AH-2. My hostel. People say that our hostels should have names. I like it this way. After one semester, I like the whole hostel the way it is. I liked it as much when I saw it for the first time, on a rainy July day. I still remember that moment. My new home. The focal point of my life in the coming four years. The best part, of course was it was right adjacent to the mess! Climbing up to the first floor, I counted the rooms with bated breath till I reached room 221. Of course, I knew I was not going to have a room-mate, so I was not really worried about that. Nevertheless, I was nervous. My first impression of my room from outside wasn’t great. It was beside the bathroom and the water-cooler. But swallowing my slight disappointment, I pushed the door. The first thought that came to my mind was: “Whoa! This is small!” There was a small bed, a table and a cupboard. But then I opened my balcony door (ours is one of the only three hostels to have balconies), and then I decided, I loved my room. It had the most fantastic view ever! The Zuari River, almost at its mouth, the distant towers of Panjim and sheer greenery filled my mind with happiness.
I had always known that hostel life would change me, but I had no idea of the magnitude of the change. In that hostel, I discovered a new me, an independent, confident and responsible me. I had an amalgamation of guys around me. There was stolid Rahul opposite to me, crazy Mundra beside me, ever-dependable, monophobia-affected Arpit, neatness fanatic Shivanna, enigmatic Gandhar, carefree Giri and many others, who practically made our corridor a kind of melting pot.
Quite a lot many things were going to change. First was a complete disregard to time as far as sleep was concerned. People slept at any time they wanted, woke up at any time they wanted too! I still remember a night in which I, Gandhar, Rahul and Giri had sat in my room, with only my little table-lamp on, with a cool breeze blowing in through the balcony door. We discussed man things that night: our future plans, belief in God, religious views, our hometowns etc. We went to sleep at 5 and woke up at 7:30 to attend classes!
Second, our different reactions to the sudden exposure to all the daily chores. I just went on with it. Washing my inners once a week, I just gave the others to laundry. Some people like Shivanna took a liking to detergent and like to clean their clothes every two days, all of them. Cleaning my room was a chore I really hated. Somehow, my tiny room seemed much larger as soon as I started sweeping it. A chore I surprisingly liked was shopping. I took my parents advice of sparing no expenses when it came to food to my heart. Of course, I completely forgot about the second part, the part which said, “BUT DON’T OVEREAT!” Thus I’d go twice a month, and come out of the shopping complex, with my bag full of biscuits, cup noodles and the occasional shrikhand. In this context I must mention K.C. Akshay Giri. This guy is apparently hell-bent on spending his dad’s every penny on junk food and laundry. His average expenditure on food is approximately double of all of us, combined!
A great revealing moment for all of us was our inter-hostel fest: Zephyr ’11. We were all eager to prove our mettle against all the senior hostels. Eager to shed the ‘kids’ tag. Every detail was meticulously planned. Our Hostel Representative, Josh, worked really hard for this. The best part was we all got to interact with each other in the hostel. This at least made us aware of the others’ characters, their way of thinking and their ideals. Even our hostel T took three rounds of voting. Therefore, it came as a disappointment to us when, in spite of winning quite a few events, we finished only 8th out of the fourteen hostels. Even our arch-rivals, AH-1 beat us. It was a disturbing moment for us, but looking at the positives, we got over it and now eagerly await Zephyr ’12.
Of course, life in hostel is not always about fun and enjoying. We have experienced testing times too. I’d like to include exams and acads in this, but I’m sure it’s the same in all hostels. So let me focus on the more difficult times we have faced.
