We had this beautiful chapel in the campus. Daily we wud go to pray there, and then sit on the ledge near by. The landscape was beautiful and one cud sometimes hear the muted strains of devotional songs from afar. We cud watch the sun setting into the greenery behind the ledge. During these times, we wud share stories of home.
When it was the bday of one of us, the rest wud get up earlier than the bday girl, arrange the room, and set the study table with an assortment of cards and gifts. In the evening the bday girl had to treat her gang at the college canteen.
Like I mentioned before,our campus was beautiful, and sometimes on holidays, when the climate was pleasant, one just could not think of spending the day studying. It was sheer bliss to curl up in the bed by the window and read some book.
We even had a couple of midnite feasts on the sly, inspired by Enid Blyton! We bought fruits, sweetened condensed milk, chips and other such goodies. My gang mates wud be from different rooms, and wed stay awake until midnite. At the appointed hour, each of us gang members wud sneak into the venue room, rustle up a fruit salad with the fruits and condensed milk. I hated fruits and so I was allowed to lick the milkmaid can empty-yummmmmy! We hogged the goodies, as if we had been starving , amidst suppressed laughter. We dressed up funnily and took snaps too! More than anything it was the thrill of doing something secretively. It is another matter that some girls got wind of our escapade and complained to the warden, but the case remained unproved!
Have participated in a few harmless pranks- we put up -just married- sign on our wardens door!-chuckle!- we had heard this folk lore of a love failure regds this good looking warden. And u know what, she wud doze off mid sentence in class, assemblies! We had our own pet hostel ghost , and she wore anklets too! There were several mango trees in the campus, and we used to steal the mangoes. I hated fruits but somehow those stolen mangoes were delicious!
When a visitor arrived for a girl, it was party time for all. We wud pounce on the eatables as if we were refugees from Ethiopia, we wud adopt the said friends folks and they wud reciprocate the affection obligingly. Day scholars were compelled to bring lunch for us hostelites cos, we wud ransack their tiffin boxes anyway. But they never grudged us this favour, I remember how one of my day scholar friends mom wud send me payasam (pudding) on my bday to the college. Another friend wud daily bring dosas for me.
There were a couple of occasions, when the hostel parlour became the venue for -Bride seeing ceremony - for a friend! All of us wud be so excited.
The lecturers were quite friendly and jovial. They magnanimously excused our pranks, becos somehow we managed to score fairly good marks in the exams.
Three years simply sped away, and tho there were good times and bad times, today when I look back I can remember only the good times. The sharing, caring, petty jealousies, envies, the pranks and fun times. The final year, we savoured each minute.The farewell party, the convocation ceremony were all poignant. The last days were sorrowful. Collecting autographs, addresses, photos, promises to keep in touch forever- today, tho Im in touch with a few of my friends, there are many others whose whereabouts I know not. For three years, we all lived tgether as a family, and then went our ways.
But those three years were special, it was a learning ground for me in several ways, and I loved my hostel Life. Once again, the tears flowed freely, but this time it was because I was leaving the hostel, my friends and a beautiful slice of life behind!
No comments:
Post a Comment