My last college...
Oh! I will miss you!!!
The golden brown furnished chairs,
The class bunking dares,
The Roll call that I seldom gave a miss,
My corner in the room where feet took me in a brisk.
The Four letter acronym that is IIFT,
Is much more than the salary that is hefty,
Is a place where spirits toil hard,
Is a college which houses both the baron and the bard.
The envelope of a haunted forest and a sacred monastery,
Makes the rain and the winter that much more blistery and misty,
The small area which we called home for the last two years,
Rested our emotions, allayed our fears.
It all started on the 1st of July 2009,the year of yonder,
The room in the old hostel, our abode of dreams and wonder,
Can`t help but remember the unforgiving heat that greeted us all,
The first few weeks brought all the misfortunes, the PD`s rubbed in the gall.
I cant place the fast moving college 'Gas‘ or lectures,
The blur of the subjects now a hazy memory, their relevance mere conjectures,
In formals we trotted in groups, serious and ambitious, ego`s all rosy,
DCP was the latest talk of the town, thanks to the participants, my life was more cozy.
In between the chaos, the three D`s helped the battered saints,
Feet sore from the tango, voice hoarse from the guzzlings,classroom snores were the natural vents,
The hangover of the fun was doused by the early morning yoga in the atrium,
The work never stopped though, in moan and in merry the sleep was at a premium.
I recollect the hurried breakfast, I remember the case studies that never crack,
The last minute entry in the class, that earnest call for break,
Seldom had we got the learnings slide down the throat,
For the tea and the patties took precedence, the knowledge never made us bloat.
I had an on-off relationship with the mess food,
The dhabas were the oases, the paranthas oily, spicy and good,
Tanku`s was the place to go specially in winters,
CCD was good, too expensive though, paying hands developed cankers.
The rat race of summer internship that started in the early October,
Left us short of breathing space, but failed to get us sober,
I loved the sports here; I adored the competitive vibe,
Bring on the UWL again; bring back the cheers and the jibe.
Delhi was welcoming me in its arms slowly,
Friends were making the place more beautiful, getaways were more jolly,
Parties on the hostel floors were events that spelled gay abandon,
Giving birthday bumps to all and sundry was a tradition.
The hostel life swept me away from my comfort zone,
The clothes on my chair were more or less a spiraling cone,
Managing the affairs was initially difficult,
Study table was littered, the unclean bed was a common cult.
Finding order in randomness was something I learned here,
Priceless moments to savour and countless seconds to spare were born here,
Symposiums was a new word I learned here,
A euphemism for all day boring sessions,Oh Dear!,
Quo Vadis was again a word alien to me before,
But the fun flowed in contrast, the frolics galore.
Second year brought the much awaited freedom,
New hostel became our den, our new fiefdom,
The TV room was the place I spent most of my leisure time,
For the TT and the Foosball were addictive, missing them I considered crime.
This is the place where I understood the meaning of rooting in unity,
World cup didn’t last long, a real pity,
I will remember the exciting times we had as a batch,
Earthquake or fire, bring `em on, they will never match.
I thank my industrious project partners for the toil which I gave a miss,
I extend my gratitude to the CR`s whose Gentle Reminders were a bliss,
God send were those who listened to my drunken tirades,
My friends! Who understood my griefs,ecstasy and my charades.
I celebrated a lot in the last two years of my lifetime here,
Chain mails,PPO`s,PPI`s,Competitions kept the mood aloft, upped the beer,
Movies,Rajinder or it was Karim`s,we grew into party hungry monsters, intestines close to tear,
Top of the world was the place where the final salvo of songs was played, joy unbound, no fear.
Placements season soon showed its ugly head,
I struggled and juggled, finally got a worthy shed,
Fingers became all sore from the placement portal applications,
Voices became all hoarse from the ever vociferous batch meets or confrontations.
This was an experience worth every ounce in gold,
We came here with few sands of time, now going back with a solid mould.
I shrugged off the Go-IIFT-Go cry as a mere childish act then,
But as I recall everything that has transpired, it is more apt an act of grown up men,
Now specially when it is a moment to Go from IIFT,for good!
I ask for forgiveness from those I hurt, my shortcomings I brood!
All the people I met, all those whom I can`t know,
Know this, my heart goes out to each of you, my head does a double bow,
From Rajni fans to the downloading quizmasters,
Our batch had them all, be it baby-cribbers or exam-jesters.
The batch of 9-11, am proud to say I was a part of,
A special bunch, eclectically genuine, well sort of!
I will miss your presence, your sight, your din,
Last two years, the bond became more than friendship, I consider you as my kin.
Seniors,Juniors,teachers,staff,thank you all, we had a gala time together,
Now it’s time for us to fly, lend us the joy feather,
For it was IIFT that held me in its cocoon,
This is the last I will see of the great spire of the admin block, empty will be the nigh noon!
Ps:
66, 94,202,102,307 were some of the numbers that defined me for the last 2 years,
I will do very well to remember the people that defined these numbers sans any tears.
