A Decade Since Graduation
(Reflections on my time at Harcourt Butler Technological University, India; where I studied engineering and made friends for life).
Writing has always been a hobby. In fact, during the first year at HBTU, I also got an award for story writing. It happens to be the last fiction piece I have written till date!! As my interest drifted away from writing fiction to learning electronics engineering- I had not contemplated that one day I would fail to find enough words that can wrap the memories of four awesome years in a short post.
I arrived on campus on 11th September 2009 for registration the next day. Happened to be my birthday. Coincidence or divine planning? I do not know. :) That year, the academic session was delayed due to a legal battle related to the counseling process. This meant that our batch had to complete their first semester in three and a half months!! Thus, began the comical saga of the batch of 2013. Why did everything go wrong with us all the time, is what we often wondered. Almost ten years later, the dots seem to connect :)
First year was the frenzied discovery of the infamous NG (nawabganj), helpful FairDeal, college club elections, unwillingness to participate in fests owing to a short semester and the shooting buds of lifelong friendships. The ‘initiation’ rites of not looking straight at a senior, following the strict dress code and introducing oneself in the ‘HBTU format,’ seemed cruel at the time. We were a herd of teenagers, trying to find our footing in an alien environment, embracing and negating it- all at the same time. It feels like my ‘coming of age’ when I look back now.
Second year for us came with the challenge of trying to live in a dilapidated old girls’ hostel that was always at the risk of crumbling down!! (Not kidding, it really was that bad at the time. We were the last batch that had to stay there. The building has been renovated ever since). Comedy of errors became an everyday phenomenon. Thanks to the situation, we always had so much to discuss. From water shortages, electricity outages, searching for that one functioning breadboard in the electronics lab to battling even a cow charging towards us near the hostel roads- we had it all. I can’t remember even a single day when we weren’t laughing hysterically about something that went wrong that day. Problems of the day were jokes by the evening. The foundations of resilience were subtly being laid. Adversity breeds the best bondings. That definitely came true for me. The friendships I was blessed with at HBTU, have stayed strong with me, through thick and thin. Sometimes I wonder why it was so easy to share, laugh, befriend, forget and just live, at the time. It all seems like a dream sequence from another life now. Future was uncertain and each one of us was definitely worried about our careers. But, this was not the anxious kind of worrying. This worrying was accompanied with hope, optimism and a strong self-belief in one’s ability to work hard. All of these wonderful lessons from my batchmates are what I have carried throughout my journey.
By the end of second year, my interest in electronics and my passion for technology had been cemented. I couldn’t imagine a different career for myself. I knew I wanted a career in technology. Hostel life continued to be the best part of college. Marathon talk sessions with roommates, that started with the evening tea and forcibly ended with breakfast were the new normal for me. Kanpur had grown over me by that time. Parade, Rave, Z Square, Ravatpur, Ghantaghar and Concept Library were essentials of the vocabulary. From avoiding participation in fests to now elaborating its benefits to the juniors- I had come a full circle. What started as an unexpected and somewhat unwanted journey had now become the best four years of my life. Never had I imagined that I would be in tears while leaving this place.
Final year placements were an emotional time. The entire hostel came out to celebrate the start of each career journey. This was the year when we saw four years of hard work change the course of people’s lives. The amazing grit that my friends showed at the time- taught me the value of perseverance for overcoming insurmountable odds. Their career journeys have acted as my guiding light every time I have felt dejected. These are the stories that I now narrate to inspire anyone who needs it.
My final year placements offered me a choice between telecommunications at Reliance and engineering officer role at IOCL. I chose IOCL (Indian Oil Corporation) and then moved on to an MBA and then a career in product management. My love for technology that blossomed at HBTU, has played the most crucial role in all my career choices till date. I am in the USA currently, working with Microsoft.
Due to the pandemic, I ended up spending most of the last two years in my hometown of Lucknow. Fortunately, due to sheer coincidence, my HBTU buddies happened to be there too. We have spent hours reminiscing about our college days. There were multiple rounds of playing songs from the era and talking through the highlights of that college year!! We are very close to calling it a decade since graduation but the excitement in our voices when we talk about those times will make you believe that it all happened just yesterday. I feel so proud and happy when I read about my batchmates and HBTU alumni going on to do great things in the world. Stories from this page will always be special.
HBTU gave me the biggest blessings of my life. It was a place of self-discovery. The place taught me the art of resilience, gave me the best friends anyone can ask for (read Madhu Maurya and Manisha Singh), and even introduced me to yoga and meditation (through Art of Living programs). It is the place that laid the foundations of my career and my life. I will never be able to thank it enough. Last year, HBTU completed 100 years since its founding in 1921. I feel honored to have been a part of its illustrious history.
I want to thank the founders of ‘Humans of HBTU’ for renewing and strengthening my bond with my alma mater.
