Tribute

Mandatory tribute to college days.

FYI: I have been writing this one for a year. Been adding little bits every now and then to make sure I did adequate justice to my experiences. Hence, the frequent shift in thoughts follow.

Goodbye

As you read this you some of you would relate with specific instances and people. It’s hard to write a general summary of your college experience without sounding clichéd. Sure, I did have a wonderful experience that changed my life and I will never ever forget these four years. I will miss it. Good times, bad times, they all were there. There is nothing else that has taught me about life as much as college has. But one would describe their experience to an acquaintance in these words. With apne log it is “WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?!”

Drawing inspiration from Jerry’s nostalgic note shared about a year ago, we are bound to recall memories of ICT in the most obscure of times. Overhearing someone say “Kahihi ha!” and you mentally add “Shree!”, eating masala puri and thinking no masala puri can taste better than GC masala puri after labs (this was the food up until sem 5). No bhajiya will be as memorable as Munna bhajiya with Jimmy sniffing your feet. Every blood test reminds you of APP labs (and ahem, fainting fancies!). Lecture shenanigans, laboratory mishaps, "moments of people" are more memorable than any lesson/lecture ever. You find characteristics of your professors in every grown up person you meet. “He/She looks like this prof but speaks like that prof but ultimately is ..."(let us leave that bit out).

Somewhere between being wary in FY to not giving a shit anymore, we grew up. It's the one thing I dislike; getting into a course you thought you'd love to turn into an indifferent, chai-gulping creature with dark circles who cannot wait to leave. #DegreeDeDo.

But there's a way to throw a positive spin to that by having countdown collages, celebrating every last thing we did to boost that serotonin and dopamine a little bit. That's where I absolutely adore my class for giving me highs generated from within. Endopharmacology FTW.

Four years in this...place (which may be paradise or hell-hole, I leave you to fill the blank) ingrains habits that take ages to outgrow. An annoying one that’s got into me is speaking in abbreviations. “No, not IPC, I said GC. Also, I want to write VBP’s assignment on NDAs. It’s a great idea, will work for IDP and TEB. I'll TTYL because I am in PPV running to H103."
#GoodMorningVietnam

This is probably a result of cardiac drugs pharmacology where APD, EPP, ERP, ECG, RMP, AP, CHF, MI, GTN is all we filled our papers with (okay, who am I kidding, how can I miss out yoga, diet and meditation!).

So there go the annoying habits. Coming to the people I have met here. I love the engineering folk at ICT. Met some really cool and fun people who are absolute delights to talk to. Be it endless discussions on the US elections, stints with philosophy, feminism, problems of the nation (demonetisation hit hard) and random glitter posts, debating and discussing with you guys has been top-notch. 

I made some unexpected friends from this lot too and rather late though. I wish I had known you all earlier. Many semesters later you discover people with common tastes who are wonderful to hang out with. But it is never too late and I am glad that it happened after all, aisa adhoora nahin reh gaya.

It's the little things about people that remain with you in your memories. Not their profile, not their GPAs but special dialogues, the way someone eats or holds themselves, their idiosyncrasies, funny moments that have ensued in laughter. It's these tiny bits unique to every individual that I think I'm going to miss. Every single soul I met in these four years has taught me something valuable, to do or not to do (in the words of PinkPantheare). 

These four years have been very dynamic; friends turned acquaintances, acquaintances turned homies, annoying turds became brothers. We've had many moments of "dagabaaz re, haay dagabaaz re" and absolutely useless reasons to argue. But eh, c'est la vie is all I can say at this point. 

I wouldn't say I have "constants", but a few of you are going to last for a very, very long time and I will cherish it. I will and promise to make efforts to keep in touch.

So here we all are, parting ways, perhaps for a little while, perhaps forever, I do not know what lies in store ahead. I do admit ICT has been the best place for collecting little jigsaw pieces to fix up the picture called life. I also know though, a little part of me is left behind in this place which has unwittingly been my literal second home.