Getting nostalgic while I'm back in Mumbai and close to my engineering college. This post goes to the place where I spent four really important years of my life!
The first time I went to RAIT was when my sister was giving her engineering entrance exam there. It was a huge college. A part of the D Y Patil empire, you got overwhelmed by how huge the place was. The campus had everything. I said to myself, "Dude, this is the kind of college you want to get into!". Call it destiny or whatever, but 3 years later when my engineering entrance time came up, I got into RAIT!
Now as I entered first year, I realised that there are three types of engineers. The first types are those who really love their machines. Second who learn to love machines while they do engineering. And third, the ones who just want to have fun and get a degree. I fit in the second category. In fact, most of my friends did. I really didn't know about the first category till I met Ishminder Singh Dhanjal, a.k.a. Changa!! The first time I met him, he got started about some C Program that he had developed and how hacking Windows 95 was his favourite activity. I was taken aback and to be frank, i thought he was really weird. Through my 4 years at RAIT, he was my teammate in most of the Robotics events I participated in and one of my dearest friends. Another one of my friends to be poached by Uncle Sam, hopefully he will get his wiring fixed there!
Some of my other weird friends included Jitin 'Oh, I'm going to the church again" Jacob, Abhishek "We're just friends" Dubey, Jayant "Results aa gaye!!" Gholap and Atul "My dog is a Wolf!!" Jadhav.
College life was good! I didnt know half the stuff that was going on, yet there was too much to keep one occupied and happy. There were two cultural fests, the smaller one was called Akarshan. I still remember how beautiful the scrap paper looked when it was showered down from the staircases of the four floors to the stage on the ground floor. At first I was amazed at how something so simple could look so beautiful. We got used to it later, but it still looked almost as good in our last year, probably more since it was the last time that we were going to see it!
The mega-fest was called Horizons. It was a huge thing. One of the biggest in Mumbai. In some ways, the identity of RAIT. I could write a whole blog about the fest. But there are some things that I really have to mention. The Jal Concert in the second year was one such thing. I still remember how we broke the barricades that held us back on the bands request and ran right up to the stage as we witnessed one of the best concerts ever. The crowd, the noise, the madness, and the dust in the air (yeah, that too!) as we listened to them play one great song after another. The best part was I fell in love with songs I heard there for the first time("Teri yaad!! Sigh!"). Other concerts from Strings, DJ Aqeel and the fashion shows, etc were really good too. Four amazing fests in four years, truly!
So what did we do when we were not attending fests and 'studying'? We watched cricket! Live! One of our professors informed us in the first year about a new International Cricket Stadium that was going to come on campus. Of course, I didn't believe it! It stood before us a year later. With imported grass from South Africa and some of the most lavish VIP rooms, I was amazed to see this 'thing' inside my college!! Holy Wow!! We watched I dont know how many matches there. One of the benefits of being a student at RAIT- passes were never an issue. I missed out on the IPL matches held there though. Pity! But it was due to the stadium really that I found another person to really respect- Vijay Patil. Our Director and one of the sharpest young people in India today.
The last two years of my college life were spent for MBA preperation and Placements. First came the placements. I got through Infosys first. A huge company to work for and the package was decent too. One of the interviews where you just know you are through when you walk in. I chatted for about 15 mins with a really sweet HR recruiter about Puzzles, Jodha Akhbar and its cultural implications(believe it!!). Next day while I'm with a doctor getting eye drops for Conjunctivitis, I got the message that I had landed with my first job offer!! Always a proud moment!!
Another offer I landed up with was with the Indian Navy, the defence! It is easily the best interview I have ever given. I was literally fighting with an experienced defence person and strangely, both of us were enjoying it. Two of his subordinates seemed to be enjoying it as well from the smiles on their faces. I was really proud to be invited to join the defence services! I missed this opportunity though as a side effect of having a barely higher eye power than what the eligibility criteria specified.
Finally I gave my MICA interview and got through a college which in a very strange way was nothing like my home, but felt exactly like it! Another place where I said the same words "Dude, this is the kind of college you want to get into!". And another placed where I would eventually go to!! I guess some things in life are just meant to happen!
