“We will win gold at the 51st Inter IIT”, said all the various secretaries of their sports. “Gold se neeche toh kuch aa hi nahi sakta”.
The rains started in November, as they normally do in Chennai. Nobody thought too much into it. Then came news of severe floods mid-November. Everyone thought they would recede by the time Inter IIT came. They were wrong. Rainfall in November was the highest in a 100 years, and the city was strikingly unprepared for it. Rain wreaked havoc in central Chennai, with even the suburban areas such as IIT Madras drastically affected. Entire houses underwater, people without food and shelter on their house roofs stranded for days and scores of people displaced and dead, these torrential rains had shown their ugly side.
IIT Madras students had exams postponed, placements disturbed and research work stalled due to disturbed power. The organizing team of Inter IIT Sports Meet also had to take a tough decision; to scrap the 51st Inter IIT sports meet in December. It was debatable whether it would be possible to host it in Chennai. IIT Madras would probably have pulled it off. The issue, however is more humane than logistical. It is simply NOT nice to have a big cultural or sporting event in whereabouts of pain, death and hunger. It is cruel.
We mustn’t cry about it not happening, however much the amount of hard work we have put in. Chennaites are having it a lot, lot worse. IIT Mandi, look ahead to the 52nd at IIT Kanpur!
There are rumblings about the 51st Inter IIT being held in the month of February in IIT Delhi, but again readers, these are speculations. Do not look too deeply into it (for your own sanity!).
The IIT Mandi community solemnly stands with Chennai in their hour of need.