Old Familiar Faces-Epoch II

Now you might be wondering why did I not mention about any guy (Phew! Did you even think of that or me just guessing). I am not treating them a passé ,nobody is going to be left out don’t worry-my first interaction was with DC (who had volunteered for CSI membership and he had asked for my photograph reqd for the form since then I was teased with him Poor Guy!)Then the turnaround with Bala (he is used to treat us every week with home-made yummy dosas n idlii), he happened to be my lab partner initiated with lots of highs but now its all ‘mutual understanding’ lol. Bala is quite hardworking, intelligent, very helpful but a bit bossy at times, he wants his things done by hook or by crook .and the list goes on-Sumit, Punit, Girish , Krunal, DC, Anurag , Sushain , Gaurav, Umesh.

Sumit is a fun, good – natured guy. A ‘good guy’ types he calls himself Pentium-10(the rate at which his thinking goes- I am talking of the wild thoughts).Punit-the mischief maker (Whatzaaaaa), he wont let u write your assignments, push you, pinch you. He irritates everyone in the group and Bechaara; he is now being nagged by an unwanted gal. Overall accha banda hai, knows his responsibilities & really sweet (he brings smiles around-not everyone can do that).Cuming to Girish aka Anna ;the thinker, the philosopher; star wars endorser, intelligent, can do 10 things at the same time with great results, sometimes he gets into his mania(we do wonder after all Girish is not that serious, he too has his funnier side), cracks sarcastic jokes, he worked hard to get a tech fest in our college-Techithon’05 was born under the leadership of our very own Anna which turned out to be a grand success. Krunal another guy on the block, very high IQ, sweet, good natured, a bit reserved, gives wonderful critics, knows to get his work done(through the thousand ‘Please yaar’ that he uses), Darshan aka DC, the GS during our tenure what to say of him he is the “King Of PJs’ ,got a sense of style in his speech, makes friends instantly, loves to talk & blabber, gets really irritable when he has a workload on his head and very creative in his usage of words. A fun guy to hang out with. Sushain, Anurag &Gaurav have always been together as a trio. Sushain was a shy guy, he used to rarely talk to gals but now see the metamorphosis he has gone through turned into a cool dude. Anurag has always been the ‘Big Boss’, making rare appearances in the college. He has literally gone to Ma’m and said ‘Oh madam aur kitna time lagega ’(when during our viva external Prof arrived late during our final VIII sem). So now its all crystal clear how my comrades were and how we were surviving in this egosystem.
Oh yes now talking about my college-They quite thought of us for a while.We went for our industrial visit to Goa! (a happening place in the name of industrial visit- what more do we want- parents ko convince karne ka idea bhi college ne hi de diya-“Mom its an industrial visit. Ma understand’’).We had a blast , the trip was in the third year, our hotel was called ‘the old anchor’ it was in the shape of a ship & a disc on the upper deck, a beautiful ambience and a beach close to the hotel.It was a wonderful trip with lots of singing, dancing, mastii & sun bathing in the sands of Goa with palm groves lining the small narrow roads of Goa with palm groves lining the small narrow roads of Goa.
The second year was quite dull, no major activities, the only change that we saw was the entry of diplomats nah! I am talking of the diploma guys who entered in the second year. It was a nice change for our guys who looked forward to the new diploma gals. New faces are always welcomed, there is always a need for a change and experiment right Guys!From here I get hold of a pal who joined our group later on and even into the hearts of some….(hmmm….),Shrutii-the gossip queen, very studious, active in all college activities, enthusiastic about everything on Earth. And I call her my Tech partner (u have good tech skills thats why I employing u Shrutii ok!).Then there was Purva who joined my friends list with her loud laughter, gossipy talks, lot of chattering together &giving me insight into the whole US-MS application process. And yes how can I forget my friend Aditi-cute, sweet, keeps me on my toes about studies (if I forget to open my books she will gimme a call with her never ending doubts –so I am indebted to her for making me study.),she was from Lucknow had that typical north Indian accent, but now u see her tht accent has gone and she is definitely a mumbaite now. She jus cannot control her laughter and sometimes she gets into trouble too because of that .She is my cool buddy and always of immense help .
The final year had nothing much to talk about. Everyone was busy planning their career paths-busy with placements (aptitude tests->group discussion->tech interview->HR interview), banging the doors of placement office as to which company is coming next. Some were preparing for GRE, some CAT n GMAT. Some had already given it in the third year (se how proactive engineers can be!) and were ready with application process.
I definitely cannot pen down each and every moment I have spent in my coll but can only carry with me those beautiful memories in my heart. The only reason I did this because when Mahatma Gandhi said these words he was definitely right-“Memory is a very frail thing. The written word stands for ever ”
And the words of Charles Lamb remind me of ‘Old Familiar Faces’.........

I have had playmates, I have had companions ,

In my days of childhood,in my joyful school days-

All are gone, the old familiar faces.

I have been laughing,I have been carousing,

Drinking late,sitting late, with my bosom cronies-

All are gone, the old familiar faces.

Ghost-like i paced round the haunts of my childhood,

Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,

Seeking to find the old familiar faces.