The first time I went to RAIT was when my sister was giving her engineering entrance exam there. It was a huge college. A part of the D Y Patil empire, you got overwhelmed by how huge the place was. The campus had everything. I said to myself, "Dude, this is the kind of college you want to get into!". Call it destiny or whatever, but 3 years later when my engineering entrance time came up, I got into RAIT!
Now as I entered first year, I realised that there are three types of engineers. The first types are those who really love their machines. Second who learn to love machines while they do engineering. And third, the ones who just want to have fun and get a degree. I fit in the second category. In fact, most of my friends did. I really didn't know about the first category till I met Ishminder Singh Dhanjal, a.k.a. Changa!! The first time I met him, he got started about some C Program that he had developed and how hacking Windows 95 was his favourite activity. I was taken aback and to be frank, i thought he was really weird. Through my 4 years at RAIT, he was my teammate in most of the Robotics events I participated in and one of my dearest friends. Another one of my friends to be poached by Uncle Sam, hopefully he will get his wiring fixed there!
Some of my other weird friends included Jitin 'Oh, I'm going to the church again" Jacob, Abhishek "We're just friends" Dubey, Jayant "Results aa gaye!!" Gholap and Atul "My dog is a Wolf!!" Jadhav.
College life was good! I didnt know half the stuff that was going on, yet there was too much to keep one occupied and happy. There were two cultural fests, the smaller one was called Akarshan. I still remember how beautiful the scrap paper looked when it was showered down from the staircases of the four floors to the stage on the ground floor. At first I was amazed at how something so simple could look so beautiful. We got used to it later, but it still looked almost as good in our last year, probably more since it was the last time that we were going to see it!
The mega-fest was called Horizons. It was a huge thing. One of the biggest in Mumbai. In some ways, the identity of RAIT. I could write a whole blog about the fest. But there are some things that I really have to mention. The Jal Concert in the second year was one such thing. I still remember how we broke the barricades that held us back on the bands request and ran right up to the stage as we witnessed one of the best concerts ever. The crowd, the noise, the madness, and the dust in the air (yeah, that too!) as we listened to them play one great song after another. The best part was I fell in love with songs I heard there for the first time("Teri yaad!! Sigh!"). Other concerts from Strings, DJ Aqeel and the fashion shows, etc were really good too. Four amazing fests in four years, truly!
So what did we do when we were not attending fests and 'studying'? We watched cricket! Live! One of our professors informed us in the first year about a new International Cricket Stadium that was going to come on campus. Of course, I didn't believe it! It stood before us a year later. With imported grass from South Africa and some of the most lavish VIP rooms, I was amazed to see this 'thing' inside my college!! Holy Wow!! We watched I dont know how many matches there. One of the benefits of being a student at RAIT- passes were never an issue. I missed out on the IPL matches held there though. Pity! But it was due to the stadium really that I found another person to really respect- Vijay Patil. Our Director and one of the sharpest young people in India today.
The last two years of my college life were spent for MBA preperation and Placements. First came the placements. I got through Infosys first. A huge company to work for and the package was decent too. One of the interviews where you just know you are through when you walk in. I chatted for about 15 mins with a really sweet HR recruiter about Puzzles, Jodha Akhbar and its cultural implications(believe it!!). Next day while I'm with a doctor getting eye drops for Conjunctivitis, I got the message that I had landed with my first job offer!! Always a proud moment!!
Another offer I landed up with was with the Indian Navy, the defence! It is easily the best interview I have ever given. I was literally fighting with an experienced defence person and strangely, both of us were enjoying it. Two of his subordinates seemed to be enjoying it as well from the smiles on their faces. I was really proud to be invited to join the defence services! I missed this opportunity though as a side effect of having a barely higher eye power than what the eligibility criteria specified.
Finally I gave my MICA interview and got through a college which in a very strange way was nothing like my home, but felt exactly like it! Another place where I said the same words "Dude, this is the kind of college you want to get into!". And another placed where I would eventually go to!! I guess some things in life are just meant to happen!
