Journey to FOSSMeet

This post will tell you about my journey to NIT Calicut for FOSSMeet^[1].

It’s start of Second Semester. Everyone is back from holidays. And Yay!! we have 4 lab sessions in this semester, very busy schedule though as we can’t miss the lab sessions. 2^nd Semester is going on good and easy. So is our FOSS club. We are doing python programming and also Udacity^[2] course on Building a search engine^[3] using Udacity. Then we get to know that there’s going to be a FOSSMeet at NIT-Calicut. We are all planning about our journey, arranging all the permissions from HOD, councilors, professors. The meet was from 22^ndFebruary – 24^thFebruary 2013. 22^ndFebruary was a Friday, and our CAD professor kept a Test on that day, so we had to run from pillar to pillar and get the permissions. The plan was almost going to be dropped, few dropped the plan of going. I too was going to drop the idea of going this year, and maybe go some other time. But as I went to Adi Sir, he told me that we will get permissions and see. I agreed to come if the CAD sir agrees to keep the test later for us.

And that day all the permissions were granted, and we were all ready to blast off to NIT :).

20^th and 21^th February, are unfortunately Nation wide strike due to rise in petroleum prices. We were planning to leave on 21^th evening, so that we reach the venue on time and attend all the talks without being in a hurry and also without attending them without our luggage on shoulders :P. Eventually somewhat like that happened in the end. Also we didn’t even get proper tickets, so we had to go by General compartment, which being a Mumbaikar was a daily routine. We left on 22^nd morning.

22^nd February : Woke up at 0500 hrs. Got ready, packed the bags. Went to the 5^th floor to call everyone at around 0600 hrs, everyone was still getting ready. Some went to the bus stop at Vallikavu^[i] where a bus for Kayamkulam-Junction^[ii] was waiting. I left the hostel at 0645 hrs, after checking if I had packed everything or not. Filled water and went as fast as possible towards the bus stop. Got a call that bus is gonna leave in some time. I moved faster, and at last I seen the bus and that the conductor and driver were still chilling out at the roadside. Went and sat in the bus and waited for two other guys. One came running and his bag was open, and his t-shirt fell on the road, he had to run and get it back again and also people were looking at him surprisingly. At 0700 hrs the bus started, and we were all exited about this trip. We had lots of fun, I slept and also the crowd was increasing. Then at last we reached the station at around 0745 hrs. Took the train tikcet and had breakfast at a stall on the station, it was good as that stall was suggested by Foodie of our FOSS Adi Sir :). Then we went to the platform no.2, where our train was to arrive. We alighted the train and it was packed and we were not able to move also. I was standing on one leg :P. Then we decided that we get off at next station and see for a less crowded compartment. We got on a compartment in the front which had some space to stand, then after few stops I got to sit, that also very little space. Then Ernakulam came, there the crowd had reduced and everyone got a seat to sit. I was too tired and too sleepy after getting up so early.

After sleeping for 1-2 hrs, I was still sleepy, but it was time for lucnh and I was too hungry. I ordered a Chicken Biryani, thankfully pantry person come in general compartment. And then we were all waiting when will we reach Calicut.

At-last we reached Calicut and from there we walked till the bus stop and then again a half an hour bus journey. And reached NIT Calicut, we all went up to the FOSS lobby. And registered ourselves after the Inauguration.

They announced that after dinner at 2030 hrs there will be HackNights and MiniDebCOnf. I was a bit confused as to where to go. Hacking, Security and this stuff can be learnt in our own college. There are many seniors into this things, so decided to go for MiniDebConf, the name was little catchy. And it was worth attending. It was all about Linux-distro called Debian^[4].