Iit Bombay

This branch of Iit Bombay is actually out in Kolhapur, specifically in a place called Mhalunge in Karveer taluka. It’s a bit of a drive to get out here from the main city, and you pass a lot of fields on the way. The air is definitely fresher than in Mumbai. We are set up in a simple building that fits the rural surroundings. Most of the work we do here is related to local projects and field data. It’s not a place with big lecture halls or thousands of students. Instead, it’s a few rooms with computers and maps. We spend a lot of time talking to the local people and walking around the village. The postal code is 416207. Sometimes the internet is slow, so we have to be patient with our reports. We eat our meals at a small canteen nearby or bring stuff from home. It’s a quiet existence compared to the main campus. We handle a lot of the ground-level tasks that don't get much attention elsewhere. The rain during the monsoon is really heavy here, and sometimes the roads get a bit muddy, but we still make it in. It’s a practical sort of place where we focus on the task at hand. There aren't any fancy labs, just the basic tools we need to do our research and keep the projects moving.