Nostalgia

How does it feel when you meet a friend from the days which you miss the most, after a long time?
How does it feel to take a trip down memory lane with someone who was there when you enjoyed life the most?
How does it feel to contemplate the future with someone who was there when you had dreamt of conquering the world?
How does it feel to meet a friend with whom you shared loads of stuff?
How does it feel to come across some with you spent 4 years of your life after a gap of 3 years?
How does it feel to know that in the rat race a friend of yours is lost forever…. Lost never to be found again?

I met Shiba after a gap of nearly 3 years. The last time was during our graduation days. With all my friends working in Delhi NCR, Bangalore or Kolkata and me being in Pune, I was kind of cut off, but then never totally. It was on Saturday evening that he calls up out of the blue and announces his arrival to Pune the next day. That sure made my day. The 4 years of college flashed by… the antics of different people… crazy jacks all of them!!! I met him yesterday evening and for the first time in 3 years I desperately wanted my college days back. Earlier it was a longing but now it’s a need. Strange isn’t it?? Thanks to him I got updated on so many things. Fortunately for all of us, the entire gang has managed a foothold in their chosen profession. Felt real good.

There was a long trip down memory lane. Guys, with weird traits… everyone had a signature there… everything!! Sharing four years of your life with some people simply forms an unbreakable bond. Life can throw at the farthest of distances and yet it is with those people that you may connect the best.

A couple of beers, soft music on the car stereo… and moments of reflection!!
And from there on the conversation drifted to the future and how one should really go about certain stuff (guys talk… chuck it!! :P)

We kept going back and forth in time…..
The times when used smuggle in alcohol to the hostel, the rotten food served on Tuesdays for dinner, the endless queue of biryani on Sundays, my roommate, Rajiv’s immense appetite (used to have close to 30 chapattis for dinner), nightlong music sessions, the way CD played his guitar… “Hey CD, c’mon man, play it properly!!” “Shut up… am playing… what else do you want??”, the we used to bug a junior Nilu to play the guitar.. he was our juke box.. we would think up the songs and he would’ve to play it then and there, Sas.. football crazy and well crazy about a few other things, Banta with his constant banter.. lol…, Tony, with his weird sleeping position and an apt foil Banta’s chatter… gave him a real run for his money…the list is endless!!

Let me recount an incident for you: There was this fella Souvik, a really simple bloke, someone you could easily take advantage of. So, now our dear friend was in crazy about dance. Being the devils that we were me and Sas convinced him that Tony was a damn good dancer and had won quite a few inter-school competitions. He did extract a treat out him for this. Tony was flabbergasted when he learnt about. Poor fellow he could never dance to save his life. Spurred by the new info on Tony, Souvik kept cornering him, until one day Tony, being the brat he was took Souvik to the café gave him bogus tips, had a sumptuous meal and made Souvik pay the bill!! And he has been avoiding Souvik ever since!! :D

Those were the days!! There are many such. Should I try to recollect them all… might end up writing another book about the engineering guys… and I hate being a repeat!! :)

A favourite song of mine to commemorate this occasion: Purano Shei Diner Kotha

Written by Rabindranath Tagore and set to the tunes of Auld Lang Syne, this song is somewhat a signature song for most Bengalis worldwide irrespective of their age.