_racing , adreno.racing manit.ebaja@gmail.com Gmail

Events

Goals

The major events conducted by us are Virtual Auto Show, Technical Research Sessions and Design Competition.

SAE MANIT aims to develop technical, practical, and research skills in students about the latest Automotive trends by providing them with shop-floor and workstations to fabricate refined vehicles. We prepare students to participate in National Intercollegiate Racing Events Like E-BAJA, M-BAJA, SUPRA, SUVC, etc.

Recruitment Common Technical and aptitude Written test for shortlisting takes place followed by two rounds of personal interviews and a final presentation round with the Head of Subsystems Departments.

Pandemic Before the pandemic, Auto Shows were the major highlights where students get to feel the roar of Racing Vehicles. While during the pandemic, online support materials (research papers and reference books, etc.) were provided, Technical sessions on how to start and proceed with research projects by Seniors whose papers were published in reputed Journals.

Personal Guidance for projects in various subsystems: Design(Chassis), Steering, Suspensions, Brakes, Power-train by seniors of respective departments.

Rotaract Club MANIT Recruitments Months August-September

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Rotaract Club MANIT _rotaract_club_manit Rotaract Club MANIT rcmmanit2023@gmail.com

Events We have conducted three events namely Career counselling , Rahul Nagar Classes and Water to Wings.

Recruitment RCM is always clean from volunteers and volunteers for RCM we often invite volunteers for our ongoing event who are always ready for selfless service and offer them to be a part of the RCM family, we also conduct a regular recruitment drive consisting of a task and an interview.

Pandemic "For most of us, it was the year of uncertainty. 2020 was an exceptional year, unlike other years with more head shaking memories from the starting of the year itself. The year was full of bad news all around the world. The year has passed with great negativity but it gave a big message to all of us. But. for a few, it opened ways to reach out, explore and embrace the uncertainties in their lives that lead to their transformation. We used tech like zoom meets and YouTube streaming for our various events and promotions using social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn."

20

Goals RCM has always had a constant objective of fulfilling the necessities of the needy. But during the pandemic, we have inclined more towards serving the needs of people and bridging the gap between the source and the needy.

From the Desk

Quizzers' club MANIT Recruitments Months July-August

Facebook Quizzers Club MANIT Insta ID quizzersclub quizzersclubmanit@gmail.com Gmail

Events To develop quizzing culture at the college level, we organize many online events held on our website and Instagram stories namely Horror Hustle, Abhigyaan '22 and so on.

Recruitment The recruitment process consist of 3 rounds :1. Aptitude Test 2. General Interview 3. Technical Interview

Pandemic Several quizzing contests have been held in India, both before and after the pandemic, which has brought in numerous quiz fanatics. The excellent coordination and teamwork have never made us feel like the quiz was being conducted during an outbreak. Organizing quizzes online at different levels has always been a great experience for the entire team. The response from the participants in online mode made us organize more and more quizzes online.

Goals "The Quizzers' Club has always aimed to enhance the knowledge of the young entrants participating from colleges all over India and develop a quizzing culture. We aim to extend this marvelous opportunity to young intellects all over the country and help them show their talent, prove their quizzing competency and steal the limelight."

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Recruitments Months September- October

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

IEEE MANIT Student Branch ieee_mani IEEE MANIT Student Branch ieeemanitstudentbranch@gmail.com

Events

Goals

The IEEE organizes several spotlight events, including SAMWAD, AARAMBH, and SCEECS.

IEEE MSB is dedicated to the advancement of technology for the betterment of humanity.

Its core purpose is to foster technological innovation and excellence in the students of MANIT.

Recruitment "The recruitment procedure involves an aptitude and mental ability test for core members of three branches i.e EE, ECE and CSE. Apart from that, a separate test is conducted for web developers, photographers, designers and social media managers open for all branches.

The second level of recruitment involves an interview round of selected students by pre-final year. The last and final round is an interview conducted with the final years."

Pandemic Previously the events were conducted in offline mode wherein participants attended them in person but owing to the pandemic IEEE MSB has conducted all of it's events with full vim and zest on MS Teams

21

From the Desk

Editorial Board MANIT Recruitments Months August

Facebook Insta ID Linkedin Gmail

Editorial Board, MANIT Bhopal editorialboard.nitb Editorial Board, MANIT Bhopal editorialboard.nitb@gmail.com

Events

Goals

We conduct several outreach events throughout the year which include but are not limited to Annual Final Year Photoshoot, Director and Dean Interviews, Speak Through Excelsior comprising of polls, campaigns and surveys and the much awaited MANIT Oscars.

Editorial Board MANIT is the official literary cell and media body of MANIT. It is endowed with the responsibility of creating the annual institute magazine Excelsior along with conducting several activities throughout the year.

Recruitment ED Search is the sole method of recruitment of Editorial Board MANIT. It consisits of a three stage selection process. First step is a written test which tests the field specific skills that we are recruiting for. Shortlisted candidates are then invited for a face to face interview with our panel. It is then usually followed by a take home assignment. We keep upgrading our interview process with time. An element of surprise is always evident in EB interviews so that we get the best and most geneuine folks out there.

Pandemic Previously, we used to print the offline magazine and distribute it throughout the campus.

For the past two years this tradition has been shifted online. However, we do hope that from upcoming year onwards we can go back to our old ways. We are also launching a website which will act as a single source of information for everything related to MANIT.

Roobaroo, The cultural society of NITB Recruitments Months January

Facebook Roobaroo, NIT Bhopal Insta ID roobaroonitb Gmail roobaroonitb@gmail.com

Events

Goals

1) Abilita Artistica 6.0 2) Performance at a local cafe in Bhopal 3) Annual Recruitment Drive TTR

1. To facilitate development of skills, knowledge and teamwork.

2. To keep culture, art and emotion alive.

3. To provide opportunities to students by organizing small and large scale events where they can showcase their talents.

4. To expand horizons and bring something new to the table with every content.

Recruitment Our recruitment process consists of 3 rounds :1. Talent Showcase Round 2. Task-based Assessment Round 3. Interview

Pandemic It took a lot of brainstorming to switch to the virtual platform but it was worth the hardwork. Even though it couldn't provide the experience of a live event, it opened a lot of doors for students to showcase the talents that weren't on stage during live events, resulting in some exemplary contents that tugged at people's heartstrings."

22

From the Desk

Achiever's Section (ARAI) Journal of Mobility Technology

Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF)

Gauraang Singh Baghel, a BTech. final year Mechanical Engineering student, successfully published a research paper titled, “Rear Wheel Roll Steering Suspension Mechanism” in the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) Journal of Mobility Technology.

Laxman Mandal, an M-tech. student from the Department of Physics, who was working in the field of Nanotechnology, has been selected for the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

Internship Abroad

Gate-2022

Ayush Srivastav, a BTech. Final year Mechanical Engineering student, successfully completed two research internships at KU Leuven, Belgium in the field of Biomechanics as well as in KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden with the Socket Sense Research Team. He has also published four research papers till date in leading journals.

Deepak Patel, a final year student from department of Metallurgy has secured AIR-5 in the GATE 2022. Riya Gupta and Divyani Jain, both students from departments of Architecture, secured AIR-16 and AIR-24 respectively. Shreyas and Manya Shukla from the same department secured AIR-36 and AIR-78.

LTCMEE

Admission to elite management schools

A research paper titled, “Mapping the Urban Flood Vulnerable Areas through GIS Techniques: A case study of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh'' was awarded the Best Paper Award.

It was published in the International Conference on Latest Trends in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering (LTCMEE).

A huge number of alumni (33 and counting) of the institute have been accepted into the leading management schools in the country including old IIM (A,B and C), FMS, XLRI, MDI, SIBM, and DMS-IITD. Kartikeya Mittal, a BTech. a final year Civil Engineering student has achieved 99.2 percentile in the CAT 2021 exams.

UPSC-2020

The Director with Jagrati Awasthi

A huge wave of MANIT students successfully grabbed the top ranks in UPSC-2020. Jagriti Awasthi (AIR-2) secured the first rank among all women across the country. Similarly, other successful qualifiers are Arvind Kumar Shah (AIR-123), Ashish (AIR-226), Anshuman Yadav (AIR-242), Rohit Shah (AIR-448), Raj Anand (AIR-585), Raghvendra Meena (AIR-588), and Shlok Waikar (Air-699).

23

From the Desk

Design Advance by Ethos India

IES-2021

Fifth year architecture students, Geethamrutha Yerbandi and Saumya Verma were among the top ten runner-ups for the Design Advance-2022 event organized by Ethos India.

Institute alumni, Azhar Ahmad (Mechanical Engineering, batch of 2020) and Gajendra Koli (Mechanical Engineering, batch of 2019) secured All India Ranks 9 and 30 respectively in the Engineering Services Examination-2021.

Direct Admission to IITK

64th Annual NASA Convention

Ms. Laxmi, a final year M-Tech. student from the department of physics was awarded direct selection for pursuing a Ph.D. at the Department of Microelectronics and VLSI at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Four BTech. students from the department of Materials and Metallurgy, Praveen Pandey, Anoop Tiwari, Deepak Patel and Dikshansh Suryavanshi have also been selected for pursuing Ph.D from the department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at IITK.

A team won a special mention award for the HUDCO trophy at the convention. In Annual NASA Design Competition (ANDC) all the three entries from MANIT Bhopal were shortlisted in top 100 entries. One entry got a special mention award in the convention. Our college was shortlisted in GRIHA among top 16 entries.

One entry of Laurie Baker Trophy (LBT) was shortlisted amongst top 8 entries from all over India. Three entries from MANIT Bhopal were shortlisted in the ETHOS trophy.

The main administration block of IIT Kanpur

The group picture of NASA participants at 64th Annual NASA Convention

July’21

Best oral presentation at AMMLAC 2022 Mr. Phani Sushanth, an MTech Scholar from the department of Artificial Intelligence, received the Best Oral Presentation Award for the paper he presented at the International Conference on “Applied Mechanics, Machine Learning and Advanced Computation (AMMLAC 2022)” held during 16-17 March at NIT Raipur. The title of his paper was "Review: Deep Learning Techniques for Automatic Target Detection in Infrared Images''

24

100 Seconds Competition

First position was secured by Asna Mariyam, a Ph.D. student from the Department of Chemistry in the “100 seconds” competition’s Chemical Engineering domain. The competition was organized by the Indian National Academy of Engineering, Kanpur chapter (IIT Kanpur).

FREEDOM

MANIT M n miin Adm n S ecttiioon

ellss Hosstte N ew Ma rket M.P. N agar

25

Freedom

FREEDOM It was the end of a journey, it was the

Any new journey also brings with it an

beginning of a journey. At the start of this

intense sense of freedom.

new passage, I promised myself to divide it into four phases, since the world, for

I was excited to be free, away from home

some reason, seems to function in

and family for the next four years, in this

quarters. As Martin Heidegger once wrote:

beautiful place with hundreds of peers

"True time is four-dimensional."

around me. The hostels were a treat in themselves. Before I knew it, the entire

I also promised myself to pen down some

year passed. It was in this year that I

thoughts whenever I felt that some major

learnt a lot about myself and others alike.

phase had ended. However, upon

It was the time to explore and try

re-reading my entries, I felt them to be too

everything I had ever wanted to try.

abstract. To make things more grounded, I

Whether it was playing video games all

re-wrote them using the four years of

day, going on night outs, falling in love,

college life as a metaphor.

getting intoxicated, or all of it -I could do it all, with no question or judgment alike.

Any new journey can induce within one either a sense of anxiety or a sense of

But something that was far more

excitement. This sense depends entirely

important was who I shared these

on what the journey's beginnings look like.

experiences with. It is such a miracle that out of all the possible different time

And if there is one thing which MANIT

frames we could have lived in, the people

does best, it is how to make a splendid

around us co-exist in the same time frame.

first impression. I still remember the first

Isn't that the greatest reason to interact

time I entered the campus: a beautiful

with them and get influenced by them?

boulevard with graffiti lining the walls.

These walls told me a lot about what they

At the beginning of any journey, the

had witnessed and what I could expect

stakes and responsibilities are the lowest.

from this place. The monsoon season

Truly, it is the best time to feel alive,

added a soul of its own. It was all too

especially after the gruelling one would

much to take in at once, but there was so

have faced at the end of the previous

much more to come.

journey since, towards the end, the stakes and the responsibilities are the highest.

26

Freedom

Recipe for Perfect Article : Writing is just like any form of art. A lot goes behind writing even the smallest piece. However, it is often underestimated, since writing is considered to be a universal skill which everyone can get good at without enough practice. To add to that, the rapid digital world seems to have forgotten what it feels like to sit back and enjoy a good back. Here is an article which gives you a glimpse of what goes in the writer’s mind during the entire process.

A Simple Word : Whether it be starting a new journey or making something concrete out of the boundless potential, all one needs is some courage and initiative. What happens when such initiatives do actually work well?

�श�ा :

िश�ा का मूल अथ� मात्र शै�िणक यो�ता नहीं अिपतु हमारे आस-पास घिटत हो रही चीजों का सुचा� �प

से प्रबंधन है । आइए इस लेख के मा�म से जाने िक िश�ा जैसे गंभीर िवषय पर कुछ अगंभीर ��� �ा-�ा िवचार रखते ह� ?

रचना के प्रेरणा स्त्रोत : िवचारों की अिभ��� सोचने म� ब�त सरल लगती है लेिकन अपनी क�नाओ को कागज़ पर लाने म� एक रचनाकार के िवचारो को ल�ी प्रिक्रया से गुजरना पड़ता है और यह आलेख आपको इसी प्रिकया से पूरी तरह अवगत कराएगा िक एक सव�श्रे� रचना के िलए िमलने वाले प्रेरणा�ोत कौन कौन से हो सकते है |

Future And Past : Yaanis was the kind to prefer daydreaming over “living”. It took him a mystical abduction to understand how BIG of a mistake it was. However otherworldly it may sound, he’s a clear reflection of many of us who go by our lives in blissful ignorance until the ignorance isn’t blissful anymore. And however bizarre it may seem, the chaos that ensues afterwards is enlightening in the least.

27

SATIRE

Ingredients : One slightly dysfunctional human being with apt command of language One dozen lucid dreams to shortlist the final idea

RECIPE FOR

A pinch of self-doubt to ditch at least 5 drafts A dash of courage to write about something which actually matters

A PERFECT

A fresh pair of artist + designer to help with presentation

ARTICLE

Three scoops of peer pressure from your fellow writers to actually get started A firm deadline for motivation

Preparation steps : Step1 Take a blank sheet of paper or word on your computer. In case you are using paper, try not to crumble it in frustration after the first five seconds. If you are using a computer, we would suggest you dim the internet at low signal for slowly brewing your ideas without getting distracted.

28

Step 2 Write the first few lines. Try to type random words if you feel stuck. Remember, real progress is only made when you start seeing the outcome.

Fixate on the heading for a couple of hours, write a brief paragraph and let it rest for 5 minutes.

SATIRE

Step 3 Check back on your piece after the tension has simmered down. You may find that what you have written is stale, ineffective and redundant.

Toss it in the dustbin and start afresh. Repeat this step until your ego gets the desired confidence it has been aching for.

Step 4 Turn on the word counter and set it to 1000 words. This will ensure that your article is crisp and actually has some material. Remember, the goal is neither to write a caption nor a full fledged thesis. You can introduce some delta in the word limit to suit your personal taste (swaad-anusaar).

Step 5 Remember to constantly keep checking the clock after every 5 minutes to ensure that you are progressing at the standard rate of 0.5 sentences per minute. Occasionally curse yourself for thinking that writing was your cup of tea.

Step 6 Twist, turn and control the narrative. This is no time to be politically correct. Write your heart out once you feel you are in the zone. Feel insurmountable for this tiny fraction of time. Try to get as much done as possible in this timeframe. Remember, you will never perform at this capacity again during this entire process.

29

SATIRE

Step 7 Gloat over the pseudo-majestic content that you have produced wonderfully right before the deadline. It is risky to do a review right now, since you would be too happy to consider your article as anything but perfection.

Step 8 Give it a quick turn in grammarly for a sanity check. Afterall, you are allegedly an editor. The least they expect is error-free sentences.

Step 9 Submit it to your supervisor. Forget about it and let it hang for a week or so before you finally hear back from them. The feedback can be one of the following.

Praise - What you have written has exceeded all expectations. Relax now and give this article straight for artwork and design.

Constructive criticism - Your work reflects your progress and potential. Polish around the rough edges and resubmit for evaluation.

Critique - The idea is there but execution is bad.

Try to look at it from a different angle if possible.

No feedback - Quit writing before they fire you!

Step 10 Once you have passed the test, it is time to have one final look at your work. Congratulations, you have completed the most difficult part of the process.

Onto the next one.

Presentation and serving directions : Ensure that you have a good bonding with the art and design folks. Any bitterness amongst you is detrimental to your writeup.

Try to narrate the expected look and feel of the article to the best of your capabilities.

Not just what it currently is, but also what it could be.

Don’t be rigid on the design. Your work is done so please trust the experts.

Forget about this project and start working on something new while design is in progress.

Tear up a little when you see your article in the final form for the first time.

Serve it hot and fresh to your readers while the idea is still relevant.

Precautions : Don’t believe that everyone can write by taking parallels from Chetan Bhagat.

A bad reader is a worse writer.

Perfectionism has killed more writers than poverty.

Do not share any good ideas while you are working on them lest they be stolen.

Do not try to compete with social media and web series. The era of readers is far gone.

Accept the reality and write for a bunch of mindful folks still left in this world.

30

A Simple INITIATE

Wo r d "Khaate mai likh lena bhaiyya," said Karan as he left Nescafe. As soon as he left, Kshitij, who was listening to this whole conversation, placed his order. "Kaise log hai bhaiyya, pachaas rupaaye ke liye bhi udhaari rakhte hai!" said Kshitij to the shopkeeper in a snobbish way.

Kshitij and Karan, both of whom were second-year students, never really got along.

Kshitij was more of a reserved guy, while Karan was, well, Karan. Waiting for his order, Kshitij sat down near his friend and secret crush, Meera.

"I still cannot understand you not going to your home this Diwali," said she. "College life is short, Meera. All our lives, we will be celebrating festivals with our families. But we will only have a few opportunities to celebrate Diwali with our friends," replied Kshitij. "Yeah, whatever," she responded promptly.

Almost everyone left their hostels for their homes that evening. Bhopal was shining brightly as Diwali came near. Kshitij thought of dropping Meera at the bus station, but he somehow rationalized his decision of not doing it. Along with his friends, he went to New Market to buy sweets. Somehow, they crossed paths with Karan. The group greeted him hesitantly.

"So, you all are staying too?" enquired Karan.

Kshitij tried to finish the small talk as quickly as possible. Later that night, the group discussed how Karan would always stay back at the hostels during holidays. "Little do I care," said Kshitij, and the topic changed.

31

INITIATE Kshitij enjoyed the next two days with his friends, as he had planned to do. Every now and then, he would find Karan trying to gel with the group.

People who spend their vacations at MANIT hostels know that because the number of people who stay back is so low, almost everyone gets a chance to talk with everyone else. Still, one could easily sense that things were not going well for Karan. I mean, we are talking about a boy who was one of the "popular kids." Such people have the easiest time socializing with others. But not this time.

Two nights before Diwali, Kshitij saw another very unusual sight. Karan was sitting alone at one end of the hostel compound. Call it a miracle or a random firing of physiological hormones, for the very first time, even if for a second, Kshitij felt sorry for Karan. Walking up to him, he asked, "Can I sit with you?" Karan was taken aback.

We, humans, are made in a way that the most minuscule acts of kindness have the most far-reaching impacts on our hearts. Elated, Karan replied, "Of course, of course!"

32

The duo started talking, and Kshitij was pleasantly surprised by how well the conversation was going. "Again, why did I hate this guy so much?", Kshitij thought to himself. After about an hour, the topic of Meera finally came up. "Let me guess, your situation is the cliched old one: boy likes girl, the girl doesn't know it, the boy is too scared to polarize, and time keeps on flying with the girl mysteriously not getting in a relationship with anyone else." Embarrassed to a small degree, Kshitij replied in the affirmative.

As the conversation went further, Kshitij noticed that it was the third time Karan's dad had called him, and it was the third time Karan had not picked it up. "Let me guess, your situation is the cliched old one: boy and father do not get along well, both avoid talking to each other, both want things to get better, but both do not have the courage to make it work." It was Karan's chance to get red-faced.

One of the most exquisite things about MANIT is that it is situated at a relatively high altitude. As a result, the night sky becomes absolutely stunning. It is why late-night conversations here

INITIATE often become intense and memorable; the atmosphere calls for it. Kshitij and Karan were slowly, over the course of their conversation, making a bond.

The newly formed friendship got further cemented the next day. The duo, along with the group, roamed around the entire city. Bhopal just dazzles around Diwali. Finally, the day after this “Bhopal tour," the festival of lights arrived. Even though the hostels were almost empty, the remaining mess workers and guards ensured that the hostels did not look dull. At around two in the afternoon, Karan came to Kshitij's room.

"Come on friend. We have a business to finish today."

"What business? Where are we going?"

"To Indore."

"What? Indore! Why?" "Just come with me."

Kshitij was stunned by how quickly things had

transformed between them. Only a few evenings ago, he did not even want to see Karan's face.

Now, he trusted him enough that he actually believed that something good would come out of this.

Kshitij had no idea what was going on in Karan's mind. Throughout the journey, even on his repeated requests, Karan did not reveal his plan.

As they reached ISBT Indore, Karan booked an Ola. As Kshitij looked at the destination address, he was mortified. It was Meera's.

"What? Why? I mean, are you out of your damn mind?"

"See Kshitij. The solution to your problem is simple. You already know her well enough. You two are inseparable whenever the semester runs.

All you ever needed was a small initiative. Since you delayed taking this course of action, here we are. I am here to make sure that you do not succumb to this tragic web of inaction. You do not have to say anything fancy. Or romantic, for that matter. All you need to do today is to show up and make her realize how much she means to you.

33

INITITATE What she decides to do next is up to her.”

The pair reached near her society. Kshitij asked Meera to come down. Karan was standing at a distance. To say that Meera was surprised would be an understatement. She greeted him with such joy that he was mesmerized.

"Look Meera, I do not know what I am doing here.

I do not even know if I should be here. One thing is for sure. I am glad that I could meet you on this most special of days."

There was a certain change in his demeanor that she was quick to pick up.

"Look, I do not know what made you come here, but I am honored that you did."

"Karan, beta tum ye kaisi baatein kar rahe ho."

"And perhaps my biggest failure in life was that I could not enter into an IIT. I know that I have let you down, and I do not know how I will ever make it up to you. Please do not think that I do not realize how much of a failure I have been as a son."

"May I speak now beta? Since you have got a little distant from me, I pondered on my relationship with you a lot. Maybe I had been an unduly strict dad. Let me tell you one thing, I may have been disappointed with you in the past, but today, things are different. People visit their parents because they have to. I am proud of you that you visited me because you wanted to."

"Happy Diwali dad."

A lot had been communicated between those two lines. After a small exchange, she bid adieu to him. Returning to Karan, Kshitij said, "it is now my turn to book a cab." As soon as Karan realized what the destination now would be, he smiled.

The duo reached Karan's house. They were greeted by his family, who were pleasantly surprised to see their son at their doorsteps.

After a while, it was just Karan and his dad sitting in the hall. Kshitij was standing in the front yard, and he could see the two sitting side-by-side.

Inside the house, the atmosphere was weighty.

Karan recognized the gravity of the situation at hand. He knew he had to patch up his relationship with his father. He also knew that the more he delayed this task, the more would he regret it later. He could not hold it in anymore.

"Dad, I know that I have not been the best of sons.

I was always the rebellious one. I seldom listened to you and had a lot of grudges against you."

34

"Happy Diwali beta."

Kshitij was now sitting outside in the garden when he received Meera's call.

"What about your plan to spend Diwali with your friends?"

"I am with a friend," replied Kshitij, while looking at Karan sitting with his family through the window.

Looking back, he thought what would have happened had he not mustered the courage to talk to Karan the night before. Maybe, sometimes all that one needs is a simple "hello."

After a few days, Kshitij was sitting near Nescafe.

As soon as he was going to pay the bill, a familiar voice came from behind. "Bhaiyya, khaate mai likh lena."

