Convocation series - Kiran, Pavan, Mousumi & Mahesh

Another post in the series.

Kiran

Where do I start with Kiran? We were always cordial to each other, but never really great friends especially in the first semester. He was also quite busy with some interesting women at that point of time. I guess his hospitalization during DCC bought a lot of us together, especially Sanjeev, Divya and me. There is a lot about him that I don’t know, and can’t think of asking as well (some rumors, some facts and some outright lies). Anyway, by the time we finished our final semester on campus, he had become one of my best friends, if not the closest. He gives a lot to a relationship and that puts him par with a lot of people. I can easily depend on him and ask him for favors (something I hate to do otherwise).

Pavan

The first time I saw him, all I wished for was that he shouldn’t be my room-mate! And bingo, I find him in my room a few days later. Mahesh and me were already there and had taken the side beds. However, things changed dramatically over the next few months and we became much closer, quite literally and publicly as well! Hahaha! I remember getting phone calls about heavy weight championships in my common room between Mahesh and Pavan and that kept a lot of fun in our listless lives! Pavan is one tough looking guy, with a very soft heart. He is one person who would really go out of his way to help you out!

Mousumi

She is the first girl on campus I tried hitting on, and this was during the Studio tests. I got no bhaav and went back to Bangalore dejected. But we immediately became friends after college started, even took walks in the back-field back then and had long talks. Got to know a lot about Auroville and its night life from her during this phase. I was also a witness to the blossoming young romance between Mosh and Lov in the months to follow, again in the back-fields. We used to pull her leg a lot over her habit of collecting things and keeping them in her room, which she shared with Snehal and Muz. Guwahati and North-East Yatra (partially with her) was one of the most satisfying trips for me. I made her life difficult by insisting on eating vegetarian food at her place! However, it was the daaru we (mosh, muz and me) had in my room after 4th semester jury that I would remember the most (Bhavana actually caught us drunk also). We still remember and laugh about it. But with Mosh there is lots which is gray, things we don’t know.

Mahesh

Well well well! I always found it impossible to handle Mahesh! We always argued and argued over the smallest of the things, over almost everything. I think it was sometimes just for the sake for arguments, rather unfortunate I would say. I remember the argument we had in the last semester about India’s history when we argued for hours without food or water (missed tea, dinner and so on), it was so comical that Pavan also recorded it on his camera (or was it his phone?). Anyway, Mahesh is one person who is obsessed, about work, about love, about friends and this is the most amazing quality about him, something that I don’t see amongst anyone of us. He loves what he does and it shows. Maybe sometimes he takes just too much strain, but I admire him for that. He is an Aquarian like me, and I always felt a bond between us. Always ready to help, his innocence also makes him rather gullible.

Read about Vijay, Snehal & Vivek, Abhishek, Divya & Bhavin and Sanjeev, Shweta & Devesh.

Convocation series - Almost there!

Its a new dawn, and everyone at the home is sleeping. I just got back from the NID and now am wondering what to do next. It was quite a day...amma dna papa came from home in the morning as well as almost all the classmates (except Muzayun and Devesh who are currently in Milan). We had our shoot, dress rehearsal for the big day followed by Convocation dinner with everyone and then a long night ahead which included sitting in the back fields for a long time, taking rounds on the design street, cups of chai in the mess, super-duper adult talks, some funny pics, some maska bun at 4 am in the main lawns on the convocation chairs, and finally Kiran singing some exceptionally demented songs at 5:30 am! We were a big part with Snehal, Mousumi, Bhavin, Vivek, Sanjeev, Vijay, Kiran, Pavan (nano) and me and by the time we dispersed it was only Snehal, Sanjeev, Bhavin, Vijay, Kiran and me.

Of course we all missed Muzayun and she has always been such an important part of all such class gatherings...her loud laughter and her even louder (and wilder) comments. Devesh was also duly missed. There was Vivek with us after a long time and I enjoyed his extremely corny jokes...

Convocation series - My roommates!

I am really tempted to write about a few more of my classmates, but I will rein in the temptation and write about something else today. It’s about my hostel room in first year and more so about its occupants – Pavan, Mahesh and me.

Well let’s just say that our friendship as a threesome was always on the edge. I was, very reluctantly, the moderator to these two very aggressive roomies! Not that they didn’t have their shared moments together…well there were actually many such occasions. Anyway one of the most talked about stories about the three of us was Pavan’s habit of stretching out on the beds (his and mine) while sleeping at nights. One such famous incident happened, when Pavan was sleeping in his famous yellow T-shirt and without warning for some reason decided that I was Neha (Pavan is now happily married to her though). My cries woke Mahesh up and he came to my rescue and helped move Pavan. However, this whole exercise failed to rouse Pavan still and he continued to dream about Neha. Mahesh still remembers and recounts this incident with much happiness (I should be happy too, as he saved me that night), though somehow I wish he didn’t.

This picture was taken near the end of Second semester and we are happy as ever! Hahaha…maybe the joy was also because it was almost the end of our stay together!

The room, however, had many more memories. Our room was directly below the Mousumi, Snehal and Muzayun’s and I had taken the habit of waking up Muzayun almost regularly in the most insane way possible, and I guess that was also the beginning of attempted flirting sessions with her back then. Once I woke Japneet up instead and got a major dressing down from her (she, of course, still remained a good friend). I guess everyone in A hostel knew about this almost daily hungama and am convinced that secretly even Muzayun enjoyed my calls to her!

There are so many more things, but they are more about the hostel so will jot them down later. It would be really great to have Pavan’s and Mahesh’s take on this. I am sure they will also have many stories on me, especially Pavan!

The video is close to my heart! One of the few surving ones from those days. You can see Pavan stretched out on both the beds in his famous 'yellow' T-shirt!

This video is the last that I made in my room, we are almost done with the packing and the room looks stormed (though even otherwise it hardly looked different). Mahes and pavan blabbering along with me in the background!