NIT Kurukshetra – The last adieu

“Bhaiya 1 pepsi dena”, I asked kishan bhaiya at lalit, looking intently at his face, wondering if he will recognize me. He looked at me for a second and then went on to take out the pepsi. As I was fiddling through my pockets to take out the 15 rs, he said,”aapne moochhen rakh li bhaiya”. He was smiling, and I was elated.

Convocation, the day we all had promised everyone, and ourselves, to see each other again. It was the only consolation we could give ourselves, when the bags got packed and the autos took us all in different directions. And after 10 months, and a three hour car ride, I reached Kurukshetra again, the small Haryana town where we all had left a part of ourselves. The college feel started seeping into me the moment I zigzagged through the gate, just the way I had entered four and a half years ago, the naïve, raw boy battered by years of endless studies and competition. Then, it had taken me days to get used to the place. Now, I realized it was infused in my blood. And pretty soon, I was no more an office going pass-out who had come to the convocation, but the T-shirt wearing NIT Kurukshetra student who never had a care in the world.

As I got out of the car and moved towards the senate house for registration, I saw most of my year mates, hugging and hollering. After spending 10 months trying to make myself noticed in the crowded Delhi, I was recognized instantly by so many people. And that made me realize what I was missing for the past 10 months…people who got happy just by seeing you, people who loved you for the person you are. Soon the market was bustling again, and the grilled sandwiches and veg maggies were back on the plastic tables.

The night was falling and we walked towards the place where all our nights were spent for those four years, the hostels. Just the sight of that long corridor rekindled all the memories I had stowed away till now. Words can't describe what the hostels were for us. It was the place where the real learning happened, the place that made me what I am now. The place where i fostered all my friendships, where every moment was eventful, every incident unforgettable.

We gathered at the rooftop, just like the last few days of the college, and the celebration ensued. There was one common emotion, that every moment of this night was precious, that every heartbeat we had here was valuable. In this one night we tried to relive all we could of that wonderful life. The more we talked, the more we realized why the college was what it was for us. It was a place where we could do whatever we wanted, and choose what we didn’t want to. And the same went for the people we wanted to be with. It was those people who helped us shape ourselves the way we are now, the people who are behind whatever little success we have in life. It was a place where a good time never needed to be planned. All it took was an occasion, speakers booming in full volume and people who had all the time in the world. It was where we learned that the afterhours were the best time to hangout, and the best language was the one we were not supposed to speak. It was a place where emotions were never far from welling out. There we stood on the terrace, with our good careers and bright futures, envious of our past. Where we had spent so many sparkling nights, we only had one wish, that this night may never end.

Most of the next day was spent in the convocation ceremony, and the rest clicking photographs in our caps and cloaks. The sun was setting, it was time to leave. But this time the hearts were heavier. Earlier we had a hope, one more chance to reunite. But this time it was closure, the one final adieu to our alma mater, the place where we lived the best of our lives, months ago, years ago, ages ago. And for the second time, I left the place forever.