He felt devastated. This couldn't have happened. He couldn't have lost his soul mate-his best friend-someone who had been with him since he was 15.
Those stupid doctors, he thought. Bastards. Couldn't they have done something?? Wasn't there any other way out?? How dare they leave him alone and isolated in this world??
The pain in his abdomen is more severe now. He needs a glass of water. He goes to his personal bar in the drawing room and takes out a bottle from the freezer. It was in this bar that he and his dear friend had spent all their evenings. They had shared their lives-their joys, sorrows, eccentricities; all here.
But the bar is empty today. His only friend and companion-the monk-the Old Monk Rum is gone. The doctors have taken him away and have 'barred' him from having even a drop of alcohol. His liver has become the size of a football.
The doctors don't think that he has got more than six months left in him now. This fact makes him feel suicidal.
He kneels down to pray-something he hasn't done for as long as he can remember. It's time now to be friends with God.
"Something sinister in the tone
Told my secret must be known;
Word I was in the house alone
Somehow must have gotten abroad,
Word I was in my life alone,
Word I had no one left but God."
-Robert Frost
I am sitting in the common room of the GT Hostel, Tata Steel, Jamshedpur. All around me are my new ‘colleagues’, fresh graduates from other colleges. They are all sitting in groups, talking animatedly, and as I strain my ears, I hear them reminiscing about their college days - about their hostels, gyms, mid-sems & heart-breaks. My thoughts instantly go back to my college days and I realize that many of our memories were based on similar things – friends, bikes, places, girls and of course, alcohol.
Then I jotted down 10 ‘pointers’ which are closest to my heart. It’s not like – “I miss you so much” kind of thing, but during certain instances and circumstances, the memory tapes play out in front of my eyes, and I, unknowingly, bask in their glory.
1. Dhabas: We made lot of trips to the dhabas in and around Raipur during our 4th year of engineering. A particular favourite was ‘Apna Dhaba’, situated 6 kms away from our hostel on the Raipuir-Bhilai Highway. And as soon as someone got placed, or if there was a birthday, chalo be chalte hain. So, on our scooters and bikes and stopping at the ashram (:P) on the way, we roared to the dhabas. It was always a challenge riding back, heavily drunk and all, but then that was fun as well.
Apna Dhaba
2. Ragging: The events related to ragging, whether you are a victim or the culprit, always remain etched in your memory. No one forgets the first ragging he encountered or the first student he bullied. During our first year, we huddled quietly in our rooms and waited for the clock to strike 10 p.m. It would then be time for the knocks on the doors and high drama unfolded throughout the night. During our second year, we tried to hand over the legacy to our juniors, so to say. Memories related to ragging are always special and bring back mixed emotions.
3. Hostel Parties: 'Saturday-night-party-tight' was our motto. And what with tandoori chicken and rum and beer, followed by a lot of singing and dancing, we often ran short of Saturdays. I miss those parties, period.
4. F-36: This was our class room (First floor, Room no.-36) for three out of four years at NIT Raipur. This was a small-sized room and ideal for our small batch of 42. Whenever I think of it, I can pinpoint exactly that on any day who would be sitting where and doing what. There weren’t any air conditioners, projectors and stuff, but who needed those things??.
F-36. Are they studying?? :P
5. Sunday-Special: I eat specials almost everyday now, but those Sunday Specials at the mess in the hostel were absolutely super-special. It was a special lunch served on Sundays consisting of a chicken dish for non vegetarians and paneer for vegetarians with puri, fried rice and sweets. We ate like anything. In fact, what a sight it was - 100-150 hungry students sitting next to each other, sweating in the hot stuffy mess, gnawing at chicken bones.
Mess, Hostel-B, An engrossed audience.
6. Class Tests: We had regular class tests, which were aimed at preparing us for the very important end sem exams. I wonder whether that purpose was ever accomplished. However, one thing was sure; they offered us exposure in team work, ingenuity improvisation. Need I explain more?
7. Mera Bajaj: Oh boy! Do I miss this thing? My heart aches for my scooter. It was a Bajaj Super, 1995 model which I purchased second hand at the beginning of my 3rd year. It was my best buddy and as reliable a friend can be.
Bajaj Super. Pic taken on last day in Raipur. 8th May, 2011
8. Ashram:Ashram was a misnomer to us. Really. It was a locality, just a couple of kilometers away from our hostel. It had its name due to the famous Ramakrishna Ashram situated there. However, for us, it was a very important place. It housed the biggest liquor shops in Raipur. Thus we made regular visits to the place in quest of a spiritually satisfying life :D.
9. Kota: Kota is a small locality just outside the Western boundary on the other side of the Mum-Hwh Railway Line. It was our second home in Raipur. Whenever we needed something, we went to Kota, crossing the tracks, the Saraswati Nagar Railway Station and the wayside Egg Roll Stalls. From photocopying to samosas to boiled eggs, everything was available. Not to mention the delicious dosas which were available in the mornings at the South Indian stall. Though it was a shanty, poor locality; it meant the world to us.
10. For the tenth pointer, I am not providing any sub heading. It’s just this picture. The characters in this pic were the ones who made life worth living out there. And it is for them that life is still worth living .
The
underlining principle of Engineering, or for that matter any other
professional course is the placements involved with it and after 4 long,
hard years at NIT Raipur, one does really expect to be placed at a great
company. This is how the placement scenario of our batch, which passes
out in a couple of weeks time, looks like.
I
was extremely fortunate to have been a part of this placement process
and there is simply no doubt in my mind that my association with the
Placement Cell as a representative of my branch was the best thing that
ever happened to me in my life.
My two years of hectic but highly enriching and gratifying stint as a Placement Coordinator comes down to this list.
