Those were the best days of my life...

After a brief hibernation, I am now back with another thought which I would like to to pen down. People long for different things in life. I , for one, long to get back to my second home,my college. Come this july, it'll be an year since I passed out of college but I still yearn to be a part of it. Call it Nostalgia or whatever.. Often, I sit back on my couch after a long and arduous day at work, reminiscing those unforgettable years at college, free of deadlines and responsibilities which have now become a part and parcel of the corporate life.

Those were the days.. with pin money in the pocket and lot of dreams in our eyes,we entered college with an "I don't know anyone here!" look on the face. Within a couple of weeks the atmosphere of college was enthralling. There was no single day when I did not look forward to go to college. (Exception: during internals) .Classes were held in the early hours of the day so we had the greater part of the day to ourselves, lazing around in the college premises, getting something to munch in the near by snack shop,fighting away the boredom that was haunting us in the classrooms :). Boredom, I mean, was something thrown upon us by our lecturers. Nevertheless, we always managed to ward it off by playing small silly games sitting in the last rows , giggling away to glory after cracking some PJs,using our notebooks for all other purposes than jotting down the subject stuff.. Gossiping about all things under the sun (who's dating whom!!types)and then there was the loud clang of the bell that sounded like a factory siren..Now, I wonder when did i actually listen in class? :) Once the classes were over,we used to go back to the parking lot,catch some unidentified pulsar bike n sit on it and blabber hours together endlessly..suddenly one of us would realize he/she was extremely hungry and then a debate would spark off as to which restaurant to visit..always broke and lazy to go far,we used to visit the Kamat bugle rock only to find it packed with other BMSCEANS. After lunch ,back to college and sit there till the dusk to enjoy the lovely atmosphere.


Our college does neither boast of a world-class infrastructure nor sprawling lush green campus like other colleges but it is a haven to us in its own ways. About six decades old, the campus has trees on either side of the roads forming a picturesque sight during the evenings with the trees bearing beautiful flowers with different colors to suit the season. As the dusk arrives,one can find,birds twittering all over the sky around the campus and the most scariest lot were the pigeons and crows from which we used to escape in order to avoid getting blessed by them. However, few attempts have failed and sad to say,both my activa and I have become victims more than occasionally. Eventually, I used to realize I need to get back to my first home and not surprisingly,I witnessed some bashing by my folks. Initially I used to groan at the prospect of getting blasted by them but as time passed by,they became more patient and aware of the fact that I cannot be mended or convinced. ;-) Anyway,as long as I managed to score pretty well at academics, hanging out at college seemed to be fine for them.

Come to think of academics,at the beginning of every semester, we used to encounter loads of new subjects but the fun we had in re-union after the vacation was unbeatable. That dint mean,we guys dint meet up at vacations. We used to meet up at each of ours' houses for lunch or so, then go roaming/window shopping in the eternally crowded Gandhi Bazaar.One more thing I would like to mention here is the delicious mango juice that is available at Ganesha fruit juice center every summer . It was just lip smacking and I remember drinking it 3-4 glasses in a row at once. It was a perfect antidote to beat the summer heat during the even semesters. Even now,when i go to Gandhi bazaar I never miss a visit to the place. Then used to come the dreadful internals which were considered seriously in the beginning semesters and once it became like a daily soap,it was a breeze. There was always a 3rd internals to compensate for the less marks scored in 1st/2nd and sometimes a 4th one also. Climactic scene to the semester saga used to be the final exams ,times when the last-minute cramming and rote-learning were tested. Once the exams were over,it was time for partying again. This routine had become so joyful that I never felt the monotony. Little did I know that the four years would pass like the blink of an eye.


On the other hand this is what a Corporate life is: You get to wake up early every morning(only if you have not worked all night before, fixing some bug!!), munch some quick breakfast and head for the office. You get to see the same campus with state-of-the-art infrastructure and you swipe-in with your access card(something which looks like a dog's chain hanging around ur neck ;-) ) and of course, your homely-domely cubicle. Once you are all settled down in your seat, you embrace it for the rest of the day gaping at the desktop/laptop screen with watery eyes. Suddenly it is noon and your stomach starts grumbling. Lunching at the cafeteria with your dear colleagues,cribbing about the work-load and some. healthy gossiping with enough laughter that exercises your facial muscles.Post lunch, back to your cubicle and occasionally you get to idle away your time but I promise that's also not for long.At the end of the day,all you want to do is to "Go home and crash on the bed".


College life is something that I will never forget and I am sure most of you would not either.If only I could go back to those halcyon days! Yes I do confess monetary independence is a great feeling for you do not have to depend on your folks, but yeah,it does not come with nothing in return. Those strenuous deadlines, meetings, conference calls,status updates and on top of it all, your boss breathing down on your neck to get the damn thing done out of you ASAP is like an icing on the cake that makes every person feel he's being paid peanuts. The feeling of receiving your pay check at the end of every month is immensely gratifying but ephemeral. After some point of time, you will not even realize the 3oth or 31st of a month. Its just the eternal journey from home->work and vice versa. Sometimes all I remember will be traveling in the cab dozing every 10 min and waking up with a start when the driver hits the brakes. Weekends pass like they never exist and there you go bumping into another new week..

But then life goes on..

Those 4 years will be endearing to me always. Signing off for now,somewhere in the corner of my mind, this song is playing..

"Oh when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Ya - I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life..."