And i was expected to cry at the GB farewell. I had finished shedding tears at the beginning of final year itself and my friends were on the lookout for another burst as they all had missed the first one. However, i was happily talking to my juniors and consoling my batchmates that evening.
After that day too, there have been many times when I expected myself to come close to tears but surprisingly have not. That day at the farewell, i wish i had a tear in my eye to show that i cared that we were leaving. Tears express the extent of emotions. but i had no tear, only a smile. I dont know what has changed in me but surely this is not the normal Mad.
It somehow feels inadequate to dissolve into tears now. This parting requires much more than a few drops of salt water. And i am overcome with emotions to such an extent that i dont feel miserable that i wont have my closest pals with me in a couple of months. I dont feel that familiar knot in my throat when i am reminded of something that happened in these 4 years. I just feel calm, like a transparent ghost absorbing the happenings in an unconcerned manner.
It does not feel human.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
if( u r a girl) then formals= sari;
I wonder who brought about this false idea that the ideal formal dress for girls is a sari. We wore saris for ring ceremony [for those who think it to be synonymous to engagement , scroll down please], and there were hardly any who looked 'formal'. We looked like socialites attending a party, girls attending a friend's wedding, even the bride's family members, but not engineers about to graduate.
A lot of thought was put into the color of the sari and everyone had begun sari preparations 3 months in advance. Then, a month before, almost everyone could be seen at the small tailors' shops at Surathkal, getting their blouses stitched or getting their mum's blouses altered. Some went to Mangalore to buy matching jewelery for their saris. And after every new addition to their sari, the sari was tried out with all the accessories collected so far.
If anyone thought that preparations to wear a sari involved only buying stuff from shops , they were so wrong. People turned weight conscious exactly a month before and suddenly, everyone could be seen feeling their tummies daily to check for any changes in the size. A fortnight before the slated day, some went on crash diets so as to look thin that day. However, all these intense preparations had to be carried on for a little longer as the ring ceremony itself got advanced. Apparently the rings hadn't arrived.
Some early birds, anticipating a crowd on the days near the ceremony date, visited the parlor well in advance only to realise the ceremony was again advanced. So as the third date approached, everyone was quite done with their preparations and GB 3rd floor wore a peaceful look.
The day of the ring ceremony, everyone had a good afternoon nap and whole floor was up by 4 pm taking bath. Since very few knew how to drape a sari, schedules had been fixed beforehand, as i was told when i went asking people to help me with my sari.
And after all the makeup and perfect hairstyles, we sat listening to speeches and afterwards, wore the ring given by our HOD, had dinner, took many pics in all permutations and came back.
I never understood the reason behind wearing a sari and not salwar. The efforts that were put into wearing the sari dint seem worth it.
PS1: The ring ceremony is a formal occasion organised by the institute wherein the students take a pledge of working honestly and sincerely and being worthy of the institute, the profession and the country.
PS2: i wonder if anyone can guess which para refers to me... [:)]
A lot of thought was put into the color of the sari and everyone had begun sari preparations 3 months in advance. Then, a month before, almost everyone could be seen at the small tailors' shops at Surathkal, getting their blouses stitched or getting their mum's blouses altered. Some went to Mangalore to buy matching jewelery for their saris. And after every new addition to their sari, the sari was tried out with all the accessories collected so far.
If anyone thought that preparations to wear a sari involved only buying stuff from shops , they were so wrong. People turned weight conscious exactly a month before and suddenly, everyone could be seen feeling their tummies daily to check for any changes in the size. A fortnight before the slated day, some went on crash diets so as to look thin that day. However, all these intense preparations had to be carried on for a little longer as the ring ceremony itself got advanced. Apparently the rings hadn't arrived.
Some early birds, anticipating a crowd on the days near the ceremony date, visited the parlor well in advance only to realise the ceremony was again advanced. So as the third date approached, everyone was quite done with their preparations and GB 3rd floor wore a peaceful look.
The day of the ring ceremony, everyone had a good afternoon nap and whole floor was up by 4 pm taking bath. Since very few knew how to drape a sari, schedules had been fixed beforehand, as i was told when i went asking people to help me with my sari.
And after all the makeup and perfect hairstyles, we sat listening to speeches and afterwards, wore the ring given by our HOD, had dinner, took many pics in all permutations and came back.
I never understood the reason behind wearing a sari and not salwar. The efforts that were put into wearing the sari dint seem worth it.
PS1: The ring ceremony is a formal occasion organised by the institute wherein the students take a pledge of working honestly and sincerely and being worthy of the institute, the profession and the country.
PS2: i wonder if anyone can guess which para refers to me... [:)]
Birds in the sky
We sat on plastic chairs on a hot evening. It was hot as usual and i was in a sari - dress code was formals. Fanning myself with the sheet of paper that contained my pledge, i sat staring idly at the dais. Some dignitary was giving a speech and hardly anyone was listening. Most were busy looking around, looking for their friends and classmates and 4years' crushes. Bored, i looked up at the sky, and saw a flock of birds, moving in the exact V formation that we used to draw as kids. It made me think of us.
The 400 students that sat there listening to the speech were just a bunch of noisy birds that were about to fly in different directions. We had come from various parts of the country and had stayed together for 4 years. We became a part of the collective: NITKians. The campus had become 2nd home, 1st to many. This place gave us all the freedom and a small dose of the world. And just when we had got adjusted to our batchmates and had made some wonderful friends and explored the campus, we were to leave.
We had come as fledglings, we now leave as swans.
The 400 students that sat there listening to the speech were just a bunch of noisy birds that were about to fly in different directions. We had come from various parts of the country and had stayed together for 4 years. We became a part of the collective: NITKians. The campus had become 2nd home, 1st to many. This place gave us all the freedom and a small dose of the world. And just when we had got adjusted to our batchmates and had made some wonderful friends and explored the campus, we were to leave.
We had come as fledglings, we now leave as swans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)