We have all been there, haven’t we? The pleasure of opening the new set of Steadler’s drawing pencil sets and sharpening them with shiny new blades, until the next design studio, when you have no idea who borrowed your HB pencil and who borrowed your 2B. “Is this set square even yours?” “Wait, my cutter was blue, not black!” You were lost, so was your stationery. But there was always some hope because we relied on the circle of life. What goes around, definitely comes back at one point in time. The second time, you make sure you carve your initials onto each one of your stationery.
Yet, that’s not a very safe solution either. Being the smart students of the 21st century, we decided to try something very ‘original’ to resolve this issue. We came up with ‘The Lost and Found sheet.” Yes, you read it right. As the name suggests, an A1 sheet was pinned up on our panel board, where we would write in big, bold words – “I need my triangular scale back! Now!” Did it work? We’ll never know.
Lost Cause | Students of Architecture
The hassle with stationery was such a big issue because we know how our pockets emptied with each pencil and each sheet. In the middle of the semester, we all sit together and wonder, “Where did all that money go? I can’t ask for more again! My parents are already upset with the fact that architecture isn’t engineering.” The struggle is real.
The struggle of money? We can somehow get past that. But the struggle of facing Indian parents by choosing architecture over engineering is real. We become a lost cause when we do not take up engineering. They ask you at the end of every semester, after seeing you struggle your way through a jury, “Beta, want to quit already?” And when we glare back at them for questions like these, they blame our profession for the attitude.
I don’t know how that works. But we deal with this as well, until the question of salary comes up. I do not have answers either. And when you finally think this is done, Indian relatives pop in and ask “Even Bunty can draw, he won first prize in colouring competition! Bunty will become a great architect. You give him a job at your firm alright? Ha-ha.” Okay. No comments. All-Nighters
When you finally deal with your day, then the night begins. The real struggle commences. When you are so clueless and lost by the day, you don’t know how to start the night. ‘Submissions at 8:00 AM sharp’ pops up in the notification, and you have no idea which submission they are talking about. This is where you become friends with Mr All-nighter.
You say to yourself, “We can do this, just stay up for 5 hours, sleep for 2 hours and work again for 3 hours.” The goals just couldn’t get more realistic. You wake up the next morning, having slept for 8 long hours. And then there are your batchmates, who sleep for 8 hours and yet submit on time. These kinds of people are toxic and they create anxiety and lower your confidence.
Piece of free advice—stay away from these owls because it’s okay to be human. At the same time, there are some good people out there, who don’t do their work on time either and they become your ‘panic buddies’! Two lost students found each other. Happily, ever after.
The Final Countdown
As the semesters went by, stationery and sleep weren’t the only things we lost. We lost some normal minds too, especially on particular celebrated events called ‘Jury’. From different jurors giving different opinions to red inks on your hard work, we all lost the sense of right and wrong. Oh wait, but there is no right or wrong in design, right? It is either ‘okay’ or ‘it is pathetic, let me tear these sheets up for you’. I say, let’s buy the jurors a paper shredder, save energy time and shred the sheets neatly.
While jurors, tight deadlines and bizarre work schedules set us off track, a few great minds found the meaning of life in architecture. If you are one of them, please call me up immediately because I have no clue how. It’s not too late for me, I am still a student. Might always be.
The headaches, back pains, poky eyes, dried tongue, sore wrists, tired fingers, frustrated mind, lifeless days, sleepless nights, no track of time and all the questions cluttered inside your mind. Despite all these, you find yourself. In the end, it seems like it was all worth it. All that sweat and blood paid off well. You are finally satisfied and give yourself a pat on the back. What’s lost is always found at the right time. Or not. All the best.
