NASA conventions are an important milestone for an architecture student’s journey in India. At the national level, the convention is held annually, providing a platform to compete with colleges across the country by participating in several trophies which are an opportunity to explore and expand on one’s understanding of architecture and design. As the dates of the convention draw closer, amongst the frantic rush to finish work, sleepless nights, agreements and disagreements, making-and-breaking of friendships, and last-minute panic sessions – students undeniably look forward to visiting and being a part of the actual event. As a first-time participant, I had heard all these stories about how fun and exciting this event is and expected this one to be no different. Life, however, has a way of throwing one’s expectations out the window and our experience was no different.
The overnight train journey was no less than amusing. There were around forty-five of us, wearing showing-off our college hoodies, carrying luggage, laptop bags, and portfolio bags – full of sheets and stationery – singing songs, laughing loudly, recalling humorous college incidents which gradually turned into recounting personal horror experiences as the night went by.
We arrived early the next day. It was a city most of us had never been to before and we looked forward to exploring it. From the station, we went straight to the hosting college and registered ourselves. Then, we were taken to a separate building, away from the campus, which would serve as our accommodation. It appeared to be an old school building, about four-storeys tall. It seemed to have been closed off for a while before being opened up for our stay. The classrooms would serve as our dorms. Dusty, old mattresses were laid on the floor in neat rows for beds. I remember someone asking for drinking water as we arrived, but no arrangement had been made by then – so we gathered that the stay was not exactly going to be smooth. Well, there were certainly a few more bumps awaiting us down the road.
With only a few days left for us to display our sheets, we decided to settle ourselves in, freshen up, and start working. I was so thankful for having carried an extra bed sheet to cover my mattress, something I would never do had my mother not coerced me to. Just as we were getting settled, one of the girls told us that there was no running water. Upon complaining, the guards did assure us that the supply would start soon, and it did…before stopping again. The cycle continued.
Eventually, we found that the toilets were not functioning properly, nor were they being cleaned- and the whole building, with hundreds of students, had only one functioning bathroom. The stories recounted by those who had just come after taking a bath were no less terrifying than horror stories.
The meals were being served on-campus, the buses for which left at designated times. Between being caught up in all the work that was to be done and the food not exactly being inviting, we would often end up missing out on eating timely or even being able to participate in the on-campus events properly.
To me, it seemed like we were in an episode of ‘Man Vs. Wild- Urban Edition’. Amidst all the pressure and stress of getting work done, we had to make sure that we were able to survive the grueling two-three days before the sheet display. So, we adhered to certain ‘unsaid rules’ to make that happen-
- Limiting our food and water intake to minimize the number of times we would have to make use of the washrooms,
- Maximizing the interval between one bath to the next (thankfully, it was winter),
- Drinking water was not a personal commodity. It was to be shared since the supply was limited,
- Alternating our sleep schedules, so that work was being done at all times,
- Traveling to the nearby mall to freshen up, maybe even have a meal.
And, it worked. We were successfully able to complete our work, panel the sheets, and attend the closing ceremonies- even cherishing the experience along the way.
Image 2_Discussions in college_https://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/academics/college-of-architecture
With all that done and a free day at hand, we decided to visit a beach which was a little far from our accommodation, a respite we thought we deserved. It was a beautiful sight, a bright, breezy day, and all of us were having a good time. As the sun started setting behind the edge of the sea, the sky having painted itself shades of red and yellow – the dormant ‘architecture student‘ in us woke up and we, almost desperately, started clicking aesthetic silhouette photos. The current me doesn’t understand the young’s fondness for ‘jumping-for-the-sake-of-getting-their-photos-clicked-in-mid-air’. The past me, however, was super-excited about it. And so, we jumped—clicking photos of each other against the sun, hovering above the large expanse of water, individually and in groups—in all sorts of permutations and combinations, raising a ruckus. That sunset had to be the longest ever. As it got dark and we started heading back, I realized something was amiss. My hands automatically navigated my pockets and it hit me—my phone was missing. It must have fallen into the sea during one of our jumping bouts. After fifteen minutes of looking, I felt that there was nothing to be done. Sitting by myself, dejectedly, looking at others’ happy and laughing faces, by what seemed no less than a miracle, a junior came up towards me. He handed over what looked like my phone. It was soaking wet and it never worked again.
Sometimes, the biggest adventures are in the misadventures. This instance is one of the many ‘shared not-so-comfortable experiences’ architecture students often tend to find themselves in, together. New friendships were forged, some old ones strengthened, a few romances ignited. But, most importantly, I got a new phone we had cheerful laughter and stories to tell on our way back.