िश�ा �श�ा वह उजाला है जो आदमी को उल्लू होने से तथा उल्लू को आदमी बनने से रोकता है। ऐसे लोगों क� भी दाद देनी पड़ेगी जो उम्र भर उल्लू बने रहने पर कमर कसे रहते हैं। समाज के इस र�ढ़ क� अपे�ा भला इनसे कैसे क� जा सकती है? �जनका �श�ा से �र का भी �रश्ता नहीं है वह भी �बल्कुल ठाठ से अपना मू�हीन परामशर् देते हैं, जो परामशर् ना ले उन पर जबरन ठोक देते हैं। इस गंभीर �वषय पर कई अगंभीर व्य��यों का सा�ात्कार �लया गया। �श�ा जैसी साम�यक �वषय पर सब ने अपने सामथ्यर् के अनुसार तकर्-�वतकर् �दए :-

35

01

�श�ा-शास्त्री श्री जड़म�तजी कूपमंडूक के �वचार :-

�श�ा के �ेत्र में हमारे नेताओं ने �कतना योगदान �दया यह तो तार�फ करते बनता है। �श�ा से समाज में प�रवतर्न होता है, समाज में प�रवतर्न होने से अपनी प�ंच बढ़ती है। प�रवतर्न ही तो समय का �नयम है- पहले चौक �आ करती थी, �फर पें�सल और आज तो काहे क� ज�रत ना पड़े। अपने �श�ा प्रणाली क� कसीदे हम क्या पढ़े जी! वैसे साहब, इधर शौचालय �कधर है? वो क्या है ना �क हम तो खुले में ही जात हैं।

प्रबंधक श्री �चटपट �स�ह जी :-

02

मैं �सकशा के बारे में कुछ �ादा तो नहीं जानता। पढ़ने से मैं बचपन से जी चुराता था, और आज भी वही हाल है। मास्टरों को देखकर मेर� तबीयत ब�त घबरा जाती थी। ले�कन बोलना पड़ेगा रोजी-रोटी के �लए यह �कान ब�त ब�ढ़या है। चार दीवाल �मले वही स्कूल खोल दो। �फर का बस जरा अंग्रेजी क� छौंक लगा दो तो त�बयत हर� हो जाए और देखत देखत बच्चों क� लाइन लग जाए। दो - चार हजार में ब�त से ठलुए मास्टर� करने वाले �मल जाएंगे। कुछ ही सालों में घर प�रवार क� कंगाली �र हो जाएगी। घाटा कभी होगा ही नहीं। जो अपनी �तजोर� ना भरे उसक� अगले �दन से छु�ी। और तो और घर में नौकर रखने क� ज�रत भी नहीं पड़ती स्कूल के चपरासी �कसी भी काम में जोते जा सकते हैं।

03

प्रधानाध्यापक श्री �चलगोजा जी :-

�श�ा का मतलब तो �सफर् यही है �क मास्टरों क� नकेल हमारे हाथ में रहे। अजगर, कछुआ, चीता, भे�ड़या, खरगोश, बकर�, आ�द कई प्रकार के मास्टर होते हैं �जनसे काम लेना सचमुच टेढ़ी खीर है। भूचड़ लोगों क� चमचा�गर� और सेवा टहल में बेचार� �श�ा क� हालत �बल्कुल बेवफा औरत जैसी हो जाती है। कोई अच्छा काम हो गया तो प्रशंसा नहीं �मलेगी, कहीं गलती हो गई तो खाल उधेड़ ने वाले सब तैयार रहते हैं। �श�ा का सही उ�ेश्य आदमी का "च�ंमुखी �वकास"। यह �वकास केवल वेतन से नहीं हो सकता। कुछ ऊपर क� आमदनी भी होती रहे। सच क�ं अपना जोर तो कमजोर मास्टरों पर ही चलता है। जैसा चाहो नचाओ उन्हें। जो अपनी बु��, मयार्दा को खूंटी पर टांग सकते हो वह �ादा सहायक बन सकते हैं। यह जूते क� तरह पैरों में भी पहने जा सकते हैं और गठर� क� तरह लाठी पर भी लटकाए जा सकते हैं।

36

04

�श�क श्री राम भरोसे लाल जी :-

�श�क को हमेशा अपने क�ा- क� के दरवाजे पर तैनात रहना चा�हए। ना जाने �कस भेष में �श�ा जी �मल जाएं। अच्छा �श�क वह होता है, �जसे बच्चे पढ़ाते हैं। वह बच्चों को पढ़ा कर उनके कोमल म�स्तष्क को �वकृत नहीं करता। बच्चे अपने पैरों पर तभी खड़े हो सकते हैं जब वे �कसी राम भरोसे पर भरोसा ना करके अपने आप को भगवान के भरोसे छोड़ दें। जो �श�क घंटा बजते ही क�ा में प्रवेश हो जाता है वह क�ा के माहौल को प्र��षत करता है उसके लोक और परलोक दोनों ही �बगड़ जाते हैं। �श�क �श�ा का चौक�दार है, अतः उसे �ादा �व�ादान करने से बचना चा�हए इससे वह कभी भी फक�र बन सकता है और उसे खुद को �कसी ऐसे खतरे में नहीं डालना चा�हए।

छात्र �रदशर्न कुमार :-

05

�व�ालय और �श�क के दशर्न �न�श्चत �र� से ही करने चा�हए। �ादा �नकटता से स्वास्थ्य खराब हो सकता है। सबसे बड़ा सवाल- “मैं रोज-रोज �व�ालय में क्यों जाऊं?” मैं �व�ालय का नौकर थोड़ी ही �ं। मुझसे पूछ कर पा�क्रम नहीं बनाया जाता, मुझसे पूछ कर �श�कों क� �नयु�� नहीं होती, मुझसे पूछ कर प्रश्न पत्र नहीं बनाए जाते। मेर� इच्छा अनुसार पर��ा भवन में नकल के आवश्यक साधन नहीं जुटाए जाते, �फर भला �व�ालय से मेरा लगाव क्यों हो। अध्यापक जी मुझसे ही मांग कर �सगरेट पीते हैं और तो और �ूशन पढ़ने के �लए मुझे बाध्य भी करते हैं। क�ा में बैठे बैठे अ�खयां थक जाती हैं, परंतु गु� ब्र�ा, गु� �वष्णु या �कसी महागु� के पूरे �दन दशर्न तक नहीं होते।

37

रचना के पेरणा सोत और इसी �वचारधारा का �जक्र कई बार महान कहानीकारों के काय� में भी आता है। य�द समय कला क� कद्र करता है तो कला को

र

भी समय क� कद्र अवश्य करनी चा�हए, अथर् है �क रचना क�

चना वह भाषा अथवा ज़�रया है �जसके �ारा कतार् अपने सभी उ�ु� �वचारों को एक उ�चत �प देकर प्रद�शर्त करता है और दशर्कों से वातार्लाप का �सल�सला शु� हो

जाता है। रचनाकार से लेकर दशर्क तक के संपूणर् सफर के दौरान मूल �वचार में समय-समय पर कई प्रकार के अंश जुड़ते भी है और घटाए भी जाते हैं। परंतु जो शु� से अंत तक इस माध्यम क� नींव होती है वह है रचना को जीवंत करने वाली प्रेरणा, वे सभी वास्त�वक �वचारों का सैलाब �जनमें से मोती ढू ंढ कर रचनाकार ने उन्हें इस रचना में �परोया है, इसे तमाम सभी कलाओं के साथ दशर्कों को सुपुदर् करने लायक बनाती है। य�द इस माध्यम का उपजा जाना ही क�ठन है तो भला मूल प्रेरणा आसान कैसे हो। रचना क� प्रेरणा ही मानो कलाकार को लोहे चने चबाने आस� हो। कई प्रकार के �वचार �कए जाते हैं �क वह प्रेरणा स्रोत कैसे हो जो एक साथर्क रचना को ज� दें। रचना क� साथर्कता �कसी भी प� यानी �क कलाकार अथवा दशर्क �ारा अनुमो�दत क� जा सकती है। तो अब प्रश्न उठता है प्रेरणा स्रोतों क� तलाश का। सभी लेखनीकारों के तर�के लगभग एक समान से ही होते है स्वयं से प्रे�रत, �वशेष घटना से प्रे�रत, सामा�जक अथवा प्राकृ�तक ग�त�व�धयों से प्रे�रत, इ�ा�द। 'रचना क� शु�आत उसके कुशल एवं सुगम समापन क�

सकारात्मक मान�सकता के साथ क� जानी चा�हए।

शु�आत से अब तक के सभी चरणों को क्रमब� तर�के से करना चा�हए। अपनी कहानी अपनी ज़ुबानी' �जतना श्रोता के �लए सरल है उतना ही क�ठन है व�ा के �लए। 'महज़' जीवनी को कैनवास पर उकेरने के �लए उसे वह जीवन �फर से जीना पड़ता है उसी प्रकार क� स्मृ�तयाँ बारंबार मस्तक पटल पर आती हैं। �वशेष तौर पर यह प्रेरणास्पद या हास्य होते हैं। रचनाकर स्वयं क� जीवनी से प्रो�ा�हत होकर भी स�दयों तक याद क� जाने वाली रचनाओं का श्रेय पाने में स�म �ए हैं। यात्रा वृतांत भी कहीं ना कहीं इसी वगर् में स्थान पाता है। वतर्मान युग में वह अ�धक प्र�स�� पाये �ए हैं। रा�ल सांकृ�ायन जैसे लेखनीकार एक उ�म उदाहरण हैं। जीवनी प्रदशर्न क� �दशा में य�द आगे चचार् करें तो यह सामने आता है �क असामा�जक तत्वों से प्रे�रत होना भी उतना ही महत्वपूणर् एवं आवश्यक है �जतना �क स्वयं से। सामा�जक र��तयाँ, कुर��तयाँ, ��ढ़वा�दता, वारदातें, मसलों से लेकर प�रवतर्न, �वकास, दोहर� मान�सकता, इ�ा�द इ�ा�द भी राख में सुबकती �च�गार� को हवा देने के �लए काफ� है। और यहां से अनेकों �वषय, अनेकों मु�े इन रचनाकारों क� प्रती�ा करते हैं। रचनाओं को प्रद�शर्त करने के �व�भन्न तर�के एवं उनके प्रेरणास्रोत होते हैं वह कलाकार �जनक� कलाओं से वे स�दयां महान होती है। �कसी भी रचना को तुलनात्मक �प से उ�म बनाने के �लए लगातार संशोधन करते रहना चा�हए एवं प्र�ेक प�रवतर्न के सुझाव को अमल में लाने का भरसक प्रयास �कया जाए। रचनाकार के प्र�ेक �वचार य�द रचना को प�रव�तर्त करते हैं तो रचना भी उससे कहीं अ�धक प्रभावशाली तौर पर दोनों प�ों क� �वचारधारा में प�रवतर्न लाने हेतु स�म है।

38

THIRD PERSON RETROSPECTION

FUTURE AND AND PAST PAST FUTURE The start of that Friday evening was quite ordinary, bereft of any omens or dark clouds shrouding the city with mysticism. There were just me, my phone, my impossibly neat room, and a head full of wild excuses to escape the Movie Night with two of my closest friends.

Closest. But still, I’ll beshameless enough to admit that it seemed like a tedious task at that time.The clock struck nine and I heard Axel’s raucous yet enthusiastic voice way before he knocked on the door, “Oi, Yaanis. Come on out.”

Some punctuality he has got. I mustered the courage to defy him and faltered a little. “You guys continue. I’m not coming. I have some wo--”.

“Dude, save it. Come with us right now.”, insisted Axel. Before I could reply to that, Teyana’s screeching voice penetrated the doors as well, “You hear this, Axel? He always does this. He’d come up with some messed up excuse like his knee being broken which would miraculously be healed tomorrow.”

How she knew my exact excuse will remain a mystery to anyone but her. The best way to avoid them seemed to be to stop responding to their screams and that’s exactly what I did. After a while, Axel gave a sigh and conceded, “Yeah? The silent treatment now? Very well. We’ll be leaving you with the company of Senorita Loneliness then.” After my Great Escape, I crashed on my bed victoriously. And so commenced my befogging chain of thoughts, “So annoying. Both of them. So then, what should I do in this free time? Watch web series? But it’ll consume one hour and still leave me wanting more.

A movie? Maybe. But it’ll run for almost two hours and have a rushed ending. What should I do?Maybe I should’ve gone with them. Should I call Axel or something? No. Uhhh! This second-guessing is making my brain go numb.

Speaking of which, perhaps I should’ve laughed at Skylah’s joke today. I saw her smiling a bit. I think she noticed me. What if there was no one else there? Would I have been able to go talk to her? How would it have gone? I’d walk towards her and flash a George Clooney smile…

Wait. Where’d it all start? Clooney? Skylah?

Numb? Damn this. I was wondering what I should do in this free time.”

I slapped my forehead. It was 11 o’clock already when I turned my phone on. Two hours had passed in this thought juggling session. I suppose that might have been the better moment for the forehead slap. I needed some fresh air and so I got up and almost slipped owing to my sweaty feet.

Then I opened the window. Something that looked like a multichromatic flash of light approached me from a distance devouring everything outside. The last thing I could see before falling down on the floor and lying unconscious was the room getting distorted like a burning sheet of paper.

On the next morning, I woke up on my bed with my eyes half-closed. The windows were shut and I was perfectly tucked in. My mind, which was barely awake at that time, was incapable of contemplating the peculiarity of that morning. “A splash of water might wake me up.”, I thought. I went to wash my face in the bathroom. It did more than simply wake me up because what I saw in the mirror next was enough to make me spring back from the basin. My reflection wasn’t there in the mirror. All I could see were waterdrops tracing the shape of my face, some of them racing down from where my cheeks should have been. “Am I dead?” was the first thing that came to my mind. I sprinted towards my room to see my body sleeping on the bed quietly. Yes. Sleeping. Breathing. Right in front of me. It hit me hard, “If he is me.

Then who am I? What am I? A ghost?”. I touched my phone screen and it flashed 07:21, Monday, 27th October. But it was Friday of that week when the light had hit me. How could I have transported four days backward in time? Was I a time wraith? I didn’t know. Dream. It might’ve been a dream. What else could be? At least

39

THIRD PERSON RETROSPECTION

that’s what I thought. Before I could think anymore, the body of my Monday self rose up and immediately realized that he was late for class. He or in that matter, nobody was able to see or hear me which meant I could follow the Monday Me unnoticed to figure out what’s going on. I followed him to the class and saw him sit in a corner concealed from the teacher’s sight. There was a reason I wasn’t able to remember that day. When I observed the Monday me, he was lost inthought with his elbow rested on the desk and his chin resting on his palm. After going through the whole day watching him do nothing at all, I needed some amount of entertainment which was arranged soon enough.Teyana and Axel were waiting in the corridor with menacing smiles.

This I remembered. We had planned an outing for that day. The Monday Me followed them with his eyes digging into the screen of the phone. Axel was to take the wheel while

40

Monday Me sat beside him. Teyana was left for the backseat from where she was supposed to navigate. I, however, sat on top of the car in my wraith form.I leaned back and everything that happened after that was filled with things that I had no memory of at that time. It was the first time that I realized how soothing it is to watch the wind creating beautiful patterns followed him to the class and saw him sit in a corner concealed from the teacher’s sight.

There was a reason I wasn’t able to remember that day. When I observed the Monday me, he was lost inthought with his elbow rested on the desk and his chin resting on his palm.

After going through the whole day watching him do nothing at all, I needed some amount of entertainment which was arranged soon enough.Teyana and Axel were waiting in the corridor with menacing smiles. This I remembered. We had planned an outing for that day. The Monday Me followed them with

THIRD PERSON RETROSPECTION his eyes digging into the screen of the phone. on a lake or to see a small cat practicing its own version of parkour on roadside fences.

After seeing the sky above, it was clear that filters and editing could never convey its real magnificence properly. I wondered why all these stimulating things around me hadn’t made me see the world as less dull. The answer to this required hanging my head down the window to see what Monday Me was doing and I found it. He was staring blankly out of the window and I remember the irrelevant thoughts inside that mind, “Is this t-shirt too loose? Maybe I could’ve worn a different one.”

I truly wanted to kick my past self at that time.

The car stopped at a mall. I had remembered my surprise at that since we were supposed to go to some lakeside. Teyana and Axel explained to Monday Me that the college dance was supposed to be that very night and they had to revamp his wardrobe. Teyana was the kind of girl who had amazing dressing sense for anyone but herself and so she was responsible for my clothes that night. Monday Me had speculations about the dress but he had learned not to doubt Teyana. He couldn’t see it because he was too self-absorbed but I could see the sparkle in Teyana’s eyes when she had finally come up with an outfit. I realized she actually loved this mixing and matching. I wandered off to check where Axel was and I saw him carefully inspecting a wristwatch tomatch with his whole outfit.

Monday Me got back to the hostel room and binged anime till 8:30 p.m. I truly wonder how I survived all this time being this unproductive and absent-minded all day.

It was obvious that even getting dressed was something Monday Me, or should I say I, had been doing on auto-pilot. He took off for the dance and bumped into Axel on the way. His attire was way out of his usual style. Upgraded, I should say. We entered the dance hall which was crowded at the edges and left with enough space in the middle for the loud circus of people stumbling on each other’s feet. Axel wanted to find a partner amidst the small number of girls left after the others had picked theirs.

Monday Me, however, was looking for Skylah. She is perfection on a whole different level- small cute smile, a bit of curly hair, pink cheeks, and the same calm personality as me.

41

THIRD PERSON RETROSPECTION And that night, her presence in that dance was like snow shining on the tip of a mountain. She looked breathtakingly stunning. Monday Me kept staring at her from a corner, waiting for her to approach or maybe come closer. What else could I do other than rest myself on the wall beside him? No one was gonna dance with me anyways. I was invisible. Nor could I interact with anyone myself which is why I flew towards Skylah.

That was the better option. I suddenly realized that she was waiting for something or someone tooWho was it? She was constantly giving small glances to a certain someone. If I would have been standing rather than flying, I would have certainly fallen down. Skylah was waiting for ME, Monday Me. She was waiting for Monday Me to make the first move while he was waiting for her to do the same. After almost twenty minutes of this waiting, I saw Axel finally approaching a girl- Skylah. I hadn’t told him about her. Miscommunication at its peak. She was already tired of waiting, so she went with him. I was torn apart by this because I had never known about this. It was clear that it happened because of my past self’s inaction and absent-mindedness. That sudden realization hit me strongly. My chest got heavier. I couldn’t breathe. I ran out of the hall smashing the door open and started running away. I didn’t have any other way of venting my anger out. When I looked back,everything behind me started disappearing in white flashes while my body became lighter. I screamed while I agitated my arms in the air, “This can’t be happening. I want it back. The future. No, no, no. The present. My present. I need to go back to it.”The direction I was going wasn’t decided by me but the white light driving me towards my hostel window- the same window where it had hit me in the first place.

And just like that, I woke up. Gasping like a maniac, I scanned my chest and face with my hands. Yes. I was back in my reality. But what was that? It couldn’t that has had its pieces stitched together by a drunkard. I tried to think hard but it was futile. I wasn’t able to go back to that twisted past. I was free from it.

Everything was okay.

I had barely gotten up to my feet when someone knocked on my door. It was them. long to be a dream. Also, dreams aren’t that streamlined. They’re more like a torn painting Axel and Teyana. They had come back.

42

“You’re here!”, I exclaimed even though I can’t remember whether I was surprised, curious, or relieved. “Yeah. Yeah. You didn’t expect us to be satisfied with just one movie. Did you? So, we came back to give you another generous offer. So, coming?”, said Teyana taunting me.

I closed the door. “Bloody hell! Seriously, Yaanis? We’re leaving. Forget it.”, she shouted.

I went back to the door after changing into a different t-shirt since the last one was already wet with sweat. “I’m coming too. Is it alright?”, I asked them hesitatingly.

Teyana had just started throwing a fit when Axel interrupted it and asked her to lead the way again.

I had to ask him. So I did.

“Uhm. Dude. Can I ask you something?’

“Go on.”

“Skylah? That dance night. Are you two---” And he burst up into laughter. “Bro. Come on.

I know you got a crush on her.”, he told me.

“How?” “Well, she is the only person that makes you look out of your phone. So, not that difficult of a guess. Also, she’s been my neighbor for the past five years. Of course, I talked to her that night. That’s it.”

When we reached the room where they had been watching movies before, I saw a girl sitting on a chair. Skylah. Who else? But how? I gave Axel a troubled look while he told me, “Come on, mate. I called her here. It’s a present. YOUR present.”

After that, I realized everything that had been happening to me was my own fault. If only I hadn’t been so absent-minded. But then, things got better. Simplified. Teyana was finally talking to me. I was with my friends.

Enjoying every moment passing by.

What am I doing now? Meditating. And thinking of this story. Wait. I shouldn’t. Yeah.

Focusing back on my breath. Deep breaths now. Just deep breaths.

43

SOCIALIZING

Socializing

SOCIALIZING Is socializing about meeting as many people as possible, or is it about forming deep bonds with a few? I believe that the younger one is, the more should one meet people. After all, there is so much to be explored in this world, and people are one of the prime gateways for the same.

But dealing with people also comes with the risk of betrayal, so what should one do in this case? The answer to that lies in taking a "leap of faith". Sure, there will be some deceptions along the way, but the good experiences far outweigh the bad ones.

At the start of my second year, I had the option to join a lot of societies. However, I had to pick the ones that mattered to me the most. Oh, how badly did I want to join more! Something similar happened to my friend circle as well: though it was still sizable, for some reason, I could not keep up with all the people I wanted to. Maybe I needed to try harder.

I sometimes wondered how my future would pan out. However, I just did not have the time to dwell on these topics. There was still a lot to be explored, and introspection was probably not the best thing for me at that stage.

Letting oneself dissolve amongst people is also something that can help one reach higher stages of bliss. And, whenever I am in between people, am I not introspecting then and there as well? People's reactions also tell me if I am on the right path, and I think that is something people tend to overlook.

Throughout this year, I felt that one had to choose between one: an all-consuming passion for life, or a desire for stability. And throughout this year, I chose the former. However, I could also sense a void in me. A void that had always been present, but that was starting to slowly become more powerful. Anyways, there was just too much to do!

44

Socializing

The Archetypal Existence Archetypes are often used in literary analysis and as a way to describe the personality of people. A knowledge of them is often helpful when trying to understand one's responses to certain conditions in life. What are archetypes, and how can awareness about them help one in life?

सपने सुहाने मै�नट जीवन के म� सही िनण�य कैसे लूँ? म� यह कैसे जान पाऊँ िक म� सही िनण�य ले रहा �ँ और यह िनण�य मुझे अ�ा प�रणाम ही दे गा? म� यह कैसे तय कर पाऊँ िक मेरे िवचार मेरे काम को सकारा�क �प से प्रभािवत कर सक�गे?ऐसा ब�त ही कम होता होगा जब िक आप को अपने रोज़मरा� जीवन के दौरान इस तरह के सवालों का सामना नही करना पड़ता होगा। तो दे खते ह� कुछ ऐसी ही मैिनट जीवन की प�र�स्थितयां िजनसे भाग जाना चािहए या उनका सामना करना चािहएl

The Sophomore Notice Sometimes bad luck hits you, like sitting in a stadium and getting hit by a ball, and it's not your own making. When you are a corona student, it's not your fault.

Backup Plan मु� योजना से बैकअप �ान तक का सफर िजसम� कई सवाल व उनके जवाब इसी बैकअप �ान की आधारिशला बनते ह� । बैकअप की मह�ता िस� करने के उ�े � से शु� होता यह लेख उसके गठन का पया� य भी बना है , तो पिढ़ए और जािनए इसका संपूण� समीकरण।

Gen Z This generation is strange? It's okay. Our strange little world is working wonders.

So let people be. Let 'em laugh. Let 'em frown.

Our deliberate opinion is that this world needs to change. We’re already doing it and, in many cases, we’re leading the way.

45

REFLECTION

THE ARCHETYPAL ARCHETYPAL THE EXISTENCE EXISTENCE Who are you?

The question is tough and so is the task to answer it. The multifaceted nature of man holds in itself a plethora of dormant, but ever-present, personalities. Each of us holds the power to influence or be influenced by these subtleties. Ever walked out of a theater and felt like a whole new persona had taken over you? The dreams to fly like Superman, to be as bold as John Wick or as wise as Gandalf have been dreamt a million times. The psyche is a vault of inherited patterns that define the behavioral boundaries of a person. The moment you see an image that connects deeper than you expected, it can be assured that an internal alignment of these patterns has taken place. These are archetypes, the inherited part of the collective unconscious. These predispositions derive universal forms of long agglomerated ideas, scouring the entirety of which is impossible, but studying the ones which encompass the majority is still doable. With that in mind, let’s uncover the major archetypes secretly breathing within us.

Warrior There comes a moment when the adolescent declares his wings ready. He sees the arena ahead and jumps head first. The warrior isn’t a pseudonym for some initiator of violence, but a psyche which is ready to push itself into new situations breaking away from paradigms. It’s a promise to keep ‘fighting’ rather than turning back and walking away.

That is the real warrior. They can sometimes be foolhardy, but being a bit insane comes with the package. The prospects of strength, protection, and standing up against the wrongful, play their part. But the wars average people fight have different factors to consider.

That’s why maybe a mother balancing between work and home can be a much better fit to be called a warrior than even Schwarzenneger’s Conan. The eighty-year-old man who decides to step out to learn is no less than an Eormer Aragorn, or Eowyn charging against the orcs.

46

REFLECTION

Magician The archetype which acts as the catalyst for others to transcend further ahead in their psyche and quests, the magician holds a very important role in the realm of the collective unconscious. Oftentimes, seen as creators and guides, the picture of Yoda or some wise old sage with eyes bleeding gilded experience, guiding the lost in the right direction strikes our mind.

But what is it that the magician gives? It has to be what drives the generation further ahead. Hence, their gift isn’t the tool but the means, delivered by their large pool of knowledge. The magician provides a chance to cognition and a moment which inspires to act. Something truly fitting to pass on. To accept his guidance is to realize the opportunity to grow. Declination is a triumph of arrogance.

Innocent Watching the world through a pinhole can be fruitful in some cases. Ignorance can be bliss and innocence can make ways for one to enjoy the simpler details of life. Why take the red pill and suffer the weight of reality? Why should Dory need to remember, when she has the option to just swim along with no repercussions? Yes, this is the innocent, the archetype which salutes optimism and rewards itself with being carefree. Sure, it is often tried for being naive, for appropriation can be important in a world increasingly complicated, which expects its trends to be respected. They search for avenues of safety and will try preserving them. Hagrid, as imposing as he may look, actually shares a ton of these features. Cause, as they say, it's what's inside which matters.

Everyman There is a sense of belonging when you encounter an individual brandishing this archetype. They are the common strangers on the street wearing protruding smiles. The everyman radiates an aura of acceptance, helping people experience comfort in their presence.

