Humans of IIT Roorkee

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Humans of IIT Roorkee

Bringing out different facets of life by our own people

06/07/2023

“I think India chose me more than I chose India”
“Being a Syrian student in India has been an incredible journey. After completing my Bachelor's, I moved to India in 2018 to pursue Master's from SRM University, Chennai. That was my first encounter with India.
As I visited the city for the first time, witnessing people walking barefoot on hot roads was a culture shock. It was a whole new experience to see people eating unbearably spicy food.
Despite the differences, the kindness and warmth of the people I met helped me connect with them. Even with language barriers, we found ways to communicate. Another thing I found rather interesting is how people bond over food. Every time I was in my room to relax, someone would knock asking, “Have you had lunch?”
After completing my Master's in 2020, I returned to Syria. It was only in April 2022 that I came to IITR to pursue Ph.D. I soon realized the importance of this institute when I saw parents crying when their kids got enrolled here.
This campus has been my home for over a year now. It has a vibrant culture of festivals, technology, startups, and what-not. I've made great friends, especially among the ambitious and creative youth. It's also super safe for students, we can roam anytime on campus.
A crucial part of my life is sports. I felt immense pride representing IITR at national levels in aquatics and basketball, where our team won gold medals and I met wonderful fellow athletes. Despite two ankle injuries, I secured the title of the best female basketball player.
For me, physical health comes first. Eating healthy, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep are my non-negotiables. I love seeing female students confidently lifting weights in the gym.
Overall, my experiences have taught me that humanity and kindness are the foundations of society, which I find truly beautiful. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my journey. Thanks for having me here. I’m gonna hit the gym now!”
- Bushra Alarbeed

Swipe to see her in action!!

18/05/2022

“I know, everyone had the same experience of leaving their house for a new land. My experience had some added factors that were making me sad. I was new here, excited to meet new people. As I studied from Allen Kota, they really hyped up the whole IIT thing. I wanted to talk and get to know almost everyone I could. That over-enthusiasm did two things for me, I met some great people who are still around me and I can go to them anytime. And I did meet people who weren’t considerate enough. I would get scared to say anything because I was a junior and all I ever knew was to tell my mom, but I didn’t want to worry her.

As I said I had my share of disagreements with people. Many times I had to stay alone. I never really understood the reason for receiving so much hatred. I started believing, maybe I was doing something wrong or wasn't being good to them. I felt secluded and alone in every room I entered. When your self-esteem is hitting an all-time low, a little affection means the world to you. I did try finding comfort in a relationship but things were going haywire. I couldn’t be myself anymore. All this was a little too much for me to take, so I decided to go for therapy and seek help there. When my parents found out about this, they visited me. it was quite unacceptable to them that their daughter was taking antidepressants. They thought people would start calling me crazy. My grades suffered a lot. It really got worse.

I think I must tell you what really helped me. I decided to step out of my comfort zone. Got off the toxic relationship I was in. I started trusting my old friends who stuck around me for so long. They helped me with my grades, wouldn't leave me alone with my thoughts, take me to different places around Roorkee. Those pep talks we all dread so much actually helped me. I found happiness inside of me. Now when I sit alone and don't worry about not being friends with people, I feel how much I have changed. I have moved on without forgiving or forgetting.

College does teach you a lot about the world and builds you as a person. It’s ok to feel low during the bad times, but just remember - You don’t need to impress everyone. ” - Sheetal Ojha

