The day I won........

Today I met up one of my favorite profs, over a DRDO contest we are planning to participate in.

It brought back memories of my first interaction with him, it was quite an interesting one.

This one was way back in fourth semester. It was a robotics contest we had decided to participate in.( We were three, but one of us was down with loose motion, so it was just the two of us). We had zero experience and near zero knowledge.

Someone suggested we meet up with a certain Prof from the computer science department and we did. We were excited and fired up, it wasn't a good approach. However. the person turned out to be quite supportive. He listened patiently and promised us help. Finally, he asked us to consult the person in question from the Department of Applied Mechanics for the mechanical design.

So the further excited duo walk into the mechatronics lab one fine morning. It's a 30'*25' room full of arms and motors and gears that do look robotic. On one side there is an array of computers. In the middle of the paraphernalia sits a pleasant looking middle aged gentleman. A couple of guys I know are sitting at a machine in one corner of the room.

I'm the public face of the team, so the onus is on me to start the conversation. I steal a glance and a smile at the familiar guys in the corner.

I>> May I come in Sir?

P>>(Looking up from his laptop and grunting) Hmmm..
I>> Sir, I'm fourth sem IT and he is fourth sem ETC.

P>> Ok.So?

I>> We want to participate in the so and so contest. Sir, we've decided to go for the .....tracker problem. We...

P>> (Cutting me off) No you won't.

I>> (Getting the shock of my life) Sir?? (can't manage more)

P>> One team is already participating( he points to the familiar guys, Grrr.... So that's the reason the buggers are here).
There isn't any more time and you don't know anything, so you can't participate.

I>> But sir...

P>> No no, please don't bother me with this(eyes almost going back to the laptop).

I>> (By this time, I'm desperate, angry and red. What the hell do those buggers know that we don't?? Just because they are mechanical guys.... no I can't let this be).
But Sir, we just had a chat with Prof ... and he has agreed to help us. In fact it was he who told us to consult you for the mechanical design.
(eyes get back to me and I seize the opportunity. I bring out a pen from my jeans pocket and yank the notebook out of my friend's hand, not letting P open his mouth in between).
We have done our homework, we gathered info about the probable drive systems( the pen has started to run and my partner had started a live commentary of what I'm doing, even the familiar guys have started to notice. Almost all of what we knew comes out in the next two minutes ).


P>> (By this time P is genuinely interested and is almost as shocked with me as I was with him. He clarifies few areas) Ok, you meet me this evening.

We>> ( Fist pumping has almost started ). Sure Sir. Thank you sir.
(We leave).

That evening he offered to fund a part of our project. And after a fortnight of net surfing, the familiar guys ditched their project.

These days, we buggers who hardly know a thing about mechatronics, are celebrities in the lab.(overstatement)

It was the day I won!