They are compelled to share their mind, for if you are an everyman, they don’t have to worry about being judged or ridiculed. Its relatability which takes the center stage here. It doesn’t necessarily have to be social relevance but the kind which lets one connect with no boundations. Their lack of strong personal opinions might direct one to assume them to be a conformist. All of this ‘fitting in’ comes at a price. One who blends in with ease, disappears with ease.

47

RELECTION

Lover The depth of emotions and intricacies of feelings have always attracted interest in many.

Rather than be stranded in the teen definitions of love primarily involving physical attraction, the lover archetype chooses to dwell into a much more mature state of psychological attributes. It’s evident since love is multidimensional. Family, god, occupation, the forms of love are varied. Sure he still is youthful, idealistic but he also assesses his world in a way the naive can’t fathom. In a triggering situation like that of intimacy or poignancy, the lover shines their brightest.

Allowing one to take in the pleasures of romanticizing his surroundings, the lover allows living life to the fullest.

Hero The zeal to overcome obstacles is high here.

The hero might seem as the forever average in the story business, but it too has hidden traits. Drenched in platitudes, the hero is much more than an overused husk of impractical ideals dripping with bravado. Neither are they central, nor pivotal to a tale. Centuries of storytelling have celebrated them enough to make us believe so. The real ‘hero’ archetype, in sense, shares a much different outlook.

His drive to improve rises out of his own conflicts.

Help save yourself before saving the world. And so, the tale of the Joker can be as captivating, or even more, than that of Batman. The hero, if looked closely, resembles a child at the peak of his adolescence.

Hence more relatable to the younger audiences. If the hero archetype resides in you as well, you’ll constantly see yourself setting goals to realize them into reality and hence ‘saving the day.’

Everyone is naturally predisposed to any one of these or countless such archetypes.

The way of living a beautiful and meaningful life is to oscillate between these, as and when required. So that if the situation demands, you can attack the challenges at hand like a warrior, or make the most primordial of impacts on a person as a lover. It is not as much a question as "who are you", as it is a question of "who you can become".

48

बैकअप योजना का समीकरण �सग्मा �नयम के अनुसार �कसी भी ल�य प्रा�प्त के न यह उठता है क आ खर एक वक प का चुनाव

करने

क

प र थ त आती कब है?

�लए उसक� योजना �नमार्ण आवश्यक है, परंतु उस योजना के कुशलता से समापन के पूवर् ही अन�गनत संशय घेराव करने लगते हैं जैसे �क यह योजना पयार्प्त है? नहीं तो क्या और बदलाव होने चा�हए? क्या शु�आत सही है? क्या �क्रयान्वयन इस प्रकार से करना चा�हए?..... इ�ा�द। और इसी उधेड़बुन में या तो यह योजना यहीं धराशाई हो जाएगी और इसी में टैग लगाया जाएगा �क 'यह तो कभी होना ही नहीं था', कुछ कशमकश के बाद मान ली�जए योजना अनुसार शु�आत हो भी गई, तो सफलता-असफलता क� संभावना से परे उसके सरल एवं �वश्वसनीय �वकल्प 'बैकअप प्लान' का �नमार्ण कायर् अपनी ग�त से आगे बढ़ेगा।

बैकअप लान नमा ण के हक म­ लए गए सारे फैसले

या मा आवेश

म­ आकर कए गए थे?

मुख्य योजना �क वे सभी �बर्लताएँ जो भ�वष्य में रास्ते का काँटा बन सकती हैं, और इसी संशय के बीज जो शायद वटवृ� का आकार ले लें और ऐसी ही अन्य समस्याओं को जड़ से खत्म करने �कसी ना �कसी सुर��त छोर पर तो ला ही देगा, तभी तो इसे �वश्वसनीय �वकल्प क� उपा�ध प्राप्त है। बैकअप योजना के अ�स्तत्व में आने के कई कारण हो सकते हैं, मुख्य योजना के प्रारंभ से पूवर् ज�ें प्रश्नों से त्रस्त व्य�� उनके समाधानों में कुछ जोड़ घटा कर उसे वैक�ल्पक योजना का �प देने का प्रयास करता है। कुछ के अनुसार ल�य प्रा�प्त के सफर में शु�आती

कुछ इस कार थी?

�स्थर करने का सरल जुगाड़ भी बैकअप प्लान को ज� दे सकता है। अन्यथा �कसी भी प्रकार क� �स्थ�त के उत्पन्न होने से पहले ही एक सुर��त वाल्व क� संरचना भी बैकअप प्लान का �प ले सकती है। प्रश्न यह उठता है �क आ�खर एक �वकल्प का चुनाव करने क� प�र�स्थ�त आती कब है? बैकअप प्लान �नमार्ण के हक में �लए गए सारे फैसले क्या मात्र आवेश में आकर �कए गए थे? या समय क� माँग ही कुछ इस प्रकार थी? अ�धकतर प�र�स्थ�तयों में बैकअप प्लान मुख्य योजना के प्र�त व्य�� क� असुर�ाओं के �नवारण हेतु सामने आया है, तो इसका उ�ेश्य भी फ़कत समाधान होना चा�हए। परंतु यह �दशा बैकअप प्लान को तुलनात्मक �प से

का बैकअप प्लान वह ह�थयार है जो डू बती नाव को

या समय क माँग ही

के अंतमर्न में डाँवाडोल �स्थ�त पैदा करता है, उसे

क�ठनाइयों पर अ��धक �वचार करने से उपजे मज़र् का फौरन नुस्खा है बैकअप प्लान। वहीं कुछ लोग इसे भ�वष्य में आने वाली समस्याओं का �सरे मात्र रामबाण इलाज के �प में भी बताते हैं। ल�य को पाने के जुनून से बढ़कर उसे खो देने का ख्याल जब व्य��

केवल कमजोर ही बनाएगी, तो �वश्वसनीय बनाने का �वचार तो �ाग ही दी�जये। अथर् यह है �क य�द बैकअप क� ज़�रत आन ही पड़ी है तो दोनों में अंतर इसका ना हो �क कौन �कसका �वकल्प है या �कस पर �वचार पहले �कया गया था ब�ल्क दोनों ही योजनाओं के य�द ल�य एक से है तो यह कतई आवश्यक नहीं है �क उनके उ�ेश्य भी एक समान हो। बैकअप का ध्येय सवर्दा एक �स्थर एवं सुर��त �स्थ�त तक ले जाने का होना चा�हए। जैसे �क असाइनमेंट क� डेडलाइन �नकल जाने पर MS टीम्स का बैकअप प्लान है सर क� पसर्नल मेल आईडी जो लेट सब�मशन से शायद आपको बचा ले। अब य�द उ�ेश्य नामक �वषय पर प्रकाश डल चुका है और उस पर �वचार कर �नणर्य भी �लए जा चुके हैं तो असल बैकअप योजना क� योजना भी तैयार कर ली जाए। य�द शु� से शु�

49

50

�कया जाए जहाँ बैकअप क� आवश्यकता पर �वचार

बैकअप अ�धक प�र�स्थ�तयों में तुलनात्मक

�वमशर् �कया गया था, तो तथ्य सामने आते हैं �क एक

�प से कम पेचीदा होता है और इसी कारणवश कई बार

लंबी कशमकश के बाद �नकले हल को बैकअप प्लान का

जुगाड़ भी इसी श्रेणी में आते हैं। बैकअप हमेशा उस मेन

दजार् �दया गया था। मुख्य योजना के �नमार्ण के समय

कोसर् के साथ परोसे गया अचार क� भाँ�त होना चा�हए

�जन सुझावों या �वचारों पर अ�धक ध्यान कें�द्रत नहीं

जो ज�रत आने पर पेटभराई तो कम से कम करा ही

�कया गया था उन्हें यहाँ प्रमुख �ब�� बनाया जा सकता है।

सकता है। परंतु याद र�खए बैकअप प्लान क�

इसके अ�त�र� समय के साथ मुख्य योजना में प्रद�शर्त

आवश्यकता का पलड़ा तभी भार� होना चा�हए जब मुख्य

�ई क�मयों को भी यहाँ जगह दी जानी चा�हए, क्यों�क

योजना के सफल �क्रयान्वयन का संशय वास्तव में ल�य

उनक� भू�मका यहाँ महत्वपूणर् होगी।

प्रा�प्त के सफर क� मुख्य अड़चन बन रहा हो।

JINXED

THE SOPHOMORE NOTICE If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.

1

Reply he sophomore year can be a pivotal time in a student’s career. Sophomores have made it past the introduction to college in their first year and are now at a defining moment. They experience a variety of things. They get settled in the college campus and routine, they know who their friends are, what their college looks like, and how they need to function with their seniors and juniors. They also go through the ‘sophomore slump’ when they feel lost and out of place, experience academic challenges and disengagement, dissatisfaction with the collegiate experience, career indecision, and developmental confusion. Basically, they keep learning and continue making progress.

Wait…this entire paragraph does not apply to me and my batch-BATCH 2024. I wrote all of the above only to make myself curse these mortals named as a novel coronavirus (I so wish they are mortal). The only thing we have experienced as sophomores is this term ‘sophomore slump’. Yes. That’s it and that’s all.

You see how down on luck can one be! We are the batch who didn’t get the chance to give farewell or get one in school because we had to leave our schools and join coachings for JEE. We are the batch who didn’t get to experience the closure of our JEE life because we were all locked up in our houses. We are the batch who had to wait for our JEE exam with that copious uncertainty and apprehension. We are the batch who didn’t get this much-anticipated freshers’ party from our seniors (no it's not me who is fuming right now…are you?). And now, we are the batch who didn’t even get a chance to host a freshers’ party for our juniors. We are also a batch who now are seniors but know nothing more than the one who is entering into the college as a freshman. A tad concerning as far as I am concerned!

Af ter waiting for one long year, we somewhere had this hope of getting into college as second years. But you know what…this covid does not care about your hopes, your protests, or your how-can-I-do-engineering-online reasoning. It only loves spreading like a f ire, especially at the onset of something crucial (except political elections).

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JINXED

When 2020 ended, all of us were super sanguine that the coming year would be free from this villain of our lives. When we were like “new year new beginnings”, the corona came like “Hey, new year new mutant”. Everything went downhill with every new day in 2021. India lost to Pakistan in the world cup (by 10 wickets, if you’ve forgotten), Modiji chose not to trim his beard, Arturo Roman survived in a money heist, Star Plus could not figure out ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’, and MANIT administration didn’t reopen the college. Every time there came a hope, it was promptly followed by a new variant and a notice saying ‘reopening-order-is-deferred-till-further-orders’ (in short: khatam, ta-ta, bye-bye!).

I, as an English editor of the Editorial Board, faced a good bunch of challenges. Not to forget, as my ill-luck would have it, I am a member of this BATCH 2024. At the beginning, I was asked to write an happening article on how life changes when one enters college. As I started writing, I began realizing that I have no idea about this change. I had zero experience of a happening change in my life after joining the college. In my first year, I have experienced nothing but this monotonous life of sitting in front of a laptop and studying (deaf and mute).

We had to bear the brunt of online admission, online orientation, online friendship, online learning, online exam, online scolding, and online bunk. The word ‘online’ preceded everything and this made me short of strength and brains to write a happening article. I could perhaps write a maddening and saddening article but not a happening article.

Subsequently, I thought of writing about TWO MANITs (Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that this idea came from the much contentious monologue ‘TWO INDIAS’). When I actually got down to writing, the realization again hit me asking what did I actually know about MANIT to be able to compare the TWO MANITs. I needed to have as much knowledge of my subject as the writer of TWO INDIAS had of his subject. So, since I was green about MANIT’s rains and shines, its peaks and valleys, I could not write on this (Please make a note that writing on this topic is not rocket science for a student in 2nd year of college. But I am from the 2024 batch. I know about the MS teams more than my college.)

Following this, since I have always been bright-eyed for the UPSC Civil Services Exam, I was asked to write something on this. I have always known that this exam is not an easy row to hoe but when I heard about one of my seniors who came off with flying colours and secured rank 2 in the exam, I was quite happy and positive about this preparation. Even so, it was not that easy to bring this topic on paper because it needed intelligibility about

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howhow one one remains remains in college in college and and maintains maintains studying studying or doing or doing something something which which the college the college is not is not affiliated affiliated with.with.

OneOne needs needs to know to know about about college college life at lifeleast at least a bit. aA bit. bit, A at bit,least. at least.

A semester.

A semester.

A A week. week.

A day A at day least... at least...

No, INo, knew I knew nothing nothing and and as a as consequence, a consequence, I found I found myself myself incapable incapable to write to write on this on this topictopic as well. as well.

Finally, Finally, I decided I decided to write to write about about why why I was I was unable unable to decide to decide whatwhat I had I had to write to write about. about.

For For us, us, comprehending comprehending our college our college life islife just is like justwatching like watching a Chinese a Chinese movie movie withwith subtitles. subtitles.

And And the subtitles the subtitles are are also also in the in Chinese the Chinese language. language.

Constant Constant tough tough luck.luck.

Constant Constant despair despair and and disappointment. disappointment.

It’s like It’s not like not eveneven being being ableable to stand to stand up up fromfrom falling falling down. down.

When When I last I last saw saw this this notice notice saying saying ‘reopening-order-is-deferred-till-further-orders’, ‘reopening-order-is-deferred-till-further-orders’, I didI did nothing nothing but but presspress my my face face on aonpillow a pillow and and laugh. laugh.

ThisThis makes makes me me rephrase rephrase the the firstfirst paragraph paragraph and and make make you you understand understand howhow this this batch batch is is completely completely bentbent out out of shape: of shape: The The sophomore sophomore yearyear is definitely is definitely a pivotal a pivotal timetime in a in student’s a student’s career. career.

But But the sophomores the sophomores of batch of batch 20242024 did not did not eveneven get the get introduction the introduction to the to college the college in in theirtheir firstfirst yearyear and and are are nownow at their at their wit’swit’s end.end.

TheyThey havehave experienced experienced nothing. nothing.

TheyThey had had to to settle settle withwith the the online online college college and and a repetitious a repetitious dull dull everyday everyday routine. routine.

TheyThey know know whowho theirtheir friends friends are but are but havehave had had nothing nothing more more thanthan a facetime a facetime withwith them. them.

TheyThey don’t don’t know know howhow theirtheir college college looks looks and and howhow theythey needneed to function to function withwith theirtheir seniors seniors and and juniors. juniors.

TheyThey are only are only going going through through the the ‘sophomore ‘sophomore slump’ slump’ when when theythey feel feel lost lost and and out out of place, of place, experience experience academic academic challenges challenges and and disengagement, disengagement, dissatisfaction dissatisfaction withwith the the collegiate collegiate experience, experience, career career indecision, indecision, and and developmental developmental confusion. confusion. {Notice{NoticeUponUpon exploring exploring the situation the situation and considering and considering all the allfacts, the facts, I declare I declare batchbatch 20242024 the hapless the hapless victims victims of of COVID COVID 19 and 19 request and request the stony-hearted the stony-hearted virusvirus to sling to sling its hook its hook and depart, and depart, we’vewe’ve had enough.} had enough.}

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सपने सुहाने मैिनट जीवन के मै�नट में प्रवेश के बाद प्र�त�दन उ�ाह पूवर्क �प में शु� होता है, एक �दलचस्प �कस्सा और साथ ही नया अनुभव। अभी कुछ महीने भर पहले ही जेईई काउं स�ल�ग खत्म �ई है और हम सभी इस नए 'मै�नट' वातावरण के अनु�प ढलने में प्रयासरत हैं। सभी नए लोगों से मुलाकात का दौर अभी चल रहा है, कुछ खास दोस्तों क� सूची में जगह पा चुके हैं और कुछ से आस लगी है। इसी खास �मत्रमंडली के साथ झीलों क� नगर� का भ्रमण भी शु�आती �दनों में शा�मल हो रहा है। हॉस्टल में लगभग हर शाम चौपाटी कायर्क्रम हो ही जाता है, पर �जस ग�त से असाइनमेंट �मल रहे हैं लगता नहीं यह �ादा �दन अ�स्तत्व में रह पाएगा। य�द बात असाइनमेंट �क आई है तो मै�नट के हॉस्टल जगत से �नकलकर असल स्टू डेंट-प्रोफेसर जगत क� भी बात कर लेते हैं। सुबह 9 बजे से शाम 5 बजे तक क� यह अव�ध प्र�त�दन �ान के �पटारे को भरने के उ�ेश्य से आती है, परंतु उसके साथ ही शीट्स, असाइनमेंट का बोझ भी अपने साथ लाती है। अटेंडेंस क� तलवार भी रोज सर पर लटका दी जाती है, �जसमें आने वाली पर��ा का खौफ भी साथ में जोड़ ली�जए। यदा-कदा सी�नयर के साथ वातार्लाप उस डर के माहौल को बनाए रखने में पूणर् �प से स�म है। और �जस पर सबसे बड़ा �ख तो यह पापी पेट जो इस मैस के खाने से भरता ही नहीं। �दन प्र�त�दन ज�टल होती �दनचयार् पूणर् �प से हावी हो रही है। आज एक लंबे समय बाद �कताबें ढू ंढते �ए नज़र अलमार� क� ओर गई सोचा इस �खभरे जीवन में इनसे भी हाल-चाल पूछ �लया जाए। �ों ही अलमार� के पट खुले, व्यथा सुनाने का कायर्क्रम भी प्रारंभ �आ, सामान हमारे ऊपर, हम सामान के नीचे, उसी सामान के ढेर में एक पॉकेट घड़ी ने मेरा ध्यान अपनी ओर आक�षर्त �कया| उस घड़ी को देखते ही मुझे पुराने कुछ खुशनुमा पल याद आ गए, आज क� व्यस्त �दनचयार् से उन �दनों क� तुलना का �सल�सला शु� �आ और ध्यान �आ �क घड़ी गलत समय �दखा रही है और जैसे ही सुईओं को सही �दशा में �नद��शत �कया, तो अचानक से हालात बदल गए....समय बदल गया....और जज्बात भी बदल ही गए। मैं अपनी व्यस्त �दनचयार् से थोड़ा आगे जा चुका था, घड़ी क� ओर ध्यान से देखा तो पता चला थोड़ा नहीं पूरे 7 �दन आगे जा चुका �ँ। मैं बड़ा खुश �आ यह जानकर �क मेरे असाइनमेंट सब�मट भी हो गए। कुछ समय पहले जो �ख के बादल चारों ओर से घेराव कर रहे थे, इन चंद सुखी पलों क� आट में वे भी छँटते से �दखाई �दए। पर यह सुख-चैन-आराम के �दन �ादा ना चले और वही असाइनमेंट क� मार, अटेंडेंस क� तलवार और अब तो पर��ा के वार भी झेलने बाक� थे। समय के आगे बढ़ने पर अंदाजा ही नहीं �आ �क एंड टमर् क� तार�ख भी नजदीक आ गई। इसी हड़बड़ाहट में मैंने घड़ी को और आगे बढ़ा �दया। अब जो समय आगे बढ़ा तो 'सेमेस्टर खत्म' के शोर से पूरा हॉस्टल गूंज रहा था। मेर� प्रसन्नता का �ठकाना न था, �बना पर��ा �दए ही अगले सेमेस्टर में प्रवेश हो गया। कुछ �दन नए सेमेस्टर क� चहल-पहल बरकरार रही। सी�नयर से घुलने �मलने में अब भी प्रयास जार� थे पर आशा थी �क इस बार सफलता ज�र �मलेगी। असाइनमेंट,प्रै�क्टकल ,अटेंडेंस क� टेंशन कम होने के नाम पर बढ़ती ही जा रही थी, ना �मत्रमंडली से वातार्लाप हो पा

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रही थी। चौपाटी जैसी व्यवस्थाएं भी अब कम हो गई थीं। मुझे अकेलापन महसूस होने लगा। सभी सुख सु�वधा के बावजूद भी मैंने अपने आप को असु�वधाजनक माहौल में पाया। इस बेहाल �स्थ�त के कारण मैंने समय को थोड़ा और आगे बढ़ाने का �नणर्य �लया और ��तीय वषर् ने दस्तक दी। �पछली बार से अ�धक आनं�दत होकर ��तीय वषर् का स्वागत �कया गया। इस बार उम्मीदें भी �ादा थी �क अ��त शु�आत होगी और �आ भी कुछ ऐसा ही। ब्रांच के अनुसार पहली बार क्लासेस होने वाली थी, �वषय तो बदलने ही थे साथ में सहपाठी भी बदले। कुछ वही चेहरे थे और कुछ नए लोगों से भी मुलाकात �ई। वाह! नए माहौल के रंग भी कुछ नए से ही थे। पहली बार सी�नयर बनने के ख्याल से ही हम उ�ा�हत हो उठे थे। वे सोसायटीज़ �जनके �ारा आयो�जत �कए गए कायर्क्रम आकषर्ण का केंद्र बने �ए थे, उनमें भी �व�भन्न पदों के �लए पंजीकरण प्रारंभ होने लगे। शु�आत में यह सभी लुभावने लगे, परंतु �कन सोसाइटीज़ को चुना जाए? �कतनी में पंजीकरण करना चा�हए?....इ�ा�द सवाल जहन में थे और साथ ही क्लास भी अपनी ग�त पकड़ चुक� थी। �मड तक जैसे तैसे नैया को ले जाया गया पर उसके खत्म होती ही लगा दबाव चारों तरफ से बढ़ता ही जा रहा है। ज�रत थी इस उलझी �ई �स्थ�त से बाहर �नकलने क� और �फर घड़ी का सहारा �लया गया। इस बार जैसे ही समय बदला अवकाश घोषणा का नो�टस सामने था। यह तो हो गया सोने पर सुहागा। बाक� सभी काय� को दर�कनार कर घर वापसी क� तैयार� शु� कर दी गई। दो पल स्वयं के साथ �बताकर, यह दौड़ती भागती सेमेस्टर वाली �ज�दगी में �फर से झांककर देखा तो याद आया �क झीलों क� नगर� का भ्रमण करे एक अरसा हो गया। यहां तक क� �मत्रमंडली के साथ समय व्यतीत करना भी �लर्भ हो गया था। न नए दोस्त बन पाए न पुरानों से गुफ़्तगू ही हो पाई। उदासीनता का माहौल चारों ओर पसर गया और सभी प�र�स्थ�तयों का एक मात्र शॉटर्कट 'घड़ी' को याद �कया गया। इस बार जो

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प�रवतर्न �आ वह सभी कल्पनाओं से परे था। 'को�वड-19 के बढ़ते केसेस के चलते आगामी आदेश तक यह सत्र ऑनलाइन ही रहेगा' और लगातार फोन क� घंटी बजती रही। हजारों सवालों ने इस प्रकार प्रवेश �कया �क पुराने �कसी भी �वचार का अ�स्तत्व ही ना रहा। कुछ �दनों में हम इस प्रकार क� व्यवस्था को भी भली-भां�त जान ही गए। असाइनमेंट प्रै�क्टकल क्लास अटेंडेंस टेंशन सूची से बाहर कर �दए गए थे। लैपटॉप मोबाइल स्क्र�न से नई दोस्ती लगभग सभी को पसंद आ रही थी। कोरोना महामार� बढ़ती रही और कॉलेज खुलने के आसार कम होतो गये। यह सेमेस्टर खत्म होने से अगले के शु� होने के दौरान मानो समय स्वयं ही �बना अरदास �कये तेज ग�त से चल रहा था। अगले सेमेस्टर आते ही प्रोजेक्ट क� भी घोषणा कर दी गई और इसी के साथ कुछ �व�भन्न प्रकार क� खलबली भी शु� हो गई, इस सब से मैं कोसों �र था और 'ब्रेक टाइम' सत्र के लुत्फ उठा रहा था। प्रोजेक्ट सब�मशन के साथ सेमेस्टर भी खत्म �आ। यह सन्नाटा था आने वाले तूफान से पहले का....और तृतीय वषर् शु� �आ। �जस भूचाल से मैं �पछले सेमेस्टर में अनजान था, वह दरअसल इस सेमेस्टर के शु�आत में ही आ गया....इंटनर्�शप। �वषय बदले, प्रोफेसर बदले पर उसका �ादा प्रभाव ना पडा, परंतु इंटनर्�शप हा�सल करने का �सल�सला वही सन्नाटे के बाद का तूफान था। मुझे ऐसी दौड़ का �हस्सा बनना था �जसके �ादातर प्र�तभागी कड़ी मेहनत के साथ आए थे और हमें तो ल�य तक नहीं पता था। जैसे-जैसे दौड़ में आगे बढ़े पूणर् �प से तैयार व जानकार ना होने का कारण 'समय' को भी कोसते रहे। इस भयानक �श्य से बचने के �लए हमने �फर उसी मागर् को चुना �जसक� मं�जल का अता पता न था और समय आगे बढ़ा �दया। चतुथर् वषर् भी शु� �आ। यहां का माहौल �पछली सभी �स्थ�तयों में सबसे �ादा भयानक था। जहां क�रयर नामक ल�य को मेरे सभी अजुर्न साथी भेद रहे थे। अ�धकतर लोग प्लेसमेंट क� राह तांक रहे थे, कुछ प्रशास�नक सेवा में अपना रास्ता खोज रहे थे, कुछ गेट-कैट जैसी पर��ाओं से आस लगा रहे थे और कुछ उच्च �श�ा क� ओर अग्रसर थे। हमारे मानसपटल पर एक ही सवाल आया, "अब तेरा क्या होगा का�लया!" यहां कोई मागर् ही नहीं था तो उसक� �गर्मता का अंदाजा तो भला कैसे लगता। न आगे जाने क� �हम्मत थी और न पीछे जाने का �वकल्प। जब जब समय आगे बढ़ा �स्थ�त और �लर्भ �ई थी, पुरानी वे सभी समस्याएं �जनसे मैं भाग कर आया था आज वे इन सब के सामने तुच्छ सी लग रही हैं। हर समस्या का शॉटर्कट नहीं होता यह समझने में शायद ब�त देर कर दी। �जस टहनी पर बैठा था उसी को हर �वप�� क� जड़ समझ कर काट रहा था। शायद यह समस्याएँ समय के साथ स्वयं ही समाधान खोज लेतीं। शायद समस्याएँ उस व� भी उतनी बड़ी नहीं थी। या शायद वे प�र�स्थ�तयां कभी समस्या ही नहीं थी। इन सभी �वचारों ने मुझे एक गहरे समंदर क� ओर धकेल �दया और तभी अचानक अलामर् बजने लगा। एहसास �आ �क मेर� आंख लग गई और अलमार� क� सफाई भी रह गई।

56

UNRIVALED

G

eneration Z: A generation that is enjoying the best technological era ever experienced, living in an age where things are escalating towards the prime, while being completely out of touch with past catastrophes like the world wars and the great depression. What even royalty did not have a hundred years ago, this generation has today.

