A Campus Adventure Called IIT Bhubaneswar
In July 2025, our family embarked on a journey that can best be described as a mix of emotion, exhaustion, and excess luggage. The destination? The hallowed grounds of IIT Bhubaneswar — where dreams, technology, and humidity blend seamlessly into one unforgettable experience.
Our mission was clear: admit Abhiman, our son, into IIT Bhubaneswar and set him up for his new life as an independent scholar. It sounded simple enough on paper — just admission formalities, hostel setup, and orientation. But little did we know that this would turn into a full-scale expedition!
Day 1: Arrival and the Great Room Hunt
We arrived on a warm, welcoming (read: scorching) afternoon. The lush campus, surrounded by hills and greenery, looked like something straight out of a postcard — until we began our treasure hunt for the allotted hostel room.
Armed with Google Maps, a bottle of water, and a questionable sense of direction, we zigzagged through blocks that all looked suspiciously identical. After a few false alarms and one accidental entry into the girls’ hostel area (purely by mistake, of course), we finally found Abhiman’s new home for the next four years.
That’s when the real shopping list came out. Pillows, buckets, bedsheets, extension cords, and that sacred item no IIT student can survive without — a kettle. I began to suspect that setting up an IIT hostel room was more complicated than setting up a start-up.
Day 2: The Orientation Ordeal
The next morning was the grand Orientation Ceremony, a fine blend of inspiration and PowerPoint slides. Professors spoke about innovation, integrity, and how IITians will shape the future of India. Parents, meanwhile, sat silently calculating how much they’d already spent in the past 48 hours.
Abhiman looked confident — a mix of excitement and mild panic — while I looked at the sprawling academic blocks, realizing that my son would be spending years here, learning things I could no longer even pronounce.
At one point, a faculty member said, “We nurture leaders here.”
I thought, Yes, and we parents sponsor them!
Day 3: Walmart of Bhubaneswar — the Hostel Shopping Saga
If IIT Bhubaneswar had a hidden course, it would be Logistics Management for Parents. Every parent was on a mission — finding the nearest supermarket, haggling over plastic buckets, and discovering that “hostel essentials” cost more than international travel insurance.
By the third day, we knew every shopkeeper in the area by name. The kettle salesman even waved at us like old friends. “Sir, one more flask?” he asked, smiling knowingly.
Our car looked like a mobile warehouse — stacked with cartons, mattresses, snacks, and enough cleaning supplies to sanitize half the campus.
Day 4: The Emotional Check-Out
As the final day arrived, it was time to say goodbye. The once-chaotic room now looked perfect — neatly arranged (for now), filled with the aroma of new beginnings.
We took a long walk through the campus — past the pristine academic buildings, the sports complex buzzing with energy, and the central lake reflecting the evening sky. The beauty of IIT Bhubaneswar lies not just in its design, but in its quiet promise — that every student here is about to build something extraordinary.
When it was finally time to leave, Abhiman smiled, a bit nervous but brimming with excitement.
We smiled too, hiding a few tears. Because deep down, we knew — this wasn’t just his admission day; it was our graduation day as parents.
Epilogue: Lessons Learned
-
IIT stands for “I’m In Trouble” if you forget to buy an extension cord.
-
Parents at IIT orientation could start a support group called “Survivors of Hostel Setup.”
-
And most importantly, pride weighs more than luggage — but it feels a lot lighter.
As we drove out of the campus, I looked back one last time and thought: If this is where Abhiman’s journey begins, then it’s already worth every bucket, blanket, and bill.
