Wednesday, July 6, 2011

NIT(I)E Out!

It was late at night. The figures emerged from nowhere. Dark suits, sunken faces, hollow eyes. They talked hurriedly. Walked past each other. No pleasantries exchanged. Just a few questions:

Which one was it?
What preference did you give it?
How did it go?

This pretty much summed up the sentiment on Day 1 of NITIE interviews for the various committees. What went inside those small, dingy holes that pass off as rooms of double occupancy, varied.
They simulated situations you may never get into, asked to sing, asked about drinking habits, the boyfriends, commented on people’s voices and convinced a few that they were actually not fit for any work the world had to offer.

You could see anger, frustration, impatience, and in some cases, extreme amusement on the faces of the applicants. “What do they want!”.

Timelines were compromised on, meals missed as the queues outside hostel 4 grew.

Back in hostel 5, you could hear people yelling, venting out what they thought was their angst against the system. “They gave me a write up”. “Me a website to make.” At 6 A.M. To be submitted in two hours! Smirk. ;)

Earlier in the day

“Sleep tight. These committee interviews go on till late.”
“Bleh. Hum to waise bhi late sote hai. Ab b school life ki aadat pad gayi hai.”
The same people later could not be contacted for comments. :P

The day never ended. It went on and on. There was no night. The sky changed its colours. Blue, grey, black, grey, blue. No one slept. Meal at Nescafe was followed by meals at ‘Muddu mess’. Assignments were submitted yet again, marketing strategies thought in a couple of hours, events conceptualised. They may never see the light of the day again, but then, you are either a part of the system or against it.

God bless the Indian B schooler!