its time..

As my four and half eventful years at Allahabad as an undergraduate student draw to a close, I cant help but let the mind wander at the events and people, which and who have profoundly affected me and changed me into what I am today. This one goes out to each of you.. This is not an attempt at viewing my life here through rose-tinted glasses while riding the sentimental wave which seems to be gushing around me in these last few days... This is a honest recap or recollection - a diary keeping, i might say, of the past four and half years for my own remembrance in the years to come.. So if you are just here for browsing my blog, please skip ahead, this one might get a bit boring and self indulgent.. and ya, you might not like wat you read here.. yeah.. this one’s not for you, its for me..

The seven people who have had the biggest impact on my life here (in no particular order) :

1. Jegan : By far, my closest friend here..and the person who knows me best here.. we've had our moments, ups and downs, fights and makeups, arguments and discussions, its all been there... i ll be honest.. there have been times when I felt you werent thr for me at some critical moments, but apart from these exceptions, you have been a friend I could count on... second yr comb study sessions, the copter tournaments, the discussions about life and love, the time u got chickenpox, the cricket sessions, your relationships, your frequent visits to your fav place, the horror movies, the knock at 4 am tat night, the 2.5 men and himym sessions, the delhi trip, your anger management therapy, meeting tat gay couple on the train, your obsession for eggs - so many memories.. you made life so much easier for me da.and am thankful for that.. u're of the very few ppl i am confident that I will still be in touch 5-10 yrs down the lane...

2.Vishnu : I guess you are the person I am most indebted to here in this coll.. You opened your doors and welcomed me at a very diff time for me when I could not get a room when I came back from the medical break in first year.. And although your smoking drove me nuts and I could not, for the life of me, figure out why you were wasting your skills and talents, I have to admit that I learnt so much from you and you made a difficult transition a lot easier for me... and thanks for introducing me to malayalam music man.. its a love affair which is still going strong..The philosophy discussions, the music sessions, the pothu kada trips.. I wish I had been a better friend man.. I wish I could have influenced you more than I did.. but anyway, I hope wherever you are now, you do well.. and thanks da.. thanks a lot..

3. Mitesh : Admittedly among all the people in this list, you are the person I have interacted least with and spent the minimum amount of time with.. but theres something about you which I could really connect to at a level which I have not been able to with all the others.. your frank innocence, your amazing sincerity in what you do..your patience, these have all amazed me.. but again, i think you are sometimes too easy going, sometimes u let people take advantage of you.. but you have been one of the most interesting people I have met in this college and its been a real pleasure working with you on the many projects - the manpur trip, the scheider projects, the ge edison challenge, TTH, Enter DA and so many such ones.. and ya, u think way too high of me.. u really need to get some perspective man.. its been an honor and pleasure knowing you..keep writing.. don’t ever let the poet in you die..

4. Sharan : We've blown hot and cold so many times I 've stopped counting.. once again, am deeply indebted to you for making tat critical transition when I lost an year so much easier.. there have been times when I felt left out, when I felt deserted even, but I guess that was as much my fault as yours.. but more than anything, thanks for being this awesome listener and caring friend.. you have this tendency to repel people away by using your remarkable capacity for pjs and irritating talks and mannerisms as a shield.. but once ppl break tat shield, they get to c the real u and i guess i am one of the vey few ppl in this coll who got tat far.. i just wish u cud let your guard down more with others too.. the EA cricket sessions are just unforgettable da.,. cant believe we used to get so damn worked up and serious about 2 rs or 5 rs.. lol.. those were just amazing.. and the verbal disputes and arguments.. it was fun being with u da! you ve been having an amazing run of bad luck the last few years and i am deeply sorry for wat u have had to go through, and I also deeply respect you for the way u've handled things.. u'r a special guy da!

5. Ashish Sethi : Through my four years, I have been close to many people.. and many more times than I am proud of, I have been disappointed that my judgment about them had come out wrong.. you are one person where I was amazingly right when I thought you were gonna be a true friend.. frankly, I've been pissed at you a couple of times man.. when inexplicably you had stood behind wat u thought was right.. but the usool jokes aside, this is one of the things which I respect most in you - the ability and self confidence to stand by what u believe in.. something I very sorely lack..And the fact that despite all that, you had the heart to mend things immediately after those small misunderstandings even though most of the time it was my fault speaks volumes.. you are simple, straight forward and sincere in your friendship - and that is such a refreshing change.. you are one of the people I ve gotten closest to in this college.. and will remain closest to.. one person with whom I had the freedom to drop by any time of the day or night and have a chat with when i was feeling down.. I just love the way you keep ur room door open almost all the time man.. tat really means a lot :)

6. Anshul MP : An unforgettable character.. although I don’t know you as closely as I would have liked to, mainly because of your of-so-busy-life, you have been a big part of my college experience.. Although people rave about your creative talents, the thing about you that I respect and admire most is not tat! Granted, you are one of the most creative guys around, but there are others equally creative or even a bit more.. But wat i admire most in you is your work ethic - the way you go about implementing your creative ideas and urges.. Thats one thing I wish i could learn from you.. Despite all the "tharki" jokes, I do agree that you draw the line where it should be drawn. Forgive my insinuations, cos my condition is different from yours and I keep forgetting that my lines are not yours. I have clicked creatively with you. You understand my ideas better than anyone else, and you ve always been supportive and motivating. In a place which I found remarkably devoid of creative breadth, you were a refreshing example of creative depth.

7.Paonta : Time and again, I thought I had you figured and time and again, I have been wrong. Inscrutable is the word that pops to my mind.. whatever be it, you were the person because of whom I entered into the circle of friends many of whom I am closest to today, and I can never thank you enough for that. Although we have drifted apart slowly the past year, you have been a great influence on my life here for the past two years. You are exceedingly sharp and it was both a challenge and a pleasure studying with you especially in third year.. you are one of a kind!

It has been a journey of heartbreaks and triumphs, disappointments and exultations, joy and sorrow, all rolled into one. But looking back, some defining moments of my college experience would have to be :

1. My proudest moment : Winning the best director and best actor award in culrav 2k6...battling against odds to host the first english play ever in the history of mnnit.. and winning the prize beyond all expectations.. the standing ovation i received after the climax performance would undoubtedly remain one of the most cherished memories of my life.

2. My darkest hour : March 2k7, back at chennai ..Knowing that I might never get to see my friends at coll and tell them a proper goodbye..

3. Happiest moments : the gre experience, the onmobile one, the UCI admit, the UCSD admit, Sethi getting placed, the naini trip, my first goal for mnnit, the shimla trip, so many..

4. Most regretted moment : Taking the high road and backing out of the football captaincy issue back in third year and losing it out because of politics..

I guess the time has come to call it a day.. thank you guys... Its been one hell of a ride.. and its been a honor and pleasure travelling with you all..