It was drizzling. It was a new town. It was a nice cloudy and cool evening. I just got off the bus with a suitcase in hands. My father was accompanying me. He was a bit concerned. He would have to go back leaving his son in the hands of strangers of this new town. He was not used to this. Yet both of us were very proud. Our eyes were bright. There was smile on our faces. And we were eager to get out of the bus station and proceed towards our eagerly awaited destination. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Yes, and it was 19 years ago this month. I had just cracked the Joint Entrance Examination and gotten admission to IIT Kharagpur. It was a matter of pride to all of us then. May be it is a matter of pride even today. One rickshaw agreed to take us to the IIT campus. He would charge a premium, one since it was drizlling and two since we were new and excited enough not to mind shelling a five or ten rupees extra. As the rickshaw started moving towards the campus, my eyes started exploring the new town. It was a very sleepy green town and seemed that there are only two things in this town. The IIT and the railway station. I was wondering where am I going to get stuck for the next four years. As I was thinking and exploring, we were in front of the IIT gate after 20 minutes. As I moved into the campus through the main gate, suddenly I felt as if I have moved across two different layer of atmosphere. The difference between the outside and inside was stark. The outside looked like a underdeveloped poor town predominated by slums. Inside was pristine, clean, green and shaded by canopies of the trees.
Rickshaw guy asked : "Kaun sa Hall jaanaa hai "
My father responded in his excitement before I could even open my mouth : Viday Sagar
And started giving directions as if the rickshaw guy did not know the direction. My father felt like he knew everything since he visited once before for my counselling phase.
After 5 minutes we were in front of the Vidya Sagar hall of residence, the place were the first year students would stay for one year. It was an attempt to save the newbies from ragging :-).
Some of the seniors were waiting to help the new comers into hall and guide them to their rooms. These seniors would go on to become some of the great friends of the future.
They were serving samosas and jalebis to the new students and their parents. There were many parents accompanying their kids. I was wondering, wow all these brilliant students. Some of them would be my classmates. And now some of my best friends.
That was the drizzling earth smelling beautiful evening that set out of the course of the next four years and the rest of the life. Some of the best years spent in the middle of brilliant people. In brilliant discussions. In brilliant evenings. In brilliant solitude. In beautiful explorations.
That beautiful drizzling evening. 19 years back this month.
Rickshaw guy asked : "Kaun sa Hall jaanaa hai "
My father responded in his excitement before I could even open my mouth : Viday Sagar
And started giving directions as if the rickshaw guy did not know the direction. My father felt like he knew everything since he visited once before for my counselling phase.
After 5 minutes we were in front of the Vidya Sagar hall of residence, the place were the first year students would stay for one year. It was an attempt to save the newbies from ragging :-).
Some of the seniors were waiting to help the new comers into hall and guide them to their rooms. These seniors would go on to become some of the great friends of the future.
They were serving samosas and jalebis to the new students and their parents. There were many parents accompanying their kids. I was wondering, wow all these brilliant students. Some of them would be my classmates. And now some of my best friends.
That was the drizzling earth smelling beautiful evening that set out of the course of the next four years and the rest of the life. Some of the best years spent in the middle of brilliant people. In brilliant discussions. In brilliant evenings. In brilliant solitude. In beautiful explorations.
That beautiful drizzling evening. 19 years back this month.
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