Ramrup Satpati
“I was the forgotten one… & I am glad”. A classroom is full of minds of various kinds. Teachers tend to remember the toppers, the familiar faces at the front of the class. They also remember those who seem indifferent to all of it. Ramrup saw himself as neither. He was the quiet one, with loud curiosity within.
With a growing awareness that learning could extend beyond the blackboard, Ramrup happened upon NPTEL during high school. . Many of the courses overlapped with what the classroom syllabus dictated. Interestingly, he enjoyed the lectures. Gradually, that casual discovery began to turn into a self-paced classroom. Lectures turned into courses, one after another.
Ramrup was not doing them for a resume embellished with certificates. They simply happened to be the perfect wave for his curiosity to surf. The primary reason was the flexibility these courses offer – you can learn Quantum Computation at 12 a.m. on a random Tuesday from some of the country’s most reputed institutions, unlike the conventional offline model. More importantly, learning was better without the pressure of having to understand everything immediately.
While pursuing his BS Degree in Data Science and Applications full time, his appetite for exploring diverse branches of knowledge only grew bigger. Time management is the one challenge that he faced in his second year. Yet he never let it diminish his desire to learn. A well-structured, but flexible, routine can help without creating unnecessary pressure.
Technology, for him, is not something to simply keep up with. Instead, he takes a deep dive into it. This priority has pushed him to explore the wide arch across Python, SQL, AI/ML, and software development to the project that he is personally proud of, involving open-source Linux, also benefited from the courses he had taken.
“The world itself is becoming increasingly technology-driven, and keeping up with technology is part of keeping up with the world”
Among all the courses he has explored, Machine Learning and Quantum Computing truly stand out for him. His journey, further accompanied by the workshops at IIT Madras shaped his vision of seeing Indian youth make their mark in the world of Quantum Computing. For him, lectures alone do not define the experience. Particularly, course instructors and the TAs made the experience much more effective and efficient for him. He believes more and more students can enter emerging fields with the assistance of online learning.
“NPTEL is the backbone of online learning right now”, he says.
What started as a simple supplement to his school studies helped Ramrup keep alive the part of himself that mattered the most – a hunger for knowledge that extends across multiple disciplines. The school bell never put a full stop on his zeal for learning. It has been his enthusiasm and hunger that brought him here. NPTEL simply paved the way.
His advice to fellow learners is straightforward : build confidence and never give up. There are always alternate options available.
Being the forgotten one was never really about waiting to be put into a definition. For Ramrup, it was simply about creating your own. Perhaps being overlooked was a blessing in disguise – when no one is watching, beautiful things bloom.
~written by Khushi