Saying Goodbye!

It's one of those junctures in life again when one has to say goodbye to a lifestyle they had grown so used to (loving a lot of it, hating a few things here or there!). Ans suddenly, one sees life standing at the beginning of a road yet untraveled.

I saw one such moment when I was leaving IITK nearly 2 years back. The bonds were strong - four years after all. But well, maybe we knew we were just starting out in the world. There will be tons of opportunities to meet (and relive the fun times, as one might say). Personally for me, I was content on entering another campus, and though it was a more 'professional' degree, I knew hostel life could not be a dampener.

Today I see a completely different inflection point in the trajectory of my life till now. Firstly, we all know we are entering full-time careers now. For nearly all of us, there will hardly be any respite, let alone long summer vacations, etc. from here on. Add to that the fact that our peer group here was rather motley in terms of their life stages. Inspite of that most of us spent our time here as equals. And all around you see batchmates getting married, engaged or trying to be so.

And you realize, life is in full gear now. Yes, we'll have our moments as early twenty somethings, partying away or vacationing with friends. Yet, everyone around would expect more responsibility, greater maturity. Here is where the quandary presents itself. On one hand, you want to cling on to old friends, keep on the attachment, and be a part of their lives. Yet, on the other, you know that to become the person the world outside campus wants you to be, you might have to redefine a lot of relationships.

Time, for one, might never offer itself in such abundance. Hence, hilarious adda sessions would soon constrict themselves to hangouts in restaurants, to finally keeping in touch over watsapp, and peppering it with small get-togethers on the fly. Moreover, as many people enter the 'family' stage of life, one would have to accommodate for them not being the 'boys' and 'girls' you once were close chums with. Emotional attachment and sensitivity, coupled with effective restraint - heavy words, way more difficult to practise.

Anyway, having said all the above, I would acknowledge that most of it is a picture I have sketched from vicarious experiences, and the reality, as some people testify, is not as grim. Probably, all that is essential is to keep one's head when life is zooming past, and maybe reconnect to one's roots/past once in a while.

Here's to a fresh start!