College

College. So far I had still lived a pretty much protected life. One moment I was at home being pampered by my mom and the next I was in a hostel 732km away and staring at my feet (you were not allowed to look at seniors in their eyes). This concentration camp was my home now. Surprisingly, I loved this new feeling of having to fend for myself. It tingled my core and showed with a sparkle in my eyes (or it might have been the reflection of the light on my glasses...). Aug 16th is when I quietly celebrate my Independence Day... this is the day I left home for college. Suddenly I was seeing the world in a whole new perspective and I was in awe with what all it had to offer... from petty people to true gems... from acts of absolute selfishness to gestures of great kindness... I got to experience this all (Here I could have gone on to describe quite a few incidents but alas! my memory fails me... it might have something to do with the fact I've trained it to retain only what is important while flushing out the irrelevant stuff... yes I hate extra baggage... mental or physical. If it were up to me, I would probably be flying to India with a single carry on bag but yet again I drift from the topic). Most importantly, I learnt how to think for myself and make decisions without having them being made for me. This freedom is intoxicating indeed!

Its been a whole 9 years now.... and just how fast this period has gone! Like a Shepard silently admiring his flock, reflecting on that time brings me a feeling of great contentment. I have risen, come spiralling down, picked myself up and learnt to laugh at myself along the way. In the end after all said and done in my moulding days, I must say I shaped up pretty well.