A year of just 18 days!

Sitting in the HA1 compartment of Navjeevan Express for the very first time in my life- a meld of emotions cross my mind- happiness at being selected to CSIR-CFTRI, sadness of leaving behind my friends at Anand, the confusion of what’s next and the joy of re-uniting with my family back home.

WTF? A year of only 18 days?

How can that be?

Even if we were to be the denizens of mercury, one calendar year would have 88 days- the least for any planet of the solar system.

Don’t jump the fence such sooner. You read it, you get it!

Let me remind you that in my last blog titled “The Call That Never Came”- I had shared with you all, my mysterious CAT-2013 adventure that landed me with a morsel of mud in the mouth.

The story begins so…

Riding high on the back of my excellent GD/PI performance of IIM-A, in which I was damn sure of being selected, I gave a casual attempt to the prestigious 19^th All India ICAR PG Entrance Examination-2014. I was, after all, #1 in subject category Dairy Technology in 2013, so I underestimated it to be a cakewalk this year too.

Guess what?

I was terribly wrong!

Only Ms. Sonia Gandhi (who lost the General Election) could empathize with me. I secured a pathetic rank. My debacle became a talking point among everyone. It was, as if, Indian cricket team lost world cup in the home turf. Jibes were passed, rumors drizzled. I never bothered until I realized that I was waitlisted for IIM-A.

It was right there. Utter failure, staring right into my face. In the eyes of the world, I was like Roger Federer, struggling to keep his form.

All ridiculed, some stood, a few understood but many left.

Breather came in when I secured a seat in the subject of my choice (Dairy Engineering) but not from the College of my choice (the NDRI, Karnal). People with direct knowledge said I would be a bloody-second-rung-post-graduate in my field of choice, if I graduated from the College I was allotted (SMC College of Dairy Science, Anand, Gujarat).

My gut said, “Something is better than nothing at all.”

I joined, albeit reluctantly, at SMC College on August 1, 2014 into Dairy Engineering. With confusion & sadness skewed largely across my face, I started my journey along with 6 more brats (of various other disciplines).

Dramatis-personae

1. Sakharam Pande – the handsome, hard-working stud
2. Sachin – his TT does all the talk for him
3. Gajanan – the humorous guy with instant wit
4. Divyang – the lover-boy
5. Arjun Chaudhary – the guy obsessed with studies
6. Rajak – a serious movie buff

Some other cool personalities I was glad to be acquainted to:

1. Nilesh Vaghela – Creativity re-defined
2. Mahesh – Silent hero
3. Ashwin – Scientist in the making
4. Kalpak – Friend of friends
5. Tridev – always happening brat!

I don’t remember a single day in the past one year (since August 12, 2013 when I graduated) when I -

laughed so heartily

slept without a thing on my mind

kicked someone on the butt and got kicked too

got a recharge without actually paying for it

roamed in the night for a hot choco-fudge

made silly reasons to the night-watchman to escape Rector’s reprimands

sat on the road talking about which chick of our class had the hottest legs

passed insane remarks about the mundane Gujju food

learned it wasn’t a serious crime to comment at a girl’s lipstick color

lasciviously spied on someone’s first crush

learned that the Theory of “Hasee to Phasee” is indeed true

sang to the top of my voice- and got thrown out from my own room for it!

was caught watching movie when I was supposed to be in library.

And the list doesn’t just end there! A tear or two trickle down my cheek now and then as I write this. So, what is that these brats of mine have taught me:-

They’ve taught me it’s OK not to take life too seriously- we miss the minutest of the joy and happiness by being so. GPAs and ranks don’t reciprocate into mutual egos. Sometimes it’s good not to compromise. And above all, friendship doesn’t require any real reason to start- strength of friendship is not gauged by the length of the time but by the depth of the emotional attachment.

Thanks for all those wonderful days, of happiness and laughter, of joy and cheer. This 18 days’ worth of brotherhood shall remain in the deepest cores of my heart. I realized God sent me to Anand to cheer up my otherwise boring and sedentary life- he gave me a year full of happiness within these 18 days. Thanks to Him for everything.

I miss you all…