Campus Cheers

Bichde they hum zindagi mein kuch sapne aakhon me leke

Kuch ke sach hue, kuch ke badal gaye,

Kuch ne naye sapne saja liye, kuch ne purano ke dafna diye.

Kuch sapane tutke bikhar gaye,

Kuch shor macha gaye

Bichde then hum zindagi mein kuch sapne aakhon me leke

Kuch sapne badal gaye, kuch hum badal gaye!

When a motley group of 40- something traverse distances to relive the life that went past two decades ago, the result is sheer magic.

We all had left each other twenty years ago in May 1995. Each had travelled on in life. Further degrees, jobs, marriages, kids and worldly matters had hauled us to different parts of the world. 

Today we packed our bags and travelled back to meet those who had vanished two decades from our radar.

Today we travelled back to renew those memories that were tucked away in corners of our minds.

Today we travelled back to pause life for three days.

Anila, Neena, Anita, Reds, Shiva, Surendra, Kadhi and me formed the first gang.

On the train journey to Mysore, the instant chatter that began at 11.00 am and paused only when we alighted from the train. In two cars we headed to Silent Shores Resort and Spa. 

We checked into four mini bungalows.  This was just perfect. The open space outside the two rows of bungalows was so right for the gossip session post dinner.

 KRS was cancelled in favour of the college campus. No one could stop us from visiting the campus immediately.

And as we entered the campus with a flutter in our heart, we realised that the campus had changed. The English department building had more gates. There were more walls. The lobby had a huge roll of honour of all principals. We invited ourselves into the principal’s office. Dr Rao entertained us in the conference room and a good discussion ensued for the next half an hour.

We went to our classrooms; sat like students, behaved like juniors, then like seniors and spoke loudly of memories of each room. Each heart ruminated on so many other unspoken ones.

From there we walked into the canteen crossing the library. Sadly the canteen was closed. Proceeding to Ganga hostel we found that closed for renovation too. 

The Campus seemed to be speaking loud and clear: Change is inevitable. Do not look for what you left. Face what you see now. Life moves on.

With these thoughts we moved on to Ms.Prema Raghavan’s home. A beautiful couple in a perfect home, Mr Raghavan and Prema ma’am entertained us patiently for almost an hour. It was a privilege to meet one of the most influential person in our lives.

From there we went to meet N.S.Raghunath Sir, one teacher who helped us become the teachers we are  today. In a world that is as intellectual as he is, NSR ( as he was called in college) was strong as ever with the fire in his belly against corruption and mediocrity in academic life.

Contentedly, we went back to the resort. Post dinner, we brought the sofas out and all of us settled in the open air. Gossiping and chatting about how life has taken us, how we all are in good spaces and how we feel blessed about the chance life gave us to meet!

The next morning we were joined by Deepa Nair, Naveen and Ramkumar. Once again we headed to the campus. The call of the Campus was just too intoxicating!

We headed to that corner of the ground where we were subjected to the first few instances of ragging. The place where we were ragged by our seniors was now cemented. As we stood there taking selfie we met a present day student whom we promptly ragged. Madhu was sporting enough to humour us and even accompanied us as a photographer. On campus we met Harini, who now teaches at DMS. And did the teacher bunk class to sneak in some tea and biscuits at Kalpavalli! Once again all settled down to chatting. Every plan that we made was redone over and over again and finally we realised there is no time to do much but head to the city and have lunch. So as we dropped Harini and left the campus, we heaved a sigh of contentment.

So we manoeuvred our way to RRR, a favourite haunt during the heavenly days of college. Ramkumar now bid goodbye to us and we herded ourselves back to the resort.

We went back to the resort only to welcome Sona and  Gangamma who joined us for dinner. As we bid goodbye to Gangamma and her family, we realised that the group kept growing and diminishing as the two days progressed.  People joined us, spent time and went away. We went on like a river embracing all who came along. We watched with pain and tears when people said bye. We rejoiced with those who remained.

Girls can spend a whole night gossiping and girls will be girls, irrespective of their age! We, girls spent the night, till FIVE a.m chatting and gossiping. We gossiped about what we knew, gossiped about what we didn’t, gossiped about each one in class, in college and gossiped about ourselves. We disclosed long hidden stories, heard unheard stories, and shared concerns about classmates, husbands and children. We shared fears and worries, cheered our victories and triumphs and refused adamantly to sleep! We savoured every minute of the journey. We hung on to every moment so that the memories last a life time.

When we boarded the bus to Bangalore, we hoped that this time round life doesn't make us wait another twenty years. 

The dust has settled. The hangover is gone. The humdrum of routine has set in. The memories are ever alive for me to cherish and hold close to my heart.