An year ago.........

First day in college!!!!

Immediately after the 12th class results were out… the “Mission Admission” started. The ups and downs during that time will make another article so I will directly let u know that I successfully got the course and the college that I wanted. BSc. (H) Physics in Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi.

16th July 2005, Saturday was the first day to independence, enjoyment, fun etc. etc. (as I used to think those days… lol…) One week before the college started, I was debating with myself – what to wear? Do I have to carry books? Notes? Lunch? Money? BAG????? Our college had an orientation day on 15th July and on that day; other than a long lecture by our cute princi ;), we were given the time-table too. I had to catch the 8’o clock bus to reach the college at 8:40 for the 8:45 class. A good girl as I am, I started the routine from first day and I was off with a ‘rough note’ and ‘lunch’ (coz of mom!!!!!) sharp at 8! The bus journey was certainly THRILLING coz it was practically the first time I was traveling alone… after a big fight/argument with my parents, I won the war and I was there looking outside the bus window… alone , excited, thrilled and confident… getting familiarized with the road that I will be visiting daily for 3 more years!!!On the way to the ‘destination’, I suddenly remembered something called ‘ragging’ and a cold wind froze me for a second! I was reading in the newspapers a week before that our college have some “anti-ragging squad” and the freshers needn’t be afraid of anything. But suddenly in bus I realized – what if seniors r smarter than the princi? What if the “anti-ragging squad” members start ragging? What will they make me do? Should I protest? But I don’t know anybody there! How will I handle the situation? Shall I turn back home? With these questions pouring up my mind… tears flooding the eyes… hands shaking… legs trembling… I realized that at last I have reached! That place had a charm in it and I could feel my lost confidence coming back!

The allotted classroom was in the second floor and I climbed the stairs carefully… counting each step… not letting any ill thoughts to disturb my confidence! Room. No. 259 – with one side opening wooden door – painted blue. Opposite to door were big big windows, which were having broken glass. There were long long wooden benches in 5 rows. A teacher’s wooden chair and a black board which till the last day of 1st year was addressed as the “smallest blackboard in the college” by our chemistry sir. There were only 2 students when I stepped inside and one of them was Ayushi, whom I had met when I visited the college for admission and I knew that we r gonna make a pair! And v did! V got seated in the first bench and went on talking and talking and talking and I felt “at ease”! Lots of new faces… some with attitude… some with excitement… some nervous and some ‘absolutely blank!’ soon the room got flooded and I turned back and counted 26 of them! But there were only 20 seats in the college… err… whatever!!!

Then came the seniors with their ‘BAGS’! After introducing themselves, they asked us to do the same! Believe me, by the end of the day, we must have given our intro’s nearly 100 times!! They asked us to get proper school bags as we r gonna carry a lot daily and told us to carry lunch too coz in the 15 min lunch break they said it wont be possible to check out the canteen! The whole portfolio of professors was in front of us within minutes. They gave a long report on which class to bunk / not to bunk... Where to hang out/ where not to... Which books to buy... Which book to refer from library… everything and we were all silently thankful to them for being so nice with us and so we didn’t really mind the little ‘ragging’ part that we had to undergo at-last!