Monday, November 12, 2018
Saturday, May 8, 2010
MY NIT LIFE
Hi everyone,
My name is Arunraj R — a B.Tech graduate in Computer Science and Engineering from National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC).
Let me tell you straight — I’m not a great writer, and not a big reader either. So this blog might feel a bit crazy or messy… but it’s real. It’s my story.
I’m writing about my life (a really memorable one) at NITC — from Day 1 to the very last day.
For me, it was like a movie. No grand entry scene, no dramatic interval, no perfect climax — but still, this movie is alive inside me even now.
🎬 Scene 1: Admission Day
📅 7th July 2005
Boom! 💥 The day had finally come — I entered the gates of NIT Calicut with excitement, tension, confusion, and hope — all mixed together like a perfect South Indian sambar.
Everywhere I looked — new faces, new vibes, new campus. I was silently doing background scanning for any familiar faces… but it was tough. Felt like I had landed in a new world.
I met a few guys who looked super chill — as if they had taken admission just for fun
Then suddenly… flashback alert! I spotted one girl - my classmate from 5th, 6th, or 7th. I couldn’t believe it — finally, a known face!
I confidently went near her and asked:
“Hey… you know me?”
She stared for a second and replied:
“Umm… no?” 😐
BOOM. 💣 FACEPALM LEVEL MAX!
Not because she didn’t recognise me — but because one of my new friends, whom I just met during admission, was standing next to me and heard everything.
That was it. My first official self-goal at NITC. 😬
And from that moment, I learnt my First Lesson @ NITC:
Lesson 1: Before asking someone “Do you remember me?”, please introduce yourself properly. Especially if it's after many years.
(Bonus Tip: If it’s a girl — always play safe and say your name first! 😅)
And that’s how the movie of my college life began — not with claps, but with an awkward silence and a head-shaking smile
⚽ Scene 4: Football Fever
One of the best parts of my NITC life was without a doubt — football. The game I loved the most. I enjoyed playing it to the fullest during my college days, and thankfully, most of my friends were also mad about the same game.
We used to play almost every day — rain or shine. I wasn’t some pro player or anything, but I picked up many new tricks and techniques from my friends. Slowly, I started improving — and more importantly, enjoying the game like never before.
And when it comes to my all-time favourite footballer, there’s no second thought —
Lionel Messi.
No one can match that magic. For me, he's not just a player — he’s an emotion.
Even now, whenever I see a ball lying around anywhere — my legs automatically want to do a Messi move (but mostly end up like a comedy scene 😅).
👬 Scene 5: NITC Friendships & The Legendary Room 127
One of the biggest takeaways from my NITC life is this —
The true value of friendship.
I learned that not from books, but from friends. Each one unique. But let me start with the one who tops the list — Kalan.
Full name: Abijith Kalangat.
A simple Malayali boy — low on expectations, high on heart. Full of love, pure soul. I knew him even before NITC — from Prof. PC Thomas' entrance coaching classes in Thrissur.
In my NIT second year, we ended up as roommates in the most legendary room of B Hostel:
Room No. 127.
Ask any senior, junior or even the cleaning staff — everyone knows B-Hostel 127. 😎
Let me prove its fame with one small flashback…
Final year. After last exam.
I go to the warden’s office to get my hostel No Dues Certificate.
Me: Sir, I need the no dues to collect my degree.
Warden: What’s your room number?
Me: Hmm… it’s either 127 or 128, not sure, sir...
Warden (interrupting): 127, I know it very well.
Me: (fake smile activated 😬)
Warden (to staff near him): Worst room I’ve ever seen!
Me: (awkward smile continues 😅)
Warden: You’ve been fined ₹200. (Or maybe more. I lost track.)
But to be honest — even I haven’t seen a room go through such wild transformation. Let me give you a small highlights package of B-127 Destruction Diaries:
1. The Window Smackdown
I told Kalan to open the window. He tried… door wouldn’t open. So he gave a little hit — Boom! Glass shattered.
He bravely reached in through the broken pane to unlock it. Mission accomplished — and one pane down. 😬
2. Broken Glass – Part 2
A few weeks later, same situation, same result. Bye-bye second window pane.
3. The Hockey Trick Shot
Our friend Prajul once came and said he knew how to do a scoop shot in hockey. He wanted to demonstrate it.
Perfect scoop — but straight into the tube light above. CRASH!
Me and Kalan just stood there blinking in the dark while Prajul smiled like Dhoni hitting a six.
4. Door Lock Disaster
End of third sem. I had locked the room before going home. Only one key existed.
Kalan wanted to attend an NSS camp, so he came back, and instead of waiting… he broke the lock like a professional thief.
