Cover story: NITT 101

Hello, first years!

Unlike most materials directed to you in college, this article wouldn’t be a long exposition about your hard lives preceding your admission here, your tiring academic schedule of tests and assignments completely destroying any hope of a social life you had hoped to have in the last 2 years, or your unbridled joy (or not, depending on how much you regret not joining IIT) on coming here­ at NIT, the Pride of India!

Willingly or unwillingly, you ended up here ­ a 778 acred, bovine heavy flatland which happens to be drier than Satan’s front lawn. A pretty picture, isn’t it? Despite the isolation, hunger and homesickness, thousands of happy students graduate every year with fond memories of a campus they could proudly call their home. Here, we hope to give you a little insight into this amazing college – a small preview of the things to do, places to see and everything else you need to know about NIT­T.

We present the easiest, but most important course your college has to offer ­ NITT101!

NITT Lingo

RG (noun, verb):

Definition: An act of social suicide which involves seeking personal gain from the downfall of others, usually for academic reasons. (Not to be confused with treason. This is worse.)

Usage: (noun) He who does not share his notes is a prick, he who shares the wrong notes is an RG.

(verb) The most common method of RGing is spreading false information.

Peace Podu/Put Peace (verb):

Definition: The most common phrase you’ll hear spoken at NITT. It basically means to lie back and let things be. It’s almost exclusively used when one doesn’t want to pursue a certain task.

Usage:

Friend 1: Dei, where is that 40 rupees you owe me?

Friend 2: Peace podu/put peace da.

Atti (adjective):

Definition: Refers to that person who has the proclivity to haughtily snub those that unknowingly approach him. It is the short form of ‘having an attitude’.

Usage:

“I asked Kanakkasabapathy for his notes and he blue-ticked me. Atti fellow.”

Paint (verb):

Definition: To extensively strive to get on the good books of any person [usually a senior]. Most commonly involves flattery and an extra sized portion of lip implants on the posterior region.

Usage: “Looks like Shiva really wants to get into the football team. I saw him painting his seniors at Juicy.”

Beast (adjective):

Definition: Describes the inhuman nature of an achievement or task that was initially perceived impossible to do.

Usage: Vimal got 7 golds in SportsFete swimming. What a beast!

Slug (Use your imagination):

Definition: When you’re too sluggish to define sluggish.

Usage:

Friend 1: It’s lunchtime da. Mess?

Friend 2: No da. Slug.

Places to Visit

While Trichy may lack huge shopping malls, there are quite a few places in and around Trichy that make up for it. Quite a few of them can be visited with only a day in hand. Here, we bring to you a few tourist spots which can be explored during short weekends.

•         ROCKFORT TEMPLE: One of the most well-known places in Trichy, it is located in Chatram and is one of the highest points in the city. The temple at the highest point (the Uchipillaiyar temple) is dedicated to Lord Ganesh and can be reached by climbing close to 400 steps.
•         SRI RANGANATHASWAMY TEMPLE: It is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world and has Lord Ranganatha as its principal deity. The temple can be reached after a short bus trip from Chatram to Srirangam. The queues are usually long and it is advisable to plan accordingly so as to get back to the campus on time.
•         RAILWAY HERITAGE CENTRE: It is a heritage centre-cum-museum and houses many old archival documents as a part of its indoor exhibits. The outdoor exhibits include old locomotive engines along with a fully functional toy train. It is located close to the Tiruchirapalli Junction railway station and is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on all days except on Mondays.
•         BUTTERFLY PARK, SRIRANGAM: A relatively new addition, this park houses over 39 varieties of butterflies and also has a ‘Nakshatra Vanam’ containing trees related to the zodiac signs. The park can be reached by taking a cab from Srirangam and is open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays and 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekends.                                        

