All good things come to an end

My friend circle was limited initially and I barely had any interaction with other people in the class. In the first semester we all stuck to our respective groups and healthy rivalry prevailed for quite some time. Second semester was the season of revolution. Protests were held as the issue of degree was taken up. An interesting & eventful first year came to an end.

CMS became a deserted place in the second year as not many used to turn up for the classes. First year’s charm withered away. Third semester saw many ups and downs. The perceptions we had about one another changed, from being bitter rivals and foes, people became friends and from being friends, some became acquaintances. Some drifted apart, some came close. Ours was a lot of regular students in journalism. Corp commites also used to come and so the camaraderie among us began. Fourth semester was a rollercoaster ride and we were all taken in for a surprise. The unforgettable trip was its highlight which brought everyone close.

I know it sounds clichéd to say this but yes I do wonder how fast the time has flown by. I feel terrible now as the countdown has begun before it all gets over. The clock is ticking and time is slipping away quickly. When I had set for this journey, I had no idea what shape things would take. I know people in my class who would be more than happy to get rid of this place as they never liked things here. Yes, things were frustrating at times and they did get on my nerves. We all had our share of disappointments; dirty politics sucked big time, the system was fucked up badly. But still this place will always be special to me. Every corner of the college will remind me of something. I know some of you won’t agree with me on this. A few days back, Megha told me she won’t really miss the place as she didn’t really come to college that often but she would miss the people and times she spent with all of us. But for us, it is different as we will equally miss the place. I fell in love with this place gradually as I spent most of my time here. The place worked for me because of the people who were around me. I came across some amazing people, had a great time, laughed till my stomach ached & tears rolled down my cheeks, had some silly fights & pulled one another’s leg, played pranks, annoyed one another with our mischievous acts & now there is a feeling of uneasiness as it’s time to say goodbye.

You guys became a special part of my life in such a short span of time and now I have such fond memories to live with. I have so many things on my mind to say but I’m falling short of words to express myself. Some of us are going empty- handed from here but not me. I’m taking so many beautiful memories which will always make me smile and cry at the same time.

So far, this journey has been superb. I’ll miss each one of you guys. I don’t know about others but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There were small things which touched my heart and filled it with immense happiness.

Things that I’ll miss the most:-

1. Old classroom and all the masti we did there

2. Talking, eating and sleeping at the back bench while the teacher used to teach

3. Watching movies in the studio or classroom or tutorial

4. Sitting and chatting in the sound lab

5. Having chit-chat sessions over a cup of tea and snacks while spending time sitting in the ground

6. Having lunch together in the canteen

7. Having Ice-cream after lunch and looking for a Bakra who would be willing to pay for everybody’s ice-cream

8. Playing music at full volume and dancing as if there would be no tomorrow

9. Working under tremendous pressure in order to meet the deadlines and running from pillar to post at the last moment to make up for all those days when we were busy having fun

10. Exploring new places & experiencing a different world with Group-A and Group-C while working together

11. Hurling abuses at one another out of love and affection

12. Playing pranks and pulling one another’s leg

13. Working in Group-A with a bunch of crazy people who drove me nuts as we did street play which never really had a script, did puppetry for which we never re-hearsed and blah, blah ,blah...the list goes on... but all said and done I loved my group and if I were given a chance, I wouldn’t have switched to any other group

14. Working in Group-C which was always a pleasure. We all ended up having a good time while working

15. Mimicking all our classmates, teachers and staff members at USMC

16. Pummy bhaiyya's ginger tea

17. Ambrish Sir's grilling sessions in the morning

We found solace in small things and took pleasure in simple things that life had to offer. At times, it was just a cup of coffee or soup in the chilly winters, or a plate of maggi or momos that was enough to fill our empty stomachs. At times, it was the never-ending silly conversations or simply chilling out with friends. No matter where we all started this journey from, the best part is that we all became friends at the end of the journey and things are ending on a good note.

How it all started

When I look back at the times which have passed by, I realize how things have taken a different turn. Life always has some other plans for you in store and surprises that you can never really think of. When I started of my post-graduation, I had no idea how things will change. At times, I wonder how from being complete strangers, we developed a strong bond of friendship and came along such a long way. I still remember the first day when I had come to college.

Mohit  It was drizzling outside and I met him on my way to the class. He was wearing his camouflaged shorts and a white tee. He asked me the way to the department, not being aware of the fact that I was heading there too.

I was feeling a bit uneasy before stepping inside, so I stood out and enjoyed the rain for a while. I saw Aakriti and Ritika peeping from inside to see who all were entering. I entered the classroom and took a seat at the end of the row. I don’t remember much who came on the first day. Then I saw a guy in green shirt with white stripes sitting in the front and he was Rohan.

After lunch I was sitting all alone, then came Anu in her Aladin pants and sat next to me. First day was kind of hard as we all got a lecture from Ambrish Sir and I was thinking how long this torture would last. Second day was quite eventful. We had a class with Sweta mam in the studio. Mohit was damn funny and he did earn himself a reputation of being a loud person. A hell lot of things happened on the other day. Anu started off with the zodiac signs thing wherein we had a chat about the characteristics of a person. Rohan was sitting right next to her and seemed a little out of place. On my way back to home, I bumped into Pramod. I got to know that he stayed near my place and that’s how we became friends.

Danish  Usually, I used to sit with Mohit. Then one day, Danish came and sat next to me. We didn’t talk much. I had barely interacted with him till the time Campus Buzz hadn’t started. We were in the same group and that’s how I got to know him once we started working together for Buzz.

It took us some time to get to know one another. Me, Mohit, Danish, Pramod and Rohan used to sit and eat our lunch together and that’s how we became friends slowly. After some time, it was just the four of us and Pramod changed his seat.

Tanya  I hadn’t noticed Tanya in the class initially. But I do remember her purple t-shirt and her black and blue Reebok floaters that she used to wear. I remember Pramod telling me once that it was difficult to distinguish one girl from the other in their group as they all looked alike because of their fair complexion. I noticed her for the first time, when we had gone to puppets’ museum. While exiting from the museum, I was having a friendly chat with Gitika and there Tanya was busy wearing her floaters and waiting for Gitika to quickly wind up her talk. The same evening we all had gone to watch the play “Hamlet”.

Then I spoke to her for the first time when we attended the Sufi concert. My interaction with her was limited initially. Once their group had to stay back late in the evening, working for the Buzz thing. Me, Mohit and Nidhi had gone to drop Tanya to the bus-stop at night. While working for the practicals, our interaction grew. We became friends quite late while working together for organizing the farewell party.

With Ujaley, Mustaquim and Mohnish I hit off well during the AIR days. As days passed by, I saw Ujaley was quite contrary to the image he had in the class. I found him a decent chap.

Ginni  I took no notice of Ginni in the class. Her presence wasn’t felt until “Above the line” happened. Pramod and Ginni were asked to anchor the event. That was the first time I interacted with Ginni. She seemed to be very coy, reserved and naive when I first had a word with her. I got an impression that she wasn’t able to adjust herself to the fast life of Delhi and its culture. Little did I know at that point of time that looks can be so deceptive? She was a different person altogether at the end of the first semester and was way ahead of me.

Charlie’s Angels  I became friends with Garima, Ratika and Megha in the third semester as they were the only souls apart from our group who used to wander in USMC. Our interaction with them grew more as they used to come to college regularly. All of us used to chill and spend time together and so, we became friends.