15/04/2022

(2/2) “…now the time had come to break those shackles! So we started with student mobilization. We used to go door to door in Kasturba and discuss what we could do about the whole situation. The bachelor participation was quite high and were very active in the whole process. We even brought this topic of debate in our classrooms for discussion and realized that like us even our peers and professors wanted these restrictions to be lifted. In one of the protests, about 200-300 students, comprising both girls and boys, held a march at 12 pm and gathered in front of the Dean’s residence. We calmly put forward our arguments, stating the situation at other IITs, representation of gender equality and how unfair it is for all of us. Our conversations were very civil and there was no aggression, but we were told to come back with solutions to the problems mentioned by them, like the security concerns. There was a lack of support from the administration, although the SAC Representatives were very helpful. The turning point came when Dr. Chaturvedi joined as our Director, he brought in a more progressive mindset and was very supportive of our movement. He helped us a lot and was a key person in getting our restrictions lifted. I remember it was between the 1st and 4th of March that the restrictions were relaxed and all of us gathered in front of the main building to celebrate together with immense euphoria. Our success was hard earned but worth every effort. Going back to college for my convocation I felt the girls were already free for years. The adaptation to freedom was wonderful!
It feels great when you’re free to roam around, do things as you like, are able to act to your conscience and are deemed responsible enough as your peers. That sense of responsibility and feeling of freedom aids to your goals and lets you do things, your work better without the burden of the restrictions that hold you.” - Samiksha Sarwari
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Samisksha Sarwari is a 2017 IITR graduate. She had worked at Goldman Sachs and is now preparing for the esteemed Civil services examination.

08/03/2022

(1/2) “Hey kids, let me tell you a story about how girls in R-land got their freedom on campus, the story of “Pinjra Tod”! Now, do y’all remember how we were all restricted in our Bhawans after 9pm for a month of our first year? That was the plight of girls before Pinjra Tod every (single) day! We had to be inside our Bhawans latest by 10 pm and we girls weren’t supposed to be out of our Bhawans post this time, neither were we allowed in each others’ canteens. The fact that boys could roam freely at any hour and we couldn’t really irked me. This discrimination seemed very unfair as we couldn’t access the 24-hour library during our semester exams or any other laboratory work. And the boys could be out even for reasons apart from academics. The PhD students had to time their experiments according to the restrictions and getting permissions to work post 10 was a big hassle. It was as if we were being conditioned to lead that kind of life and the freedom that one expects after coming to college wasn’t there. One of my friends went to Europe for an internship and the freedom to roam at night really overwhelmed her. Inspite of not being restricted to go out at any time of the day, she couldn’t adjust to that life just because going out after 10 pm wasn’t yet normal for her, and it made her feel very shackled from within. It was at that time we realized that due to these restrictions on campus, we were feeling handicapped and that something had to be done about it. We have to deal with diverse people, and not just girls, it would be difficult for the boys to adjust to women around them during their jobs or research work. That is when we decided to actively put this issue in front of our administration. It was 2017 when already other IITs and esteemed institutions weren’t imposing any restrictions. We set up a page where we regularly posted the hostel rules of other IITs and made everyone aware of their situation. We believed that an institution like IIT should break stereotypes and set an example for equality. Now the time had come to break those barriers!” - Samiksha Sarwari
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08/02/2022

“My heart and spirit were filled with zeal after joining IITR, and I wasn't even a bit sure which career path I should hop on, but all I wanted was self-satisfaction and love for the work I do. I've always enjoyed watching videos and was inspired by many international YouTubers, so in my first year, I began to make and edit videos about myself and my friends "just for fun," but little did I know that these impromptu fun-times would prove to be a significant stepping stone in my journey. I decided to start my own YouTube channel and began uploading videos. My friends were the cornerstone of the house I was constructing; they were always there to encourage and motivate me. I kept posting videos, and if one of them hit a milestone, it fueled me enough to keep the lamp burning. However, I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue YouTube as a full-time career at the moment. Seeing the coding fever bloom made me think twice and so, I decided to try my hand at it, only to learn that this was exactly what I didn't want to do. While on the other hand, working on YouTube taught me that self-satisfaction is far more essential than financial gain. The thought of having a direct line of communication and engaging with people inspired me to pursue YouTube as a full-time job. My parents advised me to seek a steady profession because YouTube is so erratic and unpredictable, but I chose the other path and embarked on this never-ending journey, and eventually earned their support as well. Lockdown has given me the opportunity to be more creative; despite disruptions in the availability of material, we increased the frequency with which we released videos, which played to our benefit.
Finally, all I have to advise is to search deep within yourself and uncover what you are passionate about; working in a new path may appear risky at first, but don't compromise your passion for the sake of regretting it afterwards; instead, really go for it.” - Amit Sharma aka CrazyXYZ