Places to eat at

• Kumbagonnam Iyer Kaapi
  • Closer to Sastra University, this coffee house is literally that – a cosy home-like destination on the Trichy-Tanjore highway serving authentic Kumbakonam Degree coffee and ‘hot-hot´ snacks.
• Parthasarathy Vilas
  • A must-visit, this restaurant finds itself close to Thiruvanaikoil Temple in Srirangam. The Super, a name it earned from customers, is its signature dish which is a ghee roast cooked on a stone pan using log fire. The thought of these dosas and the homemade ghee dripping from them should suffice to get you out of bed to make in it time for the breakfast.
• Guru Hotel
  • The hotel and its rooms may not feature in lists by travel advisors, but its restaurant has cemented spot in this list. A great choice for lunches right before afternoon buses or trains for its location – Trichy Central Bus Stand, and its primary offering – its thali. The dishes served with the thali change daily, but the satisfaction the full course meal offers doesn’t.
• Roshan Arabian Restaurant
  • With a couple of branches on the highway to Trichy and a sure spot amongst the food stalls for every fest in NITT, this restaurant is a little hard to miss. And not without reason. As the name suggests, Roshan serves Arabic grilled and barbecue dishes, but also extends its service to North Indian and Chinese.
• DiMoRa
  • Arguably the premier destination in the city to treat oneself at, DiMoRa offers a true fine-dining experience to its customers. Located close to LA Maris (and Chatram Bus Stand), it can also serve as a precursor to or a follow up for a movie.
• Sri Sangeethas
  • Easily the most popular pure-veg restaurant in the city, this is a godsend for those travelling due to its proximity to the Central Bus Stand and Trichy Junction. A 10% discount for all NITT students doesn’t hurt either.
• Michael and Sons
  • One of the oldest ice cream parlours of Trichy with a history of more than a century, this establishment serves tasty and affordable desserts for every taste.

 

While the places to eat at in Trichy seem to be a brilliant way to spend your time and cash, it isn’t the only thing to do here. For those who are not up for braving Trichy’s heat or are hesitant to shell out from your pockets, here are a few things you can do right here in campus!

Hang out

Perhaps you’ve done this enough already, but the best thing to do on campus is embrace your new group of friends and hang out and CCD is probably the perfect place to do so. With amicable servers and a brilliant ambiance, you could spend all your evenings in there. Try a new board game here and settle into a corner for a few hours of undisturbed fun.

Pick up

We’d love to tell you that NITT presents a large number of learning opportunities for you to pick up a new sport or skill, but we might be over optimistic. While NITT boasts of a wide array of interest groups and associations, you may not always find your place in your favourite team. Maybe none of the clubs here align with your interests, or you simply haven’t found your passion yet. That’s alright! You can still pick up a new sport, go swimming, learn a language or train to play a new instrument! With hours of free time every day, you could become a pro at it by your final year NITTFEST/ Sports Fete.

Early mornings

To those who haven’t walked around the early mornings of our campus yet, add this into your bucket lists. The calm of the surroundings with its mild cold winds, the lack of loud student activities and the general stillness of the campus is a sight worth waking up for. If you’re one for long thought stirring walks and exploring, we urge you to put on your walking shoes or take your cycle for a long solo adventure outside.

Movie times

Gang up for a couple of hours of movie time. After hours of intense debates on which movie to watch and a couple of disappointing failures, you might just get your way. Conquer the common room of your hostel and connect your laptops to the television for an even better experience. For the more daring ones, learn to make popcorn out of your electric kettles (we assure you it is possible) and enjoy your own wholesome movie watching experience.

Fests

You’ve seen the promos, you’ve heard their talks and you’ve seen their publicity teams at work on Facebook, but trust us- you still have no idea what you’re about to experience. Festember, Horizons, Aaveg, Pragyan, Sports Fete or NITTFEST, each fest will leave you with unforgettable memories and a longing for more. Mark your calendars and count down to these days, because even if you choose to not participate or organize, they’re all mostly days of guaranteed holidays!

Words of Wisdom

Printouts at Octagon are not and have never been free. Use the facility wisely.
To take a print, go to run and type in ‘\\gold’. Select A4 printer and give your document to print. Collect it from the printer’s room after giving them your roll number.

Conclusion:

So, there you have it. A simplified, easy-to-use guidebook, your first course as a student of NITT.

These are just some of the things which would make your college life more convenient, but the best teacher is going to be your own personal experience. Living in a place like this isn’t easy, pleasant or comfortable. It doesn’t offer the warmth of your home or the convenience of your city; but it does offer something most of you wouldn’t have experienced before – freedom, and truth be told, there’s no better catalyst to make your independence more productive than NIT-T.