“Manzil unhi ko milti hai
Jinke sapno me jaan hoti hai
Sirf Pankh se kuchh nahi hota doston
Hauslon se udaan hoti hai!!!”
Udaan!! What does ‘Udaan’ mean to each one of us? Is it just about a farewell dinner where students and faculty give speeches and enjoy good food? Or is it about giving poses in the newly bought suit or dresses to have the perfect display picture to put up on social media? Udaan, as it means literally, signifies flight! It means taking off from where you are. It is a transition, a much needed transition to complete the journey you have started.
Our journey started on the 22nd of July 2010 when innocent faces with high expectations and myth entered the newly born IIT Gandhinagar. This journey has been adventurous, intriguing, frightful, expeditious, bumpy, triumphal, dismal, fruitful, steady, pleasant, long, weary, tiresome, eventful, sometimes boring and sometimes too mysterious. It was a road less travelled. It was a journey which could lead us to places no one has ever been. It was a start to a journey which could create history! Today I ask you, Will this journey ever end? Will we ever get over the fun we had during this journey? Then why this transition? Why take off?
Well, this transition is to make us realize that we are now adults. We are now men and women dressed up in suits and dresses ready to step into the world and face the challenges it has to offer. It is a realization that we would no more splurge our parent’s money. It is a realization that there will be no more summer and winter breaks for most of us, no more spontaneous weekend outings, no more celebrating birthdays the way we do. It is a realization that we might have to stop asking for treats and start offering to pay. It is a realization that we can no more blame the mess food to go to the restaurant across the street or for that matter the IIT system for less girls around us. But more than anything else, it is a realization that you, every single individual of class of 2014, are now an engineer – not only mechanical, chemical or electrical – with or without minor, with or without honors. But, an engineer who has been trained to solve problems even with limited resources. An engineer who can … Do wonders!
We have seen many successes and failures during the course of the journey and have lived through them together. From celebrating all the internships, jobs and admits to making stories about how dumb the HR who rejected you was. While some have chalked out a path of their own and plan to start their own companies, there are peers who have received admits not only from top engineering schools like Stanford, CMU, Cornell but also from top business schools like IIMs. Patents have been filed and research papers have been published. We have lived this journey with orators, artists, singers, dancers and some of the best sportsmen our college has seen. I feel that the class of 2014 is the most versatile among all batches. It is the most disciplined, active and full of enthu! No, I’m not competing. The others are not even close!
We have had our part of fun too during the course of the journey. From sleeping in lecture halls to making fake sponsorship calls. From chasing the cops to sliding down the Himalayan snow. From eating watermelons all night during Halla Bol to assisting with green rooms during Blithchron. From ‘safalta mil gayi bhai’ to Chunnilal’s proxy attendances. And how can we forget hanging Mishraji’s bicycle from the terrace – we have lived it all!
Every individual has contributed to this journey even if in small ways. Look around you friends, would it be possible to live this journey without the support and encouragement of each one of them? Would it be really possible to make the most of this journey without Prashant’s bike? Or without Bhaskar’s camera? Pranav and Aishwarya’s notes? Or Arjita’s contacts? Let’s not forget the placement team. After all, they have been instrumental in deciding the next destination of your journey.
Not only fellow students, but the whole community has been instrumental to ensure a smooth journey. No matter how much we hate Mishraji, he has always been there to listen to our complaints. The academic department has been such a positive pillar heeding to transcript requests and add-drop demands of students all the time. I have personally witnessed the efforts that the placement office puts in and trust me it is beyond your expectations. I have also had the chance to work closely with the accounts department and I was amazed how they would come to office on a Saturday to ensure that our festival is not a flop show. Today, as we take off, it is just fair to give them the credit they deserve for organizing such a wonderful journey. This beautiful journey wouldn’t have been so smooth and amazing without the efforts they put in from behind the scenes. Let’s have a round of applause for them.
So much planning must have been involved to get us together for this journey. OMR blunders and mistimed bathroom breaks by such a large number of students can only be a coincidence. Today, I feel that somehow it was all for good. We wouldn’t have been able to celebrate this journey together had it not happened after all!
As we complete a part of our journey and plan to take off, it is time to set goals for our future. Before you can do that, however, you need a vision. A dream. Over the next few years you may end up at a college or business school. You may begin working full-time or even start a family. No matter what your dream is, you can get there with the dedication, determination, and focus that you have learned while here at this very institute.
We, the class of 2014, are a powerhouse of innovation and creativity. We will push boundaries to make this world a better place. Just be yourself, and be a you that leaves the world a little brighter. Look around the lawn and at others around you. Every single person has a confidence that you will do great things in your life. Don’t be bogged down by failures. Try again. Try harder.
Always remember where you are going but also remember where you came from. It has been a pleasure living this journey with all of you! All the best for your ‘Udaan’. Please fasten your seat belts and have a safe journey.
Thank you!
