I have them all: naughty & sporty, birds & studs, hot & cool, cute n dude(ette)…..they all live here amicably and call me ‘home away from home.’
Come July, I see a fresh bunch trying to adjust to the new world. I laugh with them when they enjoy, I weep with them when they miss their loved-ones. More than me, it’s their immediate seniors looking for a prey and d guys out there interested to find a catch!
Time passes-by in roaming around discovering places, Freshers’ Night; rumors about couples-‘make or break’, DCing the whole day and it’s time for the first quiz! They recall that they have joined the ‘temple of learning’. It’s time to make the first impression, its time for collective learning; night-outs & rushing into your buddy’s room to check if she has got cup-noodles to keep you awake for sometime, whether she could solve a bugging problem and to speculate what’s in store for the exam the next day.
The day the exams are over, the world is conquered! After the hard work, it’s time to party harder. The festive season is on the doors– Dandia Night, Dusshera, Diwali! And what do girls do? Shopping! I see them posing in front of the corridor mirrors in their new outfits, all in high-spirits. Come the day, and they queue-up for that one piece of sweet from SAC, which your mom would give if you were at home! (and sign for one extra in your friend’s name, for stolen sweets always taste sweeter).
Now its time for the exams and the much awaited winter-break - your native place calling you! By now, exams are a routine and just pass by. I feel lonely when they all leave. But I have a bigger task at hand- to encourage my children to perform well during the placement season for their ‘Dream Job’. I’ve nurtured them as my kid, given the facilities, the environment; I feel my task done, when my kid comes rushing with a fabulous offer – my kid has transformed into a corporate lady!
The New Year brings with it, new colors for the hostel in-mates…all eagerly waiting for Saarang! I see a lot of guests, who only cherish if they could be here! My corridors are empty, that’s one time when there is more activity outside my shed than inside it.
The season of colors continues with Holi. And as their guardian, I warn them not to spoil the premises. “Holi khele Raghuvira…” - it’s time for music and masti – and if you are lucky you catch a glimpse of the budding Salman Khans, with their ripped shirts.
It’s the last quarter of the academic year. Life is on a lull, there is pressure for completing the project work. But the story doesn’t end here ….the ONE day most awaited by guys, to visit ‘the girls’ hostel’ has arrived; without which they could have only dreamt to see the hostel by impersonating as a guardian or a technician!
As the watch continues with its tic-tic…I bid them Adios. I feel nostalgic when I recall the favorite times we have shared together, even the most mundane ones - gobbling & dancing during Dance Parties; playing in the baddy court; organizing numerous games, competitions & guest-talks (how can I forget the notorious Queen of Sheeba); the monkey menace; the loudspeaker calling – visitor/phone/courier; the flooded ground-floor rooms during the rains; rushing out in open on getting a call (the Hutch dog doesn’t follow you faithfully); the serene walks during the nights on the terrace; girls making rounds while contesting for the hostel elections; watching TV in the common room hoping that India will strike back in the last over of the WC…..
Days pass and they depart, I continue to shelter d fresh ones! Somewhere between old memories and new hopes, I’m reminded of the old familiar faces, those delightful days, that make those golden moments a little more lasting, so that the reflection of the joy shimmers long after the days are gone!!!
(For Sharav Musa 2007)
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