ODYSSEY OF METAMORPHOSIS

College!!! Fun!!! Could never imagine that what would it be like, always had heard about these two words being related. When I first entered the gates of PEC on 13^th Sept’ 04, I saw it all happen. I was a really shy and introvert person, but PEC changed that all. I am a localite but I was forced to move to hostel for 6 months when I joined college. Man… I loved this new life so much that I became a more of a quintessential hosteller than anyone else.

I had no idea about what it was it like to work in college, wasn’t aware about how did the systems work, what is to be done and how it is to be executed. I was totally ignorant about the procedures and channels to be followed, simply didn’t know where to start.

Initiative was what was needed, for that I needed an opportunity. Rather than waiting for one, I started hunting for it. To my surprise I found many and grabbed as many as I could hold on to. I was involved in many firsts in the college like first counseling help desk, first orientation etc. The only driving force was the love of college; college or as we call it PEC lays the foundation et al. I realized that we are the college and the college is us. The college gives us what nothing else can. It is we who can take it to newer heights. So we need to pay back; not sooner not later; Right Now!!!

I have observed a trend that the students when the join PEC are highly detached from the college and carry that aloofness throughout the four odd years, the reason being that most of them landed here different from their dreams of IIT’s. Sad enough for them and us that they don’t realize that what’s done is done and now PEC would be their home for four years. I have seen people pass these four years without getting noticed. Hmmm… these people aren’t able to even imagine the vastness of reserves of wisdom PEC has to offer. I would beg to differ with this category of people with respect to their thoughts about the college. Guys’… as much as you put in for the college, these four years will become as memorable as you want them to. It’s just a matter of inner desire. I have seen people whining and complaining, “Where have we got stuck?”, “College s***s” and so on… But no one of them has ever tried in changing the system.

Here I would like to quote an example from my recent trip to Dubai. UAE being a small country with very limited resources still is much more prosperous than India… Why??? It’s just a one line answer to this. The Arabians are proud of whatever they have and possess an intense desire to make their country successful. Their system is clearly defined, well implemented and followed. Whereas in India the system definition does exist, even better, but sadly its poorly implemented and not at all followed. People break traffic rules, speared filth and garbage, promote corruption... and the list is endless.

This picture is persistent all through the country and same is the case in our college too. Majority of the students dislike the system but I guess hardly 1% try to do anything for correcting the ill done. If pointed out, they say, “We don’t know how to do it?” How would they without trying. Some say the water coolers don’t work, but no one knows who the person concerned to get it working is. Guy’s if you try to know, you can. Nothing’s served on a silver platter. Write letters to the authorities, push them hard, follow up whatever you start, take up things to your hands, you can do it. Take up one issue at time, see it through the end. Look into minute issues like I did for example got the roads cleaned, got stray dogs removed from the campus, got beehives removed, got water coolers serviced and repaired. These are small issues but it’s us who can take care of these. A student has immense power in this system. Use it!!! Make a difference!!! Mostly we complain about bigger issues like teachers are not good and so on but we never see that it’s we who are lacking guts to do anything about it. Everyone can work in a lot of committees, head posts and work in fests. Does it do any real benefit to our college? Just for once have a peep at the condition of the workers who have put in their lives to serve us and PEC, pay a visit to their barracks and you’ll realize that a lot needs to be done at the grass root level. These people are an equally integral part of our system and mind it the college can’t go on without them. Increasing the fees of hostellers by Rs. 1000 per annum, we can help increase the salary of the hostels’ employees by Rs. 600 per month. This thing will definitely tickle your neurons that how much difference does it make? Friends!!! 1000 bucks won’t make a difference for us but 600 bucks do, for them, as compared to their monthly salary of mere 2800 bucks. Many such similar issues require our attention.

It’s never a bad time to start. While you are in the college, you can do it better. Take the command in your hands and notice the change you can bring about. Not only those who are in junior years even the senior most yet have quite some time left in college to do about what you may have never even thought off. It’s we who need to purge this system from top to bottom.

It’s a call for all of you to join hands and let us begin this odyssey now.