HAYL-3
* IIT-B is no rural municipality that struggles to provide many of the urban comforts to its denizens. Which is why the atrocious street lighting is hard to believe. The orange lamps are old and dull, and only on one side of the main throughway. That is if they haven't conked off or are plain unavailable, leaving several patches bathed in light that barely escaped a black hole.
Given the sloping roads, the "wild"-life (esp. during the monsoons) and the profusion of cyclists like us who ride without lamps, I wonder why the situation is the same as it must have been close to 50 years ago.
* While on the topic, I must say that one more aspect of IIT-B that disappoints me big time is the fact that while the campus is vast and green, it hardly looks the most impressive aesthetically speaking. I am envious of the university campuses abroad (I may have been seduced by the zealous marketing machinery of these univs but as of now I'm taking their website pictures at face value) who seem to have very good looking buildings and carefully snipped landscapes. At IIT-B, the buildings are usually of the worst RCC-government type. Closer home, places like IIM-A and ISB look attractive (disclaimer: 2nd hand pictures seen). Pune University also had this vast sprawling out-of-control look to its landscape, but at least its buildings had the old stonework (not that that is everthing - you should come to COEP).
IIT-B is purely functional at many places.
* 'tis the time for change. A change of guard. People have unofficially graduated. People (and seemingly bright ones at that) are coming in. We move a rung up the benefits ladder, which means changes in labs to occupy the more coveted (read "private") of nooks. More than privacy, I wanted to be in a bigger lab this time; the last one was a little too cramped on all sides.
* The direct admissions to KReSIT this time have proved to be a bad decision, IMO - seeing that about 25% of those candidates who were offered admissions have not turned up. Some have left for the more renowned (virtual) portals of the CSE department. It is safe to guess that many of these "direct admissions", because of their high percentiles in the qualifying exam, would have had more than one offer to juggle with. I know so many people who were close to the criteria for admission, were very keen to do a post-grad this year and have missed out. Life is not kind. It is very unfortunate how much fortune dictates the little pathways ahead.
* The move to H-12 was completed last week. The "lake-side" view being much coveted, there were a lot of strategising to get one of those A-wing rooms. I do have a A-wing room facing the lake, but I didn't really care for it much, because I don't spend a lot of time in the room anyway. One can step out to a nearby balcony to see the sights. However, I'm v. happy to have a great view of the open sky. Each passing year, it gets harder and harder to do so. At home, the view has been obscured by buildings taking over real estate on the front and the trees at the back. I wouldn't be able to see the Hale-Bopp comet today as I did about 9 years ago from one of the balconies. It's great to lie back and see the canvas-like sky as the day ends.
Given the sloping roads, the "wild"-life (esp. during the monsoons) and the profusion of cyclists like us who ride without lamps, I wonder why the situation is the same as it must have been close to 50 years ago.
* While on the topic, I must say that one more aspect of IIT-B that disappoints me big time is the fact that while the campus is vast and green, it hardly looks the most impressive aesthetically speaking. I am envious of the university campuses abroad (I may have been seduced by the zealous marketing machinery of these univs but as of now I'm taking their website pictures at face value) who seem to have very good looking buildings and carefully snipped landscapes. At IIT-B, the buildings are usually of the worst RCC-government type. Closer home, places like IIM-A and ISB look attractive (disclaimer: 2nd hand pictures seen). Pune University also had this vast sprawling out-of-control look to its landscape, but at least its buildings had the old stonework (not that that is everthing - you should come to COEP).
IIT-B is purely functional at many places.
* 'tis the time for change. A change of guard. People have unofficially graduated. People (and seemingly bright ones at that) are coming in. We move a rung up the benefits ladder, which means changes in labs to occupy the more coveted (read "private") of nooks. More than privacy, I wanted to be in a bigger lab this time; the last one was a little too cramped on all sides.
* The direct admissions to KReSIT this time have proved to be a bad decision, IMO - seeing that about 25% of those candidates who were offered admissions have not turned up. Some have left for the more renowned (virtual) portals of the CSE department. It is safe to guess that many of these "direct admissions", because of their high percentiles in the qualifying exam, would have had more than one offer to juggle with. I know so many people who were close to the criteria for admission, were very keen to do a post-grad this year and have missed out. Life is not kind. It is very unfortunate how much fortune dictates the little pathways ahead.
* The move to H-12 was completed last week. The "lake-side" view being much coveted, there were a lot of strategising to get one of those A-wing rooms. I do have a A-wing room facing the lake, but I didn't really care for it much, because I don't spend a lot of time in the room anyway. One can step out to a nearby balcony to see the sights. However, I'm v. happy to have a great view of the open sky. Each passing year, it gets harder and harder to do so. At home, the view has been obscured by buildings taking over real estate on the front and the trees at the back. I wouldn't be able to see the Hale-Bopp comet today as I did about 9 years ago from one of the balconies. It's great to lie back and see the canvas-like sky as the day ends.
5 Comments:
You've moved to H12? Please remember, in true Pune Quizzing fashion, to mouth nonsensical trgonometrical formulae while passing through the gates of that fine establishment.
Thanks for timely reminder. I shall say something to the effect of "the 12th commandment is thou shalt sin theta cos theta is a cosec theta plus one".
Universities in the US are invariably well-maintained and aesthetically landscaped. I can vouch for the 4-5 campuses (both state-funded and private) that I've been to.
The IITB campus is built in 'pucca' sarkari style. Maybe, they had delusions of building in the Art Deco style. Whether they succeeded or not is up for grabs, but the vast slimy moulds on their walls do a good job of imitating the Van Gogh style.
Yes, I do agree that buildings on campus (excluding a few) are the typical sarkari-style constructions. But the other extreme is to go overboard and make the campus picture perfect. Personally, I love the forest-like feel that the campus has. Walking along the roads lined with unstructured vegitation, nooks and corners, slopes up and down, always more places to explore. Of course, this should not be taken as a excuse to build poor quality buildings.
Also, the dull street lights sorta contribute to the laid-back feeling on the campus after dusk. I really seem to like it... :)
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