Friday, October 14, 2005

To BITS, with love

Today, I talk of a small place that housed many dreams, aspirations and a single spirit that bound many people together. It housed me, a tiny dot in that big ocean.

Some months back, Amrita asked me, "You are still rooted to that place, aren't you?" That shouldn't come as a surprise. The place she was talking about, is a speck in the Rajasthan map: Pilani. That day, she was the victim of my rambling.

What would you call this - Irony? I talk of a place that has almost been shadowed, after the turn of events in my life. I came out an engineer, and now I am a writer. I think of this place and all the events linked to it, everyday, even if it means, in a trivial way. It's almost four years since I graduated and the bitsian slang still refuses to slip out of my routine..

It simply isn't easy to forget. The moments of pride that came with wearing those bitsian tee-shirts, the hungama in the trains, when travelling from Madras to Delhi and back, the group of friends that came together in the most unusual way, the first birthday at BITS with people painting your face, the corridors, the classrooms, the EEE lectures, the never ending list of tests, the mess food, the lawns, the 5 maddening days of OASIS, the spirit of our cultural departments, the innumerable treats, the blooming romances, the crushes, the trips, the laughs, the smiles, the sighs and the tears, the affection of the sweetest friend, her never ending support, the solitary rides on my bicycle round the campus, the chilly winters, the warm razais, the lazy wintry afternoons, the beautiful february spring,


the miserable summer heat, the tired PCs, the gossips, the small monthly budgets, my room, my cupboard, my table, my bank account, the home sickness, the letters (no, not mails), the night outs, the gatecalls, the professionalism that grew in you, the small successes, the heart breaking failures, the spirit to fight on, the 'just for the heck of it' pictures, the farewells,the second home, the people, their variety, the place, the place made most beautiful by the people in it..It's they who carved the beautiful memories that I cherish now..It simply isn't easy to forget.

Talk about reflections. Now, hasn't it really been a while?

Sometimes I wonder why I resist change so much, why I find it so difficult to go with the flow. Friends, with whom I have spent almost every minute of my time, now seem so distant and far away. In no time, our lives have taken totally different paths, from a period where we flowed together.

Change, it is so hard to live with. But, that's the way life works.. It's tough, but I just move on, holding these memories along..

This is to BITS, with love..

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

The weekend bloggers' meet was nice. Only two bloggers though!

And it should be "nights out" and not "night outs".

Live!

Anu said...

Mo, me enjoyed it as well!! :) Btw, "night out" is a singular word in bitsian terminology..so, night outs was an intentional usage!! Just for your information..

S m i t h a said...

>>It simply isn't easy to forget.
I know exactly what you mean.

DD said...

It's the change that makes you cherish the past and hold it close to your heart, else it gets boring!

Hey, I remember those nights when we huddled around on your bed and browsed through your BITS yearbook(or whatever it is called), the comments against each of your friends, the photos taken there, Guggy joining you in the discussion on slang and lecturers and anything BITSian! :-)

RS said...

Amen.

Anu said...

s m i t h a , glad you get what I mean..:)

dd.:)..the good ol' bangalore days..I of course remember those nights when we sat with my yearbook (yes, yes, it is the yearbook!) and I went on and on..with guggy, the junior by my side..:)..Cherish those days! and glad you remember them..

RS..:)

Anonymous said...

Anu...Though I m not a BITS'ian this post kindled memories of my good old college days at REC Trichy

Kavya

Suudhan said...

I think we both have a lot in common..It was like you wrote what i think...It was great to read my thoughts written out to me by someone outside me...I guess this post changed my dull mood today..I will be more cheerful..thanks to this post!

Unknown said...

Nobody understands wanting things to stay the same like we do. we were happy! Okay, and we tried really hard to keep things from changing, but everyone else graduated, got jobs and, and moved on. They all changed. So, we're giving change a shot, and it has been hard. But, okay, just hoping things stay the same, it doesn’t work. (with small changes to Joey's dialogue)

Vani Viswanathan said...

:)
some bits slang just refuses to drop out of your vocab....not only do they stick to you, some have come to me too! ;)
but here....things are so different...no letters or gate calls...so many things taken for granted...none of that girly stuff that you guys could enjoy in your hostel!! sooooo different!!

Anu said...

Kavya, hi! thanks for taking the time to leave a comment..so you are an REC-trichy product..My cousin is one and she keeps telling me all the fun that she used to have.I have seen their yearbook as well..pretty close to ours! :)

Suudhan, glad that this post made you bounce back from your dull state..:)

Piggy..what a dialoguee!! :O..But that essentially is it, as much as I resist change, I have learnt to flow with it..but it is just that it gets really hard on you!

Vani, who else knows better abt what I talk?? :p..

Art said...

Well college memories are always so sweet... be it near home or far away...

I miss college too...

Eroteme said...

:-) Very nicely and simply captured. I am sure it must have been a wonderful time. A few of my friends from BITS would go on and on about what they did in their hostel rooms (including the censorable stuff ;-)... Glad you have something to carry with you. Do you plan to visit it soon? Maybe you should... just once...
:-)

Agnibarathi said...

@Anu - Do you know somebody by the name Jayalakshmi Swaminathan from BITS?

Sunita said...

I knew a Priya Viswanathan from BITS and the same story .... She is rooted there :)

Anu said...

Hi art, I can understand..:)

Eroteme..Thanks..:)...They are indeed wonderful memories..I would love to visit the place once again, but I have heard that the place has changed quite a bit. I am not sure whether I would really want to erase the images that I have in my mind..:)

Sriram C S, I do know a Jayalakshmi, but I don't know whether she is Jayalakshmi Swaminathan..:)

Sunita..:)..Another Viswanathan and a similar story! :)

amrit said...

This is only the fifth sem for me and your blog makes me feel so nostalgic about my college that I cant even express.

Anu said...

Amrit, thanks for leaving a comment..College years are some of the best in our lives, that are hard to get back..Enjoy when you are at it!! good luck! :)

ck said...

anu, memories!!! how valuable they to each and every one. I evokes so much happiness that you feel overwhelmed. You post evoked my college memories too!!! Thank you

BTW, i am dd's college buddy!!!

Anu said...

hi ck! good to see you here..glad this post made you revisit your college memories!!