Random thoughts

Carefully, the yellowing paper I folded and bent,

While he watched eagerly, with mounting excitement

From the deep recesses of memory, instructions I dug,

Till finally for my efforts, I was rewarded with a hug.

Holding it aloft, he let out a triumphant yell

& ran into the open, where a torrent of rain fell.

Down our little lane, with speed increasing evermore,

Flowed water into a swirling pond, right at our front door.

To this he sped, sans umbrella or rain coat

& like a grim sea captain, set sail his boat.

How well a bit of paper can keep him enthralled..

Watching him, rainy days long-forgotten I recalled.

Boat races, water fights, loud squeals of joy,

Damp clothes, drenched hair & a salvaged bedraggled toy.

Buried incidents, all those long years of fun…

I can see them all clearly, when I look at my son.

I look down at the hands folded across my lap,

Once smooth and firm, fettered by age’s fatal trap.

This house-like me, has known happier days,

Now my sole companion, beside my mottled medicine case.

My branches and buds, across the world are spread,

But on occasions like today, they convene round my bed.

Around they crowd- family spanning four generations,

With laden hands, hearts brimming with love and patience.

Joy is unbounded as they gossip, laugh and play

In the midst of it all, I’m far far away.

With many hugs, copious tears and a heavy heart,

I watch as one by one, they inevitably depart.

Their echoes fade away into a silence so deep

As I seek momentary refuge in a drugged sleep.

The end of our sojourn at this college is finally in sight. Now we have one amazing year ahead of us.. a year where we can rightfully claim the top spot in the college ecosystem, and have a great time lording it over the rest of the populace. Most of the juniors are now below our notice, as we set our sights higher and aim at ragging the Profs instead. Barely a week into the New Year, and already teachers shudder and offer long and silent prayers before entering our class. Our reputation preceded us, which resulted in one of the new and enthu people coming up to us and saying- I’ve heard your class is very indisciplined, but I’m sure you’ll be very good in my class- she said this with a beaming smile and looked around for positive reactions… half the class dint even realize she was talking- they were busy with their own conversations, a quarter were eating biscuits and/or biryani, while the rest were snorting gleefully at her ridiculous optimism. Another prof very sweetly told us that she wanted our suggestions, and collected a motley of torn, scruffy bits of paper from us. Poor thing, most suggestions were of the form ‘free hour everyday’ or ‘only ten mins of class per week’. I wonder how long it’ll be before our class manages to break through her composure.

The other extreme- the super strict and ‘I’ll mark you absent and make your parents meet the hod”-type of teacher seems to be faring just as badly with our lot. Every single day, nearly 50 of the 59 students in class bunk the last 2 hours.. every single day.. Naturally, the teachers notice- most however know what a pointless exercise it is to try and rein in final years, and end up having a well deserved break at the end of the day. College authorities however, don’t seem to have this happy turn of mind, and send around a couple of ppl to check on final year attendance- oh boy, do they know us!- the upshot, Hod got dragged into the fray, and told each of the offenders to write an apology letter…. And what do my angelic classmates do??- in spite of my dark hints and ominous predictions, they carelessly dismiss the letter, and bunk yet again!!. oh well, if you cant beat ‘em, join ‘em !!

All in all, a great time for the entire lot of us. Camaraderie is at its peak, knowing its our last year together, we’ve put aside all our differences, and are doin our best to give back to the college what its given us for three years – HELL !!! We come to college with a nonchalant air, not giving two hoots about records and notebooks, our primary purpose being to gossip and have loads of fun. More and more people are trying out new looks, this being their last chance to make an impression. Wardrobes are spruced up, accessories are bigger and better than ever, coiffures are more elaborate, and make up is making a huge comeback. During breaks, in the restrooms and even during class, girls apply layers of shiny gloss, glittering mascara, lustrous lip sticks, and oodles of lotion. Guys meanwhile are spending ages with their gazes locked onto mirrors or any reflecting surface, painstakingly smoothing down individual hairs. Confidence levels are at an all time high, as we strut around like the whole campus belongs to us. Well, it kinda does, for this one year. So lets make the most of it! J