To A New Life; To A New Destination

Few years back, a boy sat at the back seat of a car in early morning hours as the car zoomed by the Ring Road to the New Delhi ISBT. The boy was to board the bus for Jalandhar where he was to join NIT and study for four years. Four years later when he came back a man, he never knew that within a month he will embark on a new journey, a journey to the “Scotland of the East”. That journey ended yesterday as that man sat in the back seat of a taxi (incidentally the same car model) and zoomed past the highway to Guwahati.
Last two days have been nostalgic, memorable and emotional. I have never felt so bad about leaving friends since the day I left Bombay in the monsoon of 2007 after completing TIFR- VSRP. I still remember the day I left, how my angels (MJ, PK and KD) along with SRV and DS were all emotional and on the verge of crying before the train left for Delhi.
Somehow I missed that feeling of leaving when I left NIT. Perhaps the time was not right then as few of us got our joining delayed and a job search was on for us. And I thought that I would never be able to feel that way from then. But I was wrong; two years at IIM changed it all. Ever since I decided to stay back for a few more days than most of my classmates who left one by one each day, I did feel the emotions coming in. After an emotional farewell and the following party where for the first time the party didn’t stop even after the lights went off at 1AM, I realized that I am going to badly miss this place.
The next day many people left, including ACD, AB and MA. Though we were not on the best of terms, I still had a few of the greatest days spent along with them. As I opened my eyes that day, the voice of John Denver filled my ears. So ACD was leaving and I had to get up. As these guys left, I turned back with a heavy heart knowing that the next day AG will also leave. On Holi, AG left too making me without a ‘friend’ for a considerable amount of time. I used to go around the campus and sit down at the Idea Spawn reliving the days me and AG spent talking there about everything in life.
I knew that soon I would leave too missing people who already left, who will leave and those who will stay back. Not only people from my batch but also a few of the juniors with whom I spent a lot of quality time. In the last days of my stay, I wished that I could make a time dilator which could lengthen every moment I spent at Shillong.
Meanwhile god played his part well. I was to leave on 5th of March but somehow I wasn’t able to get the much needed ticket to Delhi. I failed twice in getting the ticket which made me smile for a few more moments. I finally got a ticket on the 6th for the train on 8th. The moment I was handed that piece of paper, I felt like tearing it out to pieces as I didn’t want to go. But life has to move on, so with a heavy heart and a fake smile on my face I came back to campus.
That evening in a smaller version of the ‘High Tea’, I hosted DA & AJ with peanuts, chikki, revdi, icecream, aloo chop, Aliva and Tea offcourse prepared by me at my room. Few more moments to be remembered, few more memories to relive, I thought. The next few hours were spent among friends especially (SK who has been in love with chickens so much that he got Chicken Pox). I was to host a High Tea that day for some of my juniors and SK would not have been able to make it, so I wanted to compensate for it. In that ground floor room of the new hostel we spent an hour chatting about all random stuff (from his love for NT :P to selecting electives for the second year).
Later that evening, some of us took a taxi to a café in Central Shillong for the last ‘high tea’ hosted by me. I was joined by EA, AU, AJ, SC, RG and NM, all juniors of mine. After all it was the last ‘High Tea’, so it had to be special. We spent a great evening together with Pasta, pastries and coffee (well Ice tea was the only Tea thing there). Clicking pictures and cracking jokes while Bob Marley played on in the background and I really felt that the clock should stop then and there. But it didn’t, and we did came back but that day AJ pulled one of the most ‘KODAK’ moments in my life. I was overwhelming with emotions that night and was feeling miserable as I was to leave Shillong the next day.
Next day was spent in packing, meeting people (read professors), eating one of the most sumptuous meals of my life in Shillong (Thanks to Prof. MD) and clicking pictures of the campus. The day ended as the sun went down and I was all set to leave post dinner. I was going alone that night and it was supposed to be an adventure (Night Out at a railway station) but that was now the last thing on my mind. Just as I finished packing AU & RG came in to bid adieu with a note that reminded me of my maritime days ahead and I once again lost a bet to AU (Typical Me).
A night before I was to leave, DA was talking to me and I in my usually flamboyant way reiterated “Jaayenge to style se jaayenge” as she laughed away. Anyways the moment was there, I must say it was a beautiful night, with not a single speck of cloud in the horizon. Stars were all twinkling their way and a mild breeze was on. SK, CJ and BVM helped me out with my bags into the taxi. The moment for saying goodbye was there now. But I was still waiting for the ‘Navratnas’ (:P) and suddenly I got a call from EA asking me to meet at the baddy court. As I went back from the taxi to the baddy court I remembered a favor AG asked me on the chat a few hours before and I was to do him a favor. EA & DA got one of most amazing gifts I could ask for and I reciprocated by a Jadoo ki Jhappi to both of them (One from me and one from AG). The sequence of Jadoo Ki Jhappi continued with people coming in from my year (MK, DSG, SVC, TP, BP, SB). SC & AJ (The NITA gang) did me favors by “two khikhs in my b***”. Finally AU, RG and NS came too completing the “Jadoo ki Jhappi Day” for me.
Sweet Goodbyes were uttered out and I finally sat down in that taxi, to go down the road for one final time. As I looked back from the window at the people standing behind smiling, I finally felt that the journey was worth the effort. In the silhouette of a stary night stood majestically the “MayurBhanj Palace” wishing “Zill-e-Illahi” a final goodbye.
And slowly the car moved along the winding roads of West Khasi Hills towards another journey and another destination.
(This piece was written while I sat in the Guwahati – New Delhi Rajdhani as it moved from Kishanganj to Barsoi (Both in North Bihar, India) on 8th March 2010.)
Luv U Guys
GodSpeed
Zilli/ACB