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Nostalgia Aneesh Jain on the legacy that Kgp leaves in us Even after spending a number of semesters in this village isolated from civilization, you do tend to keep discovering new follies but it is only when you are about to leave that you have a clearer picture of what you actually are going to miss in your life. Sadly for most, this realization is yet to come and they shall continue to criticize this place and the lack of adventure and opportunities. Life is indeed so predictable, at times monotonous: 'The Park Hotel' every Friday and Cheddies late in the nights, classes every weekday at 7:30 in the morning, some Inter Hall practice in the evening, wooing the freshly arrived pretty ones each year and getting poorer in the process, desperately trying to maintain 75% attendance (at least in the record books) and frantically *mugging* before each exam. You can't even write a book about an average KGPian's lif e (an increasingly growing trend at some of the more popular institutes)! The bumpy ride on the way to KGP from the Highway isn't exactly enjoyed by everyone, especially those who are used to getting stuck in traffic jams in metropolitan cities. The dearth of enough lodging space on campus and absence of any outside accommodation for visitors might be responsible for the
J A NUA R Y 6 2007
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lack of interest by a lot of firms to show up on campus. T he scarcity of restaurants serving edible food, movie theatres and places the young and wild would want to hang out at (well there is always Harry's), only add to the disappointed moroseness of a student.
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But then we, like most others, would like to believe we are different, special in ways unknown to the rest of humanity: Techies surprisingly during some certain three days of February, humans during the weekend of the last week of January, for the rest of the year we are plain simple Hall“ites”. There is one religion unique to KGP and one religion alone being practiced – The Hall – and though the masses will deny, everyone ultimately becomes a part! Good or bad is a matter of personal opinion. This religion plus the great betrayal of humanity have resulted in at least one specific trait of a KGPian – he usually ends up making more great friends than he can count on his fingers, having more fun 'on campus' than anyone in the more popular institutes and sadly also missing this place when he is away.
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Things may change, are changing, but these words will always remain the same:“KGP ka tempo high hai!”
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T E A M S CHOLS A V E
Executive Editors ? Chintan Thakkar, Nitin Basant, Sunny Somani, Swati Editors ? Aneesh Jain, Aravind RS, Riti Mohapatra, Rohit Shankar, Saahil Bhanot, Samya Mandal, Shishir Dash, Umang Jain Sr. Reporters ? Aditya Marathe, Anuj Dayal, Arish Inam, Sheekha Verma, Sreeja Nag, Suvrat Bafna Reporters ? Anup Bishnoi, Deepak Cherian, JS Deepthi, Mithun Madhusudan, Pranesh Chaudhary, Srinath Sinha,Vinayak Pathak Jr. Reporters ? AVN Murthy, Bharat Bhat, Mayank Kedia, Pallavi Jayannavar, Siddharth Singh, Suyash Bire
N E WS A V E NUE
A StaRK Contrast They say somethings never change, and the quintessential example of this seems to be the deplorable condition of the halls of residence of IIT Kharagpur. Along with other veterans of Kgp spirit such as hall tempo, night outs and bhaat, it has always remained the same. Almost. We say almost, because seeds of change are being sown. A new wave of excitement for some and hope for others is being generated, due to the complete makeover of the RK Hall of residence which stands out shining in its fresh coat of waterproof paint. Thanks to its highly automated kitchen, spotless clean bathrooms, tile flooring and lush lawn, RK has become the institute's new showcase hall – a quick stop on the tour for important visitors and journalists ranking engineering colleges. Someone who stays here longer, however, will realize that the success of RK Hall's refurbishment project is one which is remarkable because of the efforts required to overcome the inertia of status quo. The entire project was managed and funded, not by the inept Hall Management Committee (HMC) but by a distinguished alumnus, former resident of RK hall and CEO of InfoUSA, Mr.Vinod Gupta.
In an extremely generous gesture, he provided the finances for the thorough overhaul of his old hall – to the tune of approximately Rs. 58 lakhs. Dealing directly with the contractor in charge, he also ensured that the money was well spent – almost every facility in RK hall has been improved (see box). In doing so, he has shown the way in which other halls may be renovated – through the direct participation of IIT Kharagpur's illustrious alumni. The student representatives in each hall have a crucial role to play if this were to
happen, as they are the initial bridge between the alumni and the contractors. It is essential that they hold themselves to much higher standards of accountability and transparency, so as to inspire confidence that the contributions are well spent. On behalf of the students of IIT Kharagpur, Scholars' Avenue would like to laud Mr. Vinod Gupta for his generosity, and to appeal to all alumni to consider giving back to their alma mater – in a manner that will impact the daily lives of hundreds of students.