How does it feel when you finally realize you’re at the last stage of 5 years?
In one word — bittersweet, when you realize that you are now standing at the brink of 5 years. On one hand, it marks the completion of a long journey; on the other hand, time hardly feels like it has passed. It involves a lot of emotions, reminding me of my school’s farewell. However, during school life, you want to go out, grow up, and explore the world. But these 5 years of college of living out the adult life etch irreplaceable memories. I quite literally grew up from an 18-year-old boy to a 23-year-old man. More importantly, I grew up emotionally and mentally. In the end, all these experiences have culminated to make me a better version of myself.
How important are friends and clubs for a student here at IISER, especially for one’s mental well-being?
As I said, this is a long journey of 5 years, and friends and clubs contribute a lot to our growth and development. A student goes through a lot mentally and physically during this time.
The first year is spent figuring things out, the second year is spent trying to understand what research means, then your third year rolls around, and you’re hit in the face with majors. Things only get harder in your fourth year because you have to choose from a billion electives.
Finally comes the thesis year. It’s the hardest year of all because now you need to decide whether you want to pursue a PhD or something else, while finalising your topic of interest simultaneously. In this roller coaster ride, friends are constant pillars of support. They bear with me, in and out, all the time, irrespective of the good, the bad, or the ugly. I would spend all day with them and forget that I needed to call back home. College had become my second home.
When COVID-19 happened, it took a huge toll on everyone’s lives, but we were all still connected, either through shared notes over WhatsApp, playing games online, or watching a movie on a Zoom call. We had each other’s back. When the world outside was crumbling, we all checked up on each other, and our bond remained strong. Being connected to my friends made me feel alive, even as everything else felt so dull and depressing.
Friends are very important if you don’t want to feel alienated from society. You need to have a certain set of people of your age group who will understand the various aspects of your life without being guardians, genuinely assisting you as life savers.
Talking about clubs, they are a vital part of an IISERite. Keeping your creative side alive, you don’t want to grow up to be a boring scientist, do you? This drove me to take part in the club culture of IISER. After you’ve had your dinner and gossiped with your friends, what do you do? Maybe you sing, you dance, you play an instrument, or enact a skit, and that is what brings you fun in your day-to-day life.
Friends and clubs go hand in hand. You may find new friends in clubs or might find a club which interests you and your friends.
When talking about clubs, how could we not discuss Darpan? What does Darpan mean to you?
Being the ex-convenor (2021-22) of Darpan has brought me face-to-face with another version of myself.
Although I was under no obligation, I was a part of Darpan even after my convenorship. I have learned and gone through it all — acting, light, sound, stage design, costume, makeup, script writing, and direction. The late-night meetings, constant rehearsals, trials after trials, bringing forth the unseen emotions — all of these are the colours of Darpan that make it so vibrant. I loved every second I was associated with it, whether it was a bit of pep talk before a performance, fixing the script, interacting with every member to understand them truly, or looking at the beaming faces after performing the play.
I kept at it till my final semester, making that five semesters with Darpan— that’s half of my college life!
People say I’m a big part of Darpan, and that Darpan is a big part of me. I won’t argue; it has helped me make friends across batches, get to know new talents, and also taught me leadership skills.
Darpan will always have a special place in my heart.
What are the 3 tips you would give to yourself in your first year?
Firstly, to be grounded, and not to get carried away because sometimes things are not what they look like. I love saying this a lot, “Balance is the key to life, and without that, there is no point to anything”.
Secondly, it is to focus on one thing at a time. I usually get distracted very easily, so I feel it is important to take things one at a time and complete them with better efficiency. I know that life doesn’t work that way, and we are always bombarded with things on our faces, but one should know how to deal with them individually, and it’s a skill I’m still developing.
The third tip would be to identify people for who they are. At the end of the day, science is about interaction with people; if you don’t know what kind of people are out there it will be very difficult to place your judgments correctly. In my first year, I used to mask a few emotions, because we all want to fit in, but as time passes, we all need to associate with people for who they really are, and thus choosing the right group is very crucial in the life of a student.
A message to IISERM?
It is a great place, I wish covid didn’t happen, then I wouldn’t have lost 1.5 years of my college life, but it is what it is. Maybe I would have ended up taking a different major or made different friends, who knows? But whatever happened, happened for a reason and I am prompted to believe it.
Academics are good, and student life is amazing if you can find the right people. IISER is like a cradle for growth and personal development and learning about life, what it is to live far away from home but still be in a place that makes you feel homely.
Interviewed by: Neelanjana Chatterjee
Edited by: Archisha Mukherjee & Jiyen Sachdeva
Manthan 