Amid the paeans to the Indian Growth story here I stand with my Bachelor of Engineering Degree , questioning its very purpose. It is sheer ambivalence of feelings that I am going through whether to adulate the fact that I am a BE or is it more by accident than by intention that these four year journey has ended.
Well engineering is a mini odyssey laden with experiments , practicals , sessionals , projects and “farzipanti”.
Yes FARZIPANTI comes out as a side branch of engineering ,not baking with codified language but encrypted with that cipher text which only an engineer can decipher. On top of this blissful activity is placed a slice of physics and nothing less than the poetry of electrons changing the dynamics of life. (done electronics & telecommunication).
The first year of college is the subdued phase where everyone gives you a discourse on the wonders of engineering.
You still are very nascent and much like a school student dreaming practical solutions to invent, design and build things. You are true to the kindred spirits of engineering and use your time constructively in having a brief overview of basic engineering subjects. You listen to everyone from your professors to lab attendants to your seniors, library in charges.
You are devoid of the slightest vestige of engineering mischief and you live a life respectable student.
But then comes the the second year, a translator of all prejudices you ever had. You are finally in your department and your seniors paradoxically enough , expose you to what engineering in itself entails : the promise of knowledge and a roller coaster of fun.You want to dive into the empty space of not mastered existence but then you are brought down and laid bare; for you are a fresher and cannot make such a remarkable transition. Your quest for marks somewhat loses momentum and you keep your eyes wide open to learn the blissful coexistence of farzipanti and performance.
You begin to have a taste of the art but not a connoisseur yet, you engage yourself in various activities.
Then comes the Third year which widens your doors of perception and you finally become the coveted senior .It begins with proxy attendance and narrows down to last date submissions . you feel like a hero when you break the monotony of learning and just start faking it up…books , notes are last days rescue…and then you know how to give maximum performance in minimum time.
But in between comes the havoc of Campus Placements. You are again brought back to ground .A sudden deluge of seriousness sweeps you and then you stand at the center of your being ,on the crossroads of doing something worthwhile. You try to master all the theories learnt, start reading newspapers , you meander into this very part of making a career .
The placements give you that little high which you never had ,as if you’ve got a life jacket to guard you against the turbulent future.
Then comes the time to bid adieu to your seniors, and you march on with the torch lit by them to the Final Year, the ultimate year of Farzipanti.
The fourth year is like the year of the master of the trade. You experience something like-
“Float down the river
Over the pebble or stone
Don’t worry about swimming
Just rock and roll.”
Literally its not that you are a complete rebel , You have papers to clear, projects to submit, keep your CPI at a decent level but with the juxtaposition of having fun and seriousness. Its not that I am full of complacency about a degree completed but being a BE is not just to learn some Hi-tech vocab of physics or complex engineering mathematics. It prepare you to a plethora of life skills ,its about seriously enjoying life….
Likely said –“to be or not to BE”
