Whenever my sister came back home from college for a short vacation, she would have a train of stories to share with us. I remember when I spent a night in her hostel, while on the way to Ajmer for the IPSC swimming competition, we partied all night long. I was so amazed and couldn't wait for my college life to begin. But when it finally arrived, the experience was very different from what I had otherwise imagined.
For starters, the immediate thing that comes to my mind is how Mimar
tagged me a druggie on my first day at college. I was a skinny and
dreary looking girl back then. Being the only two north-easterners in
class, it was only a matter of time before we befriended each other. Kavya and Saloni
were the hotties of our class. I would sit in the back bench and look at
Kavya's beautiful watch and Saloni's earrings and wonder if they'd ever
be friends with me. The final person to be a part of this group was Jd
ofcourse. He joined a month later because of a jaundice attack. The day
he attended class was a red letter day for my class mates (90 percent of
whom were girls). They would hover around him like bees to honey. He
remained our undisputed hunk for the next three years.
Now if I were to trace that one moment or day we all came together, I am blank. I remember bunking classes and sitting outside the canteen, whiling away and discussing the most insignificant of topics. Pretty soon we were having small get-togethers and lunches outside of college. Over the years, I learnt a lot from my friends. The UNICEF internship was an opportunity I came to know of through Saloni. Also, before I forget, my current talent of hurling hindi abuses at random people roots back to her again. I have crashed multiple times at Kavya's place in times of distress. Jd and Mimar were my two panda pubs. Whenever they were hungry, I would have pork, rice and dal waiting for them in my flat in Indra Vihar. Back then, they'd empty an entire rice cooker! Likewise, I can go on writing about all the memories we've built together but that would require an altogether new blog.
During my final year of college, my dad complained about how I had never introduced my friends to him. My sister, on the other hand, had always spent the occasional night out at Sikkim House with a friend in tow. Basically he knew what kind of company she was keeping, but when it came to me he had no clue. So I decided to invite my friends over for dinner one evening. I strictly ordered them to dress in decent clothes and refrain from using any slangs. My dad was not as cool as Saloni's father, I stated. When my friends showed up that evening, I couldn't control my laughter. Jd and Aks were dressed for an interview, Mimar was a Hindi daily writer and Yans looked like he had just walked out of a church congregation. They said they hadn't taken my warning seriously but a chance meeting with my cousin at the metro had confirmed that my father was a man to watch out for after all. While we sat around a big table and ate dinner, they had a very civil conversation with dad. It was an opposite of all the noisy get-togethers that were an everyday routine. That night, dad told me he was very impressed with my friends. When I relayed the verdict to them, I was happy and so were they.
Now if I were to trace that one moment or day we all came together, I am blank. I remember bunking classes and sitting outside the canteen, whiling away and discussing the most insignificant of topics. Pretty soon we were having small get-togethers and lunches outside of college. Over the years, I learnt a lot from my friends. The UNICEF internship was an opportunity I came to know of through Saloni. Also, before I forget, my current talent of hurling hindi abuses at random people roots back to her again. I have crashed multiple times at Kavya's place in times of distress. Jd and Mimar were my two panda pubs. Whenever they were hungry, I would have pork, rice and dal waiting for them in my flat in Indra Vihar. Back then, they'd empty an entire rice cooker! Likewise, I can go on writing about all the memories we've built together but that would require an altogether new blog.
During my final year of college, my dad complained about how I had never introduced my friends to him. My sister, on the other hand, had always spent the occasional night out at Sikkim House with a friend in tow. Basically he knew what kind of company she was keeping, but when it came to me he had no clue. So I decided to invite my friends over for dinner one evening. I strictly ordered them to dress in decent clothes and refrain from using any slangs. My dad was not as cool as Saloni's father, I stated. When my friends showed up that evening, I couldn't control my laughter. Jd and Aks were dressed for an interview, Mimar was a Hindi daily writer and Yans looked like he had just walked out of a church congregation. They said they hadn't taken my warning seriously but a chance meeting with my cousin at the metro had confirmed that my father was a man to watch out for after all. While we sat around a big table and ate dinner, they had a very civil conversation with dad. It was an opposite of all the noisy get-togethers that were an everyday routine. That night, dad told me he was very impressed with my friends. When I relayed the verdict to them, I was happy and so were they.
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| Gaduation day back in 2005 |
As I sit down and think of it, this journey has been an absolute pleasure. Cheers to the good times of the past and the ones that shall follow. I love you guys for all it's worth.
xoxo
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