'We are just more intellectual'

Proud to be JNCites

This bunch of enthusiastic girls talk thirteen to a dozen, all at once, in a great rush. They move quickly. They gesticulate wildly. All of them are so different from each other yet, they share one thing in common. They have a great sense of purpose. Their energy is addictive. Amidst the girls from Jyoti Nivas College, you find yourself believing that maybe the world truly is an oyster, more importantly, maybe it’s your oyster.

When Metrolife asked them what was unique about JNCites, as expected, there was a flood of responses. “Liberalisation,” declared Tanvi in one word. Jumping in to elaborate, Tanvi’s friends said: “JNC is not uptight. As long as you look formal enough nobody cares what you wear. It’s not like other colleges. The faculty is open to different points of view. They are very approachable. We are encouraged to think for ourselves.”

The girls seemed to take pride in their differences. Celebrating them rather than aiming for uniformity. Asha Mattews said, ‘‘We are really down to earth.” Roshni Tribuvan took over, “Everybody is her own person. Nobody tells you who to be.” Rushing in to ensure that Roshini’s statement is not misrepresented, Aditi Das said, “Yes, but we stand up for each other.”

This sense of belonging doesn’t interfere with their sense of sportsmanship. “You know, we never boo anybody when they come to participate in our fest. In fact, we are the only college that has a prize for encouraging other colleges,” explained Aditi.

Talking about the activities that happen on campus, the girls excitedly speak about the national level rock climbing event that their Adventure Club had organised. “Even people who had climbed the Everest participated,” they informed. “We also have a recycling plant. Recently, somebody even placed an order for the books we make from the recycled paper. We have a social consciousness,” they said.

Asked to comment about the mannerisms that JNCites are associated with, especially their need to speak in a rush and gesticulate too much, they said: “We think body language rocks. We are comfortable with our bodies,” said Divya Krishnamurthy. Krithika Manohar picked up the thread with, “We speak quickly because we have more to say, we think faster and we are more creative.” Roshni sums it all up: “We are just more intellectual.”
What the causal observer notices on the casual campus is loud laughter of the young and the confident swagger of those who believe they will change the world.

As told to Vani Sreekanta