To college
An ode to the first college I went to, And the most cherished one.
#BITSPilani
______________________________
To finding the first few ‘friends for life’
And that treasured safety net of 3 am girlfriends,
To the most memorable birthday surprises
And a carton full of handmade memories
To the first maggi-powered all-nighters,
First test flunkings and post-test Skylab-sulking
To the veg chee moinee, the chofo, the 6 pm redi chai
And the life-affirming 6 buck Shikanji in the summer sun
To the first few ‘walks to remember’
First loves, first heartbreaks
And the ballad writing weeks that followed
To the initial blossomings of teen poets
To the first few hostel secrets,
Wingies, wingmen, wingwomen and the grapevine
First binge-watches, Jams, lachchas, deep ’life’ conversations
And horror movie huddles on winter nights
(Thank DC++)
To the first wave of collective tech-addiction,
Facebook, Orkut, BBM, or dear old Nokia 1100,
First few ‘free SMS packs’, ‘Fb friends’, stalkers and their ’likes’
Smartphones, marking the difference between the haves and have-nots
To first few shutterbug moments
Batch snaps, Dept. snaps, Dopy snaps, Oasis snaps, and what-not
And the inevitable first few brushes with lady-isms
Saree-tying frenzies, hair fixes and make-up bloopers
To the first dates with debauchery
Clandestine fateful eves, shady places, narrow escapes
The excess and the catharsis
And auto driver friends to save the day
(God Bless TC)
To the first real responsibilities shouldered
Startups, Politics, Committees, Teams, Fests, Messes, Clubs, Senate, and what-not
First few meetings and post-mortem sessions,
And serious almost-adult moments
To these, and many more “firsts”
To the hamlet of Pilani we called home,
To growing up together,
Through four very significant years of our lives.
2008C6PS293P. Always.