This is what makes the older generations use the phrase “The problem with your generation...” (followed by a sigh).

They say that even after getting things to a great extent, this generation finds it hard to be happy and feels dejected, heartbroken and morose.

Therefore, they consider this generation unappreciative and futile. To paraphrase Kimber Lybbert’s advice to the older generations, “Don’t tell me how my students are lazy, cowardly, or soft unless you want to sit down and discuss how to strengthen them."

57

UNRIVALED This fervent desire of excelling and The sad thing is, once you let go of your previous surpassing the coequals, which often chains, it isn’t freedom that you experience at first. arises from the insane number of You see a sea of endless possibilities. And the expectations and societal pressures, has thing is, humans aren’t primed enough when it resulted in many of the youngsters biting off comes to dealing with the infinite. It is as if we more than they can chew. This, in turn, has are in unexplored territories, and like any made this generation more anxious and hiker will tell you, not every adventure in depressed. the open ends well.

Again, detractors say that each generation had high levels of anxiety and depression, and it is just the fact that more cases are being reported today. But even though previous generations may have had other reasons for anxiety and depression, the reasons of this generation, which were explained above, are different, and hence, they too require special attention.

Gen Z is the generation that has to deal with this unchartered territory of children becoming equals to their parents and making sense out of it.

Though it is an overall positive and is a happy problem, it is a problem nonetheless and brings its own set of anxieties. Seen it one way, this generation does not have the comforting illusion that parents are always right and that all one needs to do is follow whatever they say. No, this generation has the added responsibility of taking their life into their own hands.

It is alleged that this is a generation of confusion.

Don’t you think this statement should be sent to the House of Corrections? This generation is rather one of uncertainty. In which direction is today’s world going? Will the next month of our lives be in our educational institutions or in quarantine rooms, or on the hospital beds? Isn’t this generation more prone to negative and Enough of the sad problems and the happy gloom-ridden news? Global warming, problems. Let’s look the other way too. floods, irrational politics, suicides, Gen Z-ers are the world’s first digital natives, unceasing covid cases, and whatnot. Do financial-minded, and have an innovative fix to we really have anything to be clear worldly issues. It is a generation of ‘who cares’ and about? Everything is visibly unsettled also a generation ‘that cares’ about social issues and miserable. When uncertainty rears much more than the others. They know how to be its head like that, isn’t it natural to be compassionate and humane to one’s needs and clueless? The youngsters are still problems and also how to read and not read one’s showing their perseverance and are messages at the same time (if you know about the fighting tooth and nail to keep up with pull-down bar on your phones). They can laugh at this fast-pacing world. internet memes all day long and also break your Perhaps the biggest cultural change this generation is experiencing is the widespread acceptance of the fact that parents are not always right. At first, this sounds liberating. Previous generations did not have the luxury of reasoning with their parents. This generation has it, so it must be a perk, right?

teeth if you laugh at racist or old-fashioned sexist jokes. They show straightforwardness to the straightforward and crookedness to the crooked.

It keeps sustainability near the top of its priority list. Now, COVID-19’s radical reset of societal norms could further intensify this age group’s interest in reimagining a greener, healthier world.

This is for all the GEN Z-ERS. Truth be told, you really have no idea how awesome you are. You might not be everything, but you definitely can be the change. Let the others see your complete potential. As Frank Sinatra said it,” The best is yet to come, and wont that be fine? You think you’ve seen the sun, but you haven’t seen it shine.

58

59

INTROSPECTION

Introspection

INTROSPECTION Now, I had to let go of even more.

A sense of anxiety had begun to creep in. Where exactly was this journey leading me? Or rather, as I would learn after some trouble, where exactly was I leading my journey?

Do you know what the scary part was? Being able to "see" the finish line. Not as in figuring out what it was, but figuring out that there was indeed a finish line. Right under my nose.

Throughout this year, my thoughts started becoming really nasty.

I started to wobble between "am I spending too much time with myself" and "I should spend more time with myself". The 50% of the time that I had already spent on this journey started to haunt me. I started to doubt whatever I did during the last two years.

Every stirring emotion and thought, that once I gave a shot, now seemed like a waste of time and energy. I started thinking if being involved in everything was worthy enough.

Should I have really let myself get influenced by people I looked up to? The passion that I had so fervently chosen to defend had begun to hurt me.

I found necessity right in front of me, staring at me. It was asking me if I happened to overlook the inescapable. It was asking me to hurry, whisk things off, and prioritize. I now realized that I could not taste everything. I need things codified.

And most important of all, did this journey have any inherent meaning in it? Was the suffering and angst that had started to creep in worth it? The void I had started to feel had now become all-consuming. Without me even realizing it, it was the one that was actually behind all my actions.

60

Introspection

The Phenomenology of Love Love is often talked about in association with strong feelings of attachment, adoration, attraction, and the like. But what about the flaws of the person who is the subject of love?

How does one reconcile the fundamental limitation that makes any human a human and the transcendental feelings one expects to accompany love?

Not So Different Do you want to stand out? Do you want to carve a path different than the rest of the world? The “HOW?” to this goal can be answered in a million ways. However, let’s delve deeper into the “WHY?” of it. WHY do we want to be different? Let’s take a closer look into it. Shall we?

CV

हम अ�र सोचते ह� िक हमारे पास ब�त अिधक समय शेष है और हम हमारा काय� अभी कुछ िदन और टाल सकते ह� , इस टालम-टोल म� कई बार हम या तो काय� करना भूल जाते ह� या िफर अंितम �णों म� काय� करके उसके आकष�ण को न� कर दे ते ह� । यही दु िवधा हमारे हीरो आिद� को भी है , आइए हम इस लेख �ारा जानने का प्रयास करते ह� िक �ा आिद� अपने दो� CV की मदद से अपनी दु िवधा को सुलझा पाएगा? या खुद उलझ जाएगा?

Absolution What does it feel to be like at the absolute bottom? When it feels as if you cannot trust even yourself? And what do you actually crave in such a state?

61

CV झलक �दखला जा एक बार आजा आजा आजा.......आजा!!!

झलक �दखला जा झलक �दखला जा एक बार आ जा आ जा,

अबे क्या है बे?

आ जा|

इतनी सुबह कौन इतनी तेज गाना बजाता है|

अबे तुझे �कतनी बार बोला है सुबह-सुबह गाना मत चलाया कर

आ�द� जी आपको उठाने के �लए ये भी करना पड़ता है। उठ

और आज तो वैसे भी श�नवार है।

8:45 हो गए हैं।

ओह सॉर� मुझे लगा जैसे तुम्हारा �ममेट तुम्हें रोज उठाता है, वैसे

अरे तो 15 �मनट है अभी क्लास में।

ही मुझे उठाना चा�हए।

मैस का नाश्ता नहीं करना?

कौन? (अंजान आवाज़ सुनकर मुड़कर देखा तो) आ…..!!!! (चीख)

मैस का नाश्ता... (सह लेंगे थोड़ा)

मेरे सामने एक अधेड़ उम्र का आदमी था �जसके बाल आधे सफेद आधे काले और घुंघराले थे और पता नहीं क्यों ले�कन वह अपने

हम दोनों भागते �ए �डपाटर्मेंट प�ंचे।

हाथ में एक �च�ड़या का घोंसला पकड़ा था।

एक क्लास में जैसे तैसे गुजारा करने के बाद मेरे �ममेट ने क्लास

तुम हो कौन और मेरे कमरे में क्या कर रहे हो?

छोड़ने का एक सुनहरा मागर् बताया “the amit purohit alumni

हेलो आ�द�! मैं तुम्हारा CV �ं। क्यों�क तुमने मुझे इतने �दल से

talk” जो सुबह 9:00 बजे से से�मनार हॉल में चल रहा था। (आज

याद �कया तो मुझे आना पड़ा।

मेर� नज़र में मेरे �ममेट क� इज्ज़त चने के कम से कम 100 उपाय

मैंने दोहराया CV.. ( अचं�भत होकर)

उसके पास हमेशा तैयार होते हैं)

अरे हां CV मुझे प्यार से लोग resume भी बुलाते हैं।

से�मनार हॉल क� सबसे कोने वाली सीटों पर जाकर हम दोनों बैठ

तुम यहां आए क्यों हो ले�कन?

गए।

तुम्हार� मदद करने तुम एक अच्छा CV बनाना चाहते थे ना! तो

�वचार तो मेरा वहां जाकर सोने का था, ले�कन अ�मत पुरो�हत

खुद Cv से अच्छा तुम्हें CV के बारे में कौन बता सकता है। क्या

जी क� आवाज में इतना आत्म�वश्वास था, �क उनक� बातों ने मुझे

तुम्हें पता है LIFE IS A RACE अगर तुम तेज नहीं दौड़ोगे तो कोई

सोने ही नहीं �दया। वह बता रहे थे उनक� सफलता का मंत्र।

तुम्हें कुचलकर आगे �नकल जाएगा। तुम मुझे सुबह 6:00 बजे 3 इ�डयट्स का डायलॉग क्यों सुना रहे

सफलता..... सफलता केवल एक ही चीज से �मल सकती है, प�रश्रम और �सफर् प�रश्रम, इसी�लए सभी �व�ाथ� कुछ न कुछ सीखते रहें, अपनी �स्कल्स पर काम करें। और हां तृतीय वषर् को मेरा सुझाव है �क अगर वे भ�वष्य में स्नाको�र में एड�मशन, बड़ी कंपनी में नौकर� अथवा इंटनर्�शप पाना चाहते हैं तो अभी से अपनी CV पर काम करना शु� कर दें। CV एक ऐसा दस्तावेज है, जो आपका प�रचय आप से बेहतर दे सकता है। ता�लयों क� तेज़ गड़गड़ाहट उनक� बात को और गहरा �स� कर गई। ऐसा नहीं था �क CV शब्द मैंने पहली बार सुना था। पर अब मुझे मेरा CV एकदम ऑ�फ�शयल बनाना था। हॉस्टल प�ंचते ही मैंने बेड पर अपना लैपटॉप खोलकर गूगल पर सचर् �कया CV कैसे बनाया जाता है। और CV के अच्छे अच्छे टेम्पलेट डाउनलोड कर �लए। सचर् करते-करते पता नहीं कब नींद लग गई।

62

हो?

अह..!! (गला साफ करते �ए) ठीक है, सुनो मैं यहां तुम्हार� मदद

चलो ये मैं तुम्हे अंत में बताऊंगा क� तुम्हारे अंदर क्या क्या

करने आया �ं। तुम्हें अगर एक अच्छी CV बनाना है तो जो मैं तुमसे

अच्छाइयां हैं।

क�ंगा वह करते जाना।

अभी हम �सरे खंड क� तरफ चलते हैं – जो है शै��णक योग्यता।

पता नहीं था उस उम्र में जहां लोग अपने प�रवार वालों क� बात भी

अच्छा इसमें क्या भ�ं|

नहीं सुनते, उस उम्र में मैं एक अनजान आदमी क� बात को हां

इसमें तो जो है वही �लखना पड़ेगा। ( व्यंग्यात्मक मुस्कान के साथ)

करने जा रहा था।

कॉलेज – मै�नट (ये जेईई का �ख कब पीछा छोड़ेगा)

अच्छा, बताओ मुझे क्या क्या करना है? कुछ खास नहीं ब�त ही आसान कायर् है, बस तुम्हें अपना CV

CV क्या हम इसके आगे बाद में �लखें। अभी नाश्ता करने चलते हैं।

बनाना शु� करना है। इसका पहला खंड होता है About... इसमें

ठीक चलो|

तुम्हे अपने बारे में �लखना होगा मात्र 3 से 4 लाइन।

तुम भी?

तो बताओ तुम अपने प�रचय में क्या क्या �लखोगे? कौनसी

हां जहां तुम वहां मैं।

�वशेषताएं हैं �जनको तुम �लखने वाले हो?

स्प्राउट्स और आलू के परांठे, वाह CV आज तो ब�त सही नाश्ता

हम्म्म, ये तो पता नहीं!

बना है। पर मैं क्या खाऊं?

देखो मैं तुम्हे उदाहरण देता �ं। तुम �लख सकते हो – मैं एक ब�त

जो तुम्हे पसंद हो।

प�रश्रमी व्य�� �ं।

मुझे आलू के परांठे पसंद है|

अरे नहीं। मैं तो रोज 9 बजे क� क्लास में 10 बजे प�ंचता �ं। मैं

तो वो खाओ|

प�रश्रमी नहीं �ं।

ले�कन मैं डाइट करने क� सोच रहा था।

तुम्हारे प�रश्रम का पता इससे लगाया जा सकता है �क तुम �पछले

तो स्प्राउट्स खाओ|

5 सेमेस्टर से 75 % हा�ज़र� को पूरा करते आए हो।

ले�कन वो मुझे पसंद नहीं है न।

हां ये तो है (चलो �कसी ने तो मेरा �ख समझा)|

मुझे समझ नहीं आ रहा। एक काम करता �ं जो मेरा �ममेट खायेगा वही खा लेता �ं। कुछ और सोचना पड़ेगा (धीमे स्वर में)| कुछ बोला तुमने CV बस यही के तुम पर काफ़� काम करना पड़ेगा। जो उसे नाश्ते में क्या खाना है ये खुदसे नहीं तय कर सकता वो भ�वष्य में आने वाले मु�श्कल फैसले कैसे कर पाएगा? हम्म (�नराशा से)| नाश्ता करने के बाद वा�पस �म में प�ंचते ही CV ने मुझे एक टाइम टेबल पकड़ा �दया। मुझे ऐसा लग रहा था क� मेरा आज का �दन सबसे व्यव�स्थत जाने वाला है। उस टाइम टेबल में बने हर चेक बॉक्स पर सही का �नशान लगाने मैं उ�ुक था। लो �मल गई (खुशी से)| क्या? तुम्हार� एक �वशेषता| कौनसी? आशावादी, जब मैंने तुम्हे टाइम टेबल �दया तब तुमने परेशान होने क� जगह उसे खुशी से स्वीकार �कया। तो �ए न तुम आशावादी। �बल्कुल (इतराते �ए)| इतने में मेरा एक दोस्त कमरे में घुस आया। सुन यार एक ब�त बड़ी गड़बड़ हो गई है।

63

क्या �आ?

ही नहीं।

अरे वो जो कल सुबह मी�ट�ग थी ना स�म�त क� मैं उसमें जाना ही

अब CV क� बातें अच्छी लगने क� जगह बोझ लगने लगी थी। अब मैं

भूल गया। अब बॉस (3rd ईयर �ारा 4th ईयर को बोला जाने वाला

उन्हें अधूरे मन से पूरा कर रहा था। CV अब मैं बैड�म�टन खेलने जाता

नाम) से डांट पड़ेगी!

�ं।

अरे नहीं!

नहीं तुम्हें कहीं नहीं जाना है। तुम अभी मेरे साथ tt खेलने चलोगे,

मेरे पास एक सुझाव है, एक काम कर तू उन्हें जो आइ�डया देने वाला

चलो|

था अब उन्हें वो आइ�डया पे पूरा �रसचर् करके बताना और बोलना क�

और तुम्हें ऐसा क्यों लगता है �क मैं ऐसा क�ंगा| क्यों�क tt का

मैं इसपे काम कर रहा था इसी�लए नहीं आ पाया।

टू नार्मेंट कर�ब है और तुम उसमें मेडल जीत सकते हो जो तुम्हार� CV

वाह �बल्कुल सही �कसी को क्या ही पता चलेगा।

अ�त�र� ग�त�व�ध वाले खंड के �लए अच्छा रहेगा।

वाह एक के बाद �सर�|

पर मुझे बैड�म�टन खेलना है|

क्या? तुम्हार� �वशेषता

नहीं खेल सकते ना चलो|

अब कौनसी �वशेषता �मल गई?

उसके बाद मैं और CV टेबल टे�नस क्लब गए और 2 घंटे

यही के तुम समस्या सुलझाने क� समझ रखते हो। अच्छा... चलो अब

टेबल टे�नस खेला|

हमें तुम्हार� lab जाना है।

CV अब मुझमें �हम्मत नहीं है। मैं खाना खाके सोना चाहता �ं। हां

क्यों आज तो श�नवार है, आज कोई प्रोजेक्ट नहीं बनाते है, वो मैं

चलो मैस में|

कल कर लूंगा।

तुम क्या करोगे तुम तो �दमाग खाते हो ना खाना थोड़ी (धीमी आवाज

लो एक और कमी तुम समय के पाबंद नहीं हो।

में)|

अच्छा ठीक है चलो, पर लंच के पहले वा�पस आ जायेंगे। क्यों�क

कुछ कहा तुमने|

मुझे दोस्तों के साथ बाहर जाना है।

नहीं तो, चलो| टु डे फूड इस गोइंग तो बी वेर� टेस्टी! (अपनी अंग्रेजी

नहीं प्रोजेक्ट आज करना ज�र� है। तुम्हार� CV में प्रोजेक्ट सबसे

CV को सुनाते �ए| )

�ादा महत्वपूणर् भू�मका �नभाएंगे। और तुम पूरे सप्ताह बोलते आए

वेर� टेस्टी नहीं बोलते! बोलो �डली�शयस (नकली एक्सेंट में)|

हो क� तुम श�नवार को प्रोजेक्ट बनाने वाले हो।

हां हां| मैं कमरे में जा रहा �ं तुम ही खाओ ये �डली�शयस खाना,मैं

ठीक है आज मैं दोस्तों के साथ बाहर नहीं जाऊंगा (मुंह लटकाकर)|

गुस्से में खाना छोड़ कर सोने आ गया|

कर�ब 3 घंटे प्रोजेक्ट पर काम करने के बाद|

अरे मैं तो तुम्हार� कम्यु�नकेशन �मता को और बड़ा रहा था (मेरे पीछे

CV अब हॉस्टल चलें अब मेरा मन नहीं लग रहा और ब�त काम हो

पीछे चलते �ए)|

चुका है।

CV अब तुम कुछ नहीं बोलोगे और मुझे सोने दो अब| ऐसे कैसे अभी

हां चलो वैसे भी अभी NTB में सोसायटी क� मी�ट�ग है। वहां भी जाना

तो तुम्हें एंड टमर् के �लए पढ़ना है न? अरे मैं थक गया �ं|

है।

ले�कन सोमवार से एंड टमर् शु� होने वाले हैं।

नहीं रहने देते हैं न। मैं हमेशा तो जाता �ं आज नहीं जाते हैं।

ओह हां, अब लगता है मुझे यहां अपनी एक और �वशेषता तुम्हे

जाना तो पड़ेगा, CV में जब तुम �लखोगे न �क तुम सोसायटी में

�दखानी होगी| कौनसी?

�कसी पद पर थे, तुमने वहां से क्या क्या सीखा? और कोई पद पाने के

64

�लए या अपनी नेतृत्व �मता और प्रबंधन कौशल का �वकास करने के

सामू�हक कायर्|

�लए तुम्हें सोसायटी का काम सही से करना होगा।

दोस्तों अब हमें एंड टमर् के �लए पढ़ना पड़ेगा तो हम एक एक

अच्छा ठीक!

सब्जेक्ट्स पढ़ लेते हैं �फर सब �मलके उन्हें एक �सरे को समझा देंगे।

मी�ट�ग के बाद हॉस्टल प�ंचते ही CV ने मुझे एक बुक पकड़ा दी|

हां ऐसा ही करते हैं। (सभी दोस्त एक साथ �चल्लाते �ए)

अब इसका क्या क�ं ?

अब खुश CV, एंड टमर् अब �नकल जायेंगे।

पढ़ो| अगले सप्ताह से इंटनर् के �लए कंप�नयां आने लगेंगी तो क्या

हां तो तुम अब पढ़ना शु� करो, क्यों�क एक ठीक ठाक cgpa तो

करोगे? अभी से एप्टी�ूड क� तैयार� शु� करना पड़ेगी।

बनानी ही है तुम्हे।

ले�कन अभी मेरा मन नहीं है। मुझे मूवी देखना था। मूवी, देखो तुम

नहीं अब मैं नहीं पढ़ सकता|

एक और कमी बता रहे हो अपनी| कौनसी ?

ले�कन....

समय�न�, अगर तुम समय का ध्यान रखते तो ऐसा नहीं कहते।

कोई ले�कन, पर वर नहीं, तुम चले जाओ यहां से, बस...बस... बस|

तुम्हारे पास कोई भी समय बबार्द करने वाली चीज़ के �लए समय है

क्या �आ?? नींद में क्यों �चल्ला रहा है।

तब मेर� आंखें खुली। वाह आज श�नवार के �दन जल्दी उठ गया.. क्या बात है वो भी �बना झलक �दखला जा सुने| श�नवार...(अचं�भत होकर)| मैंने अपने आस पास देखा, वहां CV नहीं था, हां ले�कन लैपटॉप में CV टेम्पलेट ज�र था... इसका मतलब था क� ये सब मेर� कल्पना थी, कोई CV वगैरा नहीं था, और अब मैं अपना श�नवार अपने �हसाब से जी सकता था!!! चले जा नाश्ता करने स्प्राउट्स और आलू के परांठे बने हैं। और बड़ी बात तो ये है �क दोनों अच्छे बने है। स्प्राउट्स और आलू के

अरे �को भाई, हवा चलेगी तो जो CV ने टाइम टेबल बनाया था उड़ सकता है, उसे तो दबा के जाओ। खैर आ�द� तो भाग गया। पर क्या कोई तृतीय वषर् उसके CV से भाग सकता है? CV के खाली कॉलम को कभी न कभी हमें भरना होगा, तो क्यों न हम अभी से शु� कर दें, CV से भागें नहीं ब�ल्क CV के डर को अपने से �र भगाएं, और सामना करें अपनी हर कमजोर� का, और सुधार करें अपनी ताकत में, ता�क इस प्रश्न के उ�र में हम हां कह सकें,

परांठे... (हैरानी से)| आज पहली बार दोस्त के मज़ाक पर हसीं क� जगह डर लग रहा था, हो सकता है मैने कहीं सुन �लया हो और मैने वही सपने में देख �लया होगा। हां यही �आ होगा। (तेजी से �म से भागते �ए)|

क्या आपका CV तैयार है?

65

LIMITATION

The Phenomenology of If you make a tier list of the greatest English literary figures of all time, at the very top, you will find three outstanding minds: Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. If you make a tier list of the greatest works of Dostoevsky, at the very top, you will find three outstanding compositions: Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, and The Brothers Karamazov. It is from The Brothers Karamazov that we start our discussion.

When even Sigmund Freud, on whose shoulder the entire field of psychology rests, says that The Brothers Karamazov is "the most magnificent novel ever written", you know that you have laid your hands on gold. In one of the most famous passages of the book, a character says, "The more I love humanity in general, the less I love man in particular. In my dreams, I often make plans for the service of humanity, and perhaps I might actually face crucifixion if it were suddenly necessary. Yet I am incapable of living in the same room with anyone for two days together."

When I first read these lines, I was completely clueless. Then, one of the most artistically gifted people that I have ever met showed me some direction. It had something to do with love, and the conclusion was something like this: more often than not, it is a case that we tolerate the people who are in our lives. It is not a case of love.

There is a strange prejudice that infects philosophical circles. It is widely acceptable to quote and use ideas of dead thinkers in one's work. No one will bat an eye when you use Kantianism to reason a question at hand.

However, things turn controversial when you try to argue with a living thinker's point of view. Living people are somehow too polarizing, too normal to be given a respectable place. It is as if they are awaiting the gift of death to elevate their social prestige.

With that being the case, I will still use the thoughts of Jordan Peterson in this article in my bid to tackle the central theme of this article.

When one generally thinks of someone they want to love, they think about someone beautiful, someone who moves with grace, and someone who knocks them off their feet. But that's not love, is it? There's another term for that, and it is called adoration!

What separates humans from, let's say, the hypothetical immortals, or the all-powerfuls?

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L O V E

LIMITATION What makes someone human isn't perfection; it is their Limitation.

And everyone knows that at some level. What are you going to do if you are always perfect? Everything you do will be a cakewalk, and nothing will challenge you and in extension, excite you. Sure, you will enjoy yourself for a short while. But even the thought of this will make you realize that you will start hating such a paradoxically miserable existence after that.

You cannot love someone who has no Limitation. One of the strange ways this was demonstrated in the real world was in the 1980s. The famous comic character Superman was slowly, over the time of its existence, made so strong that he could do anything. No matter how difficult things would be, Superman could deal with it. After a point, it became dull. The sales of Superman comics went down drastically. Fans just could not relate to such an overpowered character. There was nothing exciting left.

