CHAPTER 2: The New Phase

And just like that, my college life began. And let me tell you, however easy it may sound,  it was not. It was full of obstacles, hurdles, and adventures all the way, talk about dramatic, huh?. This was the first time I was on my own and was actually enjoying it. People often say that if you are away from your home, in an entirely new place, you tend to take a long time adjusting there but that was not the case with me. I felt different in this environment, a good kind of different and it was enough to bring me out of my comfort zone and adjust to this new atmosphere, and honestly speaking I really enjoyed it.

This college was different than what I expected it to be- full of freshness excitement and a whole lot of new people and that's what excited me the most. The college had its own merits but Hostel was also not less. It was a mini-resort to be specific and it was really really amazing. What was amazing about it was that, it had everything- from restaurants to swimming pool, mess(Cafeteria) to housekeeping, maintenance to pest-control, upper class to middle-class people, hotel-like rooms to jogging track and you know what? The best part was THADI (Our very own food joint), Temptation(Restaurant+Pub), Highway King( to us H.K.) and Liquor Shop all nearby so that you can hang out with your friends whenever you want, drink as much alcohol as you want, eat whatever you want and to enjoy your life a lit bit amidst all the tension and stress around you. This allowed us to break free from our daily routine and lose ourselves and just enjoy life like there was no tomorrow and that's what I liked most about this place.

What amused me so much about the hostel was not its ambiance or any of the facilities it provided, but the hostellers. I still remember how surprised I was to see about ninety percent of people committed to others in the first week itself, and this made me a little uncomfortable and slightly judgemental about these people. I literally judged them questioning myself- "How the hell people can get into a relationship in the first week, I mean what made them do that?" And this question still hovers my mind. I believe the relationship is not something you would enter into, by liking someone just based on their appearance, it is something that wants time. Time to get to know someone you believe you want to be with, and what it wants is for you to be patient, both on your part as well as on other person's part because patience is what will help you keep going on in life.

Love is not something that captures you at first sight itself. When you love someone their face value does not matter to you, but what matters is how they are from deep inside, their nature, their thoughts, their emotions, the way they treat others, all that they have gone through which made them who they are today and how their presence affects you. If you love all these things about them, then that is what makes them special and that's love, or at least my definition of it. For me, the most important thing about a person is their personality, how kind they are to people, and how they try to be themselves instead of trying to just fit in. I am not someone who would enter into a relationship just because of their physical appeal because then there is just no point in being with them. I neither know how to use someone nor do I want physical benefits, I just want someone who would understand me, respect me and be there with me whenever I would need them because I want a companion, not a trashcan which you would use and throw whenever you want. This was the reason I was so amused seeing people in relationships in the first week. It was as if they took no time to decide and got into a relationship the first chance they got.

So, getting back to the dynamics of the class, new friendships and new relationships were blooming up all around. I still remember the day when I entered the class and saw a "group" of around 10 people sitting at the back and I was like "How is it that these people have friend circles already, I mean it's just been, what 20 days, right?" But that was just my opinion. And besides, they all seemed really happy and excited, and honestly who was I to judge them. Sure enough, their friendship grew stronger over time.

What amused me about that group was that each member carried a different personality. Firstly, there was Aahaan, tall, good-looking, polite, and nice to talk to had a little attitude problem but I guess you could cut the guy some slack. Then there was Shikha, short, sumo-looking, just kidding, full of attitude and ego, and Aahaan's best friend, then there was Bhuvi, he was just a bit childish and fun to be with, then it was Uday, a nice guy, chilled out and fun. Coming to Rahul, what should I say about him, basically a really nice guy and full of emotions, then there was Ishan, a quiet, simple guy and good-hearted, then there was Priyank, you already know him, he is quite nice and most importantly is always there when you need him. Then there is Manan, I still don't know him well enough to comment on him, initially, he was nice but now I don't really know him. Now we have Saanjh, a fun-filled, loving, and really nice person, then it was Ishani, an extremely good friend, someone who is emotional and loving in nature and who is really understanding when you want her to be. Now Shanaya, there is so much to say about her, she is mad, quite emotional, fun to be with, aggressive and loving, all at the same time. An antique piece(laughing). But to be honest she is a good-hearted person altogether. Then there was Parth, a shy yet fun-loving guy, Kartik, an introvert too, lost in his own bubble but a nice person to be with, then there was Angad, he was a loner, out on his own, doesn't care about anyone but best to be with. And there was her Alizeh, umm... how to describe her? Let me try, she was someone quite different, just enlisting my first impressions, a good-hearted, loving, caring person and pretty comfortable to talk to, she was someone who had grabbed my attention from the very beginning and held it even now.

