The final objective test of the year was over, and the moment had finally come when I could say that I had completed twenty percent of my journey as an IITian. Others say-'I am 25%
engineer' or 'I am 20% scientist', but I disagree. After all, this was only the first-year, and we have hardly started studying courses that actually pertain to our branch....
Anyway I return to my room, to start my preparations to leave KGP. It had been an eventful year for me here. Though I had mostly turned away from the extra-curricular after a shockingly low GPA of 7.25, I cannot quite say that I had spent my 2nd semester as a goody nerd 'maggu', which is what one has to be, unfortunately to get a respectable GPA of more than 8.5. I was sure that I had done better than the last semester (or at least could say that I was about get better grades than what was assigned to me) but who was to say that God would not send down a bolt from the blue, and get me all red over my not-so-golden gradesheet.
Enough of that; moving on. I came to my room, and spent the next few days alternatively packing my many belongings and packing up my 160 GB hard drive with goodies-softwares, their tutorials, movies, songs and all those stuff that one requires to survive. Once I was loaded and locked I set out on an epic journey to the Civilised West from the Wild East, a journey that would take an not-so-adventurous young man to his destiny-a well earned three month break from academic life, where one was free to pursue a course of life as one wished, as one always wanted...
And where exactly was one going?
Mumbai-largest, populous, popular and glamourous, with its lights, big buildings and fantastic hang-out spots, seemed too far away from here, IITKGP, which was everything I have mentioned about Mumbai, but in a not-so-awesome way, which can't be explained...
I have come along way since I used to be small, innocent and, possibly, likeable. And now, I was at a juncture of my life when people take one look at me and mutter with a frown, 'Teenagers!' Being a target of stereotypes was something we teenagers had come terms to with our own way-ignorance.
I sensed my fellow passengers' trepidition when I sat down at my seat. As if I would jump at their luggage and start shredding their valuable into little pieces in front of their eyes. Just one-an old lady struck up a converstion with me.
'Where are you headed?'
'Mumbai', I was honest to say the least.
'You are in shipping business here?'
I was taken aback at that question, but cottoned on soon, having faced with similar absurd questions before.
'No, I am at IIT Kharagpur, first year, actually.'
I didn't look around at the others, though I was aware of their eyes on me - I had learned a long time ago how to avoid being a conversation about how IITs would lose their sheen soon, and how IITians were contributing to brain drain.
'Excuse me.' I said and climbed up to the top berth. It was 10:00 PM anyway.
Seat No. (something)
The 'epic' journey came to an end, just like all bad things do (yeah, they do!), and I set foot in the station floor, breathed in the station air, and immediately coughed: change was in the air. Change is good, but it'll take time to befriend it.
2 comments:
Good start!! Keep rocking Hota...........
amazing!!
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