The half-baked Indian engineer

the story, of a typical Indian engineering student.

As the car starts moving, I relaxed my back in to the luxury of the car’s cushion. Sitting near my mom I gazed at the site everything I loved so far moving away from me. And my mind spoke to myself “ï am just a guest to this place from now”. Even bitter that was the truth. Every typical Indian man must have had such a moment in his life. Two years passed so fast, and I still remember the moment, as it happened two days ago.

I’m a 20 year old typical Indian engineering student, more precisely a ‘half-baked Indian engineer’. As all Indian parents, they decided to make me an engineer the moment they knew the kid was a boy. That was my dad’s proud moment, I forgot the truth enjoying his happiness and dreaming about the life in Chennai. But when the car starts moving away keeping my home back there, the fact struck, I don’t belong here anymore. With all the sorrow of the heart, I struggled a night in the fast moving train and reached my home away from my home (as they demanded). But I never got that feeling, because I never knew the feeling of being away from home. When my little sister shed some tears waving me bye, I had left with no other option. With all the courage, I decided to live in my new home (even if not), the college hostel.

The first few days felt like a century; I missed my home a lot I was totally homesick. Although there was nothing bothering me there I was totally sick, i sadly remembered I had an option but not now. Days passed the normal classes started, but I never knew why they call it a college, which was an engineering school. I slowly begun to forget everything got a lot of friends, and the homesickness started to disappear slowly, but still I wanted to be back soon. Days passed with the same schedule; the worst thing was I never had a schedule even to fell hungry before.

Days passed so slowly than before in that literal jail of rules and only rules. All they had was just rules; I will have to stand in a queue to talk to my dear ones away from me. Have to give identification to go in and go out, as if a military camp. They took away the most important thing I had, freedom. By suffering all these I started to find happiness as all others, and finally the day came when they said you had a four-day holiday. I never waited packed my backs and got out of the building made of rules, and told to myself “I’m out at last”. Bu the worst thing was I still had to beg for a sign, without which I can’t even go home.

That was the happiest moment, going back home after a long time, although it was not that long it felt so long. Reached home and started to feel the fresh air and that it 4 days went as a flash of a second. I felt like I was traveling between solar systems, that time moved differently. And with sorrow in deep heart I again waved bye to my dear home and again was back to a place where freedom was a sin. I prayed to God, please help me to finish this 4 years as fast as I can.

The cycle followed, getting new friends helped me to forget everything and suddenly the chance to visit home comes, and again I get home sick. As days passed, I started to get used to it. The moments with good friends helped me to forget everything. Days passed the so-called engineering school life began to take a pace, when the first-semester result came I was so relaxed, and I thought this is easy as anything to clear. I started to forget everything and enjoy the lot, and finally decided to get out of this crazy s**t place and go out and live in freedom. And yes now I’m a free bird, but not in college times. As the life turned from a hostel student to a da scholar thing changed dramatically.

When I got the denied freedom back, I forget myself. I enjoyed the life to the core. And hence I marked the first thing hated by any engineering in my academic list, arrears. I was depressed, but not for so long. With a group of good friends and a lot of freedom who cares about failures. But to know that our parents are worrying was so painful, so I decided to clear everything. But I never tried for that, I needed to, but I never could. With the outsider life of money, friends and freedom I started to lose everything. I was becoming a complete looser.

When I finished the half-life of the so-called engineering studies, I now know time will never come back. The truth struck me that there is no time to rest anymore. When writing this article, I hope I have done my last exams well, and I will come back. But never can be sure this is a place of uncertainty. Everybody told me I’m a half-baked engineer now. But I don’t know what that mean, does that mean I have studied engineering for two years, or I have become a half engineer? I don’t know because when I have done with my half part of engineering studies want I can only see a couple of theories and practical papers I have written. If somebody ask me to engineer something I will go blank and that’s it. I do the thing every Indian engineer is the same like me, they taught me to pass the exams but not to create something. They gave me tons of notes and nothing else; they gave me important questions to study and nothing else. I is sure that I will get out of the college with an engineer’s degree, but will I be a good engineer? I’m not sure. With this two years in life what I all have is some programming languages, good friends, good and bad memories and some important life lesson. I may survive in coming life with this, but being a creator is still a challenging task for me.  Don’t know what they mean by this educational system, are they trying to print up some certificates yearly or to create great engineers. I now, at this moment think it time to change, it’s time for a revolution.

Reviews

[ANTO]

Your comand of English is impressive - I got the jist of those sections that weren't grammatically correct so the flow of the story was unimpeded
one thing - "...between solar systems..." is a bit OTT, I felt..."between planets" would have sufficed.

'half-baked engineer' - says so much, its funny, poignant (once the reader has consumed the story) and conveys hope and fear.

I suppose you've encountered the Inidan engineering student's equivalent to a (married persons) 'seven year itch' here Abijith

A fascinating coming of age story of a different country and culture - so much different from my own in Ireland but not so different in terms of 'coming of age' - with that age's universal worries and desires, fantasies and fears. Trying to find one's place in the world.

I enjoyed this very much dear writer.

[abijith sasikumar]

thanks a lot for you review dude.. :)