This word however rings a different bell in the mind, if spoken in the National Institute of Technology, Bhopal. Because, here it signifies the consortium of students belonging to the states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Therefore, these young talents are popularly known as Uphaaris. But, such political boundaries have no meaning for these students who have taken a vow to stand by each other in all the thick and thin of life and this tradition has been followed for decades and will continue for the years to come.
This outstanding bunch of intellectual, sharp, gifted and dominant students are known throughout the college for their care for juniors, boundless love for their batch-mates and respect and loyalty for seniors.
NIT Bhopal has witnessed many Uphaari batches come and go; each leaving a lasting impression on the college. But, the past few years have seen a surge of exceptionally talented Uphaaris, who have taken their college and their group to the next level of excellence.
Apart from being accepted college-wide as the epitome of success in academics and extra-curricular activities, these students are famous for their immense regard and perpetual love for their seniors, whom they address as Boss, but consider as elder brothers.
So, at the end of each academic year, when it is time to bid adieu the final year Uphaari batch, the pre-final year Uphaaris organize a magnum opus party with a discotheque, grand feasting and of course loads booze. But, just a moment. This is no ordinary party, as it requires a huge amount of efforts to make it a huge success. The date for the farewell party is decided by the consent of the seniors (read: final years), and then, they all are invited one by one with a beautiful, self designed card accompanied with many fireworks, just to illustrate how much they are respected and looked upon.
After this, various wishes(read: demands) of the seniors are fulfilled by the organizers utilizing the amount contributed by all the juniors. Such a demand may range from anything from a soft drink to something extremely rare or even unavailable. Despite of the toil, this phase is remembered for a long time as such assignments helps them to sharpen their I.Q. and enhance their presence of mind. On the day of the meet, after all the demands are fulfilled, all the four Uphaari batches reach the venue and the seniors are welcomed with garlands and heavy fireworks. The nightlong party commences with mind boggling music a deluge of seemingly eternal supply of all varieties of cigarettes and drinks.
Further, the first and second year students enjoy the rides at the water park and after relishing the various delicacies, all the Uphaaris sit together and all the seniors are invited one by one to come read out the comment given to them on the Hot-seat, which is in the form of a poem depicting their life and times of the four golden years of their life. Also they are asked various questions by their batch mates and all the old quarrels, if any, are settled. This event continues till morning, when the breakfast is served and then there is a grand photo session where the Uphaaris capture the beautiful moments shared with each other.
This party is a very emotional occasion for all final year Uphaaris as it is the time when they realize that all beautiful things must come to an end, just like their short-lived college student life. But, most importantly, none of them will ever forget the life they lived as an Uphaari.
Akash Bhatia has written this article. He is a third year civil engineering student at MANIT bhopal.
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