Once upon a time
This post is dedicated to the only place I can worship: IITM
People come, people go. A few names stay, many leave.
The only thing that is perennial, is the place.
It watches over all. It sees the generation come and go. It witnesses all the blood, sweat and toil. It cradles the nuances of friendship, love, hate, achievements, let downs, anger, excitement and makes the times the most memorable for the ones who come by.
I have been in this institute for three years now. Three hostel nights have gone by, and I have bid farewell to three batches of seniors, all gems. I have had a fair share of bonding with many, and have experienced the joy of the company, and the sorrow of the goodbyes. I like this place, and I have known that for long. I have seen people trying hard to hold back their tears. I have also seen them cry, and hug each other trying to live together those last few days while realizing that very soon they will all be apart, gone in different directions.
These feelings of nostalgia have surfaced time and again during discussions with friends and good friends (Forgive me for that. The classification is a must!). Every year I read people write about their time at this place, about their friends and how they will miss these most cherished times. I have always related to them well.
But today was different. It was an overhaul of feelings I have never felt before.
I was in my wing comfortably seated on the parapet wall. There was a lot of activity in the quadrangle. Many people are yet to come back for the semester. I could see a few shuttling around carrying their luggage from the security desk to their rooms across the quadrangle through the pathway. Some were playing footer and the rest just standing and chit-chatting.
I noticed a familiar figure, that of a second yearite. I shouted and waved at him, and got the friendly smile and wave back. The smile was a mix of lot of affection and some apprehension, which is I believe, out of some respect that he probably has for me. Before I realized there were a few others who had noticed this howling of mine across the quadrangle. Many who noticed this act continued whatever they were doing. One had stopped a fraction of a second too long for me to understand that he was a fresher. From what I could see, he was done surveying the rooms, and was ready to move in. But what was funny was the way in which he was looking at me, and tried to take his eyes away from mine. There was a strange sense of phobia, anxiety, and excitement that was evident from his mannerisms. I was wondering what would be going on in his mind. What would he be thinking?
It was at this instant that it hit me.
A little short of three years ago, I was in the position that the fresher was in now. There were seniors who were standing in their wing and looking down upon the things happening around in the hostel and passing comments and having a ball among themselves. I thought that I must have been their topic of discussion. My thinking and scope did not let me think beyond this, and I never made an attempt at that moment to speculate if it was something else that they could be discussing. It has been barely three years, and here I am, in the role of those who I admired and looked upon. Time has whizzed by, and I didn’t notice. I am not even sure if I have come even close to what they were. They will still remain the same to me.
A year from now, I will (hopefully :D) be receiving my degree at the convocation. But will I be getting a magical box which will let me preserve all that I have lived in the past three years? Is it possible to live it all again? I wish I could talk to them again. I wish I could make all the friends I have made, all over again. I wish I could live every moment once again.
Though I could relate to everything that was written, spoken, and done at the end of every eventful year by the people who were going to pass out, it was only today that I realized the gravity of it all. Kudos to all those who have lived in these corridors, and wishes to all those who will walk the same in the years to come.
I wish all my batchmates a wonderful year ahead, and intend to make it the most eventful one of my life.
People come, people go. A few names stay, many leave.
The only thing that is perennial, is the place.
It watches over all. It sees the generation come and go. It witnesses all the blood, sweat and toil. It cradles the nuances of friendship, love, hate, achievements, let downs, anger, excitement and makes the times the most memorable for the ones who come by.
I have been in this institute for three years now. Three hostel nights have gone by, and I have bid farewell to three batches of seniors, all gems. I have had a fair share of bonding with many, and have experienced the joy of the company, and the sorrow of the goodbyes. I like this place, and I have known that for long. I have seen people trying hard to hold back their tears. I have also seen them cry, and hug each other trying to live together those last few days while realizing that very soon they will all be apart, gone in different directions.
These feelings of nostalgia have surfaced time and again during discussions with friends and good friends (Forgive me for that. The classification is a must!). Every year I read people write about their time at this place, about their friends and how they will miss these most cherished times. I have always related to them well.
But today was different. It was an overhaul of feelings I have never felt before.
I was in my wing comfortably seated on the parapet wall. There was a lot of activity in the quadrangle. Many people are yet to come back for the semester. I could see a few shuttling around carrying their luggage from the security desk to their rooms across the quadrangle through the pathway. Some were playing footer and the rest just standing and chit-chatting.
