Alpahar:

Alpahar is the oldest eatery on campus, rumored to have been here for nearly half a century. Last year in mid November, Alpahar was shifted from the heart of the campus to its present location near Khosla International House. Despite its remote location, Alpahar attracts a majority of students during the daytime. With the smell of hot simmering doodh-patti (that’s tea with extra milk worth Rs.2), the aloo pakoras and samosas in the morning, Alpahar turns out to be a brilliant place for morning breakfast and ensuing bakar sessions of afternoon.

Nesci: (previously known as Bru(previously known as Nesci(previously known as….)))

This open space next to Student’s Club and PNB is the official hangout place for R junta, which does not know what to do with the cursed one hour breaks between classes. With a rather uncomfortable seating arrangement allowing no privacy for the couples, Nesci is perfect for passing time sipping coffee or iced tea with friends. The delicacies are not exclusive but the quality of food gets compensated by the friendly atmosphere.

Student’s Club:

A 40 inch LCD television combined with huge space for pool, billiards and snooker tables, this is the best hangout place in IITR campus. With sofas and separate rooms to accommodate the activities of the literary section, this place houses table tennis, foosball, carrom and chess tables for the R junta. The open space in front of the club serves as the most happening place during the time of Cognizance or Thomso. Events of Lohri celebration, flash-mobs and street plays take place here.

MAC (Multi Activity Center):

Inaugurated on the day of Obama’s visit to India last year (obviously not by him), MAC was intended to be the melting pot of cultural activities in IITR. This latest addition to gaon’s imposing skyline has been the source of numerous tantalizing rumors in the five years that it took to build as well as debates over its not so central location. Nevertheless, MAC houses an ostentatious auditorium, rooms for indoor games, eateries, dedicated rooms for sections of the cultural council and a clumsily built open air theatre. We have also had a heavily subsidised Cafe Coffee Day outlet and an Amul Parlour in need of heavy subsidy as recent additions. MAC is the reason behind growing property prices in the gaon, although it is rumored to be jinxed by thousands of pass outs who hoped it would be complete before they graduate.

Hobbies club:

Hidden in a discreet crevice behind the students club, the hobbies club houses the SDSLabs, astronomy, electronics and fine arts sections. It also caters to a number of miscellaneous fetishes like philately, numismatics and gardening. The hobbies club hosts an annual exhibition that goes by the name of Shristi in the month of March. It can be easily spotted by the presence of sculptures in highly inappropriate positions, and miniature dinosaur statuettes on its front lawn.

CBRI:

For quite some time, the location of this canteen was a closely guarded secret of the inhabitants of Sarojini Bhawan. The canteen is situated in the vicinity of Jawahar Bhawan. However, over the years, its popularity has increased tremendously. Nowadays it attracts a lot of wandering souls who crave the bite of crisp Aloo Parathas and vegetable maggi in the evening. The maggi served by the canteen is delicious and the friendly attitude of the uncle running this place puts it leagues ahead of the hostel canteens. There’s only one downside though: it is frequented by couples because of its proximity to the girls’ hostels. So if you’re single, eating at this place might act as a silent reminder of your lonely, miserable existence.

The Canal and Solani Aqueduct:

Although everyone signs the undertaking form which promises that they won’t be going anywhere near the canal or aquedcut, there’s hardly any undergrad who hasn’t visited it once. The aqueduct is a marvel of civil engineering. Located approximately 2 kms from the Century Gate, the place is worth the pain of waking up in the morning for sunrise. The sound of white water flowing through the duct is a melody in itself. Unarguably the best place in Roorkee to spend time without any disturbance.

Neelam(Movie Theatre?)

About 800m from the campus, there exists the only cinema hall (albeit barely) inside Roorkee. It usually screens B-grade Bollywood movies, whose names can put even Kanti Shah (of Fauji Fauj Mein, Padosi Mauj Mein fame) to start looking for a place to hide his embarrassed face. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. Last time your authors visited this theatre passed this theatre on their way to a psychology conference, Revolver Rani was premiering here. But then come to think of it, RR isn’t much different from a B-grade Bollywood fiasco either. The theatre is cheap. Much cheaper than going to Haridwar or Dehradun to watch a movie. While we would not recommend this as a place to go when you need to catch a Nolan or Tarantino masterpiece (supposing it showed one and assuming you are an adult), you should try to visit this at least once during your stay.

RR Cinemas

The only multiplex in Roorkee, RR is about 4.5 kms or a 10 min journey from the campus. A recent phenomenon in Roorkee, RR desperately tries to satiate one’s desires to watch their favourite bollywood actor’s new release or hollywood thrillers in a comfortable setting at reasonable rates (still cheaper than Haridwar or Dehradun). The 3D quality is decent and you will also find some restaurants and cafes inside the hall. Recommended if you wish to go out for a movie with campus groups or peers. You may also be able to find solace in this place during weekends or post exams. An emerging favourite destination among IITR junta.

Cafe Coffee Day

All speculation surrounding Michelin Star rated restaurants coming to R-land was put to an anticlimactic end last year with a heavily subsidized Cafe Coffee Day setting up shop in IITR. Inhabitants in pursuit of the high life were in complete awe of the branded 15-rupee samosa lined up in the shelves along with other supposedly cheap drinks on offer. However, the bubble burst soon and CCD is now frequented by couples and junta aiming to carry out intellectual conversations in the traditional coffee shop setting.

Tinkering Lab

Just as the name suggests, this place is designed for IITR junta to tinker with ideas. Developed in association with Oxigen, with the grand vision of producing 100 entrepreneurs from the campus, the tinkering lab was inaugurated by Shri. Manohar Parrikar, Hon Defence minister on 22nd May 2016. In future, you are definitely going to witness fortune 500 companies talking about their origins in this lab(if you don’t know, there is a garage in which everything starts). Who knows you may even become the one who would do the talking. The lab houses top notch facilities for product design and development and also for providing incubation. Got any cool ideas? Well this place is meant for you.