The best part of our college was cool environment, greenery around and field to play. We sat in the hall where all had gathered and few speeches were done. The only thing which went into my head was our Girish sir saying to the parents: "All you have to do is to ensure that your ward gets 70% in every semester right from 1-8 and he/she will definitely get a job". I took these words seriously and one more thing which captured me was our seniors getting memento for scoring 90-98 marks in external exams on that particular day. I dreamt of receiving the same next year without realizing what exactly engineering would be, how the subjects and teaching would be and most importantly why students curse VTU often!
The students were sent to class to receive introduction from the teachers of the respective departments. When I walked to the class, all I could hear was Tamil language, be it from students or the clerks there or anyone whom i saw at that time. I entered the class and sat on one of the benches. All students came in and settled there. The one who sat next to me started talking to me in Tamil and I was like what the hell is going on here! Am I in right college? Am I in Tamilnadu or what? Will I have to learn Tamil to study in this college? I told him politely that I do not know Tamil and I am from Bangalore. He introduced himself as Sandeep. He started to talk in Tamil again with the guys who were sitting back. The major turn-off was there were just boys and boys only around. Then I realized there will be no girls in Mechanical branch and it will be the same for 4 years!!
Teachers came to the class and introduced themselves but I was hardly interested in that as I thought that this will not be the branch where I would stay after a year as I will be changing my branch to Computer Science. We were sent back to join our parents in the hall. While going, there was a huge crowd at the notice board and all were noting down the time-table. I was disappointed to see that we will have to follow the Chemistry cycle in our first semester coz I was expecting Physics cycle as it would help me in the flow of C language for third semester. I just glanced over the next day's subjects and remembered it without noting down anything. The induction got over at 2:30 and the buses left at 3 pm. There was a lot of fun going on behind me in the bus as all started introducing each other but I preferred to be silent as my mom was there next to me. I was relieved when I heard Kannada from some people there.
The next day, I was again early for my college bus. The bus was crowded and teachers, seniors, all were there. I sat at the last row of the bus and dint know who is who there. It was a big silent journey again. After entering the class, I saw a couple of people who were in my bus and I went close to them and smiled and talked to them. Soon, we became friends. They were Santosh (Baba) and Kavali. It was 8:45 a.m and still 15 minutes were left to start the class. I went to notice board and was seeing the time table structure and subjects and the lecturers who will be handling them. There came a guy, innocent (just by external appearance) and decent who started talking to me. He dint see my face but was seeing the notice board and said: "You were coming to YKJ tuitions for Chemistry right?" I saw him but never had seen him before and told: "Yes, how do you know?" He said even he used to go to the same tuitions but no one recognized him as he was sitting at the last bench. He introduced himself as Pradeep (Gowda). We went to class and I introduced him to Baba and Kavali where Baba said he already knew him.
I dint want to make the same mistake which I did in my PUC days by opting to sit on last bench on first day and completely failed to score big in PUC. I was into Engineering with a purpose to strike big when it came to marks. Though my entry to Engg was decided while I was standing in the queue to pay the fees for the BCA course in National college, I always believed in excelling wherever I am or whatever I do. My strategy to Engg in first semester was the same I used in school. Impress the teachers first, study hard only in your first test and the rest will follow you. So I decided to sit on first bench where I came across Emil and Appanna. Emil was a funny guy who was never serious and Appanna was just the opposite to Emil. I came to know he is a coorgie by hearing his name itself.
According to our time table, we had Chemistry lab on that day itself and when we entered, we saw a guy who was so friendly with us asking all our details of our past and interests and hobbies. I initially thought that he was an attender and did not believe when he himself told that he will be handling Chemistry to all of us. It was confirmed only when he came to our class the next day to teach us Chemistry. I have never come across such a lecturer who cared for us so much after my school days. He was just like a school teacher in Engineering college and HK sir will always remain in my heart for all the good he did to me.
My strategy went just fine and within a couple of weeks, I had impressed few teachers. One thing I have observed in the first semester students is the level of Enthusiasm. It will be so high that all will be seen with a book-in-hand always, either in library or in the bus or at the free time in class. It used to be the same with me too. If this level of enthusiasm is carried out in all semesters of engg, there will be the right engineers emerging out of every colleges. But this rarely happens. I used to study more while I am in the bus, especially those early mornings which helped me a lot in my entire span of engg. You wont believe if I say I just used to study during that 1 and half hours while I am in the bus in that early mornings when there was internals going on and used to score the maximum in my 4th and 5th semesters.
Normally, the first semester students would have higher aims to score marks and study whenever they get time. When that is the mindset of them, imagine them stepping into the bus and seeing all their seniors with books in their hands studying as if the clouds would fall on them if they wont study at that particular time. Well, the situation is quite simple. The seniors having their first internals and unfortunately, it has clashed with the day 1 of the freshers. Thank God, that did not happen to us but when we were the seniors, the juniors had to face that. Poor chaps!!
