First Trimester

During the whole orientation programme I learnt a lot (as I knew very less of formal settings). Generally the first class used to be of MANAC and second of QT (Quantitative Aptitude). These two classes used to be ‘trying – to – open – eyes – session’. As usual, guys used to sit on the back benches and girls were on front seats always trying hard to understand or at least showing hard. Sumit, Parikshit, Bharat and I sat together in almost all classes. Akshat and Ritesh were unanimously selected “Class Representatives”. Duty of CR was to liaison with faculty and students’ body and both the CRs were doing it excellently. Students were getting accommodated with the 08:30 schedule by managing it in many means. Some decided to attend classes at the cost of breakfast (generally the most desirable product of mess), some went to keep listening teacher’s lecture converged to them only. We four were having a consistently mixed schedule. One fact was common for whole students’ body that after two days of sleepy, luxurious and free holidays everyone was reluctant for attending the class to the extent possible. At some weekends I went to Sumit’s home which kept on reminding me ‘Ghar ka Khana’. I was told by some batch-mate that Pankaj is from Lucknow so I went to his room and curiously asked about him. He was least interested knowing me from RaeBareli and I found it better to keep myself away from him. Seniors were also on their peak to show us their legacies, sometimes in group and sometimes individually. Ragging was termed as Introduction, better known as Intro. Actually it was literally an Intro because we were provoked to show our skills and these worked as Ice – breaking sessions for juniors and seniors and even for juniors themselves. It was perfect and required for better grooming and for passing of legacy.

A Welcome Party was organized by IIFM management on 20^th July, 2007. We had to show our talent to whole IIFM Family. I prepared a Stand-up Comedy Show with Nitish on the script of Sholay.

I was also asked for Group Dance but somehow I could not manage. I personally found Munish jealous for this much wide participation of mine. We practiced whole night and managed to outperform.

My stand-up comedy show and first play was in Hindi but Ritwajit’s play was in English. I had a short role in the last. Till now people had framed their mind for something entertaining in terms of comedy. Because of this as I uttered my first sentence audience laughed and kept laughing till I was on the stage. Other programmes included a Group Dance, a song from Gitesh on the beats of Ashish Tirkey’s Guitar, duet song from Siddharth and Sharmila etc.

Rekha Singhal ma’am had instructed us to get fitted into the schedule by cutting short our events, and we could manage as well. Post – event dinner was full of appreciation to each other and I was quite satisfied with myself.

Mid – term exam was an unwarranted kind of thing for all of us, except some of the under-discovered. Almost all were new for that grading system and little sceptic. Somehow we managed to study hard and were looked busy during exams; in fact from past one week. I was arranged to sit parallel to Akanksha (from Delhi). Till now I had not spoken to Akanksha. “Do you know something?” She asked me. I replied, “Yes, I know something”. She further asked for a pen also. After exams there was an obvious scene; party, outing, tensionless faces. Seniors were surprised seeing us studying hard and told us their unfaithful stories with study. Post mid-term was little in flow relative to Pre mid-term. One day a considerable group of students was late for the morning class of Prof. H.S. Gupta (I.F.S., deputed to IIFM). He closed the door from inside and we were marked absent. Now everyone was little vigil regarding selected teachers and moulded his routine accordingly. Copies were shown to all and marks were unfavourable to me. Now an invitation came from seniors for fresher party. This was beautifully organized in Hotel Mark. We were overwhelmed with the seniors welcome and it was the first time I hit the DJ floor.

All drinkers boozed heavily and the appreciation-chain-mails were continued for almost a week.

At last we again went busy with our last assignments and end-term exams. Every teacher had kept almost similar dates for their assignments assuming us mechanically-propelled machines. In the assignment from Prof. H.S. Gupta we had to prepare a group presentation on the given topics and randomly selected group. Siddhartha was group leader and he deployed group members for the given task. But when after presentation Prof. Gupta asked for contribution from each of us, he wrote a mail which depicted no contribution from my side. This was, although a professional attitude, a disheartening proposal for me. In rest of the assignment I was with Sumit, Parikshit and Bharat and this let me perform well. End-term exams were looked little familiar and we all were hoping good results. On the last day of end-term exam PFM Cell guys came and distributed feedback forms requesting to fill it without any bias. Again a short length wave, but of higher intensity, filled the whole batch with joy. In between there was 15^th August celebration organized by whole IIFM fraternity. Student body as usual failed to reach in the Flag-hoisting programme.

After flag hoisting there was a Football match between seniors and juniors and we won. The evening was eventful and this time I took Munish for Stand-up comedy show. Other events were group song, play (again written and directed by Anurag Pandey), solo songs, etc. Prizes were also distributed to match winners and for other events organized by SAAC (Students and Alumni Affair Council). Finally a Wall of Freedom was filled with different statements by whole IIFM family.

Dinner was scheduled after a show of posters made by IIFM students in a competition.First trimester was full of surprises and events for whole batch (There were also programmes in which Dr. Abid Hussain was invited and in one Teejan Bi was invited). Now we were no more repenting on the decision for choosing IIFM and we could almost understand the secret behind love for IIFM; it was a system. IIFM was an isolated system and each of us was an important element of that system.

None of us could replace other which created a unique atmosphere that can never be understood without entering IIFM.