An irrational decision. Work Thrift. Futile Time. The apprehension of staring into the kingdom which you thought you owned to be conquered by younger shoes. The fear of the smiling face who know you, but you forgot his name.
The joy of reminiscing the time troubling the keyboard, frustrating the teachers, teasing the friends. My decision was made. So many reasons and people to tell me to spend another day tapping the keyboard,copying the code and cursing the lecturer. Logic into the dustbin, the smile back on face, the best clothes in the wardrobe back to where it belongs, i muttered,”Alma mater beckons!”.
48 hours little did i know, I would be spending a day in the far corners of Yelahanka, the lakes away from the din of the corporate world. Away from all the code who continue to bug with you although people still say the bug is in the program! And yeah, those TV ads which show your alma mater covered with leaves, black and white, broken desks, those walls where you wrote your name and that place where you used to chat with your crush do not come rushing back. On the contrary, its so much good to be coming back as an alumni.
The same teachers who scolded you,slapped you suddenly wear an adoring smile. The “submit your blue book ” replaced by a sweeter “What you doing?”. But the icing on the cake has to be a lecturer buying me coffee. The same hands which once fined me now buys me a coffee. The coffee did taste a lot better. Yeah, the old caterer was finally replaced.
Buildings change, teachers change, your college changes, you change. But these bloody friends. They still pull your leg the same way they pulled your leg when your waist size was a couple of inches lesser, when your head were not weighed by the past 3 year's experience. Never mind, the odd quip about our secret 'adda's that we had in our not so big college, the talks still remain same.
But if there is something that has really changed are the juniors. Yeah, my juniors. Rather, our juniors. Six months is a long time in engineering life. Although, only 2 lines of resume is what you add in that period, so many chapters in life are written during those four years. Hearing their stories of increasing projects and assignments does invoke that little sarcastic pleasure in us! After all, didnt we too go through the same phase where we cursed our teacher every hour? Yeah, the same teacher whom I came all the way to meet. A few genuine problems, too which all we could was give an elder brother's shoulder. A few words, which did sound wise. Although, their young faces gave the same reaction that we used to when our elders advised us. I had become the boring fellow, that I had warned myself against. To their credit, the juniors did try to hear with intent whatever nonsense we spoke!
A small regret of not being able to meet someone special. Nevertheless, the end of the day, sweet! My sister had brought me a chocolate. But the sweeter gift was she accompanied me in bus till home. Sheer sweetness.
