What Makes A University Great?

“You may not learn from the lectures by these elite professors, you may not learn from the books in the library, but you will surely learn from your friends in hostel”  

At first when I pondered about this, I thought about the things I discuss in hostel and on mess table, what mostly boys discuss are girls, seasons, movies, sports, faculties, mess food, campus news, companies, gadgets, games, this can be a long and lurid list.  I was not able to conclude what this statement actually meant, until I observed it all over again. I observed that people were really discussing ideas, ideas wrapped in stupidity, craziness and frustration. Imagine how boring it would be to discuss something like “organizational structure of a company” instead you just say” if my girlfriend ditched me because of money, I’m gonna open a company” and this is the moment where ideas start flowing, you broach and others join.   

It’s not the infrastructure and building that actually make a university; it’s the ideas that have made impact and rest of the success parameters followed eventually. How the mess table conversations can really shape someone’s mind? How connected minds work together? The depths and eruditeness of the things one gets at mess table, let me assure you no book can provide you that much of learning appetite and attitude within such a flick. One cannot understand whole theories on the mess table or memorize the whole formulas, but you can always absorb the ability or inspiration to work on that thing. New TED talk, new book, the content of the book, a small idea like “I googled this and discovered a new thing” can really kindle a zeal to work on big projects. 

Philosophies, quotes, political insights, new opportunities, carriers, you name it and they will tell you what they discussed about it. Albeit mess tables and Hostel galleries are not always occupied with nerdy project ideas, nor is the case that you keep on talking about Gaddafi and Obama all the time, but whatever discussion is going on, inclusion of gamut of examples is commendable.

The beauty with these discussions is that even if you are in a technical university or in a B -school, the topics broached in those old hostel building are not confined to their curriculum. You can find technical students talking about Nietzsche, freud or Yeats and the profoundness with which they talk about all of them inculcates a habit of projecting excellence in whatever you do. It’s in the culture of  these varsities that they have kind of milieu that can make you contemplate about things. Profoundness is buttressed at these places.

In all these group discussion and team work, I’m not saying to forsake idiosyncratic ideas, time for self, importance to reflective transcendence shall not be emaciated. I was underlining the way people collide, the way they share ideas. How a bunch of people coming from different walks of life instigate something big. Structure of companies like Infosys, Flipkart, Indiabulls and many more were gestated only in these dorms and mess tables. 

It’s not the size of the books or studying hours that make leaders and entrepreneurs out of these educational institutes but it’s certainly something really different. It’s the environment at these places, way to think and attitude to take on things that brings real change. While I’m writing this in my room, free and frolic hostel galleries continue to brim with haphazardness, jokes, claps, cackles, philosophies and  above all, they will be remembered for the silent excogitations beneath all this pandemonium. 

Ajay Singh Rathore

Final Year Student, The LNMIIT

RISE FROM THE ASHES LIKE A PHOENIX!

"I slept and I dreamt that life was joy, I awoke and saw that life was service, I acted and behold, service is 

joy!!!!!

There are two kind of people in this world, One who want to chase their dreams and the others who want to live their dreams. What I believe is that the first category includes those people who think that conquering the obstacles set by this competitive world would make them achieve something called "Larger than Life!", for them life is to always PROOVE yourselves around the world.

The second category of people include those people who belong to the class of IMAGINATORS, not just DREAM CHASERS. The most important thing which demarcates these people from something called the ordinary class of people is that they strive to create their mindset with such an elegant persona that it always seems that the "WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH" for them, to have a more clear view I suppose that these people actually know that how to LIVE YOUR DREAMS.

But why am i telling all this? Why being so thoughtful? Is something changing in me or rather something is forcing me to be driven towards that change?

Everyone wants to be something big in life, but its often that we don't actually realize that what is that BIG thing for us. Every engineering college's Fresher had a dream to crack the prestigious IIT-JEE, to cross the gates of that respected institution not just like a visitor but like a student, they worked hard to achieve their dream, the attitude of something called like DETERMINATION TO WIN AT ANY COST fueled their minds. 

This  journey goes on and with the passage of 8 to 9 months time, the day of examination arrives. Enthusiastic plus nervous aspirants put up their best and wait for the results. Everyone had high hopes, but not all are chosen to be worthy enough to pass the barrier.    

   

All the dreams get shattered. Arrows of failure in this competitive exam brought them on the ground where they couldn't find anything that could help them regain the level of confidence that they had, for the first  the bullets of failure were being shot in a continuous streak. This unbearable stress slowly appears to win the battle against the ability to rise up.

But God has its own methods to teach his lessons, "TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO". Its not always that the paths that we choose for ourselves shall always be the path of least resistance.

WHEN THE THINGS GO WRONG, AS SOMETIMES THEY WILL.

WHEN THE ROAD YOU ARE TRUDGING, SEEMS ALL UPHILL.

WHEN THE FUNDS ARE LOW AND THE DEBTS ARE HIGH,

YOU WANT TO SMILE, BUT YOU HAVE TO SIGH.

