Jaate Jaate
~ Ashish Goyal
How would you summarize your life at IITR?
My time at IITR has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but it’s a journey I deeply cherish. As someone who started out introverted, living in the hostel was a completely new experience — one that encouraged me to open up and build meaningful friendships.
Looking back on these four years, I feel like I’ve experienced everything I could have hoped for. I don’t think I missed out on anything. In fact, I gained far more than I ever expected: wonderful friends, supportive seniors, unforgettable parties, rewarding academic experiences, and even a job.
My seniors, in particular, have had a huge impact on my life, always guiding me at the right moments and supporting me in every possible way.
What did you feel / think the first time you heard about UBA?
At first, I had a completely different impression of this experience. I imagined we would just go to the villages, spend five minutes doing some quick tasks, take a few photos, and head back. I honestly thought it would be boring. And since I’m from the city, I doubted I’d be able to connect with the villagers at all.
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I didn’t expect it to add much value to my own experience — I even checked out the website and assumed most of the work was just for show. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about participating.
On top of that, I’d also heard a lot about the frequent parties and chapos, and knew that it had a pretty good reputation.
What is your biggest takeaway being a part of team UBA?
UBA has taught me countless lessons that I’ll carry with me for a lifetime. Among the most important are punctuality and discipline — at our meetings, even being a minute late meant I couldn’t attend, and we always had to follow a dress code and bring our diary and pen. My time with UBA also taught me how to juggle multiple responsibilities at once and work smarter to get things done efficiently.
One of the most valuable skills I developed was learning how to communicate with villagers — understanding their problems and making them feel comfortable, despite the significant age gap. This ability to connect with people from different backgrounds has been a truly meaningful takeaway.
I’m especially proud of my involvement in the Right to Education (RTE) initiative. Knowing that our efforts helped some students receive free education up to class 8, and seeing how happy their parents were, was incredibly rewarding.
Any quote you cherish or advice you would like to share?
The quote “Work hard and party harder” is something I’ve heard often, and it really resonates with me. The advice I value the most is to explore everything life has to offer and to always follow your heart. Don’t get caught up in the rat race or compare yourself to others — doing so can leave you feeling inadequate. What truly matters is that you’re happy with your own path.
Never second-guess yourself unless your choices could negatively affect someone else. And if you ever need to bring something to an end, try to do so on a positive note. Ending things badly can lead to regret and guilt in the long run, so it’s always better to part ways with positivity and peace.
