Chapter 6: The City of Dreams
July arrived with monsoon winds and the rustle of fresh beginnings. Aditya stepped out of the Bhairavpur railway station at dawn, backpack over shoulder, a suitcase dragging behind him, and dreams flooding his eyes. The ticket read: Kharagpur. His destination: Indian Institute of Technology.
The campus spread like a kingdom. Massive iron gates, lush greenery, old academic buildings draped in moss, and students walking with confidence. It was nothing like Bhairavpur. It felt like another world. A bigger, faster, louder world.
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Aditya was assigned to the Patel Hostel. A modest room shared with two others: Shantanu from Kolkata and Rakesh from Lucknow. Shantanu was tall, wiry, always humming rock music. Rakesh was quiet, with sharp glasses and an obsession for robotics.
The first night, Aditya lay awake listening to the city's buzz outside the window, his parents' photo on the side table. He whispered, "Maa, Baba... main pahuch gaya."
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The orientation week was a whirlwind. The deans spoke, seniors cracked jokes, icebreakers turned into conversations, and every building turned into a maze. But slowly, Aditya adapted.
His department was Electrical Engineering. The classrooms were high-tech, the professors sharp, and the pace overwhelming. But Aditya loved it. The circuits, the logic gates, the way theory met real life. He took notes obsessively, asked questions, stayed back after class.
In Bhairavpur, he had studied to escape. Here, he studied to grow.
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He joined a student group: TechSpark. A community of tinkerers and innovators. Late-night sessions in the lab, cups of chai at midnight, debates over microcontrollers and AI. Aditya found his rhythm.
But with growth came loneliness.
There were nights he missed home so much he couldn't sleep. He called Meera just to hear her voice. He kept Anjali's pen in his drawer. He read Zaid's messages on loop.
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Midterms hit like a storm. The syllabus was vast, the expectations high, and the competition brutal. Aditya studied harder than ever. He skipped festivals, stayed in the library, and even ignored meals.
But his results were mixed.
He passed most subjects, but barely scraped through Electromagnetism. It hit him like a punch.
He called Rakesh, confessed his frustration.
Rakesh said, "Welcome to IIT. You're not here to be the best. You're here to become your best."
That line stayed.
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Aditya shifted gears. He joined yoga classes at 6 AM. Ate better. Slept enough. Balanced.
The second semester came, and he was ready.
His GPA rose. He built his first circuit board from scratch. Presented a mini-project in front of a panel. Got applause. That night, he stood on the hostel roof, arms wide open to the wind.
"Main kar sakta hoon," he whispered.
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In the cultural fest, he volunteered backstage. Met students from all over India. Laughed, danced, even sang a song for his hostel team.
"Tera confidence toh actor waala hai," Shantanu joked.
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He received an email from the NGO he had studied with: they were looking for volunteer mentors.
Aditya signed up immediately.
Every Sunday, he logged in to teach students from towns like Bhairavpur. He saw himself in their eyes. When one student said, "Bhaiya, main bhi IIT jana chahta hoon," Aditya's voice cracked as he replied, "Tu zaroor jaayega. Main hoon na."
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The year ended. Aditya came home for the summer.
Bhairavpur felt smaller now, but warmer too. He met Zaid, who was working on a short film. Anjali was interning at a local hospital. They had chai together at their old spot.
"Tum badal gaye ho," she said.
"Bas grow kiya hai," he smiled.
She nodded, "Acha grow kiya."
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Back in Kharagpur, a new year began. A tougher syllabus, bigger projects, and a new dream forming.
Research.
Aditya wanted to build something that mattered. Something that could help rural India. Maybe a solar-powered irrigation system. Maybe an AI tool for early disease diagnosis.
He didn't know what yet. But he knew why.
He remembered his father's sweat-soaked shirts. His mother's quiet sacrifices. The cracked roads of Bhairavpur. The flickering lights. The dreams half-buried.
He carried all of them with him.
And so, in the city of dreams, Aditya lit his own lamp.
Not just to shine.
But to guide others forward.
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The leap to IIT had been huge.
But the steps he now took would change lives.
One wire. One code. One heartbeat at a time.