Life in an IIT: ‘Studying at IIT-Kharagpur feels like being a part of India’s history and heritage’, says a BTech student

My dream came true in 2022 when I secured AIR 4624 in JEE Main and AIR 1663 in JEE Advanced. Interestingly, I got admission to Electrical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. My father is a software developer and runs his own business. My mother is a business head at an international school. I have an older brother who is also an engineer.

The legacy at IIT Kharagpur

IIT-KGP is way better than I expected. It has the largest campus. Living at IIT Kharagpur feels like being part of history as this place was a detention centre during the British era. On April 21, 1956, Jawaharlal Nehru formally opened the campus.

This place is a blend of history as well as modern times. On one hand, we have the main building, which has been here since the establishment of the college.

IIT Kharagpur

It has old architecture. The electric fittings such as the switches and fans are still in good condition. While, on the other hand, we have the Nalanda complex, where the classes are held. It is a new building with modern-day facilities like projectors and more.

At IIT Kharagpur, students are not allowed to have motorised vehicles, therefore, you would see the campus buzzing with bicycles especially in the morning when students are heading towards their classes.

My day at IIT Kharagpur

My day usually begins at 6:30 am. I have breakfast at around 7:30 am and on most days, I have classes from 8 am. My hostel is 2 kms away from the classroom campus so I, along with my friends, cycle to the classroom complex (Nalanda). We have classes till 12 pm or 1 pm followed by an hour-long lunch break. This is again followed by classes from 2 pm or 3 pm till 5 pm. After 5 pm, we have the whole time to ourselves— we can chill, attend society meetings, study, work on projects and more.

There are restaurants, a Cafe Coffee Day and Mio Amore bakery (it’s quite famous in the area) on the campus. We hang out there once we are done with our classes.

One thing which is interesting to note is that in our first year, we have common classes for all the freshers. Students are not divided into branches but into sections. So, in my section, there are students from all branches — be it mechanical or agriculture.

In fact, in our first year, we get exposure to all branches. The labs are interesting— we have two labs from every department be it mechanical, electrical, agriculture or aerospace. There are nearly 1,900 students in the first year.

Generally, after returning from classes or labs, I have snacks in the mess. We sometimes hang out at the lake. It’s not that big but it is quite a popular spot among us. At times, we wake up at 6 am and cycle all the way to the helipad to watch the sunrise. We have three helipads.

IIT Kharagpur

Seniors, societies and fests

Other than that, there are society interactions during which we get to talk to seniors. It is a good way to bond with seniors. I am a part of the debating society and the business club.

The seniors here are cool and helpful. There is a mentorship programme, where we are assigned a senior from our branch as our mentor, and each senior has 4-5 juniors as their mentees. From choosing a minor to how to go about a subject, the senior helps us with everything. Speaking of professors, they are extremely well-versed in their subjects and provide us with all kinds of resources that would develop our knowledge about the subject.

We have two fests — the first one happens in January, it is the techno-management fest— Kshitij and the second is our cultural fest— Spring fest. Other than that, we have inter IITs where all 23 IITs participate. This year, I did not participate in any competition. Fests are four days of pure fun and frolic, there are so many events and competitions happening, wherever you go, whichever corner, there is something happening.

Hostel life, friends and mess food

We have quite a vibrant life in our hostels as well. We have 21 hostels, out of which five are for girls. There are no co-ed hostels. Our hostels are called ‘hall of residence’ and they are named after famous Indian personalities. I am a resident of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya hall of residence. I have a double occupancy room, my roommate is from Raipur. We have people from across the country. I have hostel friends who are from Siliguri, Delhi, Kanpur, Kolkata and so many more places.

IIT Kharagpur

At the hostel mess, there’s a healthy variety of food — from idli sambar to chole bhature, which we get on a rotational basis. If we feel hungry at night, there are night canteens and other eating joints. At Kharagpur, we are not allowed to leave the campus after 11 pm but we can go out of the hostel anytime we want. This is the first time I am living without my family and I don’t feel homesick as I always knew that I will have to move out at some point. I was actually more concerned about my parents and how they will live without me, as they are not used to it.

Living alone gives you a sense of freedom

I feel that living alone gives you a sense of freedom which is important at this stage, as it prepares you for the life ahead. I have plans of moving abroad for my Master’s and this experience will really help me learn and grow as a person and I will be able to make better choices in the future.

I went home before Holi, and my mother stuffed me with my favourite dishes and packed food that could last a month — besan ke laddoo, gujiya, mathri and whatnot.

All in all my IIT experience has been very enriching and fulfilling as it is a dream come true and more. IIT-K not only provides the best education but also instills a positive and problem-solving attitude.