After this debacle, the writers had to introduce some limitations in his character so that people could become interested in his story again.

This leads us to a very strange conclusion: you do not love someone despite their limitations, you love someone because of it.

When you think about it this way, loving someone suddenly becomes so easy. It is not the case that someone is avoiding you; it is the case that they are so engrossed in their own anxiety about the relocation they have to do soon that they have even stopped listening to songs, let alone talking to someone. They are not all-powerful, and anxiety is a serious limitation they have to struggle with, through no fault of their own. Poor little cute fellow!

The best way to bond with someone is not by telling everything that is good and exciting in your life; it is by sharing your vulnerabilities and your fears. So that after a long tiring day of work, when the other person has no energy to do anything worthwhile, they still trust your love for them and are comfortable being "boring" around you.

Limitation is the bedrock of being itself. It is the fundamental precondition on which our lives are based in the metaphysical sense. We are limited creatures. And it is this Limitation in its most primordial form that brings in the most archetypal of our problems: suffering and tragedy.

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LIMITATION Tragedy is the inevitable consequence of Limitation. The tragedy of existence is that because we are limited creatures, we are all bound to die, and that includes our loved ones. One is bound to face rejections and experience terrible failures and existential crises. Living life is no easy task, and the problems of life are inescapable. Add this to the fact that humans have free will, and we also get the introduction of evil to the duo of suffering and tragedy.

The question then comes to this - is the tragedy and suffering of this world justifiable?

The answer that shows a person's love for humanity is that yes, the tragedy of this world indeed is bearable.

Love is the way of acting in this world that tries to recognize that though we are limited creatures, we can and are equipped to survive and even thrive in this dangerous world.

We all know that human beings are capable of doing the most reprehensible of things possible. Just a cursory glance of history or the morning newspaper will tell that to you. But history will also give you examples of people who have, despite their limitations, acted extremely courageously.

Love is having the faith that though humans of capable of acting out the gravest of crimes, they are also capable of acting exceptionally heroically.

The world is always on the brink of getting destroyed. That is just how it is.

Every age has its own set of fatal problems. In our times, the thing that can cause it is extreme political polarization, coupled with our possession of really advanced technology and nuclear weapons. Just like we can bomb each other to the stone age with our technology, we can also use it to create a standard of living that we could never achieve.

Love for humanity today is the optimistic attitude that though things can go catastrophically wrong, they can also go marvelously right. It all depends on how individuals apply their free will. After all, if humans are capable of acting out like monsters, humans are also capable of acting like saints.

Self-love then is the radical acceptance of the fact that each and every individual is responsible for and is capable of saving this world. Our miraculous transcendence gifts us that ability. Hence, each and every individual should be cherished. And that includes oneself.

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NO T SO DI FF ER EN T

SELF ENNOBLEMENT

“I’m not like them. I’m different.” This assertion has been a very popular pick-up line for guys all around the world but it isn’t just limited to lovestruck teenagers. Every single human being has said or thought of this particular notion at least once in their lifetime. Everyone. So, if the motive was to be ‘different’, then that assertion is kind of counterproductive. That does, however, bring with itself a plethora of questions of its own which might be disconcerting at first but also enlightening at some level. “Are we really that different from others? Is the need to be special coming from within? Does society have nothing to do with it?”. We might be tempted to answer YES, but that just pushes us further away from the truth.

For example, when Princeton professor Emily Pronin and her partner Jonah Berger conducted an experiment to determine the various factors influencing car buying, they had a question about the impact of social influence on their choices. Apparently, the experimentees did believe that social influence mattered. But this belief only held strong as long as it was about others. They believed that social influence had an impact on other people’s choices but refused to admit the same about themselves. That refusal alone pulls them back into the bubble that they’d made for themselves and fly away from the vast unknown waters of truth. This bubble that I’m speaking of, is one that everyone of us creates for ourselves and we keep trying to find subtle ways to live cozily inside it.

Infact, Jonah Berger wrote a complete 200 pages book titled “Invisible Influence”, which detailed tonnes of sociological experiments that confirmed just how susceptible we are to outside influences.

“We make riskier decisions because someone patted us on the shoulder.

We name our child Mia because other names like Madison and Sophia were popular recently. Even strangers, or people we may never meet, have a startling impact on our judgments and decisions;our attitude towards a welfare policy totally shifts if we’re told it is supported by Democrats versus Republicans,even though the policy is the same in both cases.

Sometimes we conform, or imitate others around us. But in other cases we diverge, or avoid things because other people are doing them. Our older sibling is the smart one, so we become the funny one. We avoid blaring our horn in traffic because we don’t want to be one of those people.”

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One of the few ways to keep that bubble hovering is to brand ourselves “different” just because our beliefs don’t align with others but the fundamental fact that we all ignore is the presence of a belief itself. We all have beliefs which suggests the fact that there’s also a reason or multiple reasons which might have led to them. It’s just that someone else’s circumstances weren’t so similar to ours which led them to have different beliefs. Yet we’re all bonded with each other with one common faith. Ironically, that faith assumes that we’re different from others.

Biologically speaking, every single human being is created by the same components in almost the same structure. The number of steps we’ve taken to climb up the evolutionary

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ladder is the same. From a cosmic perspective, our body shares the same components with that of a star. Every one of us. Then how exactly are we special? As one of the most remarkable astrophysicists of our time, Neil deGrasse Tyson would often say, “You are not special for being different from people but for being the same.”

Now, is it really necessary to be different? Well, it sure has its own perks. It helps people recognize us and distinguish us from the crowd. But this incessant necessity to stand out presses down on us like the cold dense air in winters which might not be that visible but is always there. The books we read or the movies we watch present a contrast between the protagonist and everything else

around him. Why is it that the protagonist is the only one with a distinguishing set of skills and problems? Why is it that among so many people, a particular young artist was able to win the tickets to one of the most popular ships in history in a simple game of poker? And why is it that of all the different ships, he boarded the one which was fated to sink? It’s as if the protagonist and his circumstances are “special”.

Those books and movies surely exaggerate this “contrast” to dramatize the whole experience. In a real-world scenario, it might have been the case that everyone on that ship had their own stories, their own hardships and their own moments of pleasure but we remember only the things that stood out.

In a near identical manner, we believe we are “special”, that we have abilities and circumstances that no one else has. We think that no one can possibly understand what we are going through.

We’re all the protagonists of our own stories.

That’s why we have an inflated sense of our capabilities and an overdramatized view of our problems. And this is because we need it or in more precise words, our self-esteem needs it.

We have this spotlight made out of our urge to be “different” and “special” hanging over our heads and illuminating us.

Focusing that spotlight on someone else frightens us since it carries the risk of leaving us in the dark. Humanity’s need for

recognition knows no bounds and it can go to any lengths to convince itself of that.

This self-satisfactory ego doesn’t only blind us from the misery and endeavors of others but more importantly, it tricks us into seeing an image of ourselves which strays from reality. The problem with this image is that we might be the only ones seeing it. Our empathy gets eaten away by our need to feel special until there’s nothing left inside other than slowly breeding narcissism.

So, does that mean it is wrong to feel special? No. Of course not. What’s wrong is losing our true selves in this irrelevant pursuit. What can be done

about it then? That’s the tricky part because this urge is inevitably present in some corner of our minds. But if we’re mindful of our thoughts and look at our circumstances from a third -person perspective, we might just find ourselves on a liberating journey towards the absolute truth which will take us further away from the delusional castle we’ve built for ourselves.

Then what’s all that buzz about quotes like “Stand out from the crowd. Be yourself.”? That’s the thing. Stand out from the crowd but don’t lose your identity in the process.

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Excelsior ‘21

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Excelsior ‘22

Absolution A

n old, flickering table lamp coated the desk in rustic yellow light, dividingt the space into unequal partitions. The eye strain resulting from the white screen of the laptop was enough of a nuisance already. The lamp, now just an accessory, was paid no heed.

Lalith sat still, his fingers hesitant. He didn’t want to scroll any further down the list.

Familiar names flashed by, their GPAs beside their names.

Drowsiness, resulting from eleven hours of sleep throughout the day, didn't stop him from noticing that their scores were still higher than anything he could hope to achieve for himself. Eventually, his glance stopped at his name. A tired sigh is all that came out when he saw his grade. He pushed the computer aside and buried his face in his hands. Why?

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New Year's Eve was cold. He could hear his final year batchmates rejoicing next door, celebrating their GPAs, indulging in merry delight. Lalith, however, wasn’t one of these fortunate people. His mind was racing, vehemently churning thoughts, soaking in the reality before him.

What should I do now? Is there any more time? Have I ruined it all? Did I have anything, to begin with? Is this the last– “Woohoo!

Only a few more moments to new y eearr!” Lalith’s train of thought was derailed by his roommate, Agastya, as he barged into the room with carry-bags, tumbling one over another. “I hope you haven’t been asleep all day long, have you? I asked you to arrange some glasses before I got back.”

He rambled on and on about random stuff– the mess refund he never received, the phone call he was expecting for his project, and the confirmation of whether

or not they have to sign up for NPTEL. In contrast, Lalith feared the imminent uncertainty headed his way. What if I don’t get placed in the last semester? Will I be able to clear GATE in the next attempt? Should I even try?

“Are you even listening to me?”

The spirit of New year, however, had taken over Agastya. In the overwhelming excitement of the moment, he tugged his ‘lost’ roommate out of his deep ponder. Startled by the stark pull, it didn’t take long for Lalith’s consternation to turn into frustration. “What is the matter with you?!” He boomed. “Could you for once, stop with the incessant rambling, Agastya?

Have you ever considered the possibility that not everyone is as nonchalant as you? This delusion that the world revolves around you, snap out of it. J-just let me be.”

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Excelsior ‘21

Following the outburst, an uncanny silence filled the room countered only by Lalith’s heavy breath. As they exchanged unwanted glances, the room remained as still as a colorless painting. Agastya let go of the polybags. Little paper cups tumbled out. Lifeless. His eyes landed on a sheet of paper, lying on Lalith’s desk. A letter. One from his father. “... But don’t worry, you’ll do great in exams this time, your mother and I are sure of it. She gets worried when you don’t pick up her call. Well, you know how she can be. I’ve enclosed some money in the envelope. When the portal for fee payment opens up, remind me.

I’ll transfer the amount. Take care.”

“Listen, I understand how you feel. Things can get roug–”

“I don’t know what to do anymore.” Lalith shook his head in disbelief at the situation he was in. “My aggregate is lower than anyone else here. Heh, and the will to resuscitate it withered long ago. Efforts to get placed have been in vain as well. Tried my luck with some exams but it too bore no fruit. Tell me Agastya, I did what everyone else did, didn’t I? Wasn’t I just supposed to follow along? Then why am I the only one with desolation in my hands?”

Lalith had always been a quiet roommate. To see him choosing to express himself so candidly, Agastya couldn’t let down the trust bestowed upon him. Now anything less than utmost honesty would mean impudence.

Hence, honesty was what he returned, “Do you think you’re the only one facing a predicament like this? Try and understand. It isn’t possible for one to have it all figured out. And would you be willing to agree that there might be people who have it even worse? Just snap out of this self-pity and face what plagues you.” Lalith squinted in annoyance. “You think I’m inflating my circumstance? And how does the pain others feel supposed to help me rise out of mine? Or do you suggest I accept it since everyone else’s enduring it?”

It was now that Lalith’s trauma slowly dawned on Agastya. His mind was racing but he took his time to answer. “Firstly, GPA is just an indicator. There are a great many avenues of–” “Indicator.” He lets out a small chuckle. “Well, guess what? I don't even have that ‘indicator’, so I don’t get the liberty to pass it off as unimportant. It's just like wealth. Only the ones who’re stable get to say, ‘Money isn’t everything.’ Try having none of it, then we’ll talk.”

“Oh, don’t start with that. You suffer from ignorance, oblivious to the slightest idea about how it feels. You don’t know what it’s like to answer eyes that judge you every day. To hesitate in picking up calls, for they’ll ask the same questions you’re asking yourself every minute, every second of the day. Even so, I don’t have any answers.

Sometimes, It almost makes me wonder, do they take pleasure in my plight? I don’t know. It might seem like it but I don’t wish to be alone. It’s seclusion from these situations that I hope for, but solitude is a rarity in this glass house.”

“It’s not the pain I wish you to accept, but the will to struggle against it.”

“You don’t know…” Lalith shook

his head rapidly, “I am fighting. I fight it every day.”

The conversation was looping around now and Agastya had had enough. “Tell me what I don’t know! What are you fighting?”

This was it. The very moment Lalith feared in all its totality. It had all the ingredients. The questioning eyes, the absence of answers, and the growing exasperation from the wall-clawing helplessness.

Agastya saw it too, the dread, the sorrow. But he knew that making Lalith accept his state held utmost priority. “In your core, you have known it all along and it starts with you confronting it.

Tell me. What are you fighting?”

“Engineering.” Lalith blurted it out as he felt palpitations he had never experienced before. “I’m fighting the very reason I’m here.

I detest every moment I spend further down this road. Did I expect it to get better with time?

Sure did. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. It deteriorates with every passing day and I can’t cut loose.” Acceptance. But they hadn’t sailed past the grim trenches yet. The answer wasn’t anywhere close and Agastya could see that. “You and I aren’t predestined to follow along this path. You decide when it starts and when it ends. Alternate fates exist, for there are options.

There always are. You can do anything, whatever makes you happy. Ask yourself, if not here where would you see yourself?”

“I have no idea!” He hollow laughed as his eyes filled up.

“And I’m scared. I truly am. The end nears. Some days, I feel elation for it will all end soon but so will the time to stall on making a decision on my life. This is it.

The final stretch.”

It sunk in, slowly. A brief period

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Speak Through Excelsior of silence followed as both of them took their time to process this dismal actuality. Lalith dropped down to the floor and took a seat, tired. The clock struck twelve and a roar of celebrations seeped through walls as people exclaimed welcomes to the new year. The choices proposed by this new and final sem of engineering, or at least by what remained of it, were simple. Continue or don’t.

“People suffer from being subjected to a fate they don’t desire to be any part of. Lack of freedom stops them from choosing the better alternative.

Yet, I envy them. At least they have the motivation to strive for what’s ahead and aren’t just forced by the need to run from the mess behind. I don’t have any shining destiny calling me ahead.

All I see is mist.”

“But you do have the mess behind you, right?” Agastya didn’t lose hope and neither could he let Lalith. “Start with moving past that. Leave and find your calling. It’ll take time but you surely will find it.” Lalith looked up at him with weary

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74

REFLECTION

Excelsior ‘21

eyes, “Just leave it all behind?

After all that I’ve endured? To risk it all on a bleak chance at something more. Is it fair to my father’s sweat? To my mother’s tears? I can’t be selfish in the face of the people I’m answerable to. I see no hope. Even more, I fear cutting loose of the ropes. They might come at the cost of restriction but they save me from being lost.”

suffering or search on ahead.

There will be pain, I can’t lie to you that there wouldn’t be any.

And we will make mistakes along the way. Sometimes hastily discrediting struggles one overcomes easily or alienating hope in the face of a harrowing future. Anything and everything but accepting misery as the final constant. It never is. Struggle.

That’s all that there is.”

“Maybe being lost is a part of the process. It’s far better than forever writhing in agony. How can you ever know what you missed out on, if you never try the unknown? If you’re already in peril, what do you stand to lose even if you risk it? You’re going through tough times, but it shall pass. I know absolute joy isn’t possible, but it’s equally important to remember that neither is absolute despair.

Change is what ensures this truth. The change you bring.”

As the batteries in the lamp took their last breath, the room sunk in a progressively dimmer hue.

The laptop went to sleep, the clatter next door dumbed down.

Lalith’s phone rang. Tears ran down his cheeks, as he read the name of the caller. But he knew his state. Lalith pushed the phone aside, “She’ll know if I pick up.” Agastya nodded in silence.

Lalith’s throat felt heavy, “So, now what?”

“Now, you decide.” Agastya took a deep breath, “To either take a chance on finding solace in this

Lalith remained in the corner of the room, curled up on the floor.

Agastya sat beside him, silent and somewhat unfazed. He didn’t leave him alone but refrained from intervening. His words didn’t matter anymore.

Him being there was enough.

Enough for both of them.

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Conclusion Excelsior ‘22

coming down from the mountain, I burst forth with all my remaining strength to decimate the walls surrounding me.

Happiness was no longer a worthy goal. I realized that for distinguishing between negative and positive influence, and in order to actually grow while being among people, an impenetrable individuality was a prerequisite. The only spiritual journey worthwhile was the one of self-love. And finally came the realization that to experience intense joy, one has to experience intense pain.

And surprisingly, as soon as I truly accepted these precepts, everything began falling into place. The all-consuming void suddenly disappeared. The existential questions seemed satisfied with these

CONCLUSION

answers.

Remember those graffiti-filled walls? They I once heard that in Dante's Inferno, the great

are now painted over, calling for new art. It

writer attempted to form a hierarchy of evil,

is as if the MANIT walls are asking me to

with the evilest of acts at the top. And he put

begin a new journey: to paint the canvas

betrayal at the apex. As my journey reached

that is my life with new experiences.

its end, I experienced more and more cases of treachery, and more and more people

This time, however, my excitement is much

abandoned me right in the middle of

more sublime. My journeys will throw new

nowhere. My "leap of faith" backfired a lot.

problems, but now I have a much stronger individuality to ride on and much better

All of this became too much to bear. To me,

tools to solve them.

abandonment, rather than deceit, felt like the one leading towards the netherworld. The

This diary entry would be incomplete

deepest existential question, deciding

without remembering the ones that stuck

whether or not life is worth living, started to

with me towards the very end. And I guess

loom its head over me.

that is what life is: to trust despite the risk of betrayal, to do things despite the risk of

It was in these depths that introspection no

catastrophic failure, to love despite the

longer remained optional. It took towering

risk of heartbreak. To stand courageously

toil on my part to finally come to terms with

despite evil and malevolence and hatred

the unavoidable. Like Nietzsche's Zarathustra

and tragedy; to say to life: "Bring it on".

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Editorial Board has always believed that as long as humankind keeps thinking things through, opinions and rationales will be formed.

Considering it our responsibility to bring the viewpoints of the MANITians in sight, Excelsior gave MANITians a chance to speak through itself.

The Survey and the Campaigns bring out the stances of the freshman year and the prefinal year on various social and college-related issues.

MANIT polls call attention to the inclination of the college to all the episodes one went through when the world was forced to stay online.

Also, The General article and artwork sections invite talented peeps to send their entries and get them presented here to let the readers behold the beauty of their arts.

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SURVEY On what basis do you think societies should conduct their recruitments?

3.0%

They should recruit students on the basis of skills but also allow interested

5.6%

20.1%

2022

folks to learn through workshops.

21.0%

They should recruit on basis of skills required.

17.4%

16.7%

59.8%

56.9%

Freshman

Pre-final Year

What is your opinion about being in a relationship while in college?

Anyone interested should be able to join.

It doesn’t concern me.

I find them highly unacceptable as they are against our culture.

8.6%

3.9%

2.1%

9.7%

I’m fine with other people being in a

26.4%

relationship, but I prefer otherwise.

Since we’re all adults here, it’s totally accecptable.

30.8% 61.8%

56.7%

They’re pointless and are bound to end up badly.

Freshman

Pre-final Year

Have you ever been depressed?

25.3%

26.9%

29.2%

9.0%

Yes, before college.

No. Yes, in college.

11.2% 36.6%

Freshman

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19.4%

42.4%

Pre-final Year

Yes, before and during college.

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Do you think homosexuality is wrong?

6.6%

17.2%

5.3%

I don’t know what that is.

8.6%

25.0%

No. I can’t say.

25.3%

Yes. 50.9%

61.1%

Freshman

Pre-final Year

What is your career aspiration?

12.4%

16.1%

10.4% 5.9%

20.1%

MBA / MS / M.Tech / M.Arch Off-campus placement.

16.0% 2.8%

Campus placement.

Undecided.

23.4%

Civil services.

50.7%

42.2%

Freshman

Pre-final Year

Why do you study?

Pointers.

22.0%

9.5%

12.5%

35.4%

27.1%

16.9%

Genuine Interest.

Because my parents said so.

I don’t know.

I don’t study.

7.5% 18.8%

6.3%

44.0%

Freshman

Pre-final Year

MANIT: Expectation v/s reality?

12.3%

16.0%

38.1%

35.4%

Different but on same level.

16.7%

14.8%

Worse.

As expected.

34.8%

Better.

31.9%

Freshman

Pre-final Year

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Pre-final year SURVEY 13.2% 17.4%

Now that MANIT has reopened, what changes do you expect to see in its culture?

Only remnants of old values shall remain, original ones will fade away.

It will be completely forgotten.

19.4% 50.0%

The new generation will bring its own additions.

It will continue as it always has.

2.5% Where do you see yourself after your graduation?

25.0%

47.9% Employed in a high paying job.

23.6%

Pursuing higher studies.

Exploring other facets.

Probably at home, COVID is unpredictable.

68.1% Which of the following do you think is a must-have quality/ comodity for an individual of this generation?

Mental fortitude.

22.9%

Physical fitness.

Popularity.

Wealth.

80

4.0%

5.0%

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As a college student, what is your top priroty?

3.0% 6.0% 39.6%

Placement.

Enjoying every ounce of college life.

51.4%

Academics .

Friends & Relationships.

2.5%

6.5% 25.7%

One thing according to you that MANIT can never have ?

Common hostels for girls and boys.

100% placement for each and every branch.

Seperate rooms for day-scholars during fests and night-outs.

65.3%

A locker room provided near classes.

19.4% 69.4%

7.2%

What is your prespective on online friendships?

I see no difference between the two.

I still prefer the friends I made offline to the ones I made online.

4.0%

In the current scenario, online friends are a necessity.

I feel online friends are more ready to help than offline ones.

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Freshman SURVEY How important are placements to you?

29.4% 51.2%

Very important, for financial stability.

15.7%

Important, as a stepping stone.

Slightly important, as a backup plan.

3.7%

Not important.

15.3%

19.0% How has the online world afftected your hobbies?

I utillized my time and picked up new hobbies.

Having a hobby or not doesn’t make any difference.

I was too busy dealing with life and had no time for

32.3%

33.3%

any hobbies.

I revitalized some old ones.

Tell us your favorite pass time during online classes?

23.7% 13.4%

Binge-watching tv shows/movies.

Scrolling on social media.

A short nap with an alarm.

Face time with your family/friends.

Oh, come on! I remain active in my class.

82

18.0% 32.1% 12.8%

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100

80

18.1%

What was the first thing you got to know about MANIT?

60

CSE placements.

40

55.8% 20

0

Stories of Veer Bahadur Launde.

6.2%

The huge campus area.

The NIRF ranking

19.8%

8.3% How was your experience with online JEE preparation?

24.2% 24.7%

It was bad because it was completely online.

It was good because it was completely online.

Offline would have been way better.

42.7%

It didn’t matter much to me.

33.3%

Do you wish to change your branch?

24.1%

42.6%

Yes No Maybe

23.9% What are your views about MANIT and your branch?

I’m in a good college but an average branch.

I’m in a good branch but an average college.

I’m in a good colloege and a good branch.

I’m in an average college and an average branch.

21.6% 39.7% 14.8%

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MANIT CAMPAIGN if MANIT had a parent teacher meet? What could be Q What the possible highlights of something like this? suhaniiiiiagarwal Aapne padhaya kabhi?

Assistant ko bhejo vo janta rahega

１

seshalja.in tfw profs say aaj gt hai ptm nahi hogi

you had the chance to create such a startup of your own, what Q Ifwould be its name? diwakar.karn Design MeKarnaKya Hai

2

art_istbyhobby Howtorollperfectjoint.in genz.meme Perfect TechBaapFinder pvt ltd

you also experienced such amazing moments in the past two Q Have years of online classes? shiksha0601 Thank God...it's only the face that the camera captures

3

akanksha_dwivedi 13 Dear Shantanu (in the poster)....I feel sorry for you....and if harsh honesty had a face it would have been Kanchan's

ritzz_artz_ Uske liye class attend krni pdti h

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MANIT POLLS １

Q What is your current state of mind?

No f*cks given

32%

Jaisa chal raha hai chalne dijiye

Enjoying this marvelous and beautiful world

19%

Alexa play ‘O beta ji in’ in background

Realizing MANIT wasn’t the promised land

28%

Dil se bura lagta hai bhai

Umm, uhh

21%

Matlab aise immediate nahi soche hai, sochenge kuch

2

3

Q How does one become famous among their classmates?

By breaking GT

29%

By being an eye candy

14%

By responding to teachers during online classes.

31%

By being in a relationship

26%

could transfer your conciousness, with all your experience, Q Ifto ayoudifferent point of time in your life (past or f uture), which one would you choose?

