Aniket Das narrates his first hand experience of what it feels to be in the youth brigade of engineers that has changed the capital city of Orissa.
Is it still the ‘city of temples’ or has it become ‘city of engineers’? The city itself boasts of more than 30 odd engineering colleges in and around itself, out of some 60 approximately in the entire state. It is 3 am and I still see lights on. I was wondering if some students are really studying. But I open the door to see an online war on Counter-Strike. I switch to another room and see few heads fixed together analysing the next move in the game of cards. I move on and see few students busy on their mobile phones, wearing a romantic smile on their face. Finally, I get to see a bunch of boys poring over the book of electronics.
Although, I narrated the nightlife at one building in Bhubaneswar, there are countless such engineering college hostels across the city, which remain boisterous throughout night. Engineering, the buzzword, has somehow captured Orissa with its demand and craze. From the jungles of Sundergarh to the hilly areas of Rourkela and the capital city, Bhubaneswar – the mantra for the young lot is ‘engineering’. “It is a stage of life, where an individual comes to know about himself and his abilities in a different way thinking laterally,” says Jogmaya Dey, a student from Krupajal Engineering College.
I sometimes ask myself what people would like to accept Bhubaneswar as – “city of temples” or “powerhouse of engineers”. The city boasts of more than 30 odd engineering colleges in and around itself – out of some 60 approximately in the entire state. Gone are those days when every youngster found it more worthy going out of this state and pursuing their career.
If one still thinks that Orissa lacks modernism then one should at least visit Bhubaneswar for once. Few years ago, no soul could have ever foreseen the city as a breeding ground for world class technical dynamos, or one of the most improved cosmopolitan cities in the entire country. Bhubaneswar has witnessed a complete transformation in the last few years. One just needs to have a round across the city to visualise that it has become the city of youth. Anywhere you go, you will come across only youngsters of different backgrounds from different places – speaking different languages cracking jokes, lots of khattis (hanging out), bike racing, gang wars, etc. Tea-stalls and small restaurants are replaced by CCDs, Baristas and malls. I still remember seeing ads of Pizza Hut on T.V during my tenth standard exams and wondering if it will take another century for an outlet to open up in Orissa. Now my weeks don’t end without my visit to these eating joints. MacDonald, apparel showrooms and pubs have taken over in Bhubaneswar. This whole city has become a hotbed of rapid urbanisation and modernisation. Corporate houses are now looking at Bhubaneswar as a potential market.
However, this bustling city goes silent when the wave of examinations sways across the city. Unlike the time when exams were an annual affair, today, a host of tests are scheduled every month. State engineering colleges almost take the life out of engineering students with bi-annual semesters and monthly internals. Practicals, labrecords, viva and assignment keep students on their toes round the year. But when these exams end one just gets back to enjoying life like never before living every moment of engineering with zeal and zest. They exclaim, “Wow!!! This is life.”
Bhubaneswar has set the trend for Orissa and has become the leader in every new beginning. I request all those who have set their eyes on this feature article to come down to Bhubaneswar and witness that it is no more a state of poor and the under-developed. It is the city of the youth which shapes the career of thousands of students who come every year to fulfil their dreams.
