My IIT Delhi Journey - A core memory

             

Two years back, I could have never thought IIT Delhi would be my most beautiful experience. I had already completed 4 years of my bachelor's and worked for almost a year in the industry when I joined IIT Delhi in 2021. But, the way IIT D has transformed me and shaped my personality is beyond words. 

I remember meeting my advisor, Prof. Subodh Vishnu Sharma, for the first time and calling my father right after the meeting to tell him how happy I was to be in a place where such intelligent people taught and advised me. 

When I started my Master's degree back in August 2021, it was an online semester. Almost daily, we would fret about the fact that online classes suck a lot and would discuss amongst ourselves when offline classes would begin. As if exams and assignments weren't enough, the feeling of missing out on the IITD campus was killing us all. We decided to come to Delhi in December, even if the offline classes would begin later. And that is what we did. My entire class came to Delhi and lived off campus for one semester. However, I got on-campus housing. 

I was so focused on my research, as I had to get some work done before the Fall 2023 application cycle started, that I couldn't engage much with my batchmates. Do I regret it? Maybe. Sometimes yes. Sometimes no! I did what was needed and what I considered the right thing to do, and it all worked out for the best. IIT Delhi didn't just help me gain more knowledge; it gave me much more. Every single talk with my advisors has only increased my passion for research. Here, I learned how to do research and got my first chance to present my work at SAT-SMT School in front of many experts and professors from all over the country. Was I terrified? Absolutely! Throughout my journey, I was terrified of making mistakes at every step. But IIT Delhi taught me that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. 

At IIT Delhi, I have met some of the best Ph.D. students in my lab and learned so much from them. Talking to them introduced me to new topics and ideas even if I wasn't working in their areas. This is what IITD does to you; when you constantly live amongst the best brains, you are forced to think critically and develop new ideas. I am still determining if I can live up to that, but the confidence this place has given me will not let me quit easily. It was here that I was introduced to the idea of co-advising. My advisors, Prof. Subodh Vishnu Sharma and Prof. Kumar Madhukar have encouraged me and continue to do that. Every meeting with them was insightful. Their lessons, correcting my mistakes, and teaching everything about research have made me who I am today. I will be forever grateful and consider myself lucky to have been advised by two of the best professors at IIT Delhi.

Well, IIT Delhi is not a fairytale. It can be one of the most stressful places on earth! Indeed, it was one such place for me and my friends. But you know, the love, appreciation, warmth, and support people have given me there are unmatched. Leaving a place is always hard. The memories you've made and the relations you've built make your heartache. It's easy to say that all good things come to an end, but in practice, it is just the most challenging change. This blog isn't a thank you speech or acknowledgment. This is me telling you my experience and sharing with the world how full of warmth my heart feels. The amount of love and appreciation I have gotten in the past two years has changed me in ways unimaginable. 

I can't lie and say that it was never stressful here. I have seen some of the most stressful and anxious days, faced fierce competition, and often felt like a failure. Still, thankfully, I had the most supportive people to lean on all bad days. Fortunately, I found friendships with my (now)closest friends Aman Maheshwari, Siddharth Tumre, and Ritik Jain, and my roommates Garima Pal, Aditi Manna, and Sakshika Sahu. They have been there at every step of my journey. From my heartbreak of getting my first paper rejected to the anxieties of GRE and Ph.D. admissions, they have held me and supported me. Had it not been for them, I would have fallen apart.

Sitting with them and talking about life makes my heart so much lighter. I desperately wish to hold on to these people and their memories. I have learned from these people so much more than any book could've taught me. You taught me that the beauty and depth of friendships can not be measured by the time we've spent together. To live life to the fullest, to be scared of the future but not let it ruin your present, and to have fun in the small moments we steal from our routine lives. 

Now, I have come to the US to pursue a Ph.D., far from everyone, reflecting on my beautiful journey of the last 2 years. My friends and I just celebrated our graduation ceremony at the convocation 2023. With promises of keeping in touch forever, we all have taken different paths. But deep in my heart, I know that the friendships I have made and the lessons I have learned here will stay with me no matter where I go or what I do.