The Truth Shall Set You Free

National Institute of Technology , Durgapur is an esteemed institute of national importance, Formerly known as the regional engineering college ( which is highlighted right at the entrance, a little more boldly than the actual name !). Established is the year 1960 , and later converted to an NIT in 2003, NIT DGP is one of the oldest Institutions.


Now all of this can be found on Wikipedia and other informative sites , but alas none of this really shed light on the true nature of this “esteemed” college .
Fellow first years , I formally welcome you to a rollercoaster of a ride in this college!
Let us start with the hostels.
Every hostel (or Hall of residence, yes its that sophisticated) bears the name of some well known Bengali ( duh! ). My advice to you? Remember the name! apart from this bizarre tradition , you’ll find that the numbering and placement of these hostels make no sense whatsoever ( which is a recurring theme in this college).


Hall 11 ( first years)
Just like any government lie , the oh so awesome hall 11 boasts a very good front, but that’s all there is! It looks well furbished and maintained from the outside with changing colour schemes and awe worthy architecture , but the interiors are a different story. With dim lit corridors and dark atmosphere, hall 11 resembles a prison for the first month or two. Youll be allotted rooms with four occupants each, with the ground floor people being the unluckiest in terms of network coverage and basic sanitation! The higher you are the better it is (personal experience) . the hostel boasts a total of 6 floors and common rooms , which are basically dusty , tiled rooms where youll be spending your time either dancing during a friends birthday or (if lucky) talking to your significant other. To all Table tennis enthusiasts , there is also a TT table at your disposal whenever you wish to play. But as usual , theres one catch, no net, so put those engineering minds to use and make do with whatever you can find!
The next main attraction is the hall mess, which is a mess ( tried to be funny ) . this is where youll be served with breakfast ( or so they say) , lunch ( bear grylls would be proud of this place) , snacks! ( a serving worthy of kings…not) and dinner ( sedative to help you sleep).
Roti, rice, daal and aaloo seem to be a bigger continuity that Saturday night live . chicken is a luxury that is served only five meals a week with the occasional dabble in fish. You expect Bengalis to be good at fish preparation yes? Prepare to be amazed by how wrong you were. Every Wednesday , the mess caterers will hold a mass massacre of hope and taste buds as the promised menu boasts fried rice and chilly chicken, but what you get is leftover rice in which there are left over veggies with chicken swimming in thick tomato puree. But even in the darkest of places there will be a ray of light , and so comes the monthly feast called the ideal dinner, and rightly so because this is the only meal that has respectable standards .
Apart from the mess and common rooms you also have the terrace which is basically the place youll end up in. let it be a phone call or a party with pals, the terrace is the place youll end up ( seen hangover part 1? Try not to lock yourselves up).
The other halls are really just yours to explore!

Next on the agenda list are all the havens in and around the college:-

Hall 7(first years)
All the girls who were laughing at the description of hall 11 , let me tell you , you have it worse! atleast hall 11 had the added advantage of a beautiful exterior , hall 7 does not even have that! boasting a very shoddy pain job and crumbling walls , hall 7 reminds us of a once erected monument that no cares about anymore! The interior resembles a b-grade horror chic flick with gloomy colors and bad lighting!( talk about the atmosphere that promotes studying!) . but the misery doesnt end here ! hall 11 had 4 meals a day , right? so hall 7 also has it ,yes? WRONG . if the fact that , the food given to 16th century slaves was better wasnt enough to make you hate your hell 7 , the fact that hall 7 doesnt give one whole meal is just staggering . The only good thing about hall 7 is the reliable and fast internet! so i guess the girls triumph in this sphere!





Roy dhaba
This small tin shed is the lone savior during nights when hunger strikes. This bad boy cabin is open till 11:30 pm and delivers the food right to your doorstep . just one tiny problem , politeness is an alien concept to them , and so is time. Don’t expect your dinner to come quick if you haven’t had a little spat with the dude who manages that place . but all said and done , roy is that one kamina friend with whom no matter how many times you fight you end up going back to him.



Wonder café
Dubbed as the hangout spot of the college , wonder café is a low ceiling café right next to the rear entrance of the academic building . most of your club meetings or low budget social meetings will be taking place here. The food here is outstanding ( keep in mind being relative to mess food) with a variety of names on the menu yet no difference in taste, but hey , beggars cant be choosy . pro tip . if youre ever asking for a treat from a friend , make sure you’ve specified that wonder café is not a viable option. ( youre welcome )



BL café
This little joint is another hangout spot for the students. Though the full form and origin of its name remains a mystery the folks who run it are a swell bunch . A tad cheaper than wonder café , it doesn’t give the customers a lot of options. Most well known for its different styles of maggi , this place is a tad smaller than its counterpart yet holds a steady place in everyones go to list.



Nescafe
This is the secret of every college students last ditch energy . got to stay awake through a boring lecture? Come here and grab a coffee . want to pass time but don’t have money ?( its disturbing how this is actually the case 99% of the time) come here and grab a coffee in just ten bucks. The latest addition to the stalls arsenal is the chocolate powder topping on the coffee. Totally worth it.



The Ovals and The Lords
Admit it . every cricket fan out there just got a tiny orgasm. The two grounds of this college , the Ovals and the Lords are nothing like their counterpart. They are just patches of ground that went to London for higher studies. The ovals is situated opposite to the academic building ( rear entrance ) and the Lords opposite to the academic building ( front entrance). Most of your fests will take place in Lords apart from which its rarely used. Whereas Ovals is the better of the two siblings. Club orientations , meetings and late night rendezvous pecker this ground from time to time. The only basketball court this place has to offer is situated right besides this ground.



The library
Now we all know that the library has two functions. One, helping students when the words of the professor make no sense ,and two , bringing couples together since 1960. A multi floored building , the library houses a whole lot of books for people to read and a whole lot of places for people who pretend to read! ( get what im saying?) . this library is wifi enabled and has a computer for searching purposes too. The study room is air conditioned and has adequate seating arrangements and tons of charging points. To those who want to know, yes there is a firewall against unwanted sites , but then again when will proxies come to use!.



The Medical Unit
Flanking the ovals , the medical unit serves as a temporary hospital and clinic. Even though this may look small and unworthy of much attention , its role in the progress of a students academic carrerr is vital . with just the right amount of acting and just a pint of lying skills , you can have in your hand a certificate excusing you from class without the tension of having your attendance drop. But be careful! Act too much and youll be transferred to a proper hospital, where your lie could be caught!. Another baffling trait of this unit Is the abundance of paracetamols and their liberal administration! Apparently paracetamol is the food of gods that can cure every disease !

The LH
This is the jugaadu place of the college. Photocopy needed ? this is the place to be . printout ? sim card ? teachers notes? The occasional assignments? This place has it all. Situated near the north end gate of the campus , LH is the most beloved and also the most feared ( for reasons youll soon experience )place on campus.
These were the places that are situated inside the college , but then what about the ones outside the lovely campus ?



Junction mall
You’ll feel blessed the first two months , thinking that you guys are lucky that theres a mall ( the only mall ) right besides your college, but that euphoria wont last long as you soon realize that theres absolutely nothing to do there apart from movies and over priced junk food. The mall houses most of the top notch fast food joints and super market chains to accommodate your need , but unfortunately not your wallet. This mall attracts all kinds of people and usually has its steps littered with a variety of people enjoying the occasional breeze.
( note- 3D movies here are pathetic )



That’s all there is I have to offer , if you want a reality check into any aspect of the college do comment.