Last day of school

29%

First time you had a crush

20%

Getting your first salary

11%

I would’nt be anywhere but here

40%

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GENERAL ARTICLES GE 006

GE 019

जीवन-�ेरणा

ल�य

Name -Prachi singh Branch -Mechanical (Year-1st) (ar- 1st

Name -Deepesh kumar daksha Branch -ECE (Year-1st) तू चल तो सही, आगे बढ़ तो सही ।।

हे! उगते सूरज आज के, क्यूँ भोग - �वलास में डू ब,

जब तक न हा�सल हो मं�जल ,

खुशी क� रंगर�लयां मना रहे, जीवन का असली

तो राह में आराम कैसा,

आनन्द ये नही, क्यूं भूल गये तुम जीवन के उ�ेश्य,

अजुर्न सा �नशाना रख,मन में न कोई बहाना रख,

क्यूं भूल गये उस माँ क� कृत�ता को,

ल�य सामने है, बस उसी पर अपना �ठकाना रख ।

तुच्छ संघषर् देख जीवन का, क्यूं हो गये मागर् से �वच�लत,

रख �हम्मत तूफानों से टकराने क� ,

ये सरलता जीवन - �वनाशकार� बनेगी तुम्हार�

ज�रत नहीं हैं �कसी मुसीबत से घबराने क�, जो पाना हैं बस उसक� "एक पागल" क� तरह

हे �रान्त यो�ा! उठो जागो,

"चाहत" कर ,

छोड़ आलस्य, बन तपस्वी, परोपकार� बन �वकासशील,

करता रह कमर् , मगर साथ में "खुदा" क�

हर बाधा को तोड़कर,

"इबादत" भी कर ।

हर गम को �र कर, आगे बढ़ जीवन 'एक �नझर्र' है,

"�फर देख �कस्मत क्या रंग �दखलाएगी ""

जल से �श�ा लेकर,

‘तुझ को तेर� मं�जल �मल जायेगी ’

मं�जल प्राप्त कर असली आनन्द ले |

GE 003

बीते लम्ह� Name -Eshika Kumari Branch -CSE (Year-1st) बीतें लम्हों क� जुबा चाहे हो र�ववार या हो सोमवार, प�रवार के साथ हो तो बन जाए हर �दन �ोहार। यूं �कन्हीं के �ःख, �कसी क� हँसी को आपस में बांट लेते हैं इतनी बड़ी ��नया में खुद का वजूद भी ढू ंढ लेते हैं हम। यूं मुस्कुराते बीत गए वो पल, कर ली उनसे सार� बातें पर शायद कुछ पड़ गए कम।

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GE 007

आत्महत्या Name -Sankar kumar Branch -CSE (Year-1st)

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माँ को फोन �कया, खबर मेरे घर जो �क झारखण्ड के �ग�रडीह में है वहाँ फैल गयी थी। सभी लोग परेशान थे। मेर� माँ ने तुरत ं फोन उठाया ऐसा लगा मानो वो मेरे फोन का ही इंतज़ार कर रही थी। उनके पहले शब्द थे "बेटा तुम कहां हो ?" उन्हें कैसे पता चला �क

कोटा के �व�ान नगर से सुबह 6:00 बजे स्टेशन क� तरफ बढ़ा चला इस सोच में क� ट्रेन के नीचे आकर अपने आप को खत्म कर लूंगा| मैं आत्मह�ा करने जा रहा था पंखे से लटकने क� को�शश क� थी मगर रस्सी टू ट गई थी, मैंने सोचा �क ट्रेन के सामने आ जाऊंगा और बस कहानी जब मैं ऑटो लेकर स्टेशन प�ंचा तो वहां सब सामान्य था सभी लोग आ जा रहे थे | ट्रेन स्टॉप पर खड़ी थी मैंने सोचा यहां सब के सामने �कसी ट्रेन के सामने कूदना सही नहीं होगा इस�लए मैं �बना �टकट के एक ट्रेन में बैठ गया जो कोटा से सूरत जा रही थी| मैं एक ब्लू कलर क� टी-शटर् और ग्रे रंग क� ट्राउजर पहने था। मेरे पास पैसे नहीं बचे थे मुझे टीटी के आने का डर नहीं था।

मैंने ही फोन �कया है । माँ तो माँ होती है। मैं उनक� बात सुनकर रोने लगा। माँ ने कहाँ बेटा तुम क्यों रो रहे हो, सब ठीक है, तुम बस घर वापस आ जाओ, तुम मेरे पास आ जाओ, तुम कोटा छोड़ दो, तुम मेरे पास आ जाओ, अपने प�रवार के पास �फर फोन मेरे चाचा ने ले �लया, उन्होंने मुझसे मेरा पता पूछा, मैंने अपने बगल में खड़े व्य�� से पूछ कर बता �दया, मैं सूरत में था। चाचाजी ने कहा घबराओ मत हमारे �रश्तेदार सूरत में रहते हैं। उन्होंने तुरत ं अपने �रश्तेदार को फोन �कया, वो लोग लगभग 1 घंटे में वहाँ आ गए और वहाँ से अपने घर ले गए। अगले सुबह मेरे पापा और भैया वहाँ आए और मुझे अपने घर �ग�रडीह ले गए। मैं अभी जी�वत �ँ, हाँ और मैं मै�नट भोपाल में Cse

�जसे मौत का इंतजार था वह भला टीटी से कैसे डरता।

�डपाटर्मेंट में �ँ, बी.टेक कर रहा �ं।

अलग-अलग स्टॉप पर लोग चल रहे थे पर मैं बस बैठा था, एक ही जगह पर। मैं सोच रहा था, �क कब कूद जाऊं ट्रेन से

अब मैं ब�त खुश �ँ।

सोचते-सोचते लगभग 3:00 बजे गए और मेर� आंख लग गई। जब मेर� आंख खुली तो मैंने देखा �क रात हो गई मेरे पास फोन या घड़ी नहीं थी �कसी आदमी से पूछने पर पता चला �क 8:00 बज गए हैं| मैंने सोच �लया �क अब और इंतज़ार नहीं इस�लए मैं ट्रेन से बाहर �नकला। मेर� ट्रेन तो �क� �ई थी। मैं बगल वाली पटर� में खड़ा हो गया। सामने से एक ट्रेन आने क� आवाज सुनी, ट्रेन और नजदीक आ रही थी, उसक� रौशनी से मेर� आँखें चौं�धया गयी थी। जब वो ट्रेन मुझसे लगभग 100 मीटर क� �र� पर थी, तब मेरे मन में अचानक बदलाव आया (वो खौफ था मौत का) मैं वा�पस आ गया और अपनी ट्रेन में जाकर बैठ गया। मैं बस रोये जा रहा था। मैं ट्रेन के फशर् पर बैठा था और सर �नचे कर रो रहा था, ता�क �सरों को पता न चले, पर मेरे बगल में खड़े एक व्य�� ने मुझे नो�टस कर �लया और मुझसे मेरे रोने का कारण पूछा, मैंने नहीं बताया। उस व्य�� के दबाव देने पर मैंने झूठ बोला क� मैं खो गया �ँ। उससे तभी मैंने फोन माँगा, उसने �बना �हच�कचाये अपना क�-पैड फ़ोन �नकला और मुझे दे �दया। रात के 11 बज गए थे, मैंने अपनी

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GE 018

प्रफु�ल्लत, उ�ा�हत ले�कन �फर वो खुशी, वो उ�ाह, वो उमंग

तुम्हारा स्पशर्

उस स्पशर् में क्यों नहीं थी....वो इतना नीरस और भावना शून्य क्यों था.....क्यों था वो असमथर् मुझे पुराने एहसास करा पाने में

Name -Trishant Dwivedi Branch -Mechanical (Year-1st)

.....ये सार� बातें इतने वष� में भी मैं कभी समझ नहीं सक�.....

कभी कभी कुछ स्पशर् �कतने जा�ई होते हैं ना.... जैसे ऊषाकाल में सूरज क� पहली �करण का स्पशर्...जो घास पर �गर� साधारण सी ओस क� बूँदों को भी सुनहरा कर देती है जैसे बूढ़े हो चुके द�� को उनके पोते पोतीयों का स्पशर्... जो उनमें ऊजार् का ऐसा संचार करता �क वो अपने जमे �ए घुटनों के साथ भी घोड़ा बनकर तैयार हो जाते हैं जैसे थक हार कर आए अपनी सन्तान के माथे पर �कसी माँ का स्पशर् ... जो �ण भर में सार� थकान �र कर देता है ।

पर जो बात मेरे समझ में आयी वो ये, �क वो स्पशर् तुम्हारा आ�खर� स्पशर् कभी नहीं हो सकता और तुम आओगे इक �दन, मुझे अपना आ�खर� स्पशर् देने.....जो होगा �ब� तुम्हारे पहले स्पशर् सा साधारण,सरल, सुन्दर ,भावमय और �त�लस्मी.......

GE 017

जयकार भारतीय संस्कृ�त Name -Arohi Jain Branch -CSE (Year-2nd)

ऐसा ही तो था ना तुम्हारा स्पशर् .....मुझे याद है....जब भी कभी �कताबों क� अदला बदली करते �ए हमारे अंगु�लयों के पोर छु जाते ....या �मत्र मंडली में तुम धोखे से मेरे कंधों पे हाथ रख जाते .....या जब तुम सबके सामने मेरे छोटे बालों पे व्यंग्य करते और मैं "अब बस भी करो " बोलकर तुम्हें धक्का देकर जाती....हर बार तुम्हारे ये स्पशर् मुझे वैसे ही लगते....हर बार ये मेर� धड़कनों को रोक सा देते....

के बागान में �ँ जहाँ एक कमल भी है , मेरे चारों ओर छात्रों का समूह नहीं ब�ल्क भौरों का झुण्ड हो और मैं भी उनमें से एक भौरा �ँ जो उस इकलौते कमल के कोपलों में हमेशा के �लए समा जाना चाहता हो ....

कोयल मीठे स्वर में गीत गुनगुना रही हो..... मुझे लगता �क मैं बड़े बड़े मकानों के शहर में नहीं रहती ब�ल्क मैं रहती �ँ ऊँचे पहाड़ों के �कनारे एक छोटी सी झोपड़ी में �जसके सामने बादलों से भरा अनंत तक फैला आकाश हो।

जय धमर् सनातन आ�द �वख्यात जय गंगा गऊ आ�द माता जय सै�नक दल जय ब�लदान जय र�क धमर् परम अपार जय हो मयार्दा पु�षो�म् जय वासुदेव कुटु ंबकम् जय गीता सार उ�म कंठ

ऋग-यजुर्-साम्-अथवर् वेद जय सवर्�ाता उप�नषद जय हो अ�ह�सा परमो धमर् जय प�र�स्थ�त अनुसार ��त्रय कमर् जय जय आज़ाद जनेऊधार�

मुझे कभी पता नहीं चला �क ये स्पशर् तुम्हे भी ऐसा एहसास कराते थे या नहीं और तुमने ऐसी बातों का कभी �ज़क्र �कया हो, ये मुझे याद नहीं......पर मुझे याद है तुम्हारा आ�खर� स्पशर् आज इतने वष� बाद भी, मुझे याद है जब तुमने अपनी मल्टीनैशनल कंपनी का ज्वाइ�न�ग लेटर मेरे हाथों में थमाकर मुझे गले से लगाया था..... वही था ना, तुम्हारा आ�खर� स्पशर्

88

जय जननी जय जय भारत माँ

जय सुदशर्नधार� सुदामा �मत्र

मुझे लगता �क सामने प्रोफेसर लेक्चर ना दे रहे हो ब�ल्क कोई

�कतने खुश थे,

जय गु�जन जय जय �जनेश

जय प्रवास भोले �हमालया

और मुझे लगता �क मैं �मत्रों के साथ नहीं ब�ल्क �कसी गुलाब

...... पर वो स्पशर् कैसा था, मैं कभी समझ नहीं सक�।

जय मात-�पता आदर समेत

तुम

जय शहीद-ए-आज़म क्रां�तकार� जय �दव्य�ानी नरेंद्र स्वामी जय बु��मत पूणर् नेताजी जन-जन कण कण प्राणी जय-जय है ओंकार वाणी जय जय जय संस्कृ�त जय आचार जय सभ्यता जय जय �वचार

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GE 014

In and out: The race of life.

Name -Elvin Roy and Krishna Kant Branch -Architecture (Year-4th)

How Beautiful is the analogy, Of a human on this planet, that it creates a perfect union, For everything that matters.

There existed those organic elements. “Oh! We want a proper habitat", said these “Racing” to achieve a supreme spot, many succumbed, yet few survived.

Those who survived, now began developing, but there’s a twist.

The Conditions are tough. “Fuel” is an Important factor to achieve Inception. Many succumbed, yet few survived.

Those who Survived, were the first Organisms. They were fed the first “nutrients” of Planet Earth.

Although some failed, due to lack of Adequate, Many succumbed, yet few survived.

The Earth then changes. She wants her Children to evolve and teaches them. “Change is dangerous, yet required". However, some loss Confidence. Many succumbed, yet few survived.

"foolish" lost their lives.

Many succumbed, yet few survived.

Those who survived were now exposed to a completely new world.

Full of danger and “Spewing Volcano",they had to Adapt. It was tough.

Many succumbed, yet few survived.

The time had come to say Goodbye to one’s home and start a life with this new "homeland" that would become home for coming species.

Many succumbed, yet few survived.

Leaving everything behind, a new family began. New Species began to evolve, often getting “dangerous" but also wild “Calm".

Many succumbed, yet few survived.

Now this is a long duration, the dawn of civilization, development of Empires to Development of machines. people start forgetting their importance, 'cause it's boring. Many succumbed, yet few survived.

Nobody knows, when this will meet with an end, But that would be Calm, if reached to its final destiny. Coz if the current word is the result of Miracle, then Dear Reader, your life is also special.

Those who survived, have now made friends with different types of Organisms." Hey, How could you!”

Quite to note, some didn't Appreciate this. Many succumbed, yet few survived.

The growth comes with dare, Now, they want to Explore, beyond their habitat and in this process, many

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GE 012

The Soul Yearns Name -Aaron Abraham Pradeep Branch -CSE (Year-3rd)

The soul yearns. It yearns for something more or more so… nothing at all.

Having lived its eternity in desolation, it finds a certain serenity embodied in nothingness.

It knows not what it means to feel truly loved, to feel consoled and cared for. Alas!

It pays no heed to ethics.

Mere benevolence was incomprehensible for an entity as such, that had discarded all possession of its moral compass to begin with. And what value does life hold to one whose moral compass points nay direction?

One may ponder. Multitudes may ponder, yet nothing but futile mutters would remain still.

It goes without saying that humanity does not accept unless they understand, but is apprehending prior to acknowledging truly accepting?

For this very reason the soul knows not what empathy is, for it has never been empathized for.

Masses of people speak highly of their alacrity to lend a helping hand although yet again these words spewing out of their fickle lips remain volatile still.

For when the time draws near, all those words forsaken with no hand in sight. But who is to blame them? For we all barely subsist under a similar cycle.

The life we live, the bodies we’re trapped in, spending all eternity rummaging about to make sense of the monochromatic tone of our storyline.

90

Spending our days casting about for anything to make our souls feel more alive was doomed to be our own demise.

And so, the soul yearns. It yearns for something more or more so… nothing at all.

GE 011

Alluring Lullabies Name -MD Anis Ansari Branch -CSE (Year-3rd)

I have never been touched by Death.

Yet, I share such an intimate relationship with him.

His soul-quenching lips seem so appealing and arms so liberating.

Liberation from this unkempt web of lies and my self-loathing aura.

I have never summoned Depression.

Yet, She whispers tears as I lay on my wet pillow.

She caresses me through the night whereas Death with his icy, hoarse voice beckons me to his eternal carefree company. Depression’s chilled fingers brush my temple opening cracks to the eternal beyond.

And, Death’s serene seduction tempts me to elope with him on his undisclosed chariot.

Which awaits me, under the spin of a wheel, in the depths of a river, and on the sharpness of a blade.

GE 009

Instagram and the Kingdom of Hypocricy Name -Shailendra Choudhary Branch -Civil Engineering (Year-3rd)

Social media is not a Media. The key is to listen, engage, and build relationships.”

-David Alston It's not long when Indian masses started using social media, although, social media existed long before it became so relevant for Indian demography.

No one can forget the joy of getting in contact with a person whom you last met in school days and then he/ she never came in touch with or the person you tried hard to know about but couldn't know in the conventional institution of relationship building. But for today, social media isn't just about acquaintances. Instead, it had taken a more penetrative role.

Take for instance, Instagram. It is more about letting others know where you are going, what you are going to eat and what you are going to wear rather than having acquaintances. But then where does hypocrisy come into existence?

The answer is simple. It works on a chain reaction mechanism wherein for once you upload your happenings on *your story* but in the consecutive attempts; you modify your life to be in content with an *impressive story.* Slowly and slowly, we are so engrossed in this attitude that we start fixating on an impressive story rather than the joy of "experiencing".We are replacing what is good to us with what can be good to upload on a post or story and we are losing our roots.

Although it may seem to be a small issue but the reality isn't just so. It has a long term effect on our psychology and affects our choices and ultimately try to hamper the creativity, psychological and behavioral skills

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by replacing it with a hollow paradigm of fakeness.

Now lets talk on another issue that it created on the other side i.e., the viewers of your story or post. You putting your very seemingly happy post can create a kind of distrust into a person who is also on the same level ( psychological) but doesn't pose so seemingly happy.

It isn't the fact that the viewer is not optimistic of you but instead it is the general human tendency to compare and characterize himself with others. Copying others is itself a destructive move but here it leads to something more disastrous. Because if you are imitating, you yourself are providing strength to the bubble paradigm so created by the first person and yourself also creating the same bubble. You are lying to yourself and continuing to live in a life of fake and distrustful attitude ultimately leading to despair.

But is avoiding social media an alternative?

Definitely not.

A better way to engage on platforms like instagram can be to have a just informative purpose so that you are also familiar with the trend and avoid the emotional attachment or any personal insecurity if so created. This way social media will suffice us for our social relationship institutions and avoid unnecessary despair and insecurities.

S

IBE IES #V EMOR D #M #SOLO L KISSE #SUN #TRAVE CH #BEA

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GE 005

The Confrontation

Shadows

Name -Shashwata Sharma Branch -Mechanical(Year-1st)

Name -Sudeepta Sagarika Branch -Mechanical (Year-1st)

A lively young boy walked down the street, From playground to his home, he began to retreat.

On his way, a wounded man did he meet.

His looks were deceptive and demeanor unpleasant, “Leave him and run.”, thought this adolescent.

The next moment he looked at his wound, The bruise was deep and the bleeding was profuse.

It pricked his conscience, he could run or make an excuse.

“Help!”, the boy cried, His mother came and scrutinized the man beside.

“Alexander!” she said. Her voice nearly broke, He was the man with whom she had once eloped.

“He is not from our race.

This marriage will bring a disgrace.”

Her father’s words she remembered old, Memories and nostalgia evoked.

“Forgive me I lied.

I left you and ran away.” the man cried.

“Forgive me of my sin.

Look at this boy. He belongs to our kin.”

With heavy heart and teary eyes she replied, “You shattered my dreams of love, broke my heart. You took my hope, torn it apart.

I’ll call for help. I owe you my son.

But i will never forgive you for what you have done.

You left me alone and broke my trust.

Our love could have been eternal.

Your betrayal made it a ruse.”

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GE 002

How gracefully you lay there so quiet Depicting your comrade's silhouette.

Despite being infamous as a coward body, And all dark phrases associated with you, You have stayed firm since ages With your partners in all their black and blue.

In the light you rise And vanish with it's departure.

Maybe you're selfish Nevertheless, you're an honest creature.

A figure so bold and sharp, Yet an image so scary and dark.

Often as playful as a small child And at times petrifying as a form so wild.

Wishful as a genie, Shifting shapes in all directions A lively play of light and dark A lovely way of illusion.

People still struggling hard To decode the mystery that you hold A secret so eerie and cold Detaining within stories untold.

I wish you could stay when it's dark I wish you followed me wherever I went But you are as temporary and non-permanent As a lucid dream that lasts only for a moment.

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GENERAL ARTWORK Year- 1st GE015

Year1st Year1st

GE 006

Vidhi jani Branch -Chemical (Year-2nd)

GE010 Year- 1st

Vidhi jani

Branch -Chemical (Year-2nd)

GE013

Sanjeev Kumar Branch -Computer Science (Year-2nd)

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GE001

GE013 Year- 1st

Year- 1st

Sanjeev Kumar

Branch -Computer science (Year-2nd)

Year- 2nd

Diwakar Kumar

Year- 1st

GE 006

GE008

GE001

GE004

Diwakar Kumar

Year- 1st

Divyansh Arse

Branch - Architecture and planning (Year-2nd)

Branch -Computer science (Year-1st) Year- 1st

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Branch - Architecture and planning (Year-2nd)

GE 006

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ALUMNI

Excelsior Excelsior‘22 ‘21

Year- 1st

Year- 1st Year- 1st

GE 006

क्या तय �कया था Name -Ashutosh Kumar Branch -MSME (2021) क्या तय �कया था???

कदम बढ़ाके के चलना होगा,

तब तो ये तय �आ था,

हर बार खड़ा �मलना होगा,

ऐसा कुछ �नश्चय �आ था। जीना होगा रास्ते को ल�य एक बहाना होगा, जीतना होगा खुद को हीं खुद से हार जाना होगा, बु�� व मन को एक करके �नत �दन सपने गढ़ना होगा, कमर् के इस अ�ग्नपथ पर

�गरने से नहीं डरना

बस कदम बढ़ाके के चलना होगा, हाँ, कदम बढ़ाके के चलना होगा। पर ये खुद से हीं �र� क्यों रोज़ कहानी कुछ अधूर� क्यों प्रयास क� ढेरों कमी यहाँ �व�� अपने मजबूर� क्यों। ऐसा तो कुछ तय नहीं था

चुनाव तुम्हारे अपने हैं सामने सारे सपने हैं �कस बात क� देर� है बज रही रणभेर� है चक्रव्यूह पूरा रचा गया है तुम खुद को कहाँ खपा गया है तय सभी अब तार�ख है लड़ाई थोड़ी बार�क है, यूं सब तय नहीं रहने वाला बनाना होगा तय करने वाला।

ना ऐसा �नणर्य �लया था

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We still live in those times when the thought of getting an off-campus job is horrifying in the least. And so are several other thoughts which haunt the mind of a student who is about to step into a much bigger world of opportunities and competition. Taking a leap of faith with no experience or guidance is the fastest way to go plummeting down towards failure.

This is why the Editorial Board lends a helping hand towards every one of such students and we aren’t alone in this. Joining us are thousands of Alumni whose years of experience provide us with the wisdom and guidance that they’ve accumulated throughout their career. Tune in if you want to navigate the uncharted waters of your future with a map in one hand and a compass in the other.

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Career Section

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Excelsior ‘21

ALUMNI INTERVIEW Mr. Shlok Waikar

­

1. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us something about your current position?

A. Shlok Waikar, Chemical Enginee Indian Civil Account Service.

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2. What are some of the experiences of MANIT and how these experiences help you on this journey?

A. Participating and leading societies allowed me to make lifelong friendships with people far more talented than me. The support and guidance of these people was crucial.

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3. Can you give us a glimpse of your journey after MANIT? A. I worked for a year in Edelweiss Financial Services till 2018. After that I quit my job and took the plunge in Civil services preparation.

In my first attempt (CSE, 2019) I couldn’t clear mains and in my second attempt (CSE, 2020) I got rank 699 and was allotted Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS). I plan to write another attempt for rank improvement after completing the Foundation Course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie.

4. When and how did you figure out what you wanted to do in life?

A. Civil services was always at the back of my mind since school. After working in the private sector, it became clear to me that I would like to widen the scope of my work and civil service offers that opportunity. So, I was convinced that it would be a satisfying career for me.

5. What is one thing you learned with time that you wish you knew during your college life ?

A. Learn to write well. It’s a skill that will serve you well, irrespective of which field you enter.

6. How did you feel after your selection and getting a rank in this prestigious exam? Could you tell us how it all came together?

A. I was relieved. The CSE preparation process really takes a toll on your mind and body. So, it was a nice feeling to have got the name in the list.

7. Could you elaborate a plan/tips for those preparing for civil services?

A. Know the exam well. You should try to understand what is the actual requirement of each phase of the exam before you start

Excelsior ‘21 preparing. Improve your capacity as you prepare. And have patience, you are in a marathon and not a sprint.

8. Did your chemical engineering help you in your preparation in any way?

A. No it didn’t.

9. What has been the greatest reward of being a civil servant for you?

A. You get to be in the company of the brightest minds of the country and get a chance to elevate yourself in their company.

10. What would you suggest to our readers to help them get a clear idea of what they want to do in their lives after college?

A. Try different things during college. Do not restrict yourself to any particular field.

Experiment, fail, but learn. Know what you are good at and try to excel in that.

11. What according to you are the biggest challenges of being a civil servant?

A. World and our country are in a state of Flux. Old assumptions are obsolete. So one needs to be imaginative and keep pace with the changing world.

12. What are your aspirations for the future?

A. In the immediate future, I’m looking forward to improving my rank in the 2022 attempt. In the long run, I wish to remain physically fit, mentally alert and spiritually elevated.

13. What advice would you like to give to our readers?

A. Life is too short. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

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Excelsior ‘21

ALUMNI INTERVIEW Mr. Aman Pandey

­

1.How was your life as a student in MANIT? A.Ever since the beginning of my college days, I was also very involved in building and working on real life projects. I started working with a professor from the Computer Science department, Dr. Bholanath Roy in my second year. I also interned at Appointy, which is a start-up based out of Bhopal. The primary goal

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of these endeavors was to achieve a technical skill set which I could then utilize to build my own venture someday. Then in my third year, COVID pandemic disrupted normal life. All of us went back to our homes and I started working on this idea of Bugsmirror that had slowly been developing for quite some time, ever since I was in my first year to be honest.

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2. Were you always inclined towards building your own business or did you ever get attracted towards the idea of pursuing a job?

A.I had a very clear goal that I wanted to work on my own business. Even my internship at Appointy was testament to this fact. Them being an established startup, I had joined there to learn about the day to day nuances and operational activities required to run a venture and not in prospect of a job. I built a very strong rapport with Neemesh sir (CEO Appointy) and we still have conversations. He has been a guide and mentor to me in this journey.

