By Aditi Jain & Gautami Nair 11/03/2021
College is a crazy time, a time to learn, to figure out ourselves, to be on our own, and to start to understand life. It is a totally different atmosphere full of energy and radiance. In short, between fresher and farewell, life happens.
I was fortunate enough to leave my home and take a giant leap to a big city for my graduation. It offered me a range of opportunities and ways to explore every side of my personality. Coming from a small city, the exposure offered was quite vivid, although scared, I was not alone, every fresher went through the same rush of emotions. For every weekend, my plan was set to explore new corners of the city and also to actively engage in college activities.
Brimming with excitement and joy, I was all set to enlarge my social circle and tried to keep up the pace with the new cultural trends that I encountered. Along with academics, the College offered numerous opportunities to be the artist I always wanted to be and the world outside college was like a set of windows with each window offering a different approach to life. Some students sought positions, some for knowledge, others for freedom, and yet others for money… In this quest, our dreams and potentials were umpteen and unending.
But this bubble burst with time. We all got comfortable in our small circles and spaces which stopped us from exploring the new. Now we were more concerned about making a career and building our resumes, in short, running after the future. And then with the blink of an eye one global pandemic changed everything. After the mid-semester break, I never saw the college gates again. Classes, reunions, and exams all happened via virtual mode and unfortunately, I graduated amidst a pandemic.
Now just left with the wistful memories of my college days, I scroll through the pictures which leave me teary-eyed with a broad smile and I wish if somehow I knew the future, I might have enjoyed myself more while staying in the present. All our lives we think about how to make our future pleasant and miss out on small things in the present. No doubt planning is important for life, but there is no harm in being spontaneous at times.
At any point of time in life, one always has two options: to operate from a space of fear or to let the heart guide one's decisions. And at times, it is necessary to listen to your heart and surrender over everything else.
We often say that 'we'll do this later' (Baad mein karte hain) trying to assess our present situation and avoid breaching the limits of our comfort zones. But today, I would say, 'step out and do things right away'. There is no 'best time' to do the thing we want to, it becomes what we perceive of it and let us seize every opportunity coming our way.
I can still study for my career, still work hard to make my job profile, but the college fests, concerts, trips which we canceled just out of fear or some limitations are the things which I will miss for not doing at that very moment. And now with a heavy heart, I realise that I've missed the deadline to relive those moments again.
College is all about meeting new people which exposes us to different cultures and teaches us to understand their behaviour. It's memories of all the foggy mornings, gossips at chai- sutta- Maggi adda, tedious afternoon lectures, faces of the grumpy gatekeepers, and hilarious hostel life that will stay with us even long after when we've climbed the ladders of success. It is a life that we get to live only once so let us live it to the fullest. This unprecedented lockdown created a huge void in our social lives but instead of sulking around, it's better to remember the important thing which it taught us and that is "to do it right away."
EXpresso0506
So true 🥺
It's heart breaking but true!