The end of a roller coaster ride...

Life is a series of adventures and experiments - school, college, and college again... And now I'm facing the end of one adventure and the beginning of another.

The thing about roller coaster rides is that no matter how much they terrify you, they always end too soon. The past two years have been a roller coaster ride - sometimes thrilling, sometimes scary and sometimes just bewildering. But mostly exciting. And now, I'm left wondering - why does it have to end?These years were spent in a different world as far as I'm concerned. A world with its own people, pressures and politics. An amazing world, where all friends live within walking distance, thanks to it being a residential program (we actually considered rooms on a different floor as being beyond reach!). A world surrounded by greenery and a lovely view. Every face you see is a familiar one (which can be good or bad). A small thing can flare up into an irreparable rift, while big things pass unnoticed.

As life gets more complicated, I'll probably look back at these days with longing. And here's what I'll miss the most:

• The freedom to choose when you sleep, when you wake up, when you work and how, when you take a break and how
• The midnights when you and your group are working on some awful project and suddenly your mind starts thinking of deep and profound things, like the meaning of life, relationship dynamics, politics and why so many people are such big idiots. Long drawn out conversations that last for hours on the state of the nation, economy, and general important stuff, the details of which you can't remember the next day
• Staying awake till you hear the Suprabhata from down the servant quarters, the sign that you have stayed awake too long and you'll have hell to pay the next day
• Bike rides in the rain (ok, I went only once, but it was fun)
• Meeting friends over coffee everyday, at 11am, 5pm, and for soup and maggi at 2 am!!!
• Working in the computer lab till 11pm
• Night outs in the hostel rooms
• Singing completely off tune on the way from the canteen to the hostel
• The new cute pup on campus that has made everyone her fan
• Classes where laptops are allowed
• Counting the square floor tiles on the way to class (that probably started 5 minutes back)
• The short uncovered stretch between the class and the hostel where you had to make a dash for it when it was pouring
• Gtalk pings that go: “Assignment shuru kiya?”
• Chicken biryani at Bheemas
• The Rushikonda beach road view of college, especially at night with the campus lights twinkling
• Long solitary walks
• Long walks with company
• Juice and a little conversation at the Sai Ram’s
• Mail wars
• Spam wars
• Space – both physical and personal
• The people!