3. You have recently set-up your first office in Indore. Would you like to tell us more about it?

A. We chose Indore because it is a well developed and better connected city. But even so, the cost of living is not significantly high as compared to other tier 1 cities. We made meticulous calculations before deciding to set up our base in Indore. Plus, its proximity to Bhopal makes it a sweet deal since I share a special bond with Bhopal having spent some much time here.

4. How are you dealing with the sudden hype and media coverage you have recently been receiving?

A. It might look sudden but we knew beforehand that things were going to explode once we made remarkable progress. We had been in conversation with Google for almost a year and had anticipated the praise we would be receiving for quite some time. Many news channels and agencies also approached us in our offices to cover our story. Till then, we mostly had international clients, but post this recognition, we started receiving enquiries and requests from Indian companies as well. We

Excelsior ‘21 have observed that the Indian market is proactively working in cyber security right now.

Recently, we got in touch with the technical lead of Mercedes India and he has shown interest in working with us. We are now trying to acquire them as a client.

5. It must sometimes feel intimidating to meet all these corporate bigshots and sign multi-million dollar deals. Don’t you ever get nervous?

A.Well, it isn’t like I woke up one day and started hopping on these calls. I have been on this for more than a year now. During COVID, it was easier for me to manage both academics and my company. After that, I gradually started taking such calls to win new clients to fuel the growth of our business. So you could say that I was very much in practice before entering into the big leagues.

6. How did you first come across the field of Cybersecurity?

A. So, story time! Since you are from MANIT, let us begin from there itself. In those days, there were many incidents of ragging in the college and students usually went to outside authorities, police and media to report these incidents. We decided to make a SOS application through which students could directly send their grievances to higher authorities within the institute in an anonymous manner. This would both help the students and improve the perception of the institute in society. While developing this application, I identified a bug which could be used to track any user and their activity without their knowledge or consent. This was the first bug of my life which laid the foundation of BugsMirror.

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7. Where do you think the domain of digital security is headed in future?

A.Data has been considered as the most important asset of the 21st century. Recent developments amidst the Russia-Ukraine war have showcased how data can be weaponized at times of crisis. Western countries have been vocal and proactive about data breach and security mechanisms. Indian firms on the other hand have been till now only focused on getting things done and have had little regard for compliance and other issues given the lax nature of implementation and privacy laws in the past. I cannot name any big company but most Indian MNCs have had this attitude where they do not take data security as a critical need for running their business. European countries are especially stringent in this regard especially with laws such as GDPR. In my recent conversations with Mercedes, they were suggesting how non-compliance could potentially lead to fines of $3 billion. So with the increased focus of the Indian government on security and compliance, the future belongs to us.

8. There is a perception about ethical hackers in mainstream media where they are often portrayed as dark and secretive coders trying to break into systems. How far fetched is this from reality?

A.I would say there isn’t any reality to what is being portrayed. Media often does not completely understand the nuances of this trade. Everything that we do is done openly in a trustworthy setup. Ethical hacking is very similar to product development. It is bifurcated into defined stages where different teams take charters for different activities using the industry best practices. You could say it is very much like reverse engineering. With each passing day, we are also improving our

Excelsior ‘21

internal tools and processes to make this end to end process more precise. Presently, I am involved in the research side of things.

9. Do you think “passion” is a prerequisite for starting out a venture?

I honestly feel that passion is secondary. The key point remains, what is it that you desire most from your life. If safety, stability and a cushy pay is what you desire, your passions will align accordingly to get you the best campus job out there. From day one that I entered into MANIT, I knew I wanted to do my own startup. The Bugsmirror you see today is the product of numerous endeavors and trials.

Before this also, I tried to collaborate with Smart City Bhopal amongst other ventures and finally I was able to make this work. So if your “why” is clear, everything else like passion, technical skills etc. will come along the way.

10. What are some of the lesser known challenges which you faced with your startup?

A. I feel confused if I should term Bugsmirror as a startup or not. Reason being, most startups tend to be loss making and we are already a million dollar entity. But on a serious note, the biggest issue we faced was not profitability but of taxes. The Indian tax ecosystem is extremely complex and navigating your company through it is a mammoth task. I had to spend countless hours with chartered accountants to have some sense of how taxes work. The second biggest challenge we faced was hiring. Like any other small firm, it is difficult to attract top talent who want to work for stability. With all the media attention, it has relatively become easier now to hire, given we are even getting interest from IITs and foreign institutes for internships in their domain.

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11. On that note of hiring, do you plan to visit MANIT for placements?

A.We did try to come and hire in January of last year. Unfortunately, most people are only lured to work for corporate giants such as Amazon and Microsoft. The entire interview preparation has become solely focused on data structures and algorithms. We conduct interviews differently with a holistic focus on the domain of cyber security. We will try again probably for third year students and visit the campus sometime after March or July.

12. You are pursuing Bugsmirror full time as of now. Do you think ten years down the line, you would still be doing this?

A.Definitely. I started out on my own and today we have a team of 18 people. Awareness about cyber-security is only going to go up and will significantly increase our total addressable market. Soon there is going to be an introduction of standardization across the board where agencies like ISO will certify digitally compliant companies with a rating.

Even wars are projected to be fought off the ground in the cyber world. Therefore, we are extremely bullish about the possibilities and sky is the only limit.

Excelsior ‘21 I work like this six days a week. On Sundays, I try to spend some time for myself and usually go for a cricket match with my friends.

14. One final message you would like to give to all your juniors reading this.

A.I understand that the freshers who join college have undergone a rigorous and grueling journey before making it to MANIT. It is important to enjoy your time here. However, it is also super important that you explore many things during your first two years of college. Do not blindly follow all your seniors into ten different societies. Unless you have any practical experience, it adds little value to you as an engineer. Look beyond the apparent opportunities available in college. Students should also leverage the tag of NIT which would help them reach out to people outside the institute for internships, projects and even potential investors. product of numerous endeavors and trials. Before this also, I tried to collaborate with Smart City Bhopal amongst other ventures and finally I was able to make this work. So if your “why” is clear, everything else like passion, technical skills etc. will come along the way.

13. How does a day look in your everyday schedule?

A.I wake up everyday at 5:30 am and then go for a morning walk. I have my breakfast after that and reach the office by 9 am. Sometimes, it so happens that any client from the USA wants to have a meeting or discussion so that has to be done in the early morning as well because of the different time zones. There is no fixed time when I leave the office. As and when all relevant tasks for the day are done and I feel content, I wrap it up for the day.

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As I Graduate Placement

As I graduate this year and begin a new chapter of my life, I pause and reflect upon everything that I learned in the past four years and how it will shape my career ahead. Often we contribute most of our personality development and character profiling with four (and in some cases three or five) years of undergraduate curriculum. Most of these aspects are solely qualitative in nature which makes me wonder, what about the exact quantitative aspects of education? What tangible outcomes do students derive from such a lofty investment of their time, effort, and money? And at the end of it all, is it worth it?

Yes, I scored a wonderful placement this year. So did most of my batchmates.

And as the proverbial saying goes “All’s well that ends well”, I too am content and satisfied. After all, the final outcome, at least for me, was to get a good job.

Always had been. So what happened in the last four years (either good or bad) did not stop me from achieving my final goal. Hence college must be great, right? But I think that is where the most fundamental disconnect lies. In an ambition-driven economy like India, most lower and middle-class Indians dream of sending their children to prestigious engineering colleges in the hopes of getting a good job, aka their one-way ticket out of any prevalent or potential financial hardships. So regardless of whether someone wanted to pursue engineering (or law or medicine or CA for that matter of fact) becomes irrelevant.

And why shouldn't it? How can a seventeen-year-old teenager be expected to decide what he wants to do and find his passion? Throughout his life, the only thing which had ever been the center of his life was school academics. So it is only natural for most kids to think about placements as the only tangible outcome which can be derived from college. Concepts of exploration, passion, and real interests often fade away in the context of getting a job, and this holds true for most students, especially in their final year.

But the story on the other side of the table is remarkably different. Most faculty have had illustrious careers in the field of research and development. They are masters of their craft who have dedicated a majority of their life to identifying niche problem statements in their domain and have in some form or another contributed to the development of science and technology. Many of them came into teaching as a natural consequence of their interests and research temperament. The primary thing which they expect from all their pupils is

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genuine interest and a fresh perspective towards their subjects. All of their efforts are driven towards igniting that interest and deep-diving into the fundamentals of the trade. Few of them succeed in doing so with their immaculate presentations, interactive mode of communication, and creative delivery and assessment mechanisms. However, for a majority of them, one single issue persists - the lack of genuine interest from the majority of students towards whatever is being delivered in class. This escalated multifold during COVID where most students would simply log in to the classes and mute their speakers during the entire class.

Rise of IT jobs

(a.k.a. Demise of Core Jobs)

This makes me wonder. When there is such a fundamental disconnect between the two primary stakeholders of the entire process, how can the system ever flourish? Could this be the reason why drop-out culture has slowly but steadily been on the rise? Rest assured, as long as employers mandatorily require a degree for the pursuit of any job, despite having all relevant skills - college is here to stay. So perhaps the only thing both parties need to do, and actually have been doing for the past decade or so is to find a middle ground and compromise till the batch graduates.

Youtube today is filled with the glamorous lives of software development engineers (SDEs) having the time of their lives in multinational firms like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and more recently in unicorn startups like Flipkart, Slice, Meesho etc. The compensation, benefits and perks, and quality of life, in general, are portrayed as something to strive for. Hence it is only natural that the majority of young engineers gravitate toward these roles. But the crux of the issue is not that the IT sector today has fabulous jobs and work culture, it is a lack thereof in other industries.

The problem is actually two fold 1. The dearth of companies which provide good core jobs 2. Meagre compensation in comparison to coding profile jobs This year more than 200 companies visited the campus to participate in the placement process. Out of these companies, no more than 20 have hired students for a core profile that was directly associated with the branch of engineering they were pursuing. A little more than 100 students have been collectively placed in these companies. Compare this with the total number of offers for UG students which stands at around 800. The data clearly shows that fewer job opportunities are now available for core sector companies. If we leave aside two major recruiters Aarti industries and LnT who collectively hired about 50 students, the situation would deteriorate even further. Another bias which adds to this narrative is that now companies make a clear demarcation between circuital (CSE, ECE and EE) vs non-circuital branches by making the former eligible for most hiring drives and rejecting the latter.

The placements for the batch of 2022 were out of the world. Aggressive hiring after a global slowdown meant more students were getting higher packages not

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just in MANIT but throughout the nation and the globe. However, only software engineering and related jobs have reaped the benefits of this situation. Even the best core jobs out there do not go beyond the 10 LPA mark in terms of CTC (leaving aside a few exceptions like PSUs). Whereas, in the world of software today, 10 LPA is considered to be a pretty basic if not meagre amount. To put things into perspective, the average CTC for CSE stood way above 17 LPA this year.

Higher studies as an Escape Pod

Lack of opportunities and low compensation become the driving factor for most students to lose interest in their own field. This ties back to the first part of the problem where students’ aspirations are tied back to the tangible outcomes of education - in this case, placements and CTC. Interestingly, a new profile of generalist roles has evolved with time to cater to everyone in between, namely analyst and consultant roles. It would be interesting to observe if soon Data Analytics becomes a full-fledged branch of its own. Oh, wait! It already has. If that is not a market-driven economy, then I do not know what is.

There are a few avenues which an engineer can try after BTech if they are not interested in getting a job or their dream job is not interested in taking them.

These choices come in the form of GATE, CAT or UPSC services preparation.

For a majority of folks preparing for GATE, their primary objective remains constant. Get a rank below 200 (100 in some cases) and secure a good job in a PSU. In fact, this is the driving factor which every coaching uses to lure students to enroll in their programs. When and if GATE preparations do not bear fruit, students either take whichever job they can find or pursue an MTech in search of better avenues. I am in no way suggesting that all those who pursue their masters are disinterested, but for a large majority, it often remains their second choice.

The CAT exam seems to be a great equalizer. No matter your prior background, education or compensation, a top B-school promises the best compensation in industry, a job with challenges and autonomy, and once again a hope for a better tomorrow. MBA is no longer considered a degree which would add value to a person’s intellect and develop a sense of leadership but rather a placement machine, which would shoot the career trajectory of a person out of unemployment into success. While it does seem to work out in a few cases, many freshers who join B-schools often wake up to the rude shock that they are not eligible for many profiles during placements and that companies do give preference to people with meaningful work experience. To add to this, the entire experience might feel diluted and those case studies might only be as relatable as the differential equations from first-year mathematics.

I will refrain from commenting on the UPSC exams. I feel that it is not in my wheelhouse of things, and neither do I feel knowledgeable enough to share any opinions on the same. I genuinely believe that only an aspirant can understand the frame of mind of another aspirant.

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A fragmented curriculum

This is a highly debated topic, and I wanted to save it for the last.

Oftentimes, industry reports and surveys point out the dire lack of employable skills of Indian engineers. Some random numbers are thrown up, and more often than not, the lack of a modern curriculum is blamed for everything. Every college or at least ours for sure tries to revamp the scheme and syllabus of the UG curriculum every 4-5 years. New credit structures, elective subjects, and continuous evaluation have all strived to achieve some form of reform. But once again, I feel the issue runs on a much deeper level.

I remember school days when we used to have dedicated books for each subject - one for English, one for chemistry, two for physics, you get the idea.

The entire book was supposed to be finished in an entire year from start to finish. Each chapter used to either introduce a completely new topic or build on the concepts of previous ones. But the system in college seems to be entirely different.

A semester-based approach, no standard reference textbook, and selective chapters for each term. To add to that, the only material which is subjected to examination is the one delivered in the classroom. The system basically rewards those who are able to identify important topics right before the end sems, have the correct set of friends to ask for notes and PPT, and have built some goodwill with the instructor by frequently attending their classes. Last years’ question papers and markings from seniors take precedence over building a holistic understanding of that subject from start to finish. With time, students learn to adapt themselves to this new academic setting and few begin to thrive as well. But should the success of these students be attributed to their genuine interest in the subject? At the end of the day, the most important parameter for everyone is their GPA - and this will never change with time.

Conclusion This article might seem rather pessimistic and even rantful in certain instances.

However, my intention is not to demotivate anyone or dissuade them from pursuing whatever it is that they think is best for them. But as I graduate college, I feel a moral obligation to bring an unfiltered perspective from someone who has been there, done that, and keenly observed people in the last four years. Your career is yours to make, only you have the power to define your limits and taking cognizance of the systematic issues which exist today will help you ruthlessly prioritize and understand what is important for you to move ahead in life.

Sincerely, A happily placed final year student

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Career

How to crack

OFF-CAMPUS JOBS If there is one thing which resounds with MANIT - it is placements. For several years now, the institute has been able to attract top companies with top-notch paychecks for its students. But then you might ask if all is so good, why do I need to even consider off-campus opportunities to begin with. Well, there are a couple of good reasons which we will discuss. Apart from that, it is always better to be well informed of the choices available at one’s disposal.

1

One student one placement policy The institute strictly follows the one-student one placement policy. Simply put it means that a student can only hold one offer. Once an offer is finalized, he/she cannot sit for other companies, unless the company is given a dream status.

Therefore, if you are unsatisfied with your current offer, or feel that you could do much better with your potential, an off-campus offer might just be the thing you are

2

looking for.

Niche fields and interests Remember the advice about finding your passion and then converting it into a well-paying job. That way, a job does not feel like a job. Well, suppose, you do find that interest. Maybe it is in UX design or working on new machine learning algorithms or even consulting - how do you go about realizing this passion via a job? The truth is that today most companies which come on campus hire broadly for

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you are an outlier who does not fit into any of these well-defined sets, you need to

3

start looking elsewhere for opportunities which interest you more.

Flexibility and more control When any company visits for their hiring drive, all terms and conditions are stated upfront by them. As a future employee, you have little to no control over factors such as compensation, location, job profile etc. The only choice which you are given is the chance to sit or opt-out of this specific company. But let’s face it, when people all around you are getting placed left right and centre, it is not really a choice, is it?

And that is when off-campus offers can come to your rescue. Got an on-campus opportunity already? Great. Now apply all that you can outside and use your existing offer to negotiate better terms and salary. It is really a win-win situation for you with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

4

So how do we go about looking for offcampus roles?

The power of your resume A stellar resume is the number one thing which recruiters look out for. Make sure to include all your relevant work and educational experience in a chronological and easy-to-read manner. The number of shortlists and potential interviews which can be lined up for you greatly depend on your resume. Here is a great reference point to get some inspiration for making a resume which is clean, minimalist and stands apart from the crowd - https://www.careercup.com/resume

The importance of internships It is relatively easy to get jobs in college. Outside college, the competition is indeed very fierce. There would be hundreds of applicants, if not more, for every job opening. Therefore, it is quite important to stand out from the crowd.

Demonstration of relevant experience both before and during the recruitment process is key to getting that coveted job. Getting a glamorous internship might sound a tad bit difficult. In that case, it is always suggested to start with smaller startups and ventures. Especially in the first, second, and third year of college always prioritize learning and exposure over compensation and brand name. If you feel you are getting the relevant skills for the future, do that thing.

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Another thing to keep in mind is that you might not find an internship in the exact field you would like to work in. Maybe, for example, you want to be in marketing and brand growth. It is possible that the firm you are applying to is hiring for content and SEO interns. Do give it a try with an open mind. It is much easier to get into a company first and then ask for relevant work experience which you would like to obtain. All of this optimisation should ideally happen before the end of the third year so that in the next one year or so, your CV is polished enough to get you shortlisted. Hence, it is never too early to start looking for internships.

Cohorts and communities These days, the concept of community-driven learning is taking pace. Many organizations and companies are pioneering cohort-based education by providing people with relevant practical information and exposure. Plus, there is an added advantage of getting in touch with like-minded people who are probably in the same place as you are. So, it is a mutually beneficial scheme to help one another while learning.

Some prominent cohorts across different fields are 1. Nextleap - https://nextleap.app/ (For Product Management) 2. GrowthX - https://www.growthx.club/ (For Growth and Marketing) 3. Cases Over Coffee - https://casesovercoffee.com/ (For Consulting) 4. Young Leaders for Active Citizenship - https://theylacproject.com/ (For Leadership and Public Policy) 5. Insurjo - https://www.theproductfolks.com/product-analytics-101 (Product Analytics) Note - Some of these cohorts might be free while others would be paid. EB in no way endorses or promotes any such courses and pursuing them comes at the discretion of the readers.

Open contests and hackathons Many companies and institutes alike conduct massive events to attract and promote talent in different fields. Lately, even the Government of India has started several hackathon schemes. These events come with cash prizes, support from various incubators, initial support and guidance, and a lot of exposure and publicity. There are so many of them happening every week that it would be hard for us to compile them here. Use the internet and you will probably find something relevant to you.

However, the main point of participating in these events should not be any of the aforementioned advantages. Rather, it should be considered as a platform to network

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with people. Apart from that, every time you make a submission, you have actually worked on making a relevant project that goes straight into your portfolio - because let's face it; you wouldn't make a portfolio otherwise. And if you actually end up winning or getting recognition, that always gives you brownie points.

Where to find relevant openings It can be quite intimidating to begin this journey of off-campus placements. The more time and effort you spend in this process, the better you will get at finding the right job openings. It is also a matter of speed many times - people who apply first tend to get their resume seen first. So if you apply at outdated or even week-old openings, it is likely that your resume might never even make it in front of the eyes of the recruiter. So always apply as soon as you can. Some key places to look for jobs are LinkedIn - Now we all know that jobs can be found here. But what’s new? Well, actually, a couple of things. First of all, set job alerts based on the job title, level of experience and location. For example - Graphic Designer, Entry Level, Gurugram Haryana. This way, you would be notified every time a new opening comes up and then begin the game of fastest finger first. Secondly, search for posts with specific keywords like “Hiring Financial Analyst Interns” and sort the posts by date. This is also a good way to see people who are currently hiring for specific roles. If there is a particular company you are interested in, try to search for employees who have mentioned “Hiring” in their headlines. They would probably be a good point of contact to know about relevant openings and hiring processes.

Careers website - Every company or most of them do have a dedicated careers portal where all current openings are listed. The link is often present either in navigation bars or footers of their main website. But you cannot randomly go about checking thousands of websites. An ideal way would be to curate a list of 50-100 companies and then periodically keep tracking the websites once in a while. This is important because companies always put up job openings on their portal first before going to any other platform. Some openings do not even make it outside their portals.

Therefore, it is a good chance to be noticed.

Instahyre and Naukari - While there are a couple of dozen classified-based job portals, these two definitely stand out. All you need to do is upload your CV, create a profile, and then you can apply to almost every job listed with a single click. It is clean, efficient, and especially beneficial for those looking to work at small to midsize level startups.

A lot can happen in this truly democratized and open world. All you have to do is jump in and explore the countless possibilities. All the best for your next job.

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Career

119

Final Year Tribute

College is widely accepted as the best four years of one’s life. It undoubtedly is. You meet your people every day, enjoy all the ups and downs, go to parties, open your minds, and have memorable adventures. Then comes a time when you have to leave. Leave all this. 'This' seems so simple to read, but it is something that takes millions of things to consider before you can actually do it. No more classes, long walk to the hostels, sleepless nights doing the assignments with the deadlines edging nearer and nearer. No more vacations during the semesters. No more GTs. The list is endless.

But we can't help it. What we can do is keep all this in our memories and move on to something better.

The Editorial Board wants the final year to recollect their memories, which will always be alive in these pages. We wish you all the success when you are going to put all that you've learned throughout these years into practice.

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Final Year Tribute

Final Year Tribute

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Final Year Tribute

MANIT OSCARS’22 Mata Maniacs

Apoorva Tiwari (Mech) Ashutosh Raaj (EE) Juhi Magan (Mech)

Always Busy

Sportsperson of the Batch

Always Senti

Rejection Queen/King

Anushree Jain (Arch) Satvik Sharma (Mech) Mihika Kushwah (ECE)-

Prachi Kothari (Arch) Shanya Jain (EE) Shailja Babu (EE)

Dramebaaz/Nautanki

Rohan Varma (Arch) Uttej Pumperi (ECE) Abhishek Gora (MSME)

Fashion Icon

Oviya Chourey (Arch) Monika Mondal (Civil) Yashita Singh(Planning)

Dealer of the Batch

Abhash Rahangdale (Arch) Vansh Prabhakar (Mech) Yash Soni (Arch)

Neta of the Batch

Kushagri Goyal (Arch) Harshita Delwar (Arch) Diya Rawal (ECE)

Kunwar Kant Sahu (Civil) Meetanshi Gupta (Mech) Vagish Mishra (ECE)

Proxy Master

Gossip King/Queen

Aabriti Saha (Arch) Namrata Harwal (Chem) Vipasana Ahuja (Arch)

Ashi Tomar (Civil) Shraddha Bisen(MSME) Shraddha (CSE)

Avneet Jain (Mech) Mehul Nagle (Arch) Harshit Batra (Chem)

Gym Freak

Always Ready to Fight Manish Kumar (EE) Rajnish Dhoot (Chem) Abhay Singh (Mech)

Monika Akkaraboina (Mech) Yatendra Shakya (Mech) Nikita Parashar (EE)

Four-Year Transformation

Tanki of the Batch

Angrez of the Batch

Tanishq Singhai (CSE) Akash Singh (Arch) Nishant Verma (Mech)

Princy Jain (Chem) Sheeren Sitara (Arch) Aaditya Jain (Mech)

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Most Eligible Single

Vivek V S (Arch) Mohammed Safwan (Arch) Sudesh Chandelkar (Mech)

Ayush Nagar (Arch) Madhur Gupta (EE) Prakhar Tripathi (ECE)

Hyper Organized/OCD

Nishant Shivam (Arch) Shantanu (MSME) Poorvi Saxena (ECE)

Paani Bachao-Matt Nahao Karan Mittal (Mech) Shraddha Tripathi (Arch) Rajani Jaiswal (Civil)

Kumbhkaran/Sleeping Beauty Sakshi Sahu (Arch) Adity Ambalika (Chem) Sakshi Jain (Arch)

Memelord

24/7 Charged Up

Final Year Tribute

Sote-Jagte Only UPSC Anshul Chauhan (ECE) Abhishek Sharma (CSE) Pranjal Raj (Mech)

Travel Planner

Vinay Singh (Arch) Sanyam Kumar (ECE) Prerna Singh (ECE)

Jyoti Khatri (Arch) Neha Rathi (Civil) Gunwant Mishra(Mech)

Vishesh Didwaniya(Chem) Anushka Mishra (ECE) Hritika Sharma (Mech)

Eye Candy

GT Planner

Binge Eater

Harshita Delwar (Arch) Anushka Dewada (Arch) Atmagya Raj(Planning)

Chimney of the Batch

Arjun Singh (Chem) Atul Chaturvedi (EE) Radhika Rathi (Arch)

Most Flings Ever

Prajyot Gupta (Mech) Swapnil Agarwal (CSE) Amit Sharma (EE)

Muskan Rajpurohit (EE) Deoyani Ringane (Arch) Surabhi Singh (CSE)

Accha Baccha

Always Gareeb

Elvin Roy (Arch) Tanaya Gupta (Arch) Hardik Singh (EE)

Tigdi of the Batch

Abhinav - Ayush - Salman Adity -Mahima -Radhika Divya -Juhi -Nikita Annapurna-Shraddha-Surabhi

Keshav Singh (MSME) Mahima Prasad (Arch) Manvee (Arch)

Exam ka Dost

Anu Krishnan (Arch) Asim Shandilya (Mech) Disha Murali (Mech)

Madly in Love

Lavleen Kochale (Arch) Arnav Kshitijar (Plan) Lakshay Mittal (EE)

Paresha - Utkarsh Srishti - Archit Charvi - Manish

Placement Buddies (TPO Heads) Yash Modi (ECE) Ritik Rochlani (Mech) Swapnil Agarwal (CSE) Cheeli Sai Surya Vinod (MSME)

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Final Year Tribute Speak Through Excelsior

APRIL TO REMEMBER

Excelsior ‘21

AN

We final-years had perhaps the most unique of all college experiences. Though most of us were well-placed with good job offers, somewhere deep down, we were extremely heartbroken from the fact that COVID had snatched such a massive chunk of our college life. #Online classes 2020-22 It was a strange feeling of complete despondency. It was as if we had completely repressed the emotions of anger, sadness, hopelessness, and bitterness towards fate. After all, what other option did we have other than to repress our emotions?

