Roohika Sharma | Staff Writer
1. The land of everlasting summer
Ever opened one of those old British fairytales that talk about angels and demons and unforgettable legends? They always start with the phrase “once upon a time, in the land of everlasting summer…”
Well let me tell you, this little town is just that. Because it is situated right next to the beach, the weather in Manipal is just right. It’s never cold enough for you to wrap yourself in layers of wool that suffocate you to death, and never chilly enough to lower your productivity.
In Jon Snow’s words, ‘winter has come’- but not in manipal. Here you just don’t freeze to death. How terrible.
2. The Diversity
The community of manipalites is perhaps one of the most diverse in the world. With Maleka Manipal medical college being right at the center of the health sciences campus, you’ll find a large population of students from Malaysia, Sri Lanka and many other countries. The place is filled with people from all corners of the world. So you can have friends from Europe, Africa and of course, Asia. Nowhere else in India will you find a better exchange of cultures.
So you need to put up with a lot of people and that sounds awful, doesn’t it?
3. The Education
In today’s overly competitive world getting the best possible education and the best opportunities is very important for one’s survival and success.
Unfortunately, most of the colleges under Manipal University hold one of the top ranks in their categories. While education is given the utmost importance here, students are encouraged to look beyond their textbooks. The Formula Manipal team from MIT- who recently build their own racecar- or the authors of various research papers from the health sciences sector will tell you the same.
As if college studies aren’t enough already, students at this terrible place talk about ‘extra work’.
4. The Beaches
Obviously the beaches are terrible. After a long and frustrating day, who wants to listen to the sounds of the angry waves crashing against calm sand, or watch the golden sunset? What could be worse than a fun evening with friends or a morning run with fresh air? And to top it off, you get to unwind without having to spend too much money or going through a lot of effort.
5. The Small Town Life
As a girl from a big city, my first night in manipal was terrible. I just couldn’t sleep because it was so silent! There were absolutely no cars honking, no teenagers playing excessively loud music and no stray dogs barking in the middle of the night. It was almost as if everyone was sleeping! And as if that wasn’t weird enough, I actually woke up to fresh, clean air. There was no sign of pollution, no overcrowded streets and so few cars. It was so weird.
6. The Luxury
While most Indian students share a hostel room with one or two other people and use filthy common bathrooms, Manipalites get their own private rooms with an attached bathroom and sometimes even an air conditioner. This helps you concentrate better and you get your own private space. I highly doubt you would find these in any other Indian university. This place really is obnoxious, isn’t it?
7. The Flora and the Fauna
Trees aren’t really that important, are they? After all, they only provide us with oxygen. And Manipal has a lot of trees and a lot of forests nearby. If you’re into bird watching this place is definitely for you.
Go to Shenoy’s and you’ll see more than a fair share of them. The two legged variety. With feathers to boot… Ahem.
So unless you become a target for the birds and their droppings, this place is mildly bearable.
8. The Freedom
If you’re an Indian, chances are that you grew up in a household of some very strict rules and regulations. While some of the basic rules still haven’t changed, life in Manipal gives you the power to make the decisions that affect you. Students have a lot of freedom here, and relatively late hostel curfews. Living here teaches young adults responsibility, time management and gives us some important leadership skills.
But being a leader is just too much work. It’s easier to just stay in the hostel and eat nachos after curfew.
9. The Travel
If you’re a travel junkie, Manipal is definitely the place for you. It has great railway and bus connectivity that provides students with a huge list of travel destinations perfect to visit on a student budget. Road trips to Gokarna, Karwar or agumbe are very popular with the students.The famous ‘Malgudi days’ was shot only fifty kilometers from this place.
Also, Goa is only a three hour train journey. But all the Goa plans still don’t work out.
10. The Memories
The last but definitely not the least are the memories. People change, places change, times change but memories don’t. And while I guarantee that your time here will be tainted by some bad experiences, when you do leave this place you will take with yourself a million beautiful memories that will randomly come back to you and will make you smile, no matter where you are.
And that’s terrible because people might think you are crazy if you start smiling at random things.
I see the scarcasm
lol about the hostels ,when ur cgpa determines which one u get and pay so aggresively for it