I took the first seat of the bus on my first day, avoiding the hawk-eyed looks from behind itching to bully the juniors. During the 30km ride, I gazed at MGM, VGP, Mayajaal and tollbooths (yeah, really) like it was my first. Entering the College gates on my first day set me on cloud nine.

                                              “Hello Class, Let’s introduce ourselves“, sent chills down the spines in our first semester. Although, the little drop of extrovert in me was thrilled to brag and make friends. It was the time when we celebrated birthdays of our classmates, cutting cakes and taking photos were mandatory. It was also the time when ragging prevailed. Carrying the drafter reveals your identity as a first year waiting to be ragged, on campus and in the bus (proud victim :P). Our first year ended with a memorable Symposium and a Farewell for our Seniors.

Then came Second year. Bus travels turned nap time. Our long term wish came true – We entered the IT department. By now, I realize it is practically impossible to know everyone. Sadly, I wasn’t even clear with the names of my classmates(I’m bad at remembering names). The idea of being friends with the whole class sounded insane. Everyone confined themselves within a circle of friends and moved in groups, including me. We weren’t bothered by problems outside our happy bubble. Focusing on passing UTs and balancing classes were mastered only by a few(lucky me). Bunking and hanging out became a trend. We crossed paths with our IT Symposium – Converita one last time.

Third Year. Most of the third years became career focused. MS aspirants rushed to GRE classes, while the rest were fired up for placements. I was focused on taking up GRE, until Trump took over the Office. Thank you Russians, my little hope of studying in US shattered. I would enter the class in the morning just to see diligent GRE-takers buried under Manhattan Prep or Barron’s. And behind a wall of laptops hid hard-core programmers working on internships or Hackerrank.

                                              As we neared the end of the sixth semester, we threw a farewell party for our seniors. Most of us who were involved did not know a lot of seniors but we were obliged to do it. The juniors were just as enthusiastic and hardworking as us. A week’s hard work paid off, the atmosphere was filled with nostalgia that made us realize we were just a year away.

The Finale. No one could justify how time flew so fast. In a blink of an eye, we were attending interviews. Company after company. We were soon immune to rejections. Finally, everyone had that one special day on which they got placed.

                                         All good things come to an end- Symposium and Instincts, then came our Farewell. Everyone were dressed to kill. Ladies in high heals, make-up and hairstyle that screamed ‘I-tried’, while the men looked rugged in veshti and coolers.Whistling, bursting balloons, and yelling was how we inaugurated our farewell. Decorations were spot-on. Shutterbugs everywhere. Selfies and photos taken in all directions. The juniors then threw a terrific show at the mini-auditorium. End of the day, we had cake.. on our faces.

The fun we had, pranks we played, birthday cakes we destroyed, classes we bunked and the UTs we never copied will always be remembered. Always.