Ah, young new bansaliites!!!

Ah, it's that time of the year when the toppers from all over the country congregate in kota, seeking admission into the famed coaching institutes here. And it's a fun time for us seniors, as we see all the mistakes that we had done last year being repeated in the next generation, and atleast I am silently amused by the state of kota during the 'peak' season.

I see the hope and high expectations that those inexperienced, poor children have in the high enthusiasm and sparkling eyes with which they roam around town, anticipating the brilliant classes that they have heard so much about, and from the impression that they get from the magnificient building that is Gaurav Tower. They are continually stripped of, from the moment they step out of the train station, from the rickshaw-wallahs, who charge obscene amount of rickshaw fare for even minimal transportation, e.g. normally the rate to the station is Rs.40, to the waiting bait, it's a really high Rs.100/Rs.120.
Then the hotel owners, who totally rip you off with the unwarranted pricing of the accomodation. In fact, this year I saw a really strange sight, which was really pitiful. Many ignorant parents had arrived directly to Gaurav Towers, kids, baggage and all together in tow. It was really funny to see parents expect everything from bansal, as if kota is bansal. I almost laughed out loud and embarrassed myself when I heard one of the above mentioned parent, innocently asking the bookstore clerk where they were supposed to have lunch.
And talking about the bookstore, even that's a loot for bansal. Buying books from bansal is made to appear mandatory, while it is not. The unsuspecting parents were actually handed a pretty big box full of books by bansal this year by which it makes an ENORMOUS profit, when in reality they can be bought for a much cheaper price if bought separately... which is what I do.
Then there's the question of a decent accomodation, which is increasing at a rate of 10% even for us old students. Most of the houses near the class buildings are built for the purpose of accomodating students, while also giving a home to the landlord, a steady income apart from the usual earnings, and the cost of the house is usually repaid within a few years. I see many new constructions near my home, with their bold signs proclaiming that rooms are for letting(the signs say 'to let' and don't go removing the space and adding a letter). As a result, this to(i??)letting is almost a business here, and the rooms that are made are pathetically small hell-holes in which someone or the other comes to be accomodated for the two years vanvas that he/she is about to do.
Then there's the question of food. Everybody(well almost) goes to a mess to eat, and apart from the peak season's the food is what the name suggests, i.e. a mess... lol.
So, amidst all of this jhanjhat quite a few of the students 'can't adapt' and luckily get to go home without the torture of 2 years.
The rest are then transported to the execution chamber, where they are converted to cold-blooded IIT-JEE passing machines, who will do anything to get into IIT and make there 2-3 kota-years fruitful.
But don't worry, i'm not one of those. I've resisted their attempts and will always do so, after all i'm an ex-geek and can access the internet from my cellphone, which are factors that motivate and embolden me.
Enough written. For more info, just visit kota.....lol, or email me from the link on the right side.
To check out where I stay in kota, check this out: My Google Map