IIT Bombay student and YouTuber Eknoor Singh gives us a glimpse into the life at India's top engineering college. From IIT Bombay courses, to campus life to the lingo popular among IIT B students, here are some fun facts and notes on cracking IIT JEE exam. Watch the complete interview exclusively here.
Pragatti Oberoi
Updated Jul 1, 2022 | 03:11 PM IST
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Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Bombay has been a flag-bearer of the 'premier institutes tag' of the country. With the engineering exam season here, many students are aspiring to crack JEE Mains and getting into IITs. One such student was Eknoor Singh, who is now a B.Tech student at IIT Bombay but was once a JEE Main 2020 topper with 99.7 percentile. Today, Eknoor also has a YouTube channel dedicated to his life at IIT B which has over 60k subscribers.
As JEE Mains season continues, Eknoor Singh, a YouTuber, JEE Main topper, KVPY scholar, Department Academic Mentor at IIT Bombay, and a Research and Blockchain Developer – all at the age of 20, speaks to timesnownews.com exclusively and gives us a glimpse of life at IIT Bombay campus. A premier and dream come true institute that it is, IIT Bombay also emerged as the top Indian University with 177th rank in QS World University Rankings 2022.
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From IIT B courses, to the start-up culture, to cracking IIT JEE and teaching the IIT Bombay lingo on a rather lighter note, Eknoor Singh answers fundamental questions that every JEE aspirant might be faced with while aiming for IITs or a premier institute for engineering.
Why IIT Bombay? Why not any other IIT or an institute abroad?
I was always diligent with studies and when you are such a student, there is a childish enthusiasm where you want to challenge yourself with more difficult things. I first came to know about IITs when Sundar Pichai became the CEO of Google. The newspaper headline read 'IIT Graduate becomes the CEO of Google'; that's when I started finding out more about IITs and challenged myself to pursue it.
IIT Bombay is popular for all the right reasons, even QS rankings justify that (laughs). Moreover, at IIT B, there are so many opportunities for you beyond your core subjects, the social life is class apart, the festivals like Mood Indigo – all these things together motivated me to join IIT Bombay.
When you talk about IITs, IIT Bombay naturally comes to you."
- Eknoor Singh
You have a YouTube channel dedicated to IIT Bombay, which obviously speaks volumes about your love for the Institute. But I am curious – what prompted you to start it in the first place?
It goes back to the time when I was preparing to crack JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. I saw people around me who knew people in IITs, they guided them about the life there and knew the hacks of the trade. But there was no IITian with me, even though my parents were familiar with IITs, there was a need for guidance, where someone could tell me how to crack it. So that need and the joy of documenting my IIT Bombay college life – both prompted me to have my YouTube channel. The monetization became a bonus.
YouTube Channel link - Eknoor Singh [IIT Bombay] with 62.4k subscribers Check here!
IIT Bombay College Life, Credits - Eknoor Singh.
How different are the daily schedules for all Bachelor's courses at IIT Bombay? Do you all ever have classes in the evening or night?
I missed out on the on-campus classes during my First Year (FY) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But yes, at IIT B, there are night and computer lab classes. Here, at IIT Bombay, the Computer Science course is common for all departments in First Year, FY. So, in the evening/night, you have around 1,300 students together at 8 pm flooding the lab, sitting together, and working on assignments. There are also courses at IIT Bombay that have classes in the evening and sometimes, even professors tend to reschedule classes to night.
Wow, that sounds fun. Are there any research projects that you have to do as a part of your course?
As a UG student at IIT Bombay, research projects are not enforced but there is a rich variety available. You can choose to have a major and a minor subject in your course. You also have options like summer projects, research projects etc., under different professors. However, if you're a part of the dual degree program i.e, B.Tech+M.Tech, then yes, you have to do a research project.
Every Institute has some unique lingo that everyone there is familiar with. Teach us some IIT Bombay lingo today.
(Laughs) One is DOSA (Dean of Student Affairs). You approach this person when you're in trouble or there are problems with the hostel; basically, if anything happens on campus, you approach DOSA.
Next you have DAC (Disciplinary Action Committee) and it is thrown around a lot. DAC is something you are scared of, all the time at IIT Bombay. Then there is Magghu, someone who studies a lot. It is definitely not used in a derogatory way (smiles hard) as Magghus are people you approach in exam season and without them you can't pass your exams.
We also use Dassi, Nehli, Atthi like 10/10, 9/10 or 8/10. These lingos have been in use for a very long time. Seniors come, use these words and that's how they are promoting the culture. A very IIT Bombay specific word is Machaks, it means you've done extremely well in something, but you also taunt people with this word when they've done something terribly wrong. (laughs)
How is the hostel life at IIT Bombay? What are your curfew hours and how often do you all trespass on that?
