Rocking Memories

Weekend was fun. After a great HRD session at Table, some help for bihar victims, it was movietime. Rock On was the movie chosen based on reviews and reports from friends and colleagues.
Thoroughly enjoyed the movie (though very predictable). Music was also a great effort from my favorite group shankar ehsan loy. It took me back 14 years down the memory lane. Its been 12 years since kgp. long time. Though i dont claim to be rock artist by any definition, but i can definitely associate with mood depicted in the movie of friends, long lost friends reuniting, common interests, how life takes it course after moving on.... wide range of resemblances.
Those were the best days of my life, those four years in kgp. Hostel life started for us clubbed as freshers in VS Hall ( a new hall). Without guidance (i say orientation) from seniors, we all were newbies in the system. We enjoyed giving eye to eye , shout for shout to senior hostels in inter hostel events, movies etc. we went to senior hostels and faced orientation in 2nd year. We formed wings of chosen mates. These wings are lifelong bonds. Still am in touch with most of them. (i being odd man out for being in India). Those endless bhaat (read as chat) sessions, academics with late nights at hostel canteens, exam fever (someone in our hostel used to play om jai jagdeesh hare before exams for all to hear), friday night movies at netaji auditorium , spring fest (it was opportunity to interact with fairer sex which i captilized on), those dramatics and music practice sessions, tms shows, being secretary and governor in dramatics, those late breakfasts on weekends with great chat sessions, those long cycling to city to watch movies at some vague theatres, chai at harris, early mornings at chedis, those farewell and orientation night outs which ended up in seeing sunrise over railway lines, that network of railways, seeing gitanjali express moving reminding of how many days to go home, those job/schol treats by seniors in waldies/anarks, those cricket matches (esp indo pak world 96 world cup match) seen together, those pondy sessions weekend after exams in commonroom (with strict alerts), those weekend after mid sem exam which were greatest days, outings to calcutta to see girls, those great journeys of 36 hrs to reach kalyan and then catch another train to pune, those rides on scooter , once in pune ride to the greener pastures like FC road-deccan-MG road, those preparations for GRE/CAT, that Campus selection for one of the high paid jobs those days, those fundaes from seniors on almost everything, those early morning classes after hurried breakfast (getting up at 7:40 for class at 8), those evening ablutions with water rationing, those shit tank sessions, those midnight TT sessions/late night TV sessions, those occassions of Cutting lectures to catch up on sleep or a canteen chai, those rasgullas, those trips to tech market for rations and bank funds, those diwali days preparing for ilumination competition, those queues at STD booths to call home after every three weeks, those visits to other depmates (george, manish, nikhil, suvo) for assignments to other hostels or to rooms of bengal/niladri in own hostel, getting psyched by toppers like bhains and their academics, those afternoon offs which were treasured for sleep, those visits to hall library and insti library for books management during exams etc, those bangla bandhs resulting in holidays, those holi festivals with colors, bhaang and jilebis by profs, those hall days as opportunities to call females inside hall or to visit their hostel (no of invits were status symbols), those inter hall matches and spectator support, those preparations for hockey (we won gold), and waterpolo (we won silver), those insti gym sessions and jogging at gyan ghosh, those dinners at veggies when hall grub was pathetic, those region based gangs formed during first year (for me it was mumbai gang neil, ompa, mituna), those visits to my local guardian family, marathi association ganapati at Prof Barve's residence, manish calling gauyta from atop till ctop, railway bookings, those year end bonfires, those days in summers when some people used to do projects:it was ghost hostel with very few lights on, world cup soccer 94 seen then, patheic rides from nagpur to kalyan with 6th december republican barge-ins on trains, ncc camp in first year at Kalaikunda, Cgpa travails, quiz at sf, cycle rickshaw rides till station, results on registration day of semester, going from deps to deps for subjects and practicals, some peculiar profs and their peculiar names, styles etc, department welcomes and farewales, hall events and AGMs very noisy one with some occassional fights, technology gymkhana meetings, some student movement issues and meets, for me plays were very fond memories, those sessions when currents used to be off, roof top sessions in summers, finally my own baptism to rock music, gnr anthem, deep purple, the sf shows at OAT, eastern music ... Finally coming to point where is started.
memories are additictive... Those memories were really rocking.
Life is back with some very special friends and trying to create that magic again, been not that successful till now. But will keep trying.. Tabling moments have been fine ....