The first week!!!

More than a week has passed since I have got adjusted to this new home of mine for the next two years. And these days have been definitely eventful.

First of all, the campus is simply breathtaking. If Manipal is paradise, Lavale is a bigger paradise. Situated in the midst of the Sahyadri ranges, at an altitude of 2200 ft above sea level, I am sure everyone will enjoy every moment of their stay here. For all the obvious reasons, its all the more beautiful with the monsoons just on the verge of setting in.

The hostels are totally well planned and designed meticulously to the last detail. All the things have been taken care of. I could correlate it to my previous stay during my undergraduate days, and could find a hell of a difference here. Though any comparisons of any sort would not be fair, I am pretty much satisfied about the hostel and the facilities. We have two seater as well as three seater rooms with attached baths. I have been allotted a two seater on the extreme top of the building. Peep out of the window and you overlook a huge golf course (supposedly owned by Jackie Shroff!! Dont really know how far it is true!!). And as a special privilege, I alone have the opportunity to walk all the way to the terrace of the Boys Hostel and enjoy the mystic and serene surroundings in the early mornings and late evenings!! The mess is also decent enough, serving a variety of food. Though the quality is not so great, it still is edible. It only makes sure that noody stretches beyond their limits in eating. My room is on the third floor, and a few trips up and down daily, will definitely ensure that I'll end up losing a few pounds here over the next few months!!!

The main academic block houses the SIU office, and academic blocks of two institutes other than ours. Commonly known as the North Block of the campus, its close to a km away from the hostel blocks, referred to as the South Block. Midway is the mess and the not-so-developed shopping complex. The great part of the campus is there are army cycles placed at the North, South and the Central blocks, which can be used by any students on campus to commute between these points. The campus has been decided as a "Pollution Free Zone" and no motor vehicles are allowed on campus. Though this rule is not strictly enforced, it still is a good way to start. People bringing their vehicles have to park it outside and can use it only to commute outside the campus.

The campus is close to 20 kms away from the heart of the Pune city. There is no public transport to anywhere near the campus as it is located in an isolated area. As a result, the campus runs buses to the city and from the city to the campus 5 times a day at convenient intervals. Really appreciate the efforts taken by the administration. Though a personal vehicle would definitely help, this effort is definitely laudable.

Another icing on the cake is the recreational facilities available on campus. There is a full fledged gym, aerobics and yoga with qualified trainers, badminton and squash courts, table tennis and carrom, a swimming pool (where I chill every evening!!!). Added to this is the 36" Plasma TV(was a pleasure watching Fedex complete a career slam). I really am in love with this campus and want to make the best use of the facilities available over the next couple of years.

Coming to the academic part, the first four days were full of gyaan sessions. People briefing about Symbi, the college, the new campus, the facilities, the rules and regulations, the opportunities, the statistics about the past performance of the institute etc etc. Though, a few of the students found them boring and useless, I thought those were important, as we need to be aware about the happenings in and around and the facts about where we are studying. More so because, we are all the brand ambassadors of our college, and inability to answer simple queries regarding the college would reflect directly.

Towards the weekend, we were taken for an Outbound Training program. Most of them, took it as an opportunity to start their "batting" careers. The "bowlers" here are definitely good and the collective group of them are far better than any team I have seen anywhere so far. But on the whole, we were all made to play small games and the learning from each game, was very much clear on the wall. Though very obvious, we tend to forget the small and minute details, which contribute very much towards good and efficient decision making and team work.

On the whole, the first week was good and memorable. Moreover, now that regular classes have started, it remains to be seen how I can manage my time. I'll try to post the pics asap. Till then, Cheers!!! Keep rocking!!!!