I noticed a familiar figure, that of a second yearite. I shouted and waved at him, and got the friendly smile and wave back. The smile was a mix of lot of affection and some apprehension, which is I believe, out of some respect that he probably has for me. Before I realized there were a few others who had noticed this howling of mine across the quadrangle. Many who noticed this act continued whatever they were doing. One had stopped a fraction of a second too long for me to understand that he was a fresher. From what I could see, he was done surveying the rooms, and was ready to move in. But what was funny was the way in which he was looking at me, and tried to take his eyes away from mine. There was a strange sense of phobia, anxiety, and excitement that was evident from his mannerisms. I was wondering what would be going on in his mind. What would he be thinking?
It was at this instant that it hit me.
A little short of three years ago, I was in the position that the fresher was in now. There were seniors who were standing in their wing and looking down upon the things happening around in the hostel and passing comments and having a ball among themselves. I thought that I must have been their topic of discussion. My thinking and scope did not let me think beyond this, and I never made an attempt at that moment to speculate if it was something else that they could be discussing. It has been barely three years, and here I am, in the role of those who I admired and looked upon. Time has whizzed by, and I didn’t notice. I am not even sure if I have come even close to what they were. They will still remain the same to me.
A year from now, I will (hopefully :D) be receiving my degree at the convocation. But will I be getting a magical box which will let me preserve all that I have lived in the past three years? Is it possible to live it all again? I wish I could talk to them again. I wish I could make all the friends I have made, all over again. I wish I could live every moment once again.
Though I could relate to everything that was written, spoken, and done at the end of every eventful year by the people who were going to pass out, it was only today that I realized the gravity of it all. Kudos to all those who have lived in these corridors, and wishes to all those who will walk the same in the years to come.
I wish all my batchmates a wonderful year ahead, and intend to make it the most eventful one of my life.
Cheers to life at IIT.
PS: If someone could give me an image apt to put up with this post, I would be grateful.
15 comments:
A post each one of us in insti can relate to :)
Every single word you have posted is true. I echo the same sentiments. This is one heck of a place, greats have lived here.. learned the tricks of the trade and then made it big, huge.
It also reminded me of the Vatsa's comment the other day when he said we always tend to think our seniors are studder than what we are. But the mind wavers sometimes and wants to think that maybe we are also equally good, that we too are filling their shoes. But that discomfort in walking their path makes it difficult to accept. May be we are all studs.
As an aside, we are all gonna pass out sooner or later, makes me feel sad. But then live it till you can, cherish it once you have done that.
Whenever I think that I m in 4th year, I start feeling kinda old, kinda experienced and blah...blah.. Though I got two more years to go, I was actually thinking on almost the same lines as you wrote when I was returning to campus yest
Yeah, true :-(
Feel old??? guys, what world are you living in...i've never seen a blog post and comments with so much of senti oozing out of it
Firstly, I'm a year ahead and I still feel as young as ever...and CB you wouldn't feel so old if you didn't smile so less
What cae-saar (now that he's become a big man) says is true...but instead of becoming senti about it...use it to your fullest advantage...for eg. in 4th year cycles (not you) would have become old...then you might be too lazy to get water...then you'll too much time to pass, so you need gen people (who'll listen to whatever BS you say) to fart with...please be creative and make good use of caesaar's words of wisdom.
Nice post...I think we all have missed the hostel and the wing rape sessions this summer.
Looking forward to getting back to the wing, and making the most of the one year we have.
Cheers
I have a memory box.. I've had it since always.. It was so full I had to start a new one when I began my IITian life.. and it's already brimming.. It's my MAGICAL BOX.
These are the moments when you feel so glad to be a dual student.
Hey Ceaser..Looks like u, an alter ego of me.. :D
Thats quite a work doode...
bledy true. bloody missing being in insti right now!!
chocolate boy senti flows out outta you really well dude :P
looks like i have lived a little too longer here that this post does nothing to me.
apologies, but, i dont wanna act nostalgic.
pangs of nostalgia I suppose, though slisha early dont you think?
stud post! completely!
sentiMAX...just got all memories rekindled...the greatest men I've ever seen, met and played with in my life-span...Bofi, Pankaj, Tushar, Yahoo, Bra, KG, Semi feels like :(
sob...sob
Legends and idols used to roam around in the same corridors which are now sheltering some new innocent faces...
The gurus and godfathers of my life at IITM and beyond...so sorry they are not gonna come back and bang my door for a footer match or whatsoever ever again...and I can't seek their gyan anymore...
feeling so uhhh
this post made my day Caesar!
Thnx!!
mebbe i cant relate this but it sure brought a tear to my eye....wid all the iitians i've known, seen.
no one can really ever fathom wat u feel...but to make this attempt of puttin into words is somethin...
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