After T-1, we had all planned to go to the beach for some relaxation. However, for me it was more like a nightmare trip. I ended up fracturing my right little toe. Then came an endless list of things to do after coming back. The next day, I had to visit the doctor, who told me to come the next day to consult the orthopaedic specialist. The next day, I was instructed to go to the not-so-nearby hospital to get an X-ray done. After the X-ray was done I was told to come the next day, since the doctor was not available that day. However, that afternoon as I was going to take a nap, I got a call from the Med-C instructing me to come immediately since the Chief-Doc was calling me. Again I trooped to the Med-C (my right foot killing me the whole time). There Chief-Doc declared that I indeed had a fracture. The next day, the orthopedic guy told me, for precautionary reasons, I had to get my foot plastered. Problem was, it was to stay for a week. That week was one of the worst weeks in my BITSian life. No water, no bathing, no running, only hobbling from class to class. Thankfully, after one week it came off, and I was free again!
Just before T-2, we had our second crisis. It all started with Arpit. He was running a slight fever since two days. The next day, his fever increased to 101. That evening, I had to go to the library. I left with strict instructions to Rahul to tell me if it increased beyond 102. At around 8, I got a call that Arpit’s fever had escalated to 103.5. I immediately returned to hostel, and we carried him to the Med-C. When his fever refused to abate, the doc told me they had to move him the hospital (where I had got my X-ray done). Josh volunteered to stay with him in the night. The rest of us returned to the hostel. Gandhar had also been running a fever, but he had not crossed 100 so I wasn't very worried. However, good friend that I am, I just decided to check up on him. Now, I am really thankful that I did, but at that time, I remember wishing I hadn't He was nearing 104. The same procedure repeated. However, God was favorable this time, and his fever soon went down. All this time Rahul was unconditionally beside me. We helped each other out and took turns in taking our friends’ temperatures and giving them sponging and all. So I felt really insecure, when he himself started a fever two days after that. Thankfully, his fever went down in a day or two, without any emergencies. I and my parents thank my immune system and God, I was not affected.
What I wanted to express above that hostel life is not necessarily a bed of roses. Another tough time I faced was when I lost my wallet. It also involved endless running around from here to there, applying for a new ATM card, a new ID card and withdrawing money through withdrawal slips. I found my lost wallet eventually under Rahul’s broom in his room, but it was a good lesson learnt.
In spite of these hardships, hostel life suited me. The independence that I wanted since 10th class and the desire to make my own decisions, however small the implications may be, is what I cherish most. New friends have become a way of my life, having lived at three different places by now. But it is always a pleasure to make good, dependable and helpful friends. Working for clubs and departments is and will always be fun. It’s been just one semester into college life, and I’ve learnt so many new things. I both anticipate and apprehend what is waiting for me down the road, as I travel on this amazing expressway, I call ‘Engineering’.
Cheers!
Sushobhan
I had always known that hostel life would change me, but I had no idea of the magnitude of the change. In that hostel, I discovered a new me, an independent, confident and responsible me. I had an amalgamation of guys around me. There was stolid Rahul opposite to me, crazy Mundra beside me, ever-dependable, monophobia-affected Arpit, neatness fanatic Shivanna, enigmatic Gandhar, carefree Giri and many others, who practically made our corridor a kind of melting pot.
Quite a lot many things were going to change. First was a complete disregard to time as far as sleep was concerned. People slept at any time they wanted, woke up at any time they wanted too! I still remember a night in which I, Gandhar, Rahul and Giri had sat in my room, with only my little table-lamp on, with a cool breeze blowing in through the balcony door. We discussed man things that night: our future plans, belief in God, religious views, our hometowns etc. We went to sleep at 5 and woke up at 7:30 to attend classes!
Second, our different reactions to the sudden exposure to all the daily chores. I just went on with it. Washing my inners once a week, I just gave the others to laundry. Some people like Shivanna took a liking to detergent and like to clean their clothes every two days, all of them. Cleaning my room was a chore I really hated. Somehow, my tiny room seemed much larger as soon as I started sweeping it. A chore I surprisingly liked was shopping. I took my parents advice of sparing no expenses when it came to food to my heart. Of course, I completely forgot about the second part, the part which said, “BUT DON’T OVEREAT!” Thus I’d go twice a month, and come out of the shopping complex, with my bag full of biscuits, cup noodles and the occasional shrikhand. In this context I must mention K.C. Akshay Giri. This guy is apparently hell-bent on spending his dad’s every penny on junk food and laundry. His average expenditure on food is approximately double of all of us, combined!
