The buzz

Thinking beyond and breathing outside the air of CGPA's(the grading scale) realm forms quite a minority here at the IIT's. The obsession seems to engulf more or less everybody. Well the boards and JEE weren't enough. Indian academics loves to demarcate, decide fortunes and the student's oblige by craving for any opportunity that results in slightest change in grades or marks. IITians are not expected to be and neither are any different. Some seek attention,some take pride, some see it as opening for better future opportunities, some fear being lamented as under-performers...the reasons may be far too many to list down but the interesting thing is...IIT is still not happy with the technical skills and the enthusiasm shown by the students here which is evident by the constant remarks of the professors about the unhealthy attitude of the students out here.
So it's quite to hard to explain the mindsets as in:
The upper strata(on the basis of CGPA) carries a body language along with them as if there's only a handful better born souls out there than them. Moreover the placements dosen't prove their beliefs totally wrong while the lower strata spends most of the time contemplating and understanding how the hell a minor differences in grades matter so much. But the question is how long are we going to persist with such kind of attitutde...
Maybe the change is very near as new and young India continues to be bold and rejects the supremacy realms based on such petty points. There will be differing views and this text may invite personalized attacks in the form of connotations and remarks but the fact is it's sickening to see people squabble and babble for such issues and it's high time they understand that education in true sense is aimed at attaining knowledge,humility,inclusive growth and development which sadly the current system arrogantly ignores.

The difference

It's going to be one of the interesting and controversial observations that I'm going to pen down.
What makes the brand IIT different? No definite answer but yes quite a few probables. Attitude,belief,hardwork and zeal to excel are all ingredients of a successful life...IITians possessing them in rich quantities.IIT adds the element exposure. The desire...the competition seems to bring the best out of you. The expectations...the gruelling schedule..the intensity..arrogance to some extent contributes to the realization and confidence to just go for it and do it. And the environment keeps you on your toes and pressurizes to act quickly and efficiently.That much for the answer to the curious minds who wonder sitting outside but yes one question remains....Can you overtake this bunch of highly skilled well equipped cream of the country....
The answer is Yes..you surely can...why not is the question one should ask to get the answer...the very fact that an IITian gets so much attention can make him overconfident and complacent(intentionally the her's have not been included) and the system along with the so much expertise can actually turn out to be a diversion for the student, the competition and ineffective academic environment can act as a deterrent for few individuals who hate when terms are dictated by system or its governors ..which may curb their instincts and flights.Therein lies the advantage of non-IITians. Moreover at times they are much more focussed and inspired to prove themselves.
The conclusion then according to my perception and experience then is.... the deciding factor will be the self-belief, hardwork, focus and opportunities which are the conventional constituents of any success story whose rights cannot be patented by the prestigious IIT's.

Extra-ordinarily Ordinary

That describes me. As a senior of mine examines my resume he laments the inevitably conspicuous "average" tag on me. Being quite aware of the fact of being jack of all trades and master of none what can I say. Eventhough I've always strived hard it's hard to find an extra-ordinarily gifted talent within myself. Don't know whether it exists or not but the search is on and the persistence persists.
IIT subsides all doubts, if any, of being an underachiever as there are masters who can make you look quite small. It's a bit sad to keep on losing more often than not, as effort competes with gifted talents, nevertheless the experiences teach.It's not a crime to be born ordinary or is it?However these setbacks create a possibility of becoming the famous failure when everybody ese become successful.
During my very first interviews the gentleman asked me about my speciality.The unconvincing reply"With the diversity I possess i can handle most of the assignments given to me". He seemed quite offended when I opined it's actually a bit tough at this stage to figure out one field for an individual. Our opposing views ensured my rejection and an advice of focussed approach to ponder upon. But the complexity of the problem is my normalcy and ordinariness.
I find my strength in being quite aware of what I am but still feel quite clueless how to use this ordinariness of diverified capabilities to dwell well and build a future. Whatever be the case I'm resolute to fight these failures as failures are shapers of humble learners but I'll still opt for success.

State of the mind

Many not few are who dream to get into the dream institute of IIT but few not many get the chance to explore the intricacies of this place. Being here for almost four years now I have a mixed feeling. Even though you get the brand of being among the country's best it also means you shoulder the responsibility of carrying the tag of India's cream wherever you go and in whatever you do. The brilliance is expected out of you. It may be an encouraging factor mostly but sometimes it does pressurize the individuals. Little does a fresher knows when he enters the big world of IIT. This is a place of big dreams and aspirations and it takes something out of you to compete with country's best.