01/02/2022

“It was in 2014 when I was doing M.Tech from NIT Hamirpur when I realised that degradation of the environment is a real issue. Earlier environment-related problems were related to littering. But this was not the only problem, so along with my roommate, I started an Eco Club to spread awareness about these issues. Later on, we handed it over to interested students to keep up the work. After completing my MTech, I joined IITR, but because of my hectic schedule, I couldn't do things on a large scale, so I tried to reduce plastic use in my personal daily life and, also motivated other people to do the same. I learnt to make my toothpaste and soap to reduce plastic use and buy products from local brands which are environment-friendly, and carried my water bottle to avoid buying bottled water.
Presently I am working on project AMR and studying the effect of the disposal of waste in water bodies on humans and aquatic life. My masters' thesis was focused on the Segregation of Waste. I am going to Germany in 1 month to work under a professor from the University of Bretagne. In the future, I would like to work on the segregation of waste as India is behind in this and try to bring a change for the good.
I also enjoy Photography, so I got myself a second-hand camera and traveled to various places in Himachal Pradesh; visited quite many villages, and interacted with people there to understand issues related to the environment.
I think the concept of a capsule wardrobe is a head start towards minimising plastics use in our daily lives. A capsule wardrobe is a curated selection of pieces that all fundamentally complement each other and can be put together to create separate outfits. Essentially, the practice of editing down your favourite pieces and wearing them in several different ways. Also buying second-hand products and using a menstrual cup can be some ways to reduce plastic usage.” - Kenyum Bagra
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We urgently need to worry about our Earth to have a secure and sufficient future. It is our responsibility to reduce waste, as we are already getting to see the harsh effects of climate change, global warming and rising sea levels. An action today may save our future!

20/01/2022

“Hailing from a small town named Chandrapur, I never heard of the word entrepreneur before coming to IIT Roorkee. Goals in life had the upper cap of getting into a good college and then getting a decent job. I came to campus with only one thing in mind, to explore every domain and make the most of all IITR had to offer.
In my 4 years, I believe I have had the best college life one can have! I have tried it all - dancing, traveling or trying out new ventures. Being a part of Choreo, I was featured in the Shape of You video, which turned into an online sensation overnight with a whooping 15M+ views. The whole process of making the video, releasing it, and dealing with the fame was an unexpected experience. We did experience a short-lived fame in which we even gave a live interview on satellite television. In the long run, we created a legacy in the college with better dance videos coming out every year after our release.
I decided to take part in the Institute level elections, and was elected as the Gensec Hostel Affairs. In my tenure as Gensec, I initiated privatization of messes; and even brought the now much loved ‘Subway’ and Utopia to the campus. One problem was the huge quantities of food wastage in messes. To curb this, Kush and I developed ‘Appetizer’; an app in which students could opt out of meals in mess beforehand, thus preventing food wastage. To top off, the students got a rebate on the meals they skipped, making it a win-win situation for all! It’s wonderful how technology has so much potential to solve our problems, one just needs to have an eye for problems, and the thirst to solve them.
Another rampant problem with our generation was that of financial independence (and literacy).90% of today’s teenagers have smartphones, but none of them had bank accounts. Indian culture enforces responsibilities of all financial decisions in the hands of guardians, and hence, students often find themselves incompetent to deal with finances once they start earning. I started Fampay to solve this problem.
All I would say is - Don’t do it for the money, do it for the sake of curiosity and go explore every opportunity knocking at your doorstep!”- Sambhav Jain

18/01/2022

“When I joined IITR I wasn’t sure about what to do with my life. Therefore I tried a lot of new things and gained many new experiences.
In the 2nd semester, I along with my friend decided to build a startup, selling customized t-shirts to college students. We built the website overnight and placed pamphlets everywhere one could reach(even washrooms). The response was overwhelming, we got about 600 orders in a single day! It was fun and I learnt many things about marketing and technology.
In the next semester, I joined MDG to learn android development. Most of my second year went into that. I bagged an intern and it was when I realized that I didn't want to live the life of a software engineer.
In my 3rd year, I became the Mess Secretary and introduced innovative ideas such as birthday-based menus and Appetizer, an app to know the mess menu.
Eventually, I went on to work on product design and did an intern in ShareChat.
In college, I joined IRC and remained active in E-cell, which I really enjoyed. It helped me build a strong network. At the end of 3rd year, I caught a new passion and started cooking. I began with simple foods like dal and went on to make stuff like cheesecake in my room.
Institute elections were around the corner, so I decided to contest for them. It was a lot of hard work, with sleepless nights, and involved a lot of toiling around the campus. In the end, we lost by a few votes, and though I was prepared, it did hurt. After all, we had worked hard for it!
By the time placement came, we had started working on Fampay. I wasn’t really interested in them. I already had 2 choices. First to pursue culinary arts in Italy. The other was Fampay. I told myself I could be a chef later so I went ahead with the latter. Fampay was a huge success. In the first year itself, we got funded by Y-Combinator which was like a dream come true. I got a chance to work with the most amazing people and learn new things. I had found my passion.
Being from a business-based family, I grew up hearing things like ‘Commerce lele business to krna hi hai’ but I didn’t listen to them and you shouldn’t either. Find your passion and pursue it!” - Kush Taneja