No matter how strongly we felt, we had to see the best years of our lives slip in front of our very eyes.

22-02-2022

It was because of this repression that phrases such as "I don't want college to re-open" or "I just want to move on and start my job" were so common to hear when talking with friends.

After all, after you have tried so painstakingly to not think about as big a loss as losing some of your best years, the fact that you were going to see a glimpse of exactly how good those years could have been was extremely frightening.

मौलाना आज़ाद राष्ट्रीय प्रौद्योगिकी संसथान भोपाल

And then we had to see that very glimpse: college was to re-open, even if only for a month. All those repressed emotions were roaring back to the surface. However, we couldn't let ourselves enjoy it completely, either. The brief time that fate had given us to experience college life one last time was also to be packed with offline exams and practicals.

Managing the same with our internships and work commitments became yet another source of bother.

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Final Year Tribute Excelsior ‘21

Our internal emotions were in a state of complete anarchy.

Managing exam preparations and internships would obviously take a large portion of our days. But it was also a truth that this time with our friends would never return.

NETFLIX

It would have been easy to crumble under such demands and simply do the bare minimum. But crumble did we not. We final years showed the most resolute of responses to those taxing work and emotional demands. Every day, one could see every single one of us enjoy our lives to the fullest while taking care of our other responsibilities. Even under such enormous pressure, we made the atmosphere of our college one of extreme cheerfulness.

20-04-2022

It is important to realize just how critical our response to our situation was. What could have happened is that we could have deliberately not enjoyed this month. Why? Because enjoying this month would have meant accepting the fact that had the pandemic not taken place, we would have enjoyed those years too, a thought we had repressed so meticulously. It would have been a neurotic response, but people do take such routes throughout their lives. We too could have needlessly over-immerse ourselves in our official work. But we did not do that. We did not show our backs to life. We accepted our loss and did not let it degenerate even more.

We turned what could have been a gloomy and emotionally repressed April into one of elation and open expression of love and friendship. This one month and our successful reaction to its challenges showed us that we are made of such a life-affirming spirit. That we have in it to live life to its fullest despite its challenges. And that is the tribute we all give to ourselves.

#Tribute to all Final Years 83

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Final Year Tribute Speak Through Excelsior

Excelsior ‘21

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The days spent here are the heaviest as well as the lightest of a lifetime. A mishmash of mistakes, attempts, failures, and exultation. A place where the stars start aligning themselves. Where you start understanding the difference between what could go wrong and what does go wrong. A maze of 650 acres, where you thrillingly realize that the turns here will be made by you, and only you. A place that is the living proof of life.

For freshers, it becomes a spot to shrug off their old selves while getting familiar with those short gossips at AMUL and long walks to the hostels. Getting lost in the massive campus gives them the joy of finding their independent self.

For seniors, it is a reminiscence of how the UPPER LAKE became their go-to place for most of the good or bad days. That they made a journey and came to a place where life not only felt good but also full.

MANIT holds everything.

Tiresome DEPARTMENT works to relaxing TEALOGY evenings.

Boring MESS food to secret HOSTEL parties.

Fun FRESHERS to emotional CONVOCATIONS. A stretch of years only it can provide.

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126

EB Profiles

"I have some issues regarding some EB work."

Good, you have come to the right place. You have to see me as an HR, and I am here to resolve all problems. I believe that corporate ways get a bad rep for no reason. They are the most efficient means to get things done. EB will also benefit greatly if it starts seeing itself more as a corporation than as a bunch of misfits coming together to create a magazine.

And yes, before you ask it, website ki progress kaafi achchi chal rahi hai. I am proud of the way we have created something from the very scratch.

Joint Chief Editor

Ritwik (Most Corporate Ever)

Speaking of corporate ways of doing things, I am so excited to actually enter one. College is finally over, and I will miss it a lot, especially keeping in mind the fact that I had such a wide circle of people who used to get things done.

And speaking of getting things done, sometimes, google maps needs an update as to certain locations. Just something to keep in mind :) *Tries to resolve other key issues* "Would you like to see the latest Marvel movie?"

EB Profiles

As a devout and competent movie critic, let me tell you one thing.

Marvel movies are like mess ka khana. Ek hi gravy mai sab sabzi banate hai ye log. Harr movie ka same generic story hota hai: ek superhero who goes through the setup, confrontation, and resolution waale arc. What a waste.

Also, call me anything else than a cat-lover and a cinephile. Aisa lagta hai people feel mere personality mai bus do hi chise hai. Anyways, enough of my rant. Achcha I will tell you a secret, maine aajtak life mai ek bhi web-series completely nahi dekhi hai. Strange no?

Joint Chief Editor & Chief Artist

Medhaa (Most Sensible Ever)

BDW, people keep telling me that mai bahot typos karti hoon when I text. Is that true? Jaane do, who cares. Nahi seriously, this is a good time to reflect on something really important. The people who genuinely love you for you won't mind such harmless flaws of yours.

Be the way you are. Life will sort itself out. *Drops more such gems of wisdom throughout the convo* “Can you give me tips as to how to deal with people?”

Arey, isme tips ki kya zaroorat hai? Just treat people the way you would like them to treat you. It's that simple.

Vaise tum theek ho? I didn't hear any words from you in the last two days. Kabhi bhi tension ho toh share kar diya karo, dost aakhir isi chis ke liye toh hote hai!

Achcha with respect to the task I gave you, remember that there always is a proper way to do things. Design is subjective, and bahot baar aisa bhi hoga ki pehla iteration achcha nahi banega. Par it will always get better.

Chief Designer

Jyoti (Most (Effortlessly) Kind Ever)

My time at EB is coming to an end, but I am very optimistic about the new talent we found this year. My experiences this year have taught me that oftentimes, it is not about age or experience, but about the zeal with which one does things.

Chalo, mujhe sabke liye vapis cake banana hai *Makes the most delicious cake you will ever eat*

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EB Profiles

"Your poem was really good!"

Arey ye toh tumhara baddappan hai. Vo itni bhi kuch khaas nahi thi.

Mai toh jo mann mai aata hai, likh deti hoon.

Chalo mai tumhe uska real matlab samjhaati hoon. Vo kavita lakeeron ke baare mai thi hi nahi, vaha pe jazbaton ko lakeeron ki upma di gayi thi. Zindagi mai sab seedhe seedhe bolne aur karne se mystery chali jaati hai, isiliye likhne aur jeevan dono mai chiso ko ek kala se likhna aur karna chahiye.

Chief Hindi Editor

Nikita (Most Poetic Ever)

Yaar maine engineering kar toh li, lekin mai bahot udaas bhi rehti hoon ki mere CGPA 9.99 nahi aaye. Khair, ye sab toh chalta rehta hai.

Ek chis hamesha yaad rakhna, logo ko padhne se mahaz mushkilein hi hongi, padhna hai toh kabhi fursat main unke kirdaron ko padho.

Chalo, milte hai fir. *Proceeds to poetically think about other life issues*

"Quite a rollercoaster this year has been, hasn't it?"

A rollercoaster at least puts you right back where you started; you can get off of it. This year, on the other hand, has been like a climb up a mountain with no summit in sight. What was that? Do you need help?

Oh, no worries! I don’t mind helping you out with work, fun, or whatever. You can talk to me if you’re feeling a bit down. I know what it means to be alone, believe me. For once, it did feel like everything around me had come to a halt. But since I had people who had my back then, I can’t allow myself to leave someone else in that phase anymore.

Chief English Editor

Shantanu (Most Selfless Ever)

Ah, enough about me. I wanna hear more about you. Let’s arrange a Gmeet tonight. Let’s call everyone over. You wouldn’t believe how many bonds I’ve helped people create this way. Bonds that helped me come back. It’s sad that my tenure has come to an end, but Board shall always be mine, and I will be of the Board. Always. *Smiles as he sighs in content* “What are your views on detachment?”

Detachment is the best way to live life. Attachment mai kya rakha hai.

Apne kaam se kaam rakhna chahiye.

And sorry I couldn’t reply to your texts, mai aisi jagah pe thi jaha net nahi chal raha tha.

Vaise I said you shouldn’t be attached to people, but you can be attached to sports. Which is why I play a lot of cricket and badminton.How great it would have been if everyone would play these beautiful games!

Senior Designer

Poorva (Most Detached Ever)

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Suno, ek important kaam aa gaya hai, mujhe meeting se nikalna hoga, shayad dubara join nahi kar pau. And meri design ki attendance bhi bahot kam chal rahi hai, kuch karna hoga uska bhi. *Goes for another game of badminton*

EB Profiles

“Where do you see yourself five years from now?”

You know I feel like this entire notion of looking so ahead is meaningless. Talking of meaning, is there any meaning in this world?

Everywhere I look around, I see chaos. No one has the time these days to read a book, watch the night sky or listen to chilled-out music. The only music I observe playing around is pop music. Well truth be told, you and I cannot be friends if you like pop music.

Senior English Editor

Dipanshu (Most Casual Ever)

Apart from that, I want to see myself getting fit in the near future. But that is very much dependent on me being out of my home. The world has so much to offer, and there is so little time. Sigh! Anyway, sooner or later I’ll find my true calling. Till then I’ll keep doing what I do best - observing everything and everyone around me in unpredictable ways and putting them in a complete state of confusion.

Sayōnara *Stays and discusses even tougher existential questions*

"Why is there no bed in your room?"

Have you ever seen Elon Musk sleep? Or Eminem? Ronaldo? When none of the great men wastes their time sleeping, why should I waste mine?

Greatness is a result of efforts, and my efforts are translated into work the strongest at night. Sure, all I do at night is hang out with my bros, but at least I take the initiative. And as a great man (me) once said, “Intentions carry more weight than the deeds.” The night will stay young forever, but we won’t. Sometimes, I feel enlightenment is waiting for me on one of these nights. But who cares?

Designer

Raktim (Most Nightouts Ever)

Ahh, I just remembered. I had been assigned this task a month back, and it's due tomorrow morning. Wanna bet if I can do it in six hours?

Yes? Alright. Get ready to pay for my New Market ki Lassi. *Makes the most sophisticated design choices you could never imagine, half asleep* “Hey, Adviti! Where were you last evening?”

Arey baba, didn't you check my Instagram stories? Vaha pe daala toh tha sab. See first I took out my car for a long drive, then I went shopping, then I went to McD to eat some peri peri fries, then I went for another long drive, then I forgot some stuff that I had to buy, so I went shopping again. O Mata Rani, a long evening indeed.

Here, have some cookies I just casually baked the other day. Thoda stressed chal rahi thi, and cooking, just like driving, helps me relax.

Kya matlab cooking mai effort lagta hai? Itni easy toh hoti hai!

Designer

On a serious note though, I was wondering that sometimes things don't work out the way everyone wanted them to. Some group journeys come to an abrupt end. Ek journey saath mai puri nahi ki toh kya hua, koi dusri karlege!

Adviti

Choro ye sab, say cheese...

(Most Stories Ever)

*Posts another story*

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EB Profiles “You’re very selective with your words, aren’t you?”

I don’t believe in unnecessary chatter. Just like my work, I keep my interactions totally calibrated. The world has enough opinions, and I don’t intend to add any more.

What I don't express through my words, I express through my dance.

Dancing is much more graceful and direct than words; you can always twist the latter and they often become sources of misunderstandings.

Artist

Smruthi (Most Photogenic Ever)

Vaise if you have noticed, my Hindi is getting better day by day. And as the number beside the semester increase, the workload from architecture increases as well. Abhi kal hi mai design ke submission ke liye raat bhar jaagi. No, I don't know what that sentence actually means, all my architecture batchmates keep on saying that. I just repeat it.

Also, can you please send me the photos that we took during our last party? What, no, I am not photogenic. I don't know why people keep saying that. *Proceeds to take even more flawless photos of herself* “Do you enjoy being alone?”

Oh gosh, who told you that! What I meant was that I prefer catching up with my internal thoughts every once in a while.

People don't really know this, but I am quite enamoured by philosophy.

I actually like to read Bhagavad Gita to my younger cousin. But enough about introspection and philosophy, let's talk about other stuff.

Artist

Animals are sooooo cuteeeee na. Pata hai kal kya hua, mere room pe ek lizard aayi thi, maine use apne haatho se pakadke bahar bhej diya. Pata nahi log lizards se itna darte kyu hai.

Lately, though, I am seeing myself make deeper bonds with the people I actually care about. And that's life, I guess. The more you mature, the more you realize that it's about the strength of friendship and not about the number of friends.

Pushpita

BTW, artworks hit different when high on cannabis. Just so you know!

(Most Smiles Ever)

*Just can’t help herself to stop smiling* “Did you finish the work that was assigned to you?”

Dude, I submitted it two days ago. In fact, it was you who forgot to see the work and build upon it. And did you read that 32 page short story that I wrote for fun last month? Haa, jab bhi time mile, padh lena.

English Editor

Sankalp (Most Dependable Ever)

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People keep saying that I take things too seriously, and all I want to say to them is that for things that truly matter, seriousness is a must. For me, EB matters the most. Isiliye I get very serious whenever it comes to that, fir chahe vo work related ho ya bonding related.

Just like last year, I focused a lot on my studies this year as well. I believe that getting a good job will free me up, so that I can pursue other endeavours that I love. I just hope everything goes well.

Arey, listen to this cool song that I came across the other day. Kaafi puraana hai, par suddenly famous ho gaya hai YouTube pe. I am hooked to it ever since.

Kya? Nahi, mai nahi gauga gaana, ek baar galti se gaa diya tha bus meeting mai. Kya matlab meri aawaz bahot achchi hai, mai fir bhi nahi gauga. *Starts humming his favourite KK songs*

EB Profiles

“Aur Deepansh, kaisa chal raha hai sab?”

Kya batau yaar, pointers ki dikkat chal rahi hai. Placements ki tension ne pura mind displace kar diya hai. Aapka kya hai, aapki toh gaddiya lag rahi hogi.

Mai aaj soch raha hoon apne seniors ko apni resume review ke liye bheju aur thodi tips le lu. Aap bhi review karloge kya?

Vaise aaplog kuch bhi karlo, kitna bhi tag karlo, mai saare messages seen karluga, par mai WhatsApp group pe reply kabhi nahi karuga. Par aap toh dekh hi rahe ho, mai real life mai kitna bol le raha hoon aap sabse.

Hindi Editor

Deepansh (Most Pareshaan Ever)

Aur sorry mai kal aaplog ke saath party mai nahi aaya, mujhe lagta hai daaru peene ka best tareeka dosto ke saath baithkar dhaabe mai hi hai.

Ye high-end hotels mujhe pasand nahi.

Arey haan, aapne mera blog dekha ya nahi? Mai vaha kaafi kuch likhta rehta hoon. *Worries even more about his career* “Aur batao, EB mai aakar kaisa lag raha hai?”

(Starts with a beautiful smile) Bahot achcha, ya sach kahoon toh sabse achcha. Interview ke samay mujhe darr lag raha tha ki kitni chise toh mujhe nahi aati hai, pata nahi hoga ya nahi hoga.

Yaha aake itna achcha mahaul mila, logo se milne ka mauka mila, sahi mai bahot achcha lag raha hai. Naye logo se baat cheet karne mai logo ko generally bahot dikkat hoti hai, par mere saath ye case nahi hai. Bus smile karo, aur shuru ho jao.

Hindi Editor

Kavita (Most Welcoming Ever)

Kabhi kabhi toh aisa bhi hota hai ki mai logo ko pehchaan leti hoon, lekin log mujhe nahi pehchaan paate.Vaise Rajbhasha mai kaafi dabdaba hai apna.

Arey ek minute ruko, meri mumma bula rahi hai. Hum baad mai continue kar sakte hai kya agar aapko koi dikkat na ho toh? *Smiles as she leaves* "Hi, Lokesh!"

Hi, and a very good morning to you. How was your day? Did you have a proper lunch today? Are you sure you don’t need something immediately that I’ll get for you at this right instant? I’m sorry. It’s just in my habit.

Vaise, I don’t understand it when people make excuses for not submitting their assigned tasks. I remember once I completed my work while sitting on a bench in a hospital, that too when I had not slept for the previous two days.

Designer

Lokesh (Most Courteous Ever)

Also, make sure that we do pushups after drinks tonight. I just love to get rid of that excess energy. You wanted to hang out, didn't you? *Politely cancels his plans just to hang out with you*

131

EB Profiles "What’s the recipe for khaman Dhokla?"

Airtable.

There is nothing in this whole wide world that cannot be achieved by Airtable. I know this because I have tried my hand at everything that this world has to offer.

Web Developer

Seshal (Most Airtables Ever)

People say it’s better to know everything about something. I say, why not learn something about everything? It’s rude to shy away from a chance to impart knowledge, and I’m pretty sure you’re dying to hear about Emacs, right? Right?

Oh come on, you don’t have to be so hesitant. Let’s do another one of those four-hour meets, and I’ll tell you everything I believe you need to know, irrespective of the fact that whether or not you wanna hear it. Buckle up, buckaroos! *Panics, as he realizes it has been fifteen seconds since his last tweet* “Ansh, do you want to say anything?”

Hello! Can you hear me? Do you want me to go a little louder? (Ahmmm…

Gently clears his throat) Now that you can hear me, why don’t you go first with your items. I’ll patiently wait for you to finish. Sometimes I might not even speak, but do not mistake that for my inattention. Each and every word gets through this pretty face.

Web Developer

Ansh (Most Soft-Spoken Ever)

I often feel everything is so rushed and loud. It's like, why can't we calmly solve all our problems. But anyway, I also need to protest against the warden about the broken water coolers and beehives. And a few other things as well. Placements are also super important, so do not miss me in case I miss out on a few meetings.

Health is very important. I tend to take it seriously. Sometimes so seriously that I might fall sick but that’s okay, you gotta trust the process. I hope to see you all around, but virtual is also fine by me. *Slowly fades into the conversational chatter and begins coding* Are you alright?

Oh my, the eternal question. What makes someone “okay”? I’ve been asking myself the same question for half of my life now, and haven’t been blessed with an answer yet.

But here I am, despite the odds. And are you alright? Because you matter to me a ton, and so do your opinions.

English Editor

Aastha (Most Sentimental Ever)

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It only adds further to my suffering when you berate Bigg Boss. It’s a pretty good reality show. Oh! You’ve been here all this time, and I haven’t asked you how you are. Are you sure you’re not mad at me? You won’t end our friendship over this, right?

Please say something. *With teary eyes, drowns in a self-consuming void*

Final Year Tribute

"Aniket, what do you think about my work?"

Welcome! I’m sure the reason why you decided to come to me is that you required a dose of truth. And I can imagine why. In a world of appeasement, truth is hard to come by. I think your skills need some work. Wait, actually you should start from the very basic. No, stop.

You know what? You should try doing something else altogether. A clean state. You can thank me later.

English Editor

Aniket (Most Brutally Honest Ever)

Now you wanna hear me sing? Oh, nah, nah. See, I’ll be honest with you, it's nothing close to something professional. I wonder why people praise it so much, in my opinion, it's just ‘okayish’. But I’ll sing you guys one, cause you’re cool. *Mesmerizes everyone unexpectedly with his voice*

"Care to share any new novels you’ve been reading?"

Well, I finished with my 31st re-read of Fifty Shades, so it might have been some Munshi Premchand novel. I don’t quite remember the name though.

Perhaps that was a re-read too. You know how these things go. You read the book, not the title. And don’t worry. You can come to me if you need suggestions for your next read, as long as you don’t borrow that novel from me.

Hindi Editor

And for the love of God, could you not ask me why I’m smiling all the time? It’s not that my mind is a twisted mess and I’ve got inside jokes with every single person I know. No. It’s not like that. Maybe a little.

Pratyaksh

However, there are high chances that I might roast you in an uncanny way that won’t offend you but will satisfy my sneaky little mind.

(Most (Uncanny) Smiles Ever)

*smiles menacingly*

"Its ok, tum apna article kal tak karke de dena."

Are but kaise, aaj toh deadline thi na. Article maine poora likh liya hai, but title hi nahi mil raha. Abh kya hoga? Agar maine aaj article nahi diya, toh kya vo magazine mai nahi aayega?

Aur kya mai EB se nikaal di jaugi? Kyuki maine suna hai agar kaam time se nahi kiya toh yaha logo ko fire kar dete hai. Kya mai jyaada tension le rahi hoon?

Hindi Editor

Vaishnavi (Most Missed Deadlines Ever)

Mujhe abhi yaad aaya, aaj hindi editors ki meeting bhi toh hai 7 baje, aur abhi 6 bajh bhi gaye hai. Mai meeting ke liye bhi late ho jaungi abh.

Achcha mai chalti hu, mujhe sabko meeting ki link bhi toh bhejni hai aur jo seen nahi karenge unko call bhi karna hai. *Misses another deadline*

133

EB Profiles

Have we met?

Come on, I am a part of EB just like you. Please don’t give me any more bad trips from my seclusions than I’ve already dealt with. And what’s wrong with getting all the work done on time and bailing out on the fun?

Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? Maybe you have that kind of time, but I just can’t afford any redos on my work. Perfection is the most crucial essence I think any piece of work needs, and if I have to lock myself away to achieve that goal, then so be it.

Designer

Aditi (Most Rare Ever)

What did you say, the meet is over? We’re going out for a treat now?

Umm, oh I just remembered! I have this submission I have to go work on for a senior whose name I don’t even care to know.

Hope you’ll excuse me. *Hands her work and vanishes in thin air* Is life any more difficult offline than online?

Difficult? It’s harrowing! I so wish to go back to the great old online chat days, where I could be the extrovert, hidden behind the curtains. Now, the pain of social interactions, the rue of commuting as a day scholar, and the agony of people getting so close to me just plague my existence. Ugh! Sometimes, if I hear languages I can’t understand, I fear that people are talking about me. It is why I prefer dwelling in my precious collections of software. I’ll help you out with them too.

Designer

Academics is kinda sorted for me, for there is no one in my class who scores higher. So, I don't mind putting in the time to help people out, you can thank me by taking me out for an eskreem.

Owais

And I...

(Most Shy Ever)

*Leaves suddenly seeing a group of girls headed his way*

"Do you use a mouse to make digital artworks?"

Yes. For the hundredth time, yes. I don’t understand what’s the big fuss about it. Isn’t that my choice what I use? I do it so that no one else has to.

And shouldn’t you be more concerned about the goal rather than the means?

Ever tried checking out my art page? I am telling you, people are so stringent with their likes and follows. I mean, come on, it's free! Regular acts of appreciation go a long way. If only someone would take it upon themselves to make this cruel world understand that. (sighs)

Designer

Suraj (Most Advices Ever)

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And please tell the seniors to stop calling me ‘Sree’; I don’t get what they mean by it. *Goes back to making artworks with his mouse*

Final Year Tribute

Any ingenious ideas for passing free time?

Why do you need new ideas when you could use your free time the way it was always meant to be? To dance! People act shy in the beginning, when there’s no one on the dance floor. I take it upon myself to break the ice and the dance floor with my killer moves. You think I’m great at getting people together? Nahi yaar, esa nahi hai. You think I’m an overachiever?

Kinda. But again. Nahi yaar esa nahi hai. If you are gonna open your mouth for another compliment, please go on so that I can enjoy the pleasant sound of it inside and disagree modestly on the outside.

Artist

Garima (Most Dancing Trances Ever)

Why are you jumping? Are you seriously afraid of a cockroach? Poor thing can’t even harm you. Here, let me just pick it up and drop it off somewhere safe. *Deals with the insect without a flinch, then continues dancing*

"Give us one reason why you shouldn’t be preserved in a museum."

Oh, you’re just too kind. I follow a basic code, that’s all. Doesn’t everyone deserve to be treated with respect? If I expect it for myself, why should I deprive others of their rightful share?

I believe in expression, may it be of thoughts, emotions, or even art. It might be a possibility that you struggle while trying to understand my work on my art page, but what good is an art that doesn’t make you think?

Artist

Shehzaad (Most Pure Ever)

I let people know the exact thoughts I have in my mind about them. I mean, why hide it? If I plan on interacting with anyone, I wouldn’t want any barriers between us. That’s it. Just my simple code. *Sketches you into a caricature*

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Notes

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About us Greetings. My name is EB, and I am never alone. The first one to stumble across me was the first one to leave. However, he promised to bring me new flesh and blood every year who would then bring me more of them the next year. And just like that, the cycle went on. This time, I’m calling for you, eager to devour the bland black and white thoughts that the world has hammered into your heads. Don’t worry. I will replace them with the wicked waters of imagination that will wash away the boundations that you’ve been living with. By the time you leave, your mind will be just like me - fluid, boundless and horrifying to every single one of the normals that you’ll encounter.

So, what do you say?

Want to join me?

For more info, scan the QR code

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Speak Through Excelsior

Excelsior ‘21

RELISHING JOURNEYS “ We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

-T.S. Eliot

MACT

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