ADIOS....

Each and every new journey brings with itself new hurdles and challenges and along with that we also catch hold of few people who help us through the journey making it worthwhile. I too have such people in my life who help me, solve my doubts, give me courage and motivate me to reach my aim. These are my friends.

When i entered IBS, i was cautious and had all sorts of ideas about people around. But never once thought to find such a wacky group where anything and everything is possible. When we all come together we have time of our lives. From sitting in the canteen (all day long cos of tushki to help him bird watch :) .. i guess i might be killed for this) to loitering around in the college to going to dhabha or for late night walks (that would be me pestering everyone), we have done everything. I still remember the fights we have had over Delhi - Mumbai (though i still agree Delhi is the best :P ), heated discussions over politics and endless talks about movies (Yeah we all are big time movie buffs ... ). Oh!! how can i forget our outings and trips which would be planned for days and then postponed due to assignments and submissions which are part and parcel of life at B-school. With lips drooping and face sulking some would go to Ramulu for pepping up and others like me would go to Osman Sagar lake ( can you imagine i have been there 5 times, i think no one in the college would have been such a frequent visitor) .

Many ask me what is it that you will remember the most from these past two years. For me it is not one moment which i can say is special but each and every moment spent with my friends is memorable to me. Be it trip to Srisailam, Vizag or even Ramoji film city ( which was by far the most embarrassing one for me n now dont ask me why :( .. ) , each carry a special memory. Even the auto rides where we all use to sing at top of our voices thinking that we are descendants of Tansen is unforgettable. The way we use to take the case of our teachers (remember the 1st sem guys ;) .. gosh how can we even forget), the times we supposedly went to library for studies but ended up sleeping and snoring on the the sofa (hehe) and yeah the birthdays - full of dirt, left over food, kicks and boxes and hardly any cakes ; all are memories worth a lifetime.

In IBS i have not found friends but a small and close knit family where everyone loves each other and at the same time fight with each other. Even though all are strange people with weird habits, they are dear to me.Since, the session is coming to the end, i find it difficult to bid goodbye. So, here's a small poem which captures my feelings and says it all

As we walk our path of life,
We meet people everyday.
Most are simply met by chance.
But, some are sent our way.

These become special friends
Whose bond we can't explain;
The ones who understand us
And share our joy and pain.

Their love contains no boundaries.
So, even we are apart.
Their presence enhances us
With a warmth felt in the heart.

This love becomes a passageway,
When even the miles disappear.
And so, these friends, God sends our way,
Remain forever near.

Life in a hostel !!!

I still remember the very first time when i heard that i might have to go to a hostel for further studies. I was so scared and worried. All my life i have lived with my parents, protected and pampered by them. The thought of being far away from them that too for 2 years was enough to give me goose bumps. I was wondering that what in the world has happened that my parents are sending me away. Am i becoming too much of a burden?

While coming to IBS, Hyderabad (my soon to be college) to give my interview, i had full intentions to screw it up ( n i actually thought that i did). But all my planning and calculations got a hit when i received my call letter where it was clearly mentioned that i have successfully made it to IBS. Half halfheartedly i boarded the Delhi - Hyderabad flight still with the hope that maybe its all a dream. But to my disappointment and fantasy of it being a dream, 2 hours later there i was, standing at the new Shamshabad airport of Hyderabad, with my whole cupboard packed. The journey from the airport to the college was a task in itself. Reason being that the college is situated on the outskirts of the city (30 kms away can u imagine!! How n where will I party?) and 40 kms from the airport. Somehow i managed to reach the college with my supposedly happy spirits intact ( for my parents sake who all seemed happy about the prospect that i was going to a hostel). With heart thumping hard, blood gushing into my ears and fear of the unknown i entered my college gate. At this point of time i was not thinking about the different and exciting life i'l be having but how little time was left with me to spend with my parents. After setting up my room and filling the formalities, my parents left me in this alien world where i didnt know any one. Here i was supposed to fend for myself. The days of hot coffee in bed and "sleep my child you are studying since long" was gone.

So,begins my life in a hostel. Hostel life is very different from what i had perceived it to be. Being fed by the Hindi movies, i always imagined hostel consisting of stern female wardens, dormitory full of girls and late nights doing loads n loads of work. But that's not the case. Hostel life is supposed to be full of fun n masti. The part where stern female wardens n late nights are concerned is perfectly true but with a slight difference. We are awake the whole night not doing work but watching movies, updating ourselves with the latest gossips and listening to music. In between all this if we get time assignments and submissions are also remembered.

If we see, hostel has a lot to teach us. Till few days back i hated my parents for sending me to the hostel, but now i know the rationale behind their move. It was not because they hated me or didnt love me. Infact it's probably one of the toughest decision that they took. They sent me to make me a person of substance. Hostel teaches you to be independent ( atleast to me it has taught that), makes you value friendship and people around, helps you to take your own decisions in life ( that i'm still learning). During my hostel life i have seen the worst and the best of times where my friends have been a constant support (truly guys without you all, things would have been difficult). Here i have seen people change, some being positively others negatively. Hostel is a place where you commit mistakes and learn. It develops your personality not completely but surely enough to make others see the change in you. However hard have i criticized my parents for sending me here, i now feel its the best decision they have taken.