A great revealing moment for all of us was our inter-hostel fest: Zephyr ’11. We were all eager to prove our mettle against all the senior hostels. Eager to shed the ‘kids’ tag. Every detail was meticulously planned. Our Hostel Representative, Josh, worked really hard for this. The best part was we all got to interact with each other in the hostel. This at least made us aware of the others’ characters, their way of thinking and their ideals. Even our hostel T took three rounds of voting. Therefore, it came as a disappointment to us when, in spite of winning quite a few events, we finished only 8th out of the fourteen hostels. Even our arch-rivals, AH-1 beat us. It was a disturbing moment for us, but looking at the positives, we got over it and now eagerly await Zephyr ’12.
Of course, life in hostel is not always about fun and enjoying. We have experienced testing times too. I’d like to include exams and acads in this, but I’m sure it’s the same in all hostels. So let me focus on the more difficult times we have faced.
After T-1, we had all planned to go to the beach for some relaxation. However, for me it was more like a nightmare trip. I ended up fracturing my right little toe. Then came an endless list of things to do after coming back. The next day, I had to visit the doctor, who told me to come the next day to consult the orthopaedic specialist. The next day, I was instructed to go to the not-so-nearby hospital to get an X-ray done. After the X-ray was done I was told to come the next day, since the doctor was not available that day. However, that afternoon as I was going to take a nap, I got a call from the Med-C instructing me to come immediately since the Chief-Doc was calling me. Again I trooped to the Med-C (my right foot killing me the whole time). There Chief-Doc declared that I indeed had a fracture. The next day, the orthopedic guy told me, for precautionary reasons, I had to get my foot plastered. Problem was, it was to stay for a week. That week was one of the worst weeks in my BITSian life. No water, no bathing, no running, only hobbling from class to class. Thankfully, after one week it came off, and I was free again!
Just before T-2, we had our second crisis. It all started with Arpit. He was running a slight fever since two days. The next day, his fever increased to 101. That evening, I had to go to the library. I left with strict instructions to Rahul to tell me if it increased beyond 102. At around 8, I got a call that Arpit’s fever had escalated to 103.5. I immediately returned to hostel, and we carried him to the Med-C. When his fever refused to abate, the doc told me they had to move him the hospital (where I had got my X-ray done). Josh volunteered to stay with him in the night. The rest of us returned to the hostel. Gandhar had also been running a fever, but he had not crossed 100 so I wasn't very worried. However, good friend that I am, I just decided to check up on him. Now, I am really thankful that I did, but at that time, I remember wishing I hadn't He was nearing 104. The same procedure repeated. However, God was favorable this time, and his fever soon went down. All this time Rahul was unconditionally beside me. We helped each other out and took turns in taking our friends’ temperatures and giving them sponging and all. So I felt really insecure, when he himself started a fever two days after that. Thankfully, his fever went down in a day or two, without any emergencies. I and my parents thank my immune system and God, I was not affected.
What I wanted to express above that hostel life is not necessarily a bed of roses. Another tough time I faced was when I lost my wallet. It also involved endless running around from here to there, applying for a new ATM card, a new ID card and withdrawing money through withdrawal slips. I found my lost wallet eventually under Rahul’s broom in his room, but it was a good lesson learnt.
In spite of these hardships, hostel life suited me. The independence that I wanted since 10th class and the desire to make my own decisions, however small the implications may be, is what I cherish most. New friends have become a way of my life, having lived at three different places by now. But it is always a pleasure to make good, dependable and helpful friends. Working for clubs and departments is and will always be fun. It’s been just one semester into college life, and I’ve learnt so many new things. I both anticipate and apprehend what is waiting for me down the road, as I travel on this amazing expressway, I call ‘Engineering’.
Cheers!
Sushobhan
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