The vacation after sixth semester was not a vacation for Mechanical guys. We had to
make that long journey everyday to college because of Catia classes. I could
concentrate only during the first initial days and I completely lost it when some
complex drawings came in. Yes, we all had paid a huge sum for that course but I was
courageous enough to let it go knowing clearly drawings or design was not my cup
of tea. However, the best part was Cricket after classes.
This was followed by the announcement of SAE's BAJA competition in our 7th
semester. Most of the guys who did Catia course were automatically into this event.
Though this event is reputed and prestigious, I could do only little as it was all
Design and I could not understand a bit. This was a good excuse to bunk classes. We
also got an opportunity to attend a seminar on virtual design competition. We had to
bring out an economical design for an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) using design
softwares. The seminar was in Chennai in SRM University and this was my first outing
to Chennai and I would like to say I would never ever want to go to Chennai again.
You hit the shower 5 times in a day there and you will still sweat!!
The best part was SRM University. Splendid hospitality, marvellous infrastructure and
unlimited food which obviously makes my friends happy. We were around 8-10 guys
with a faculty Mr. Surendra sir. We had fun for 3-4 days there and got an opportunity
to see National Racing Championship. You should go to a racing at least once in your
lifetime to hear the sweet roar of the engines of their bulky machines. When I was
there and could see a crash in the grand Prix, I imagined how watching a F1 would be
only to see all my hair-strands on my hand raising to the sound of the engines at
the start of the grand Prix. We went to Mahabaleshwar beach and our sir too mingled
with us and enjoyed at beach.
We also had to stay at hostel for this BAJA thing for a week and I got to experience
the hostel life where you will have friends 24*7 next to you. The purpose of being in
hostel was to discuss about design and come up with a prototype but it ended up in
having fun, weird discussions like "What is one quality your future wife must
possess?", about each other's lovers and what not! During this discussion, one of
our friends had to weep thinking about the treachery of a girl. I never knew he was
so much sensitive but he has a big heart.
We were eager to see the girls of first year who was going to join our college and the
feel of being the top seniors in our college was cool. I don't know why no junior
girl turned me on but I missed my senior girls in the college. I wanted to enjoy this
semester with a free mind as I was already placed but definitely didn't want to score
low. I wanted to prove my teachers wrong who always said placed students will never
take their studies seriously after getting placed. I wanted to sit at last bench
because the pranks, the fun, the teasing, everything happened there with Tini, Patte
and Gowda.
Tini was a guy who can crack jokes on anything you say, a good Cricketer, has a nice
physique, unknown to girls, known to all boys, the Tom of "Tom n Jerry", the guy in
whom I found a friend. His actual name was Naveen but he has many alias like Tini,
Niddhe, Dabba,etc. May be I chose last bench in my final year because of him and I
had a great time with him. I had such laughter when I was with him where I just
couldn't control it and had to go under the desk to laugh out loud during class
hours.Everyone loves to mock him for which he always has a counter-attack dialogue. I just love the
way he speaks and the way he behaves. The best part of him was during our project
presentation where he shocked me, Gowda and Vishak with his English. I should say
I was just dumbstruck hearing his English which I never expected from him only to
find out he practiced it with his sister just like a kid who would deliver Maths
tables!!
When there is a Tom, there should be a Jerry too and Jerry is the one who torments
Tom the most. His name is Nischith alias Patte. I love this guy's sense of humour and
his timing in commenting. He is short and has that innocent child's smile in his face
always. He was the only guy who used to shut Tini's mouth. If there was a best pair
award in our college, this guys truly deserved it! He loved a junior girl who used to
come in his bus and boy, he truly loved her and used to get all sorts of advises from
all our friends which only messed up things.
Speaking of subjects in seventh semester, I loved Heat and Mass Transfer subject
though it was hyped as one of the toughest subjects after Thermodynamics. I do not
know why I have a liking for tougher subjects and score more in those compared to
easier subjects. Operations Management was also an interesting subject in which I
scored 82, my highest in Engineering (Tied with Maths-2 and Composite Materials in
8th Sem). The beauty of this subject was all lengthy Numerical problems. Then comes
Total Quality Management in which you will learn more about Japanese techniques.
Many students had a rift with the lecturer who used to take TQM because he would
never give 25/25 to anyone in internals though we deserved it. But he did give me in
my third internals telling me he is giving it because of my good attitude.
Hydraulics and Pneumatics subject made me to talk to the author of the text book
online and he is still in my contacts list. I guess he was the only author I have
seen to publish his email ID in his textbook which helped me to clear many doubts in
the subject. Finite Element Methods was the subject I hated most in this semester as
I could not understand anything and I had to just by heart the theories for the exam.
I got to know more about the Sun through Non Conventional Energy Sources subject
where you will also learn about the measurement of the sunlight received at a
particular area which seemed mesmerizing. Design lab was not much fun compared to
Heat Transfer lab and all the fun was because of our "Dicharge" sir.
We had most part of our fun in Cricket but we badly needed a trip. Other branches
used to go to trips, of course girls included. But only Mechanical guys would know
how fantastic it would be to go to a trip without any girl in the team!! We went to
Madikeri, my birth place, which is also called "Scotland of India". Though I had
visited this place many times, it was a different feeling to be with friends. It was
a nice trip and we came back refreshed.
The first three semesters were fearful knowing about Engineering and branch
change possibilities. My fourth semester was a come-back semester where my strategies
worked and I had to really prove to myself there about my capabilities. Fifth and sixth semester were all about placement. The seventh semester was real fun and yes the fun ended in 7th semester....
To be continued...
Coming Soon: My Last Blog on My Final Semester in Engineering.
