Saptak Das
2nd Year

There is a saying, “Don’t let the concept of change scare you as much as the prospect of remaining unhappy”.

Everytime I read this line, I see myself in it’s reflection. The transition from the laws of heredity to hacker rank contests was nothing but a life changing decision.

From a tender age, I dreamt of donning a white coat and saving lives while bringing a ray of hope to the ones in need . My utmost curiosity lied in the STETHOSCOPE. My heart pulsated with passion for the medical field. After passing my 12th boards I decided to take a leap of faith and prepare for another year with dedication. As usual the long study hours, sleepless nights, early mornings, YouTube study sessions, determination and self-motivation were my guiding lights, helping me navigate through the path of struggle to qualify the entrance examinations. The spring of May brings Holi once a year but NCERT books brought it each time I revised them, with lines and sentences bearing the coloured ink of my highlighters. Finally, the day arrived when the results were to be declared. The tumor of fear, malignant as it was, spread from cell to cell. The margin was still narrow, and a government college seemed like an unreachable dream.  It seemed like my destiny had permanently turned on the red signal to my aspirations.  I didn’t even appear for any other entrance exam other than KIITEE-2022 and private medical colleges were too expensive to be afforded by a middle class family like ours. I didn’t have a choice to take another year drop and the burden of expectations weighed heavily on my shoulders. I made a challenging decision – to shift my career path and pursue a degree in Computer science engineering at KIIT.

After the completion of the admission process,  when my mother waved back at me before leaving, time stopped for a while for me, filling my eyes with tears. I felt lost in between such tall buildings, campuses and the hostel rooms. Everything seemed like a maze but everyday I woke up with a new spirit to get my life back on track.  I didn’t know what I was doing and what was I going to face in the future. In the classroom, I felt diffident as my peers were so fluent when it came to speaking, even in terms of  thinking they were better than me. I used to think how could I compete with them being a state board student.  I  remember the night before the 1st semester Maths exam when I was not even able to solve easy integrations. I literally cried for an hour, aimlessly staring at the sky , asking God whether I was even worthy of it all. Just when I found myself at the verge of depression, my friends sensed it and pulled me right back.

My friends have been my constant support. Though I didn’t get good marks in the mid-semester exams, my professors told me one thing that really stuck with me. Everyone here is running their own race and there is no way one could be left back. That’s when I realized, I was my only competition.  Continuously aiming to excel and being better than our previous selves is the key to personal growth. Comparison is the biggest thief of happiness. Don’t let it rob you off your own uniqueness!

I found out the harmonious chord of my lost melody again when my mentor made me the Class Representative. This was the first ray of dawn of my confidence. I tried my best to keep unity among my peers and all of them were really supportive. Suddenly I found myself surrounded by unfamiliar complex algorithms and programming languages. You know what, the best part of hostel life is exchange of knowledge wherein I tried to teach whatever I could to my friends and in return they taught me the logic behind the complex codes. Every time I felt stuck, I would start relating my coding concepts and algorithms to everything I knew in biology. It wasn’t a perfectly smooth journey. Through  failures, setbacks, mistakes and imperfections I did manage to secure good marks. The  things seem quite easier now. Though in  RNA splicing , ‘introns’ (which is a useless part) are removed but in real life, never remove your mistakes from your story . They will serve as the stepping stones to your success later on. A piece of paper with your results on it doesn’t decide if you are a failure or not. It’s your trails that decide your capabilities and worth. Besides, KSAC (KIIT Student Activity Centre) helped  me to follow my passion for music and  also gave me a chance to pursue my hobby of photography. Never hesitate to take a leap of faith as God always has a better plan for you. Although I’m uncertain about my future, KIIT has surely  equipped me with the skills to navigate through life’s twists and turns.

Lastly I would say, never let time snatch away your smile because its the coolest superpower you will  need to handle any situation. Think before you speak, never hurt anyone at their weakness, believe in yourself and stay humble.

Your real education is seen in your behavior. PRAY, WAIT & TRUST, this is the mantra to a happy life.