Mumbai: Final-year students miss campus, canteen, farewell

The final year of college is an emotional time for students as they make memories on campus that they will cherish for years to come

The final year of college is an emotional time for students as they make memories on campus that they will cherish for years to come. However, this year has been different as campuses remain shut across the city.

File photo of IIT-B's cultural festival Mood Indigo in Powai. (HT Photo)

As the semester draws to a close, the chances of visiting the campus and meeting friends for one last time are diminishing. This has left the graduating batch of 2021 with a sense of longing.

“I was eager about starting my final year before the pandemic and wanted to make the most of it. But now we are just attending online lectures. I miss eating dahi papdi chaat in the college canteen, completing projects on the college staircase at the last minute, attending morning lectures and craving for coffee, bunking lectures to watch movies or try a new restaurant,” said Yesha Shah, Bachelor of Mass Media student at Usha Pravin Gandhi College, Vile Parle.

“I think we won’t get a chance to have a farewell and have lots of fun one last time,” Shah added.

At the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), students said the academic structure is designed such that they have relatively more time in their hands in the final year. “In the initial years, students are very busy with the academic workload and club activities. However, in the final year, apart from the one big activity of placements, the academic load is comparatively less. So this is the year when students interact with more people, especially from outside their branch,” said Aman Rai, a final year B.Tech student at the mechanical engineering department of IIT-B. With a little time on his hands, Rai, who hails from Nagpur, had plans for exploring Mumbai more in the final year but has missed the opportunity.

Another aspect of the final year of college that students are missing is the events. “The campus is usually buzzing with events. There is a traditional day, childhood day, annual fests, social work etc. These are fun times. We make new friends and learn from each other. It’s difficult to quantify what we’ve missed out this year,” said Akshata Pawar, final year botany student at Sathaye College, Vile Parle.

“While there are no plans for an online farewell as yet, even if we do, it won’t be the same,” said Pawar.

“The placement preparation process is a very unique experience, and it would have been nice to be there on campus for it, instead of doing it online,” Rai added.

Shakshi Rane, a third-year, commerce student from ML Dahanukar College, said she missed taking exams offline.