10/10/2021

"Talent is a pursued interest. Anything you're willing to practice, you can do. - These words by Bob Ross always excited me along the path. Going off the flow, just for the sake of passion, with unknown paths and challenges, is tricky. But that's what makes you outshine the crowd. In a bounded environment where opportunities in design were limited, it caught my eye and made me pursue it.

I had always been interested in art. I pursued perspective drawing at school level. From there on, I knew I had to do something in this domain. Architecture is a lot more like art. It helped me gain more insights into how versatile art, in general, can be. From paper to crayons to graphic design to animations to I don’t know where, this is indeed an exciting journey.

I worked on no official projects, didn't even attempt any test for the placements. In architecture, it’s compulsory to complete a 6-month internship at some firm. Being into graphic design, I did not want to pursue an internship in architecture.Therefore I worked on a graphic design project for . I wasn’t sure about what I was going to do next.

Only after graduating in 2020 jobless, I decided to sketch every day, simple as that. This mere habit is what paved the way further. I was approached for a job via my Instagram handle despite the fact that I never had any formal resume or portfolio. My Instagram handle is my only portfolio.

My current job as a graphic designer leaves a little gap between my career and passion, and I love this. Art is what connects my personal and professional worlds. It is always a better medium to express yourself when words fail. It feels great to say that I've never been bored in my life. I always keep a sketchbook handy and start drawing whatever my eyes see.

Lastly, the only thing I'd mind saying is that it's never easy to pursue something in a different domain. Creating a job out of your passion and putting efforts in another direction is never easy since the path is unknown. But the satisfaction that strives out is worth it, believe me!"-Neeraj Salvi
Check out for impressive artwork!

24/09/2021

"With the tide of time, I've noticed a drop in the number of females from school to professional levels, especially in Engineering. Both my parents were teachers. The confidence I inherited from them was significant in shaping my present. I never witnessed any kind of bias while growing up with a brother, and I’m glad to have such roots.
After matriculation, pursuing Science was a rigorous task, as we had to study both Biology and Mathematics. Neither did we have the much-organized coaching setups that we see today! After completing my Masters from IIT Kanpur, I joined Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad. The work was very important for our country, but I didn’t get much excitement out of that. After 6 years, I finally made up my mind and proceeded to pursue a Ph.D. from Florida International University, USA.
As a professor, I love my job as it is like a cherry on the top. I get to interact with young minds daily, encouraging mutual growth.
STEM is a growing sector, but the undulating gender numbers are a concern. While interacting with parents, I felt their safety concerns for their daughters in far-off colleges. They question the education in IITs in non-metro cities even in 2021, so there is a need to broaden their thinking. We all need to work together to properly showcase the ability of each of the IITs.
As a woman, we should be doubly confident to stand out amidst the crowd, because people may continuously doubt our abilities. Even while making tough choices as a mother and wife, my husband held my hand. I promote thoughts where families understand equality in professional as well as in domestic life.
Finally, I would say that no matter what, familial support is a must for the progress of a girl in STEM, especially in professional degrees. Closing on a positive note, I'll say that hailing from West Bengal, with a mostly-educated society around, I feel extremely privileged to have such a supportive family. Women have even left a mark in space, so a bit more support may lead to many more endeavours." - Prof. Debrupa Lahiri, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

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She was featured along with 3 IITR professors in a compendium by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on women achievers in STEM.

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