Looking back at the title of this post, I wonder why I chose it... I can't be surely speaking about my CDC's coz 'well' wouldn't be my apt choice of word to describe either its start or end...nor is it about any relationship...then what exactly am I gonna reel off about?? hmm...probably, my three years at BITS..Yup, I guess that would be the one inexhaustible topic where I can vent out all my feelings- dreams, ambitions, disillusion, disappointments, hope, fun, trust, bonds...what not??
Like the majority of the kids from middle class background, I was made to share my parents' dreams- getting an engineering degree from a reputed college...after all "we are forward class, dear...it's not very practical to aim for a medical engineering degree even if you have the aptitude for it!"..so like a good kid, I fulfilled my parents' prayers(okay, I am being a bit over-reactive..it was on the top list of my prayers too!)...98.33% in my boards! a feat worthy of admiration and applause from even our milkman...suddenly,everyone around me become seers, claiming that they always knew that I was bound to accomplish this one way or the other..."Oh, this is no surprise...She is such a brilliant and hard working girl..I only wonder how she missed on the state first!"...So wat do u do with such a huge score??elementary, my dear watson, get into BITS ofcourse!
Okay, once the college is decided, the next step is to find company..afterall, "How can we send the child all alone to such an isolated place??" so the search begins...phone calls, phone calls and more phone calls...even the university wouldn't have endorsed itself so much...suddenly BITS becomes the only college fit for your daughter.."and you dont have to worry..I'm sending my daughter there as well!"....so room-mate decided before-hand! my own classmate and friend from school accompanying me! what more could I ask for??...so filled with all sorts of apprehension clouded by excitement(or is it the other way round??), I set foot on the BITS campus...neither was I bowled over by its magnificience nor was I disappointed...But it had a nice serene ambience which pulled a chord in your heart!..so registeration done,rooms set, all necessary goodies bought and stacked and finally bid a tearless farewell to parents!..(later on, how I cried my heart out in the bathroom feeling lonely and miserable is a totally different story!)
First day's class- I still remember..it was workshop theory..I was sitting openmouthed in the lecture theatre complex gaping at the multitude of students in the classroom..each from a different state, speaking a different language, but everyone with stars in their eyes, same as those that shone in mine- eager to succeed, eager to come off with flying colors, eager to be recognised...I very religiously wrote down every word that came off the prof's mouth....classes came and went..the first month just flew past...time for the test series! day before the physics test, I was sitting in my room reading the theory, cramming formulae and glancing at the example problems...next day morning- question papers were distributed...It took me full fifteen minutes to recover from the impact of reading the questions...the paper was pretty simple..just four questions each for fifteen marks..none of the question had any numerical values to be solved..they were just two liners where we were expected to prove something! I guess I need not say any more..on the similar lines, the disastrous test series came to an end...before I had time to pause and take a breath, come second test series...so did the third and finally the compree! God, that was fast..I just finished my first semester in BITS at lightning speed...and back home when they asked me how I liked my college, I stopped to think for the first time- did I truly enjoy the four-and-half months? 'no', was the honest answer..I did'nt make many friends, I did'nt join any clubs or departments meant for extra-curricular..all I did was sit with my books and not a great performance there as well..so what went wrong?? easy to put the blame on the board which practically taught us nothing!
Second sem was lots better- I met more people, made new friends- learned to come out of my room and have fun! Second year went past in a similar fashion....Enter third year- the most dreaded EEE CDC's! Seniors had warned us to be prepared for a year's hardwork with tutorials everyday and that too early in the morn! But to be honest, I enjoyed my third year the most in my entire Bitsian life..also I felt I delivered my best in my third year..the main reason being my wing! I would give anything to relive those days, even if it means repeating my CDC's! Not a single day passed uneventful...the small jokes, teasings, fights, cuddling in one room on a wintery nite under a cozy razai and watching a movie, the long walks, the open soul-searching talks, arguments, debates,ideas discussed over a cup of chai, the hugs, smiles, tears... a cocktail of emotions experienced in a single year...amazing! Having come a long way, I am sitting in my cabin, sipping a coffee and typing this out...but still I recall with fondness the days I spent at BITS , thanks to my wing...as my friend was telling the other day, you might say you miss your college when you pass out, but in essence you mean your friends! very true...but I have to do justice to my title, so I am supposed to end this cheerfully...It wont be the same going back to campus next sem..BITS would still be there, standing tall and proud, but many of my buddies would have left...nevertheless, it was great studying at BITS..there were many pits and falls, stumbles and fumbles, but as the saying goes... All that's well ends well!
