Yr 1:"you've come here to learn..."

ET
No...that doesnt mean Extra Terrestrial.Its Electrical Technology...living here teaches you that most problems in life have abbreviations, for eg.ET: electrical technology, ABC: prof A______ B____ C_________(can't take names..these people can steer my career towards hell!),DC: Disciplinary Committee, a.k.a Disco...etc
Well to get back, the first class after a really irritating and perspiration ridden registration was ET, Raman Auditorium(f-142). Huge class.Looking up at the high ceiling i was surprised since the fans were as old as the institue, but way above them, embedded in the ceiling, were a large array of Bose™ speakers...
"First of all, congratulations on clearing the JEE and getting admission to IIT Kharagpur"...the prof's loud voice echoes in the large room(thats because of the sound systems, he cant possibly generate that kind of decibel level!)
I'm sitting with rapt attention now...a few familiar faces alongside me.
Most Freshers have a common "look"....this is an attempt to portray(foolishly enough) the following
1.I am a "stud".
2.Don't mess with me!
3.I'm gonna teach all these people a thing or two about life
4.I'm a "Super Stud".
In a few wiser cases, an honest bewildered look is usually more prominent, the so called "stud"s feeling it too...all the time...
This attitude is not very..umm...social.So in the first few days the average fresher evolves to a smug looking fresher..still bewildered though.In those first couple of days, you feel you are "God"(with a capital G,and in quotes), and usually somewhere around the mid-semester exams you turn to atheism...unless you are truly God(now without the qoutes).
So as all us "stud" feeling idiots sat listening to what the strange fat man in front of us seemed to be saying with an accent that i'd become too familiar with(Bongla).He told us one thing which put all of IIT into a perspective that i still haven't been able to get out of my mind..."It is you who have come here to learn. We haven't come here to teach you...if you take the initiative, we'll definitly help you, buit there won't be any spoon-feeding."
After that peak, however, he couldnt speak on anything inspiring enough..just some gibberish about DC motors and transformers(DANG! i still remember the Star-Delta conversion in electrical circuits!)
But fortunately that atitude is prevalent in all things in this place, even the facilities provided are to our convinience..the care-taking staff is always helpful, be it the swimming pool, your labs..the attitude of these non-teaching people is what ensures that we don't develop any grudges towards administrative authorities (sometimes we still do...)