The new freedom for a caged bird

The two years after tenth grade were really not kind of hell,but they were 10x stressful than tenth.In India,those who pursue for IIT-JEE,first the ‘mental thing’ gets on them and then the real thing.You gotta first overcome the mental barricade,believe in yourself and then think of doing well.Out of some 5-6 lakh students,many fail to clear the former thing.If you do overcome that-Oh,man!It’s not so easy to be into an IIT(P.S. I am talking ‘general’).Well,and then,there’s always a consolation prize for those who try hard-the NITs and the BITS-Pilani. In my case,may be I wanted,may be I ended up.But here I am,as they say,one of the top NITs- Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology,Nagpur.What can be better than having such a good college in the city where you live!

The ‘branch’ was always a question.I didn’t have much options either-the options varied from Civil,Chemical,Metallurgy and Mining with a very narrow chance of Electrical.I wasn’t one of those who would say-higher closing branch,must be a better one too.After consulting with a few seniors from school those who were in the same institute and some research,I chose ‘Metallurgical and Materials Engineering’ over others,prominently known as ‘META’ and yes just like Yo!Yo! Honey Singh does,we have a rap for it too!
“Alpha-beta-gamma-theta-Yo Meta! Yo Meta! ”

Many questioned my motives-Why META?! The only answer I had was “Yo META!”.I felt,I need to study less( 😛 ) and then of course it’s a really good branch here.

The admission process was over,and the college started on July 21,2011.It’s a terrific and joyous feeling,college life brings many things with it- friends,more pocket money,new gadgets and freedom! Here,at VNIT ,there is quite a large chunk of students from Nagpur itself,the day-scholars ,the “dayskis”.And then the majority belongs from one particular coaching class;I wasn’t from that league,rather I missed out.So,these people knew each other quite well and I was quite an unknown ‘entity’.It was like the first grade of the school,where you hardly know anyone!Well,the feeling didn’t really last long,that’s the beauty of college life!It was time to enjoy-watch movies,eat at joints you heard about for the first time.You have a 214 acre campus to roam,bunking classes,sometimes even mass-bunking them,go to canteen(well,not allowed for first years,it’s adventurous nevertheless!).You learn to do certain things,you have never done!You enjoy the freedom you never experienced in your life,especially after those two years! Rightly,’the new freedom for a caged bird’.

The freedom that teaches to live on one’s own terms,the freedom that allows us to make our friends,our company,the freedom that gives the liberty to bunk classes,the freedom that allows us to get into new relationships,the freedom that hands us a pack of cigarettes and the freedom that gives us a bottle of beer.Did I mention about the beauty of college life?For some,even this is the beauty.Everything has its own pros and cons,it is up to us whether we take it the right way or otherwise.

In a flurry,the first sessional examination went by.As I was enjoying this new freedom with the new college friends,at the new eat joints and ‘facebook’,the examination went by! The low grades were obvious.You get the grades you never got your whole life(that’s the beauty of college life!).

This freedom was going to give me many more things,this was just the starting.It was going to change me,my behavior and in all my whole personality.As they say-‘Yeh to bas shuruvaat hai,aage aage dekho hota hai kya…‘.Maktub.