My unpretentious and convoluted insight into 2 years of stay in IIITM - Semester I

SEMESTER- I
Day 1- I was keyed up to the brim while boarding the Shatabdi Express. Mixed feelings were surfacing … one reminiscing me of my past in school and DCE… the other thrilling me towards whatever lay ahead in ABV-IIITM.
I was disappointed at the first stare across the campus but the, then Director, Mr D.P.Aggarwal was impressive. I felt I need to emulate his confidence and veracity.

Johney was the first person to whom I introduced myself, next was Ankit followed by the bunch in the hostel (remember meeting Raghavan, Jayant, Girraj, Sudhanshu…..).
Among the girls it was Vandana Mam initially, Anubha and Jyoti were the first from our batch.
Have fond memories of the first stroll with Dhruv, the guy radiated virtuosity throughout the chat. Left me uncertain as to how do I situate myself within this batch of pinnacle performers ?????

Ragging was never an apprehension, my precedent rendezvous helped me carry the flag through troubled waters without much ado…. of course the numerous stumbles are not ruled out.
The preeminent part was the approach with which our batchmates tried to establish intimacy (or sometimes distance themselves…) from each other in the earlier days.

It goes without saying that the first impression cast goes a long way… I could not help admiring people like Johney, Dhruv, Jayant, Ankit, Bharat, Nikhil, Marut, Anubha, Jyoti for the moderations in their conduct during the initial days ( I developed a predilection towards them ).

Next were the festivals starting with Parichay’2003 and Topa’2003…. Were fun!!!.
I state confidently that all hands will raise with unanimity with regards to the find of Topa’03- Ashutosh Uniyal, guy of immense brilliance and grasping power. Till date people exclaim that he does not do justice to his potential…. In the same breadth they are thankful for the same.

Pages kept turning while we got accustomed to the hostel life, method of study, ragging as well. Cricket, table tennis and badminton under lights were the highlights.
On the academic front, the gravity of many of my batchmates ….Marut, Bahri, Yogesh were stupendous springs of motivation for me. Ankit, Ashutosh and myself bought our PC’s after several rounds of consultations from our seniors.

All these accounted for the first three months….. ,meanwhile, Gwalior did not engross me by any means.

The cricket match between India and Australia has marked groovy recollections…. The cheering and the pail of slangs flinged on Symonds and Agarkar!!!!
The final month was by far most exciting- my team with Dhruv made it to the badminton finals but we were, sort of, comprehensively beaten by Prateek sir and Marut. No infamy in being packed down by a superior side. Memories of our official Freshers are still embossed on my grey cells.(….remember Uniyal having a tremendous bout of fever but still made it to the party, only to come back and fall unconscious on the bed….. another week off !!!!!).
We could finally walk hands on shoulders with our seniors, saying hi rather than good mornings and afternoons!!!!
Finally majors dawned, next memoir was myself leaving for home in Taj, eager to discuss the past semester with my soulmate(s) in Delhi.

Life is a mixed bag and likewise was this semester… I discuss the gashing moments now, which made ME vulnerable to rips and trips, CAN’T say about OTHERS…!!!!.
Would like to specially mention that the following are purely my sensitivities …….
NO pun intended, NO fun either..!! Please do not treat the following as themes for heated exchanges within the group.

--- The CR elections and the subsequent altercations with the seniors in the hostel seemed untoward to me. I’d like to quote the centre of attraction then-Alok- is indeed a man with a golden heart. It’s his stimulations which play the spoilsport. Keep a check on them mate and no one can stop you from escalating.

---The question papers episode still seems incongruous. No more comments!!!!

---I noticed guys took great pride in associating themselves with girls…. Looked down upon those who did not do so. People used to concoct their own stories pertaining to this topic, on many occasion I sensed the crocodile in the sea, nevertheless kept mum. The whole proposition seemed obtuse(the most decent word). I was always of the opinion that one spawns his identity at his own behest…. Arrogance due to companionship is nothing but perfidy. (Emotional support is a different issue….. cannot say about physical supports).

---My first visit to the GH turned out to be a bamboozle. Don’t exactly remember the occasion, anyways, let me quote Miss X’s (for obvious reasons) words for me and Dhawal who was alongside me then…..(I overheard her whispering to Miss Y !!!!)
(The English translation)
For Dhawal—he’s a cute guy, seems sane n smart. Don’t be fastidious, he looks like a long shot.
I expected something far more superlative n encouraging… BUT….

For Sanjeev—yeh to pehle din se hi apne liye ladki dhoond raha hain..
So blunt… so perilous… I was amazed how somebody could gather an impression without even talking to me. I thought Miss X possessed tremendous insight….perhaps came out of a dozen affairs.

That signifies the nail clippings for semester I … thank you for patiently reading my piece…. The other semesters follow in the subsequent mails..