You Are From IIT ROORKEE!!!!!

Is what most of the people(with eyes popping out and mouth half open) would say, after reading my id card, utterly shocked at seeing the offspring of an IIT professor, at the premises of Bansal Classes. I don't blame them, because the place really eats, sleeps and drinks IIT and even the slightest(or the most irrelevant) of the mentions of the place is sure to draw rapt attention from anyone who is in near vicinity. I had always prided myself in being the son of an IIT prof, interestingly for all the non-acaedamic reasons: free access to the internet, tennis courts, swimming pool, free passes to rocknites et all, were enough to make the life of a high school student heavenly!!!

Asking someone's place of origin is mostly how the conversations start for new acquaintances at Bansal Classes. Although, some bolder ones, or perennial prodigies(can't really blame them) normally begin and end conversations with Batch nos. Some examples:

A batch..hey mate my name is falaana dhimkaana...

B batch...oh(wondering how come HE ran into you and slightly distancing himself) hi..(and then a second later)...bye..(call it discrimination in the era of tolerance)...

C and D batch...(face contorting into various unpleasant shapes and sizes)..What the hell are you doing here???

Ok guys, I might be stretching this thing a little bit, but invariably, you are judged by the batch you are in. Having spent most of my time in low B's and high C's, i often ended up at the receiving side, the saving grace being the fact, that I was born into a temple Of Science and Technology. Some would even ask what was the need for me to come here. "Apne Papa aur unke prof friends se phadh leta". Preconceived notions about the demi god status of IIT, and Bansalites go hand in hand...

Coming back to the original matter, initially I was taken aback and even perturbed at these reactions, but as time went on, it finally sunk in that the tag of the "IIT professor's son", would remain for the complete sojourn, right uptill 6 Jan 2008. In some ways, it also served as an extra motivation to perform better, and constantly outdo my peers at BC, but the owing to the "tag" I couldn't really establish my own persona. Exception being the last few months in B-6, where no one really knew from where I was, and I built a well deserved reputation for my knowledge in Inorganic Chemistry:)...Too little, but not too late....
This experience made me appreciate the place of my birth more and thankfully not on the account of the hollow principles of previous years. Now I have a solid backing for my reason.
For once I think I have got my bearings right. Hope this is a good omen, as I can't afford to put a foot wrong in the coming months..
Will be back when time permits...