Can't find like-minded people? Make your own website and wait for them to find you. That’s precisely what many youngsters in the city are doing. Ravi Kant, a law student, and Inder Negi, pursing MCA, got together and fashioned aksachd.com this February. “We wanted to meet up with friends from Kinnaur and could not find a way. That’s when the Internet came in handy,” smiles Kant, emphasising that now they have at least, five new students joining in everyday. The website domain name of All Kinnaur Students Association is AKSA, “which is a socio-cultural association at Panjab University formed to provide opportunities to students of Kinnaur and share the joy of culture and heritage of Kinnaur,” chips in Negi.
With the geri route fast losing its charm, it seems dot coms are the new haute routes. Sapan Singh, a fifth-semester student, and his group of 10 friends, jamming on website letuschange.com every evening. “Our website gives us a platform to express and exchange our views,” says Sapan and Sukhmani Kang, as they take us through their interactive site. “The only thing which is constant in this world is change and therefore with change in times requirements change, fresh ideas are born but unfortunately most of us just sit back and this site is a reminder for everybody to face the change head-on and bring it too,” add Surbhi Prashar and Vabhav, who also contributed to the development of the site.
Whether it’s about having that old friend log on or a new one punch in a few words to gain access, having personal websites is mandatory, chorus these students. As for the expertise, “someone or the other in any given group is always computer-savvy,” says Raghu Khanna of IIT Guwahati, who brought out an all-new commercial idea through brandonwheels.com. “We found a way to deal with increasing oil prices and are advertising it through our website,” chirps Arshdeep Bahga, a PEC student and a partner in the site. They tell us as per their concept, the website will bring the advertisers and car owners together. “While car owners will get paid for putting advertisements on their cars, advertisers will take advantage of this unexplored medium of advertisement,” friend Saurabh Bansal of Amity Business School explains about one of the innovative forms of outdoor advertising.
When we are talking about youth and the Web, games can not be ignored and cashing in on it is Abhiraj Malhotra, a fourth-year student of Chitkara College. “gameeks.com took a week to develop, test and upload,” he tells us about the site that is equipped to handle heavy traffic and saw students from all over India come together for the gaming event put up on it. Malhotra says, “Domain name is the form of identity one needs to survive in the E-world.” Are you with him?