The Wonder Years

A heartfelt dedication to everyone who has been a part of the most memorable years of my life!

May 20th,2010

This room, these four walls have been my home, my best friend. To think that I cant ever come back to call this home again! My bags are packed. The goodbyes are done. The photos have been taken. The customary promises to stay in touch have been made. Plans for a get-together are already afoot! But the fact that things will never be like this, however hard we try, hits me hard in the face, as I sit alone in the room, savouring the last few minutes in my den. And then it's done. The room is locked. A final look at the hostel, and I'm gone.

August,2006
Fresh from school, we arrived, with the air of one who's set to conquer the world. We were the lords of all creation, as we strutted about the campus that night. The dream had been realised. We were here.

It seems, but a blink of the eye, as semester after semester rolled by, each more eventful than the other, each as memorable as the other. Every day seemed an adventure. Coming late to class, sleeping and not getting caught, bunking class and going to a movie, bunking class and playing football, bunking class and.. well, just bunking class for the heck of it! We dictated our terms, and lived by those rules, our rules. We were no longer kids, nor were we adults. And boy did we abuse this situation ;) .

All of the good times that I can think of, has loads of people in it. Come to think of it, we were never alone. There was always somebody around to share the stupidest of jokes. Exam times were insane, as 30 of us crowd around a solitary laptop, a "session" in progress! To all those self-less souls who took the time to help the others out - Unganaala thaan machan arrear vekkala!! More than the T20 matches, the taunts, and the overall atmosphere in the TV room made it an experience that I shall always cherish. We were always together, always a group, and that made things all the more special.

After college, the society leads us to evolve into unitary individuals, as we try to fend for ourselves, and later, for our family. We naturally become self-centred, and the joys of sharing and friendship, are at best, futile pursuits. Night time chats with friends in the hostel that extended for hours on end, stretching into the wee hours of morning, will become a mere e-mail, as we hurry past our life, running after it. These four years were when we actually lived life, drank it in and savoured it, enjoying every moment!

May 19th, 2010

Last day for most of the chaps, penultimate day for a few others. The gloomy weather and the looming storm seemed to be a reflection of our moods, as the entire atmosphere was damp and ominous, thanks to over 12 hours of continuous rain. But a day that promised to be one of the worst, turned out to be the exact opposite. As darkness swallowed the campus, the lights gave an almost ethereal appearance to the trees. The entire campus was glowing! It seemed that the place had become beautiful, just to give us a lovely farewell. The last ride in the campus, is an experience I will never forget. Every single lane, every pavement, each and every building treasures a volume of memories that can never be expressed in words or caught in photographs!

A few years from now, I don't know where I or any of my friends are going to be. We will definitely be in touch, but I am not even going to pretend that things are ever going to be like this, ever again! That's the worst thing about good byes. There's absolutely nothing good about it. Here's a toast to each and every person, who has shared a part of 4 of the happiest years of my life.

Good bye, and thank you for making this experience, very special.