We don't really have any curfew hours at IIT Bombay hostel, we can go out anytime. The curfew exists for boys going into girls' hostels and vice versa. Hostel life here at IIT B is crazy, Pragatti (laughs). It's a great place to have some of the finest conversations with people, especially your seniors.
At IIT Bombay, you have hostel-specific fests and every building is named after some mythological character, like I live in H6 and it is called Vikings, H15 is called Olympus and so on. You also have a hostel council that gets funds and they are responsible for a lot of decisions that are taken.
IT Bombay, Credits - Eknoor Singh.3 Idiots made people laugh about the exam season in engineering colleges. Even your YouTube channel has a video on it. What is this exam season like in IIT Bombay?
Hahaha, 3 Idiots is a funny take but not inaccurate. IIT Bombay exam season means everyone is buried in books. People go underground, study rooms are flooded, people are engaged in group studies, everyone starts visiting toppers' rooms and everyone will be teaching each other.
But interestingly, studying on the last day is a real thing, it's now a part of the culture. The real panic sets in just a few hours before the exam, and honestly, it's not a bad thing. This is also how we are able to do so many other things and yet study.
I gathered from your videos that IIT Bombay serves a special lunch to everyone on Republic Day. Does it happen on other holidays as well? And what is the most talked about part of this grand meal?
When you have the mess preparing similar meals everyday, you get bored and people end up skipping them as well. Whenever there are major holidays or when there are monthly cleaning sessions and the mess closes for dinner, we tend of a special lunch then. We look forward to that as it is good food, different from what you get everyday.
IIT Bombay also has annual Hostel special dinner which we call a 'Gala Dinner.' It's as huge as a wedding and you have all sorts of stalls like a chat counter, a fire pan station and so on. Even for my channel, a Gala Dinner vlog is pending. (laughs) It's a hostel-specific dinner.
What lies ahead for an IIT Bombay pass out? Are there options for another degree, a job, or entrepreneurship?
I think we have come back to where we started, it is also what motivated me to come to IIT Bombay – the kind of paths that open up. I might be a mechanical engineer but I might just not pursue it; I might end up in entrepreneurship or a job and so on. All these things are very common at IIT Bombay. Many end up going for further studies abroad, or even for a Master's in India, many sit for placements, and many others start their own firms. At the end of the day, you have your own choices to make.
Take my case, I am in my Second Year but thanks to IIT Bombay, I've been able to be a part of three internships, one of them is a Web 3.0 startup. The kind of exposure we get, all that has been possible due to IIT Bombay.
I have seen that many pass outs from IITs tend to have their own startups. What about you? And how does IIT Bombay help one in pursuing that path?
I talked about Minors earlier, coming back to that, at IIT Bombay you get the option of choosing Entrepreneurship as your Minor. It is a professional training program. We also have a robust Entrepreneurship Cell or IIT Bombay e-Cell and it holds one of the biggest events in the entrepreneurship space in Asia. They also have many interesting events going on throughout the year.
You also have clubs like the Entrepreneurship and Business Club at IIT Bombay and these clubs are doing great; they teach people and you also get opportunities to pitch your ideas right from FY of College.
At IIT Bombay you also have an incubation centre which helps you in case you're starting a start-up. There are many people who have started their journeys from there but I'm not entirely sure of the rules. So, all that exists at IIT Bombay and if you want to pursue this even in FY, you can do that.
IIT Bombay campus, Credits Eknoor Singh.Eknoor Singh now answers the IIT Bombay rapid fire
Best eating joint in IIT Bombay
Gullu (Gulmohar), it is a restaurant at IIT Bombay.
Best dish served in IIT Bombay campus
I love the Goan Chicken Curry served in Gullu.
Describe Mood Indigo in one word
For me, it's content, views (laughs) It gets huge traction on YouTube
Your favourite spot at the institute and why
I love hitting the gym because it's newly built and it's a great place to have equally motivated individuals around you.
One film that depicts Engineering college life in a proper manner
Chhichhore as it was shot at IIT Bombay.
One unique thing that happens on campus after college hours end
People make a herd and head to Sheeru Cafe, where they give you free drinks and free coffee. It's called Sheeru Startup Café and every day you can take 3 coffees/drinks for free.
Is there a hostel you wish you got? If yes, name it and why
Yes, it's H18 and it is new. I want it because it has bigger rooms and I need that space to set up my green screen, equipment etc., for YouTube, which is tough in old hostels.
Describe IIT Bombay in one word
That is a difficult one (smiles). I'd say 'Pyaar.'
One tip you'd give all JEE aspirants for getting into IITs
Don't stress about the JEE result. Please work hard towards it, work honestly and try to improve every day.
