From somebody who does not even attend his own college festival, to somebody who is just back from the college fests of Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) and Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology (MSIT) — its a long way, isn’t it? Exactly! 

Ever since I remember, I’ve never been a very social kind of person — always looking at ways to avoid parties and stuff where a lot of people are involved. Those who know me, or have read my book, know that given a choice, I’d rather stay at home and sleep rather than attend a Rock Concert, even if somebody takes me there for free! I don’t like the screaming and shouting that people indulge in at such places, nor do I like partying and dancing and discos. In school, whenever the Diwali Party used to take place, I used to go — but only for the sake of the person who used to get entry because of me! In short, when it comes to socializing, I am the wrong person.

However, this time around I decided to give it a break. Not consciously, though!

My friend, Pritha, is in NSIT — and she was bugging me many-a-times to attend the fest that was going to happen over there. And I was like, “Naah.. Me not interested. I have tests. I have assignments. I don’t have time!” She wasn’t amused, and I was being stubborn. However, last saturday when I went to college, I saw one of my classmates with a really heavy General Knowledge book (?!@#??!!). He said that he was going to NSIT to participate in the GK quiz.

Me: Tu NSIT jaa raha hai?

He: Haan. 9:30 baje jaunga.

Me: Main bhi aaunga tere saath.

He: Kyon? Tune bhi participate karna hai kya kisi mein?

Me: Nai yaar… Aise hi. Time paas ho jaayega.

And off we went! It was about an hour long journey, mostly by metro, that took us there.

***

Believe me, by the looks of it the fest, called Innovision ’08, was impressive! Pretty bad that I went there on the last day, and missed out on a quite a few events! Pritha caught me as soon as I entered the campus, and took me to a hall where Technical Paper Presentation was going on. It was a contest where teams from the various schools of Delhi were there, showcasing and delivering talks on their ‘inventions’ or their ‘original work on science’. When I entered, a dumb student was speaking rather monotonously about the habitation in space. There was so much text in his PowerPoint slides that I wanted to run away!

The next two presentations were far better (thank God!). One of them talked about Magnetic Levitation, and the guys even had a miniature model ready! The second one was about the NextGen Wind Turbine, where the presenters were showcasing a way of generating electricity with wind, using a device unlike any wind mill, which could accept wind from all the directions. Pat on a back, both the teams!

With this over, and Pritha being busy with compiling results and all, I was left alone for sometime — and I entertained myself by visiting the Defence Exhibition that was put up on the grounds. This one, unlike many other that I have seen with static models, the army officers were giving a live demo. Check it out: (Click on images to enlarge)

Impressive! Prior to this, I had never been so near to a working defence exhibit. 

It was about half an hour till she got free from her duties, and then we had a wonderful time together! Imagine two old friends meeting up after a long time — you can calculate the nostalgia factor easily, isnt it? For old-timers sake 

We roamed about the campus, stirring up memories of the past. She was like.. “Pehle sab achcha tha.. Sab saath saath thhe. Ab sab log duur duur ho gaye ” Indeed. Most of our classmates from XII-A have gone out of town, to pursue their respective BTechs and blah blahs. Few of them remain in Delhi, but our tight schedules doesn’t leave room for frequent meetups. Too Bad.

Leaving that aside, I’d like you to meet Pritha:

Yup, she’s the one in red.

In my forthcoming post I’ll tell you about my experience in the other fest — that of MSIT.