Introduction

There is a collective sense of euphoria in the air, as the first-year students’ arrival inches closer and closer every passing day. Having spent an entire semester online, now the time has come to live their ‘real campus life. The excitement of coming to campus is also accompanied by a lot of confusion for freshers as well as their parents. During the hectic first few days, we try to address the main problems and doubts the students may face. Watch Out! brings to you a little insight about what you can expect as you set foot on campus.

Sarojini Bhawan

In Conversation with Dyutisree Halder

Accommodations
Rooms will be allotted on a triple-sharing, first-come-first-serve basis. These rooms were double-sharing in the past. With an increase in the strength of female students, they have been converted to triple-sharing rooms. Students will be allowed to choose their roommates. The hostel has 97 rooms that can accommodate 291 students. 264 of these seats will be occupied by UG first years, and the rest will be occupied by PG first years. All the students will be provided with individual beds, almirahs, study tables, chairs, LAN cables and individual LAN ports. The hostel does not have a good Wi-Fi connection everywhere, but one can access the internet via LAN.

Curfew
According to the current COVID SOP, no student is allowed to leave/enter the campus between 10 PM and 5 AM. A curfew is expected to continue for the female students even after the restrictions relating to the Coronavirus are removed. The movement of girls in and out of the campus is not permitted between 11 PM and 6 AM. To leave or enter the campus in between these times, a letter from the resident Warden is required.

Hostels used to follow a month-long curfew for the first years, where no entry or exit from the hostel was permitted after a certain time. It is unclear if such a curfew will be followed this time for SB residents.

These restrictions are distinct from those applied to girls in the institute in the past, strictly forbidding them to move in and out of their hostel at night, and which were abolished after the Pinjra Tod movement (The locks they Are A-rattlin’ (iitr.ac.in), October Revolution) in 2017.

Facilities

The hostel has a canteen that operates from 11 AM to 1 AM every day. When the strength of the hostel increases, a night canteen will also be operated. There is a beauty parlour and fruit shop within the hostel premises. A tailor is expected to come soon. There is a reading room that is currently undergoing renovation. A computer lab is available and is expected to be revamped soon.

No electrical appliances are allowed inside the rooms, but standard refrigerators, a microwave, induction stove and hot water dispenser are available near the canteen. The stationery shop in the hostel is expected to open soon after Holi. If it does not, students can get essentials like buckets, mugs, mattresses, etc. at stationery stores in either Kasturba Bhawan or Vigyan Kunj or go to the Civil Lines market right outside campus.

The hostel has a washing room where students can provide detergent and get their clothes washed. Alternatively, a washer person comes to the hostel at regular intervals. They wash and iron clothes for a monthly fee. Emergency washing machines are available in a few washrooms where occupants can wash their clothes themselves.

The mess operates for around 2 hours each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The mess timings are unknown for now but can be obtained from the mess noticeboard. Any dietary restrictions are to be mentioned to the warden while registering so that the accommodations can be considered. In case of sickness and medical emergencies, the students can inform the mess officials and have food brought up to their room. The supervisor can also be informed and they will, in turn, inform the Warden who will take the required steps.

In case of any queries or help required, you may contact Dyutisree Haldar (Resident Warden, SB) at +91 83350 02474.

Rajendra Bhawan

In Conversation with Dr D. Bharat

Accommodations
Rooms will be allotted on a single, double and triple sharing basis. Since only UG First Year resides in Rajendra Bhawan, the expected number of students is 1060. A total of 267 rooms will be available for single occupancy. For double occupancy, 314 rooms are available, which can house 628 students. In addition to this, a new block, i.e., the D Block, which was previously a part of Ganga Bhawan, has now been incorporated into Rajendra Bhawan. The new block will have 92 triple occupancy rooms, accommodating 276 students. These seats add up to a total capacity of 1171 students.

The allotment of rooms will be based on the JEE Rank of the occupants. The Dean’s office will decide the exact plan by the 17th or 18th of March. This information will not be made available to the students before they arrive on campus. Those allotted double and triple sharing rooms will not be allowed to change their roommates unless under exceptional circumstances. All students will be provided with individual beds, almirahs, study tables and chairs, LAN cables and ports.

Curfew
According to the current COVID SOP, no student is allowed to leave/enter the campus between 10 PM and 5 AM. This is not applicable for the students arriving from or leaving for home with the appropriate permissions from the authorities concerned.

All students residing in Rajendra Bhawan will be subject to a curfew for their first month on campus. The timings for the curfew will be 9 PM to 6 AM. The students will not be allowed to enter or exit the Bhawan premises for this duration. This practice has been the norm for first-year students to protect them from possible incidents of bullying/ragging.

After a month, these restrictions will be re-evaluated by the Bhawan Authorities. To ensure that the curfew is followed, scanning of the students’ ID Card will take place every night in the hostel mess or the security room. The usage of biometrics has been dropped owing to the COVID protocols.

Facilities

Rajendra Bhawan will have two functioning canteens - a day canteen which usually operates from 2 PM to 2 AM, and a night canteen which runs from 2 AM to 2 PM. There will also be a juice shop available near the security office. In addition to this, the Bhawan also has a Tailor Shop, a Barber Shop and a Stationery Shop. Since these shops have not been functional for almost two years, it is difficult to predict the availability of items.

Students will be required to purchase or bring mattresses, pillows and buckets on their own. All of these are available in the Civil Lines market outside the campus. The hostel mess operates for 2 hours each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since the mess will not be functional before March 21, it is difficult to comment on their timings. Students with special dietary restrictions or medical requirements can inform the warden or the chief warden about them.

Parents accompanying students

Parents accompanying students can stay in the limited guest house facilities on campus, which can be booked beforehand. Bookings can be made through the online portal (http://ghbooking.iitr.ac.in/), details of which have been provided to the students in advance. They cannot stay with the students in their hostel rooms but can help them set up their rooms. In addition to this, Rajendra Bhawan also has guest rooms that are available on a first-come-first-serve basis and cannot be booked in advance.

Registration Timings

Since the office staff are available between 6 AM to 9 PM, registration can take place only during that time. If a student shows up at a time different from this, they will be required to stay in the guest room or with their parents.