Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani BECAUSE Zindagi Nahi Milegi Dubara
The majority of what I cherish today and miss the most is my hostel life. Every other week I have a conversation with either Dani or Belly on the memories from college. From the most random information like the breakfast menu on Wednesday to attendance percentage during the last semester, everything is itched in our memories like it happened yesterday.
Without a doubt, life at college was not how movies showed it. It was nowhere close to it. We had to fight for permissions many a time to visit our family. The food was sub-par, the warden was stricter than professors and a lot other insane rules. But irrespective of all the shortcomings, there was something so wonderful about my college life that still puts a smile on my face. It gave me so many memories to look back and rejoice.
Like Phils-o-sophy, this article is a softbound collection of the life lessons and countless memories I learned/made with my friends at college. It’s a reminder to everyone and me (specifically!) that Life is Crazy so Take it Easy.
| Lesson 1: The solution to all life problem more often than not is FOOTBALL
If there is one thing that kept me sane throughout college, it was football. More than the sport played outdoor; hostel students were more excited to play Mega Football (MF), an indoor illegal football league. MF kept us sane from all mind**s anytime during the day or night. Be it semester exams, record submission, a dull or even the happiest day, almost all of us gathered at least once every day to play the sport. MF was the therapy we never paid for. No matter what you are going through, a 20-minute game is proven to make you feel and sleep better. And, even if you are not able to sleep after a session, there is definitely someone (Usually Belly, Siddi or KR) who is up for a game to make you feel better.
Over the last couple of years, I have fancied being busy to the extent that I don’t differentiate the good from bad days. I gave up on the sport I once loved dearly to complete online courses that really did not matter. I always told myself that if I turned out to successful, the dull phases would disappear. I could not have been more wrong. MF might not be possible anymore, but there is no excuse for not taking breaks to pursue the things you love or once loved. The online course or extra hour work might give you a promotion, but a session of MF or mini militia will definitely give you sound sleep!
| Lesson 2: The key to happy trips is always people
I have been on multiple trips with my friends since graduation across the country. But nothing ever comes close to the grand Pune trip we took 4 years back. A group of 11 people completed a 10 day trip to Pune, Lonavala and Hydrabad under 10000. The trip had everything one could ask for from adventure sports at Dellas, river rafting at Kolad, Bahuballi Thali at Aaoji Khhaoji and street hunting for Lonavala chikki. The only objective was to go as a group and nothing apart from that really mattered.
As our pockets grew deeper, our options increased, and so did our expectations. We started focusing more on the destination and the compelling need to make it grand. There is a lot of beauty in ordinary things which we failed to notice in the last four years. When things get better, the goal is to build trips around people and not destinations. It doesn’t really matter if it's Paris or Pondy as long as you have people play music, crack jokes and make memories.
| Lesson 3: Be crazy. It works!
We made the presentation for our first competition while travelling on a bus. We pursued our first internship in a different city because we had nothing else to do that summer. I watched a particular dance video on Youtube 20 times in one day from different devices to increase the count. We cooked food; we made dance covers to a lot of songs; I auditioned for the music team, stole hot water for bathing, emailed everyone in the university for a reunion and in a few cases, we prioritized sleep over campus interviews. We were innately crazy and took it one day at a time.
As we stepped out of college, adulthood suddenly hit us, and we stopped investing time in anything and everything that cannot be added to our resume. But surprisingly, whatever I have on my resume today is because of my crazy days in the hostel. The day I stopped being crazy was the day I stopped doing something different. Maybe you need not figure out a business plan or revenue model to work on an idea. You can be a crazy kid to jump on anything interesting even you don’t find it resume worthy. After all, not everyone started to be a billionaire and neither did we pursue the things we did, hoping for a concrete result.
| Lesson 4: Trust that all your decisions will eventually work out.
I chose Sastra because no other college gave me a seat. We started Brainstormers just to fill out a registration form. I moved to Tanjore for my final semester, hoping my AD will give me a project. All of my decisions were based only on instincts, and it worked out surprisingly well. Everything I have today is because of Sastra, Brainstormers and the friends I made there. Despite the initial struggle, the best days of college was the final semester, and the time I spent staying with Teddy in Tanjavur.
With everything changing so rapidly, I often doubt if the decisions I take are actually right. There is constant confusion prevailing around every step of the journey as I don’t see any proven ways to weigh the pros and cons. But in all honesty, it was the same when I chose Sastra, when I befriended Belly and when I stayed with Teddy. I had no clue where things were heading, but I was confident that my decisions would eventually work out. And they did.
When I look back today, I have no regrets about anything I ever did, nor I would have done anything differently even if I can go back in time.
Everything is going to change in a span of few months. A few have already moved out, and most of my friends are travelling to places abroad to pursue their next phase. The only thing that keeps us connected is the little nudges from Google Photos and occasional conference calls. Maybe this is what it feels like to grow up. But the lessons and memories I made in college are going to stick around for a lifetime because Woh Jawani Tha Diwani and Zindagi Tho Nahi Milegi Dubara.
Peace!
