As the most eventful and fun-filled event of my life draws to an end, I look back and smiles take over my face. All events perfectly etched on my memory. Walking through the impressive arched white gates for the first time is a different experience all-together. However, all my initial enthusiasm went downhill after looking at the crowd and thus began the tedious registration process. The process took place in the huge convocation hall. After that, like all the freshers, I reached Rajendra Bhawan which would become my home for the year to come. With help from my parents, I set up the room. After the registration, it was time for the orientation program which took place over a span of 4 days. All the important groups had their presentations and important programs of the college were highlighted.

The classes began soon and I sat in the classroom, with huge expectations. Sadly, it took little time to realize that they would not be met. “Explore” was the most widely used word by seniors and freshers both. I realized that I would have to look beyond the classroom for academic courses. Here, the beloved LAN came to my rescue. With no data limits, I watched many videos and resources in my quest to find what I liked.

Soon, the cultural groups began their recruitment process. Geek Gazette was a group which I found interesting. And after a multi-stage interview process, I was selected! My first college group! With groups come amazingly grand chapos. It is great way to meet the seniors and have fun. GG turned out to be an incredible experience.

Little did we know that to ruin the seemingly serene atmosphere in the campus, a raging storm(read Mid-Term Exams) was approaching.Everyone started to study. Having lived at home throughout my life, even this was a different experience for me. From having Maggi with friends during our late night study session to going for long walks at night, everything made “studying” fun. Exams did not have study leaves between them. Thankfully, it makes it all go away soon. After these exams came the Mid Term break. I went home and realised how used to I had become to hostel life. Although I pampered myself in the luxuries (the necessities of modern lifestyle), I missed all the fun I had in the college. The grass is always greener on the other side!

The next major event in the campus is Thomso. IITR’s cultural fest. During Thomso, the whole campus bursted into color. Every road in the campus was exuberantly decorated. R-Land looked so magical! There was a plethora of events and competitions lined up. Personally, I found the pro-nites very fascinating. With the right people, these pro-nites can become legendary.

At IITR, you cant find yourself with nothing to do. There’s always something happening which keeps you busy. There was one technical group recruiting in October. It was ShARE, the official consulting group of the campus. The recruitment process was very rigorous and fortunately I made it! Everytime you selected in a group, the only thing people care about is getting a chapo from you. Sometimes even before congratulating you!

Academic responsibilities came back to haunt me again as End Term Exams were just round the corner. Everyone was back to grinding. I learnt the technique of devouring through the books with little time at hand.Somehow we managed to survive the onslaught of the exams. The situation was back to normal again. Everyday after the exams was fun. My friends and I played in the Students Club for hours, then sat somewhere in the campus and talked about literally anything!

With the relaxed norms and a decent CGPA, I managed to get a branch change. So the second semester was just like the first one. Meeting new people and memorizing names. The classes began and routine kicked in. Fortunately, it was time for the Epic GG trip! We went to Shimla and it was unbelievably fun. We bonded with some amazing seniors and some first yearites who remained in the shadows. Next came the Mid-Term Exams which we now tackled somewhat smoothly given the last semester’s experience. Then came Shristi, our Annual Technical exhibition. It was amazing to see the brilliant models, machines and vehicles made by our technical groups. Soon after that, I got the chance to go to Bangalore for an event organised by ShARE. Turns out, travelling with awesome people is actually a lot of fun! Immediately after that we had Cognizance, the Technical fest. People from various colleges came to participate and witness amazing lectures, events and competitions. This time I stayed in the campus during the Mid-Term break. I was bored of travelling and wanted to try doing something productive in the campus. But not everything happens according to the plan. I did learn new things but I also spent a lot of watching movies and TV series. But still, I enjoyed it.

After all this, it was time for the dreaded End Term exams. Like everyone around, I studied and managed to scrape through.

My last exam ended and I came to my room and sat on my bed. I felt a sense of achievement. I had completed one year at college. As I look back now, I feel that even three years wouldn’t be enough for me at this fantastic place. In just a year, I had formed close friendships and had more fun than I ever thought I could.