He broke it in such a way that the door could never be locked again. 🔓 Forever open.
5. The Bed Crash
One fine day, I randomly started jumping on the bed (even I don’t know why). After a few jumps — BOOM!
The bed collapsed. I slowly came down with the broken wooden pieces like a scene from Tom & Jerry.
6. Mysterious Disappearance
Our table drawer disappeared. Still unsolved. No suspects, no clues, no CBI. 😶
7. Tube Light Theft
Final sem. Room was almost empty. Everyone left.
One last tube light remained — and that too got stolen.
Few weeks ago, our friend Nari casually told me — “Bro, that last tube light? That was me. I took it.”
I could only laugh. 😅
So yes… B-127 wasn’t a room — it was a war zone, a comedy stage, and a memory palace all in one.
But friendship didn’t end with Kalan. There were many others who made NITC special — especially one iconic gang…
Oops! Forgot to tell you about the '3rdRates'.
Who are they? Where did they come from? Who formed this gang
🎬 Scene 6: The Rise of the 3rdRates
There’s a rumour that Prantan (real name: Praveen) was the one who coined the word 3rdRates. But see… anyone can say that! 😄
As far as I remember, it all started during first year, in a very historic place —
Room No. 306 of A Hostel.
The roommates there were legends in their own way — Avaran, Jetty, and Das. That room was like the R&D lab of random nonsense. Small-small jokes used to fly around — most of them too bad even to fake laugh at. That’s when the word “3rd rate” got introduced.
If someone cracked a lame joke…
Crowd reaction: “3rd rate da!”
Another PJ — “3rd rate again!”
Eventually, we just started calling each other 3rdRates — and loved it!
There was no group, no registration, no WhatsApp admin, no leader — but we all proudly accepted:
We are the 3rdRates.
It wasn’t a title. It was a lifestyle. 😎
💣 Back to Room 127: Lab of Inventions
Yes yes… back to the iconic B Hostel Room 127 — the room I already told you about.
That room wasn’t just a place to sleep. It was a place of major scientific discoveries that could shake the foundations of the software industry.
Let me present two of our groundbreaking innovations:
1. CD-to-CD Copying (New Revolution in Data Transfer)
One day, a friend came running and said,
"Da, my DVD drive is not working!"
I was shocked — it was a brand-new laptop. I opened the drive… took out the CD he had inserted…
and what did I find?
Another CD still inside.
Yes. He had inserted two CDs together. 😐
I couldn’t shout, couldn’t laugh… I just stared at him with a face that said “Friendship tested successfully.”
But you know what? That might be a future invention — ultra-fast CD-to-CD copying. No software needed. Just hardware power! 😂
One day, when the world discovers this method,
Credit goes to: My Friend & B-127. 🙌
2. The Copy-Paste Software Hack
Another friend was trying to copy ten files.
His logic?
Copy one by one — right-click → Copy, Copy, Copy… ten times.
Then go to destination folder — Paste, Paste, Paste… ten times.
He was genuinely surprised when only the last copied file got pasted. 😅
This too shall be added in the "History of Failed IT Innovations" — straight from Room 127.
And finally…
Lesson 5: I used to wonder why recession hit the software industry.
Now I know. And the answer is too simple — it started from our room. 🤦♂️
🎬 Scene 7: Life After NITC – Reality Hits
After graduating from NITC, life entered a different phase. Honestly, the first few months were super boring. No friends, no hostel comedy, no Room 127, no 3rdRates.
Eventually, I joined TIME Institute, Cochin for CAT/MAT coaching.
One day, during a mock test, I spotted a familiar face — a girl who was also from NITC. I had never spoken to her during college, but still, in my usual style, I asked:
Me: “Hey… do you know me?”
Her: “Umm… No?” 😐
BOOM. Déjà vu!
Exactly like Scene 1 all over again.
And that’s when I realised another bitter truth of life…
Lesson 6: No matter how much we study or what all lessons we learn,
Some basic mistakes — we will repeat forever. 😅
🎬 The End…? Not Really.
So, this was just a small glimpse from my NITC life — some memories, some madness, and a lot of 3rd rate moments that made it all unforgettable.
From broken tube lights to broken beds… from football grounds to last-bench classrooms… from “Hey, do you know me?” fails to CD-to-CD copying legends — it was one crazy ride.
But trust me — there’s still much more. So many stories are still waiting in the backup folder of my mind — just like unsubmitted assignments, waiting for the right time to be uploaded.
> Life moved on…
But the movie called NITC Days — still running inside me. No interval. No climax. Just pure nostalgia on repeat. 🎞️
Till then…
Stay tuned. The 3rdRates will return. 😎