Back then we were just the freshman batch. Year-2013, After a horrible experience in JEE, fate brought me here along with some people from different parts of this state and country. I know I am crossing the gap between the first day and the first 6 months like air but things were quite unclear to all of us. I was alone, with my only found friend and brother. Alone? yes, if I really consider our varying interests and hobbies but definitely-truly-emotionally together-forever. I never experienced my failure never before, to that extent. Considering my marks, I did pass. But considering the infinite solitude and free time I was getting, I failed, I failed to evolve. I used to go to college at 9:30 a.m, attend every class and still learn nothing. I was dull from the start, and yes I hardly could get anything what they really used to mean. But I won’t say I never tried. Okay, that’s another issue that I hardly study, still, I was humane enough to know, to comprehend, to calculate and the rest that can logically be added. So, in a nutshell, my life was hell boring.
In the 2nd semester, I kind off got close to some people more than the others. Owing to human’s nature, I found a group to bank on. Still, things were not working out the way it should have. At least, at the core of my heart, I was still vacant, living without a purpose. I still do. But the journey afterwards had an impact over me that was never smooth but yeah, sure positive. Moving on to the summer of ‘14, it was a normal holiday and I was having a formal chat with one of my well-acquianted classmate Aishik. He used to have the thing for physics and yeah could never stop once started about “The Theory of Everything”. And well, say it the lazy effort or the legendary idea of securing the future with a B.Tech degree he too joined the herd of robots. And that said, we were no different and lost the least we used to have.
May 19,2014 - same old chat session but nothing new to share, until we hit our favorite subjects of interest. Not going further, that was the true birthdate of developing something great together for the first time. Our college was always famous for conducting the east India’s second largest tech festival which was already too overcrowded with adjectives for me to take any place in the core group. We knew we had nothing to boast of, still we were proud of the zeal to search for the ultimatum. We decided, as we didn’t have a science club, we would have one named “Boson”. Why Boson? Silly to ask you - It was on the news that time. We approached our topper Amit, second topper Anannyo, my lab-partner next door Dipankar, Indraneel, Ayan, Chirantan and some more to form a group of Boson aspirants. At that time, I already succedded in having a peaceful friendship with Amit and Anannyo. Being lost in the same journey, both of them sympathised with our idea and we fooled them to join us. We were never the populars, but somehow we made a bond with few teachers from our dear Physics dept and Mathematics dept.
Soon we started a monthly theme-based wall magazine and with that, we started our basic science group called “Boson”.
One fine morning Just when we were surviving with a small wall-board and a Facebook Page, our DRC ma’am, mentioned for the first time about a thing, well to me it sounded more than a thing named “SPIE”. And as you may know it sounds like “SPY”. We were already running on mercy of administration, after this I thought in fact ma’am has started mocking our miserable effort to shine bright like the moon. Anyway, we proceeded with a confused heart again with no meaning at all but just when we hit 2nd year, our departmental Assistant Prof. Mr. Saikat Mazumder came to introduce us to an endeavour that he was about to being. Honestly we couldn’t understand anything he meant but new it was something worth trying for. We all again gathered together and finally, we being a group of silent people we started our very own SPIE Chapter where SPIE stands for International Society for Optics and Photonics. Now you know, it’s not a mockery show, do you?
Well well, being a woman, I recieved some grace from my teachers and as in India, we are always so proud to have a reservation quota, I was made the joint secretary out of no where to help others hope and feel, India is progressing. Aishik was selected as the president, Pradipto - a guy from Mechanical Dept. was made the secretary, Amit secured a position of Vice President and Ayan stood as the Treasurer. And then our journey started on 27th of Occtober,’14. The rest about our chapter will be placed in perfect area, and this free space is no way the one. What I would tell you now is the realisation that came after.
Being honest, I was lucky enough to be a founding member of a group which deserves much more than what we currently get. Our head instituition being a non-profit institute we sincerely try to promote the idea of free education, development and growth. Like what happens in a private engineering institute in India, we didn’t get much support, rather any moneytory support from our instituition. All what we got is the generous grant from SPIE head quarter as a token of appreciation and to push our work further and definitely a great moral support from our teachers. And the amount? It was 29k the first year and around 35k the next year which although was not enough, we already learnt to order our clothes according to our annual cotton supply.
With all that money we successfully conducted two outreach programes in village schools, conducted several lectures on relevant and contemporary natural science topics, made our own kit to distribute among the students (of course not to foget about the generous books donation to our events by many national and international authors), conducted industrial visits to CGCRI, and finally developed a new concept tagged as “Kolkata’s first scientific light festival - WAVICLE”. It was a two day seminar with more than 5 events garlanded with open lectures. And our profit? We kept the registration free, giving them away a red diary, a pen, an SPIE luggage tag,a certificate and a folder with complimentary lunch - Biriyani and Chicken chap with desert to all. All who came to participate and all who attended.
Why am I saying this all of a sudden? Because no one reads this. Because no one will ever know how much we loved our chapter that we never quivered to pay from our pockets to do everything so that students join us in the revolution named education for all. I am not being modest neither advertising our efforts, but yes, I wonder if this sacrifice, our motto of keeping no registration fee will ever knock the consicence of its upcoming members. Being a critic, I consider it a business policy to attract students to join us, knowing that out of 300 only 1 will turn up to volunteer. But, will it ever be sensical to them?
I am only left with 3 months of my undergrad days and these thoughts haunt me when I see a patch of disgrace on their face for trying to keep no registration fees, for trying to donate as much as possible, for trying to share and for trying to not run for huge sponsorship because I know, we know our capability, our devotion and our limitless memories that will keep us alive as one wherever we go. I am not being emotional here, I am just asking everyone to see the point and bear the spirit. Not to forget its a social community, it has the power to change many things in our society. I would therefore sincerely request to my younger friends to see through the deception and be inspired for the greater cause. Over and Out.