We part only to meet again.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat, But always keep that hunger.
I hope you still feel small when you stand by the ocean,
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance ,
I hope you dance.

As I feebly attempt to pack up my stuff and prepare myself mentally to face the scary reality that this time I will pack never to unpack again within the boundaries of BITS Goa,  I wonder “WHERE THE HELL DID THE 4 YEARS GO?”

I still clearly remember getting an admission offer from BITS. Feeling way too excited on the prospect of spending the next 4 years in Goa. The 36-hour long train journey through the breathtaking Konkan rail route. Arriving at Vasco and feeling the ever slight Portuguese touch in everything. Taking a cab next morning to the campus. Entering the gate and staring at the astounding beauty everywhere. Moving to my hostel room and unpacking my bags. Trying to make small talk with the guy opposite to me in the evening and ending up listening to him crib about the fact that he didn’t get into IITK which was located in his hometown. Going to the common room and being welcomed by a booming voice of a barely 40-kg guy trying fruitlessly to teach everyone some stupid card game and then thinking to myself, “If this featherweight banshee keeps screaming his lungs out, we might need an ambulance pretty soon”.

The first lecture in LT1 packed with 300-odd faces and a lady teacher trying to explain to a over-excited lad that she indeed was “Mr.” Bheeraj Dehl (name changed to ensure anonymity :P). The handful of future 10p’s firing away their doubts at the lecturer much to the agony of the rest *sane* people. Going to Monginis in the evening amongst the constant fear of getting ragged. Actually getting ragged. And then the incident involving He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (Sometimes I think it was all because our Freshers’ Party was named “Scream”).

Late night horror movies at the “Giant Sardar’s” room. First T1. First disappointment at getting below average marks (Who would have known, at that time, that it will slowly and eventually become a habit?). First CGPA card, the resolve to study harder next sem and then watching it fade away whilst bunking classes, watching movies and playing CS. Getting into fights with people – seniors, batch-mates and juniors alike.

And then some really unexpected events- India winning the T20 CWC, the 7th April Maggi Revolution, sacking of the “Bitsian Hitler” and the true rise of college democracy, the unfortunate Jaundice outbreak and finally India being crowned cricket champions. (2007 batch: Veni Vidi Vici )

Things I will miss: Beer, Bogmalo, CS, classes that I never attended, DC++, bike trips, the shocked expression on the professors’ faces on seeing me in the exam hall (“Is this guy really in my course?”) and a handful of really special people (in strictly alphabetical order) – Ajay, Ajju, Anshu, Atul, Deepika, Kinshuk, Lakhmeet, Mohit, Puru, Rituj, Shraddha, Varun.

Signing off,

As we go on, we remember,
All the times we had together.
And as our lives change, from whatever,
We will still be, friends forever.