Dear BITSians,

This week, BITSAA is giving you an opportunity to share the stories which made one of your fellow BITSians your hero. Previously, we shared two amazing experiences and we are bringing three more similar heartwarming stories for you.

BITSian Hero: Dr. Ananth C Kulkarni
by Bharath K Bhat

“Getting an opportunity in BITS itself is a turning point in my life, no two ways about it. This was a true present to me and this present had many packets of items in it. Some of which are: 1. A great campus with a beautiful view. 2. A Great Hostel facility (I got a room with a great view #333, CH-2). 3. A great Canteen Staff who took personal care of me, which made me feel ‘At-Home’. 4. Great Faculty, Prof. B.J.C Babu is the one I would like to mention for his ability to impart knowledge in subjects which were the CRUX of M.E-Design Engineering and his teachings which if felt like “”Neem””” then is useful even today like a medicine solving almost all technical problems. 5. BITS-Goa Medical Staff receives a SPECIAL MENTION in my life.

Dr. Ananth.C.Kulkarni, is the person whom I respect personally because he was more of a Guru to me; he taught me great values in professional life which I can never forget. He has taught me Engineering Tribology and later have completed my Masters Thesis under him in Bio-Tribology. My thesis later helped me get my Research Scholar position in Biomechanics at Manipal University. It was he who suggested me to go for PhD instead of a Faculty Position & later guided me through different decisions in my professional life.
Dr. Hemanth Kumar, Dr. Rakesh Mote, Dr. Shibu Clement, Dr. Rama Kumar are other faculties in whom I have immense respect.“

BITSian Hero: K.Dhanaraja
by Gauri Mittal

“I was perhaps the first student from my city ‘Mathura’ to get admission into BITS-Pilani. And hence I didn’t know much about how things worked at Pilani – how easy or difficult was it to get a dual, a transfer, what CGPA was a good CGPA, how do people choose electives.etc We didn’t have Quora, Facebook then 😉 . All we had seniors who were always ready to help. But given my extremely shy and introvert nature, it wasn’t easy for seniors to help me as I wouldn’t approach them.
But K.Dhanaraja (k) was (and actually ‘is’) an exception. He is from Chennai and what connected us was ‘604’ – our BITSian ids. Yes, he is my id POP – a concept I haven’t heard of in any other college till now 🙂 . I still remember how scared I was when I met him & his friends for the first time. He told me that I can always write to him for doubts related to academics &for the kind of person I am writing instead of talking makes my life simple. I don’t know how many mails did I write to him in the first year – I would seek his advice every time I thought I had spoiled my test and he would tell me how is it ok since the average itself will go down; I would ask him how to prepare for those subjects which were supposed to be difficult (ThermoD, MechSol) and he would advise. All my emails were answered in a few hours, although we didn’t have internet connections to our rooms back then. We hardly met in my first year after the first meeting – he was a devoted ‘Art n D’ member & I was busy with academics but I always knew he is just a mail away. He also helped me choose between CS (the most sought after) and EEE (my personal preference) & I have never regretted my choice.
I am still in touch with him – and guess what 😉 – I approached him with a question related to job last year – and he did get back 🙂 (albeit not in a few hours)
So kd – if you read this – thanks for being such an awesome senior. It’s not always that one gets a chance to express one’s heartfelt gratitude.”

BITSian Hero: NSS School Kids
by Divya Chirania

“Kids, they say are the purest thing in the world. I truly realized this thing when I applied as a volunteer for NSS. It won’t be exaggerated if I say it was one of the best decisions of my Bitsian life. Despite not being from affluent background they seemed to be the happiest people in their world & my own problems appeared so insignificant. Respect which they used to give was enormous.There were always smiling faces which were eager to share their school stories.Asking about their day was my favorite.It was like revisiting my childhood. While teaching , it struck me how many things I have taken for granted. Probably that’s how it is.We do not realize the worth of something if it comes easily.And then there are these kids who are happy with the mere presence of a teacher.At times I used to feel it is not me who comes to teach but the other way around. “While we try to teach children all about life , they teach us what life is all about.”- Angela Schwindt”

We urge you all to bring out the Hidden Heroes from your BITSian life, who have made a difference in your life, and  share your story with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with hashtags:  #BITSAA  #BITSiansDay #BITSHeroes by 23rd July 2017. Alternatively, you can also fill out this form to send your story. We will feature the best stories on our social media channels and BITSAA blog.