“Dude, Manipal is too expensive. My dad would never allow. Why are you even filling the form?”
One of my very good friends told this to me when I was filling the form for the Admission Test of Manipal Institute of Technology, or MIT in short. I was a bit nervous even while giving the test and, in fact, never thought of coming here. But luck had its own way and this was the best I had managed in any Competitive Exam for Engineering.
And, thus, began my awesome journey that I would personally rate as the best in my life. My father told me that life has its own ways and whatever happens, its all for the good, and I definitely have realized it now.
Hello all, I am Priyadeep (4th Year, Mechanical Engg.) and one of the Co-Founders and Director of ADD-on-GYAN Educational Services (The 1st Student Start-Up Company to be incubated at Manipal University’s Technology Business Incubator)
The first few days of my college life was slow and I felt homesick all the time but the situation got better. I had joined in the IC Dept. – 2007 Batch with a wish to get to the Mechanical Dept. The wait-list procedure moved slowly and at the end of the first week, I got my dream branch. I felt ecstatic because I had told my parents – If I do not get Mechanical, IP or Civil…I will get back to back Year Backs!!!
I was in the last section of the batch i.e. P and quickly made the entire class my friend. The first two semesters were fun time for me as I just enjoyed and had a gala time. I remember those days when I see a new batch of 1st Years doing the same stupid things such as >Sitting in Massive Groups, >Always with a smile, >being the loudest of all in the Food-Court and KC, >Guys bragging off in-front of the girls who are giggling!!! AWESOME š
With the advent of the 2nd year, I decided to get a bit serious and I completed 3 workshops and joined only one club – Akshay Urja Club (Renewable Energy Club). Life became different from then on. I got into Paper Presentation, Organizing Event, Managing Club Affairs and so on.. I decided to present a paper of my own at Techtatva 2008 but was not successful at that platform. That never disheartened me though. The next Competition, IEEE Ideation Challenge saw my team getting a whooping 15K as the first prize and thus began the journey of winning prizes which still keep coming.
I also completed French Course at MCON and completed classes for German Classes at MIT (I will be giving the exam now!!!). In the 5th Semester, Techtatva 2009 proved to be a great point of success for me. I designed a new event by the name of SWADES in the Energia category which attracted a total of record 300 people. I also won the 1st PRIZE in the event Engineus and 2nd Prize in the B-Plan Event – ‘None of your Business’. I was also made the PRESIDENT of Akshay Urja Club for the year 2009-10.
In the next semster, I won the 2nd Prize in the B-Plan Event at IIT, Kharagpur’s Kshitij (which is the largest techno-management fest of Asia). Simultaneously, I created a new techfest – SYNERGIA which made it MU’s first complete renewable energy based techfest. Synergia is also being conducted by juniors at Akshay Urja.
This semester I also applied for an internship abroad and got a chance to work for 6 weeks at STRATHCLYDE University, GLASGOW, UK with a Gates Foundation Fellow and RCUK Fellow on LASERS. It was brilliant and I had a great time there. (Evident by my photographs!!!)
In the 7th Semster, me along with 3 other friends created an idea called ADD-on-GYAN Educational Services (AOGES) which won the 1st Prize and a cool INR60K at THE VENTURE (Techtatva’10), 5th Award at Provenance conducted MUTBI with an opportunity to start incubation at MUTBI.
This idea was a Finalist at IIT Kgp B-Plan again this year but we could not go due to some technical reasons, finished among the top 10 at BIG BANG CHALLENGE B-PLAN Event in SPAIN and is a finalist at IIT Kanpur IDEAS B-Plan Event.
Currently, I have started AOGES as a company with my friend Abhash (One of the ideators of AOGES) and we are working to make it successful. I have written about myself in my first blog as I believe that whenevr I would blog next, there needs to be some credibility to what I say and this blog would prove it. Here is AOGES’s link – www.aoges.weebly.com (Its a free website as of now š )
I thank ManipalBlog for this opportunity and would keep blogging atleast once a week.
Adios,
Priyadeep
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Wonderful first post Priyadeep about the Manipal Experience!! Do keep posting and please check your mail, for some tips and details we require!!
Nice! Manipal allows us to grow like no institution does.. We have some really great innovators amongst us!!