Our batch was quite lucky when it came to ragging. None of them either ragged us in the bus or ragged us in the campus. But it was not the same when we were the seniors. Though I strongly condemn ragging and never did it, our classmates made it sure to have fun in the bus when it was freshers coming in. I am against ragging and will always be against it.
Back to my first semester days, I had impressed few teachers before my first internals and after my first internals, I almost impressed all. And it was C language which I was most interested in and I enjoyed Maths too. They say that Mech guys do not have interest in C and I broke that rule. I enjoyed C upto the core and it was like I was able to follow even the complex programs. I impressed Mr. Pasha, the C language lecturer and he had challenged openly in the class to many of our classmates to get pass marks in second internals as he will set the toughest paper. I still remember that question paper which was of only programs and there was a Switch program to be written using only characters as datatype and not int. I was the only guy to get above 20 in that internals. Many of them thought that I went to tuitions for C and that is why I am able to follow it so easily. I believe if there is strong determination and dedication towards a subject, no matter how much ever complex it is, we will be able to crack it. By the end of 3 internals, my total was 172/175 and keeping this in mind, I was so over-confident that I believed I will get the marks same way in my external exams too.
The question papers in the first semester were so madly set by VTU that all were like out of syllabus and I knew I would not get good marks but I expected a little more and only after the results were announced, I came to know how exactly the valuation is done in VTU and never to expect more marks. I was disappointed abt my results and realized that it is not Internal marks which are to be targeted.
It was in second semester where we played Cricket like hell bunking the class everyday. We were playing Cricket in first semester too but in second semester, it was like all were coming to college just to play Cricket! All used to be ready for mass bunk. May be this is the biggest advantage of just boys and no girls in the class! The one who was very much frustrated about our mass bunk was Physics lecturer. He went up to the level of complaining to the Principal but what can they do when all 60 were involved? If he had suspended us, it would have been turned out to be more fun as everyone would be found again on field either playing Cricket or Football!
I should say the Physics cycle subjects are more better and interesting when compared to Chemistry cycle subjects. All were problematic (Numericals) subjects and I just love solving problems and scoring marks than reading all that silly theory and writing stories on that. Once you understand the concept of solving problems, no matter how much ever they twist the question, you can solve it easily.
My favourite subjects in second semester was Maths and Civil Engineering. Civil engg is just awesome. I appreciate the separation of theory and Numericals in that subject and mind you, Civil engineering concepts are used in defense forces interviews (SSBs), the structures, the rigidity, support, preparing a cantilever structure, etc. The outdoor Group Task activities in defense is all about these concepts. We had a great teacher for Maths in second semester. Her way of teaching was so simple that she used to teach even the most complex concepts in simpler terms so that even a below average student could understand easily. I got 82 in Maths though I could write for 90 marks only coz of time shortage and all credits should go to Mrs. Shanthi. I am a slow writer in exams.
The toughest subject was Electrical Engg and we had a teacher for that who used to give max marks for just writing the question again and again in the answer booklet. All were happy in getting good marks in internals and later all paid for it in our externals. Many of them flunked too! Then comes the workshop; this subject is all about the power and stamina you have. I hated this subject. It used to be fun to see girls working heavily in workshop and I always imagined how the hell would they lift that heavy hammer for Forging. If I were in VTU, I would have banned this subject or would have just put this subject only for Mechanical related branches. I am sure many girls would support this.
There were cute girls in other branches and guys from our class were desperate to see them in every opportunity they get. Few of them were so happy that our class was just opposite to Girl's restroom in ground floor and I still remember the way one of our classmates went behind a girl to introduce himself and ask that girl's name though he knew it. I couldn't suppress my laughter seeing him and the girl's reaction. We had College day and my friend Gowda was so impressed by one girl's performance that he fell in love right at that moment and he told us all. I can never forget the way he made it sure that no one is watching him when he wanted to talk with that girl and by chance me watching that and telling it off to the whole class and what fun we had after that! The first girl with whom I talked in my college was Sheetal and I wonder why I always wanted to call her as Shirley. She was my senior and one of my friends in my bus had introduced her in his class. We never talked much but it was a girl named Sowmya who became my close friend and she too was my senior. My seniors in the bus wanted to play with her using my mobile and later when I revealed that it were her classmates who were playing with her, we became friends.
I was very much confident that I would get above 70% easily in this semester as all were problematic subjects. I got above 70 but I was not satisfied with my marks as I had fixed a higher target. It was in second semester we played more Cricket and mingled with everyone easily and had good friends too. My classmates recognized my potential as a fast bowler and everyone appreciated and encouraged me. I had that feeling that I may miss this people as I will be shifting my branch and I was more interested in knowing about the teachers in Computer Science, students who studied good and whom should I beat there in terms of marks.
This was all in my First year of Engineering...
To be continued.....
