Kartikay

Kartikay Agrawal,

An undergraduate student in Civil Engineering, commences this year, reflecting upon a plethora of memories, experiences, and learnings with us on how life at IIT Bombay has forged him into a finer version of himself.

Tell us about your journey coming here. Why did you choose IIT Bombay?

I was no exception to the rat race to which I was introduced around my 8th grade. I started to prepare for JEE in Mumbai (Andheri) itself and subsequently decided to opt for a degree in Civil Engineering out of all the options open to me, since this branch felt the closest to the aspects of Mechanical Engineering in a certain way, which I couldn’t get into.

A very apt reason to choose Mumbai was the distance from my hometown in Silvassa (Dadra & Nagar Haveli), which, incredibly, accounted for my long-chill weekends just 3 hours away from me.

What were your expectations before coming here, and how well were they met?

I’d say I had more expectations from myself than the college, let alone. The glory of IITB was something I was not unaware of, and the academic scene did surprise me to an extent, with me being unapologetically irresponsible towards it for the first time. I wasn’t very anticipative of a very high-paying job or extraordinary prospects, but content to be just graduating from IITB, which leads me to think that I’ve met 70-80 % of the overall expectations that I had in my mind.

Which clubs or teams were you a part of? Did you have any hobbies or a stress-reliever while being in the Institute?

I joined Techfest as a co-ordinator for a while, but I reckon that working in a team or club to achieve an agenda was never my thing to do. I was less fascinated by the functioning of clubs based on their ethics and the usual taste of politics involved; however, I was very keen on not holding myself back from socialising and did a great part there, according to me.

I spent most of my amazing time hanging out with my friends to explore this city and the food. Leisure went into binge-watching a lot of series and good food.

Are there any changes that you observed in the insti culture while being here?

I’d say our batch looked much more indulged in academics and resumes than our senior batches, and this is now being carried on ever since. The fun elements from the culture, whether it be navigating friendships with no future cause, or getting into activities just for the sake of your dedication seem to be transitioning into good CV points. Juniors seem to be engaged in an evergrowing pressure from what I have perceived.

How did COVID-19 interrupt your college life?

It did create a lot of wreckage. We had to complete three semesters in a single year, which crammed 6 months into a hectic period. It was undoubtedly a lot more fun to not worry about studying a lot and navigate the safest means to write online exams without getting caught with my friends as a quest. In fact, the highest SPI that I have ever achieved was back in my first semester.

How did the academic competition overall affect you, or in a way, affect your mental health under the pressure to excel?

I liked the contrast of our branch with the other departments, as people were more helpful and quick to lend you assistance. The wonderful group of 5-6 people that I had helped me keep myself on track with the academics by the time the fourth/fifth semester had come. Eventually, the peer group motivates you to bring out the best in yourself.

Adding to that, I have had hard times with several institute electives, and a change in curriculum with some mapping issues had me freaking out initially, though it went smoothly later.

What is the longest duration that you have stayed awake for and why?

Straight 36 hours in the LHC for surviving three back-to-back papers on the occasion of the last end-semester exams of my degree. I couldn’t recall a single detail of any of the subjects post-exam and dozed off for 16 hours later. It was much needed for survival and the fun, but also truly worth it.

If there was one experience that you could relive from your life at the Institute, what would it be?

A core memory to relive would be hanging out with a large bunch of friends, out of which most of them lived in H17, and I, being the only one from H18. The gathering of as many as 15-20 crazy friends in a single room to enjoy some good music or a movie night, and then marching towards the main gate to grab a chai when the clock hits 4 AM will be missed the most by me. Every walk on the campus holds a memory.

If there’s one thing that you could change about your life at insti, what would it be and why?

I consider going back in time and stopping myself from being a part of the first group of friends that I got into, since I see it as a really bad time now, which also got me into certain bad stuff, as well as experiences back then.

Another major change that I could have made was to include myself in sports since I put on about 10-15 Kgs of weight throughout my time here and to fit into the extremum of this question, I might have considered a different IIT, probably Delhi, due to the distance from my home. This has been a very significant reason for my hindered daily routines.

How have you changed/evolved as a person in these years?

I used to be very carefree with certain areas of my life, and all these years have moulded me into a responsible human. I now know better how to carry myself around others with even better hold of my communications due to the people I used to be surrounded with. My ability to understand people better without being too judgmental and to be better at making meaningful bonds with them has evolved beautifully. This city gave me a bright exposure to the possibilities of people, and I am very grateful for that.

Another side of me is surprised to see how my grasping skills have reached to trenches, while they were better when I was preparing for JEE to a point where I recently had an embarrassing confrontation with a JEE (Advanced) question in front of my cousin. I had to pull out the wingies helpline button to ensure the overwhelming dignity of my IITB tag wasn’t harmed for a silly concept.

Any piece of advice for the Juniors/ people of the Institute?

I would like to advise juniors not to fall for people seeking connections, more than academics, but rather try to balance them wisely. It’s a grey area rather than black and white. As for my personal experience, I made more friends in my 4th year than all others combined, try to seek out people in your 3rd & 4th years as much as possible while focusing on developing skills for your betterment in 1st & 2nd years. The hustle that internships and jobs make you do can be very exhaustive, but it’s all very much worth your dedication.

Did you ever face an issue relating to your expenses/managing your finances while being here at insti?

Well, I’d say most likely no, since I acknowledge my background to be very privileged. Though there were times when shockwaves travelled to my home when I’d ask for money the next day again. I’m definitely the kind of person who never says no to any plan/hangout, so managing my finances was sometimes a big trouble for sure.

What are your plans for the upcoming year(s)?

I’ll be getting into my family business for now, to stand up to its values and the legacy. The ARC sector in finance fascinates me, and the idea is to bring the best out of it.

Is there any embarrassing moment from insti life you would like to share?

I used to handle myself very carefully to not cause any of those, but this reminds me of a Lab course on Fluid Dynamics in which I had not attended 6 out of 7 Labs. It was pretty chaotic and embarrassing to convince the Lab manager and the Professor to settle the FR, finally, in this last semester.

I also had two courses which I got an FR in, instructed by the same professor, for which the reason was unclear to me. I remember pointing out an extra stretch to lecture at 12:32 PM, which gets me thinking of one possible reason.

Rapid Fire Round

Fav hangout spot- 

H2 shop  and the H5 TV room with an AC attached to chill out in summer.

Fav food joint-

Cafe 92: The conversations there hold a good piece of memory for me.

Fav course-

Geotechnical Engg. Lab: Playing with mud was fun.

Fav semester-

Even semester: for the pleasant Mumbai winter and the awaited long vacations.

Fav Prof-

Not one but two. Prof. Prasanjit Basu and Prof. Amit Das, both of them were very chill. My interaction with them, as well as AA & AB in their courses, sums up the reason for it. Special mention to Prof. Swagata Basu, the only professor who took us on a field trip; she’s amazing.

Facts that you’d like to share about yourself?

–If there’s one skill that my friends think I have, it would be to handle money transfers from people.

–I live for mangoes, which is another reason that I liked the even semesters more.

–Towards the start of the third year, I kicked my roommate out of the room to live alone in all pride & majesty, while he had to share with some other friend whose roommate had gone for a semester exchange program.

Will your little self from the past be happy to see you where you are today?

The little Kartikay would rather be shocked on seeing the negligence towards academics that the present Kartikay has had, but from a social point of view, he’d be very happy with the company of people and friends that I now have. I truly look forward to what’s to come next as I reach the end of the beginning chapter of my life.