Five Points Someone for IIT Delhi

Born on 1st of November, 1981, Aditya Singhal from Aligarh was another bright student who made his parents proud by clearing IIT JEE and commencing a B.Tech programme in Textile Technology from IIT Delhi in 2001. Four years later, the IITian joined a plum placement at a management consultant firm. A year later, he was already disillusioned and raring to do something innovative and different; and thus, the idea of providing online coaching to other IIT aspirants was born.

Here is an exclusive Shiksha interview of Aditya Singhal, the founder of Askiitians.com, about his experiences at IIT Delhi and what he advises to those who are preparing for IIT JEE.

Shiksha.com: In which year did you pass out from IIT Delhi?

Aditya: I completed my B.Tech in 2005.

Shiksha.com: Was IIT Delhi anything like the movie ‘3 Idiots'?

Aditya: I think all of us IITians can identify with the first part of the movie. There is always someone smarter than you, level of competition is very high, and you are always proving yourself the best by working harder than others. And still there are people who have fun all the time and yet score better than you. It can be quite shocking and hurtful to deal with the fact that even though everyone back home thought you were the best, there are many more ahead of you to get that top spot. Then, there are some naughtier elements who do break into the house of the professors at times.

Shiksha.com: What is a typical IITian like?

Aditya: A typical IItian thinks I am the best in the world and that I am the smartest one. Every girl is good enough. I accept that IITians are a little self-centered. They are trained to think big and many-a-times they fall into the trap of earning big bucks and be rich in a snap. They are very smart - after all, they do have the intelligence level - but not so socially adept. However, things are changing now. You keep hearing of IITians doing different things all the time these days. I started an online coaching website, when the concept was virtually unknown in India; there is Ashutosh Matela from IIT Delhi who has become a movie director and is soon going to release a thriller Hindi movie shot in Delhi; then, there is Nitin Gupta from IIT Bombay and his team that has opened up Entertainment Engineers. Innovativeness is finding its way into IITs.

Shiksha.com: What is a typical professor in IIT Delhi like?

Aditya: If you are thinking about Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Virus), the Principal in the movie ‘3 Idiots', he would have been the odd one out at IIT Delhi. Only 1% professors in IITs would fall in that category. Most of the professors are quite friendly and cooperative. I personally liked Mr. Ashwini Kumar very much, the Professor who used to teach us Fiber Science. Thorough knowledge of his subject, clarity of his concepts, simple language he used, his humbleness, and the way he used to explain things simply made him my best teacher. Even at Askiitians.com, we try to inculcate the same qualities and same values in all our teachers. Most professors at IIT Delhi are willing to think from a students' perspective and adjust their lectures accordingly. This is a rare quality that makes IITs different from other institutions.

Shiksha.com:What about your experiences in IIT Delhi?

Aditya: IIT Delhi is one of the premier institutions in India. The kind of environment it has to offer, the quality of its students is simply the best thing about it. The competition level is so high that you always want to learn more, be smarter, work harder. Even the dumbest graduate from IIT Delhi learns more than your average college pass-out in India because of the peer pressure.

But there are fun times as well. On birthdays, we used to give the traditional birthday bumps to the students, and we used to toss them all the way up to the roof. One batch mate of mine was scared of the birthday bumps. So, he hid in his room on the fourth floor and didn't open up even after hours of crashing the doors, cajoling and threatening. So, all the boys in the hostel started pouring buckets of water from the ventilator in his room, until his room and ultimately, all the floors of the hostel wing were flooded. It was madness...it was hilarious.

Shiksha.com: Are you still in touch with other IIT alumni?

Aditya: Yes, I am in touch with most of my batch mates, seniors, and juniors. Though, we mostly communicate through Facebook and email these days.

Shiksha.com: Were you ragged at IIT Delhi?

Aditya: Oh, yes! At my time, ragging was very much in vogue at IIT Delhi. However, I have heard it is scrapped these days. It is a pity, I think. Though ragging was distasteful to few who could not use the period to make healthy relationships with their seniors and later juniors, for most of us it was the time to make some wonderful friends. In fact, one of my seniors who had ragged me had become such a good friend that he almost gave away his bike to me for dirt. Ragging used to be an ice-breaker activity for groups of seniors and juniors that usually lingered on separately.

Shiksha.com: What are the five points you would like to offer someone who is going to join IIT Delhi soon?

Aditya: Five points a student fresh at IIT Delhi should remember to cope better with the environment can be:

• Entering IIT is like entering a whole new world. Everything seems so different. The way people work, their idea of fun, girls hostels, hard work and studies - everything moves in a different dimension altogether. When you will pass out, you have to go back to the real world. So, keep your head in place and remember that everything that happens at IIT is a temporary phase in your life. You may have to learn many things at IIT and unlearn them again in the real world to survive.
• To look like a true IITian, wear dirty clothes and make sure that your room looks unkempt. At IIT, only thoughts should be organized and clear, everything else is expected to be disorganized.
• Target a senior with a car and serious money, with whom you can often tag along for free lunches and dinners. You will be able to find ways to get through IIT on the brainy side on autopilot. However, once you are back in the real world, do remember to give back to the society. Government puts serious money into IITs and NITs to make India's future bright. Splurge as much as you like while you are in IIT but once you come out of it, try to innovate something for the humankind or contribute to the betterment of the society.
• Papers don't get leaked at IIT Delhi. Don't get ideas from what you see in 3 Idiots. An attempt might mean that you will flunk the entire semester or face an even bigger penalty.
• Last but not the least, you are best in the world. That's why you are at IIT. Feel like it.

If you have questions about IIT Delhi, do post them here. Join in an interesting discussion going on Shiksha about why Engineers are not considered calm and cool.

Source: Ruchi Shrimali (Shiksha Team)

Date: 29th April, 2011