End of an era. And what an era it was!

3 years. Went by in a flash. Seems like yesterday when my parents dropped me outside BH3,
mom with tears in her eyes, and drove off. And I was there. All alone. Standing looking at the
back of the car, as it sped away, till I could see nothing of it. New friends, a new life, a new
beginning. It had just started.
 
First year was spent perfecting our definitions of grooming. My first encounter with the word
grooming, in fact! What not we did to make sure that the shoes shone till 6 in the evening, the
hair didn’t move an inch the entire day, etc. Else we had the seniors and every passing faculty
member to point out where we had gone wrong. Irritating then, but looking back now, guess it
was the best thing they did to mould us into what we are now.
 
1st year also meant new relationships were forged. Some superficial, some deep. Some true,
some not so true. But all cherished ones. Gave us a taste of how life was gonna be from here on;
not a cakewalk for anyone of us. Love, lust, trust, selfishness, everything was a part of it. There
are times we wish never came to an end, there are moments we wish never happened. But
everything that happened left a deep impression on our mind and soul. By the end of it, people
had found their 'love', while some had already lost them!
 
TRA. The early morning shifts, the smuggling of cellphones, the constant squabbling with
everyone over there, the secret rendezvous with loved ones in empty pantries and corridors, the
emptying of sneaked coke cans and hogging of pastries, smoking on the hotel’s rooftop and
empty balconies, breaking into the hotel’s servers and messing with the data, fiddling with
Fidelio, going through guests’ rooms, pushing the aged HK trollies with all your strength…I can
go on and on. The first true hotel exposure, and what an experience it was. IHMites own the
damn hotel! Who can forget housekeeping with Thomas and Popat, peeling of onions under the
watchful eyes of Sai chef, buffet setup in the restaurant with Baban and Vikrant, banquets with
Bhagat and Nath, the front office duty with Katayani sir, Somnath sir, etc., and Mr. Menezes
with his impeccable English and funny Hindi accent.
 
Anyhow, IHM took us all in with open arms, and we realized what happened in those 6 months
of first year, was just a glimpse of what was coming ahead....
 
2nd year. First taste of academics. And the whole batch staying together, under one roof for the
first time. Got to know guys who I didn’t know were my batch mates! Volleyball, badminton and
football every night, along with the best seniors, the then 4th years! Live kebab counter. And as
the year progressed, we became masters of CCP, paraphrasing the seniors’ assignments into our
own! Meeting deadlines, begging for extensions, not sleeping and staring at the laptop screens
typing furiously till dawn. Early morning poha with tea at roadside ‘Tapris’. New friends, who
came out of nowhere in the hour of need; new love, to forget the old ones; new promises, to
compensate for the old broken ones. And who can forget the feeling of being a senior in college,
bossing around the newbies, walking around in the campus, as if we own it. The dance
competitions, the commencement day programs, the rock shows...those were the days when
the whole college, friends and foes alike, came together to put up a magnificent facade in front
of students, parents and faculty. The saddest day for me was when the 4th years left. A year
spent together, and it came to an end, abruptly. But, life moves on, as we did into the third year,
with new friends, and some old ones....
 
Academics at its best. The dawn of the 3rd year. What seemed to be a fairly easy start took a
turn for the worst after the Diwali break. Scrambling to gather research data, putting it all in
together to make sense, individual submissions, etc. Add to it the excitement of sitting for
interviews, the ecstasy of getting selected for a company, and the party which always followed.
Though IHMites never needed a reason to land up at Nanda’s to get ‘happy’! I believe any
IHMite who hasn’t had a drink at Nanda’s at least once during his tenure in Aurangabad hasn’t
lived his college life here to the fullest.
 
It’s been a hell of a journey in IHM. Riding upon the expectations of elders, going through the
ups and downs of life like a sine-cos graph (for those who are familiar with trigonometry.
Others, Google it). Though I studied in a boarding school for a few years, I believe this phase of
my life has made me the strongest. Emotionally, spiritually and in a way, physically as well.
 
I have learnt, in this modern society, looks or inner-beauty don’t matter. Money does. I have
learnt being true to others doesn’t pay off. Selfishness does. ‘True friends’ is a myth.
Expectations are hopeless, especially from those who you feel are the closest to you (which, no
one is. Again, an ugly truth). Trust is an over-hyped emotion, easily taken advantage of, and is
broken at all given opportunities. Gossiping, especially bitching about other’s, is the best
pastime. Back-stabbing is a ritual. Love is but a thin string of silk, waiting to be snapped by the
scissors of misunderstanding, ego, untrustworthiness, and loads of other blades. Lust rules here.
And so does Old Monk!
 
I may have sounded cynical before, but believe me, I wouldn’t trade my time in IHM for a million
dollars. I have grown to love this place, and hate it at the same time. I have grown to love those
whom I hated, and love those even more whom I always adored. This was a sacred phase of my
life, a time I believe I have evolved from being just a boy to a man. A man who is about to depart
on his next big voyage, the next phase, that which carries a more heavy burden of
responsibilities, which I’ll sail through on the ship of courage and thoughtfulness, embedded in
me by IHM, by my people here.
 
Loads of other notes will follow mine; some have already been penned down, by more
intellectual brains, with more thoughtful content. But I wanted to share what I felt with those
who have been a part of me since 3 years. Hoping for the best for everyone, I bid a humble
good-bye to all. The next 2 weeks, are gonna be ‘kickass’, and I’m sure everyone is gonna ‘kill-it’
in the exams. Next stop, Mumbai.
 
(P.S. Never typed so much during my three years here for any assignment. This is new to me!)