The names are kind of hard to remember, right? Don't worry you'll get used to it.

The best part about the group was not its members but its name, which was "NAGSHAKTI"(laughing) what a unique choice of words, I must say. The thing about this group was it had a long-lasting impact on my life even though I was not a part of it and that made it so important to be amongst, of course, other things. I still remember all of them sitting at the very back and entertaining the entire class, eating Ishani's lunch as she was the only day scholar in the group, just joking around with everyone and basically making a clown out of themselves, playing games like Psyche and Ludo king in class, which unknowingly made them all excited, commenting on each others' I*******m posts. In a nutshell. living the best moments of college life. Also, Snapchat being pretty famous, they all made a whole lot of snaps just to remember the memories that they had made with their small family in college. Even though I didn't know them then, I felt some sort of connection with them and I really appreciated their friendship and bond which made them so comfortable around each other, just like a family.

A couple of months passed and it was September already. I can still remember when Alex and I were going to the allotted classroom to give the sessionals, crossing the grand staircase(or the Amphitheatre), Alex suddenly shouted "Look at them on the Amphi, they're making out aren't they? Out of reflex, I clasped my hands on his mouth shutting him up. "Wait, she is in our class, right?", he said in his voice muffled. Thankfully the couple either didn't hear us or didn't bother looking. I looked at them and what I saw shocked me, there was Alizeh, and some other guy(Kabir, her boyfriend) she was making out with. I just couldn't believe that the girl I thought to be so sensible and intelligent was just like others, who decided to be with someone, so early, without even knowing the person. Maybe she knew him or maybe she found the love of her life, I just don't know. After all, how does it even matter? It was my thought process and my opinion and I was nobody to judge a girl I barely knew, or I thought I knew. So, I just tried to ignore that fact and move on with my day. Alex and I, then went to give our exam and soon enough forgot about the incident.

This made me realize that something was missing in my life and that was real friends, no matter how much I try to ignore it won't change the reality. When I entered college, I came with a single thought in my mind" I am here to study not make any kind of relationships with anyone" and this statement made a huge impact on my mind and I tried to ignore every other thing and put all my focus on the studies and I can proudly say I successfully did it. I went to the library whenever I got free time, after classes, and even missed my dinner quite a few times as completing my everyday goal was more important than dinner for me that time and I guess hard work paid off. After the first sessional (The first unit test for those who do not understand what sessionals were), everyone noticed me in class, about 90% of the class didn't know that I even existed in the first place. So, for the very first time, I felt really good about that. At least, everyone got to know my name and my place in the class. That was the first time when most of the class interacted with me and acknowledged me. I still remember Priyank telling Alizeh that Varun scored full marks in maths and she came up to me said, "Hello". And that was the beginning of a friendship. Although we were strangers, we became doubt-mates and that was more than enough for me as I made many doubt mates in the class after the first sessional. Finally, I got my place in the class, although I put up an image of a nerd, that was perfectly fine by me because at least everybody knew I existed and that is all I ever wanted.

As time passed by, I continued doing a lot of study in the library. Almost every day I spent in the library, I saw a familiar face. He was there every day, sitting across from me, actually, studying like me. We didn't really talk with each other but I knew that his name was Sahil and that every day he would be there, which earned him my respect. I mostly kept quiet in class with minimal interaction with anyone except Alex and Harsh(to us Harshu or Pinchu) focusing on my goals and as time passed I realized, it was the middle of November and the time for my End terms. This time around I was not alone in the library, I made a new friend because of Alex and his name was Sam. He literally was the best human being I know. He would literally kill for you, even take a punch in his face for you, support you, really take care of you, and was very loyal and trustworthy, although he was a little rude and quite frank, he was a really good guy and crazy about studies and with almost same goals and opinions as mine and that is the reason we made such good friends. With the End terms approaching, we began studying and amidst all our hard work, the semester was over, and finally, it was our turn to go back home. I really wanted to go home because for quite some time I had felt very lonely there, I guess.

So, with the end of the first semester, a lot of things ended and I was back home missing the college, hostel, and my friends and I wanted to be there as soon as possible. I didn't know that this time when I go back, things would be a little different and a lot of unexpected things were about to happen. Nevertheless, many surprises awaited my return.