BUT.... DON'T QUIT!, AS THE PACE SEEMS SLOW. YOU NEVER KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT SUCCEED IN THE NEXT BLOW!

Re-energize yourself and start believing that you will be bestowed with success by god, the frequencies of the imagination and dreams will definitely resonate with the high pitch frequencies of success. Decide to 

re-captivate your dreams and START WRITING A NEW DEFINITION IN LIFE.

LIFE IS DEFINITELY A NETWORK OF HIGHWAYS, WHERE NOT A SINGLE HIGHWAY CAN BE CROSSED WITHOUT CROSSING THE STREETS OF FAILURE!

As Steve Jobs said, "Do what you love to do, if you have found it you are lucky, but if not, then keep looking". 

"RISE FROM THE ASHES LIKE A PHOENIX!" & DEFEAT THE DEFEAT UNTIL DEFEAT DEFEATS YOU because,  LIFE IS EARNEST, LIFE IS REAL..... AND GRAVE IS NOT ITS GOAL!

Aaysuh Kumar

B.Tech. Ist Year

The LNMIIT

LNMIIT Bus ka 'Suffer'

It was 4:30 p.m. The weather was clear and the ambience was calm. But the arrival of the institution's bus created a kind of agitation among the students. Caught in a mad frenzy to grab a seat people were pulling, pushing and yelling at each other. As usual 'Kursi ki ladaai' thi. Everyone wanted a seat by hook or by crook. I was automatically drifted to the doors of the bus by the violent tides of people. After much of hard work when I finally managed to get in(momentarily being proud of my achievement) the view inside was not very welcoming. The seats were all occupied. I thought I would stand throughout the way but then the driver started "Overload ho gai h, bus to nai jaegi". Then I thought I would manage to adjust with someone, maybe three on one seat. But then came the verdict from my all-respectable seniors "First year wale utar jao". I felt offended.

In ordinary days may be they have classes to attend but hey that was festival time that meant no such thing. Then why we had to get down the bus?? I would have digested this unjust behavior had it occurred to me once. But I have been (and most of the first yearites have been) the victim of the same, the very same crime (yes its a crime because India is a democratic country) at least three times since I got into the college.

One has to be there at the campus gates at least half an hour before the scheduled time in order to grab a seat which is vulnerable to be snatched away from you even five minutes before he bus starts by a senior who is always in a hurry, who has got classes to attend and who is always getting late.

If a bag is lying on a seat and the bag belongs to a senior the seat is 'Reserved' for them. On the Contrary if it belongs to a first yearite "Excuse me this is not allowed".

Then one has to deal with the mood swings of the driver. Sometimes he won’t allow people to stand in the bus or has problem with even three people sitting on one bench. But when I am not into any of this category he is fine with it. How come the space for them is miraculously created during the way??

The scarcity of buses definitely leads to all the confusion and chaos. We just wish that traveling through the bus become a better experience for each on of us.A little cooperation between the students would for sure help. Criticism wont help, solutions will. Sometimes due to all these fights for seats some important tasks remain undone and incomplete. The institute provides this wonderful facility for us to avail. We must make the most of it by using it a little more peacefully and providing equal opportunities to all for its use.

Shershtha Bansal

(sketch by Vipin Toshniwal)

LNMIIT IS TOBACCO FREE……..REALLY???

The year 2011, LNMIIT witnessed a numerous changes in the campus from new hostels to lecture halls, from faculty to students and many more but the most appealing was making campus tobacco free. The anti-tobacco sessions were conducted including the implementation of posters on major areas of concern in the campus, boasting and consoling our minds that the revolution will bring a change. These claims invariably proved wrong and people take pride to be an offender time to time. 

The problem is not quite as simple as it would be as typical law enforcer takes privilege of imposing fines on students. The students possibly might not be responsible for spoiling the environment of the campus and indulging themselves in accidents, mishap happened in the campus. The guards, workmen and drivers are often seen smoking with their so called “cigarette” in the campus. Why they do not attract the attention of the authorities in campus? If the rules are made then they must be same for each and every member on the campus. 

There is no question that smoking is addictive. However not everyone is affected the same way. Some people are never able to kick the habit while others seem to be able to quit on a whim. At college level nobody is kid who can’t make a judgement whether the thing is right or wrong as the person is mature enough to make decisions on his own. It is not a major concern about our college but also for the other colleges including the prestigious institutes like IITs and NITs where the students involve themselves in these activities. Why these colleges do not reveal the consciousness about the smoking activities thus allowing student to pursue their interest rather concerning about the health. By this we show an awkward example to society about the college that here at LNMIIT rules are formed to be broken and people pursue these activities duty unto death. 

In my point of view prohibition can be useful only if its implementation is made possible but since that cannot be achieved, we can leave thinking of prohibition, and social awareness of evils of this addiction should be spread. This may possibly lead to people leaving the evil themselves. If the authorities are implementing the rules then measures should be taken to adhere to the laws rather than simply executing on papers. 

Vinay Suthar