It started sometime around Test-1 and during those hectic days, we did not pay much attention to it. During test-1, AH-2 and AH-6 had started reporting more cases of Jaundice infection and the severity hit us home only when advisories on how to wash hands were stuck near all wash-basins. A meeting was held to inform students about the issue and the necessary precautions to be taken to avoid contamination. It was all normal until Thursday afternoon when juniors asked me whether a shutting down was possible and then I saw a host of cars parked infront of the main building while waiting for my Transducers tut to begin.
By the end of it, it was almost sure that campus was going to be closed for atleast 2 weeks and all that was needed was an official confirmation, which came at a meeting held in the auditorium at 7pm. There were frantic phone calls to decide how to get home, which was not a difficult ordeal for us since our journey takes less than 16hours. But those from Hyderabad, Delhi and other far off places had a really difficult time I suppose.
After much deliberation and some trick plays from my side, some of us decided to leave the next morning. Enough with the background and foreplay, what I would like to focus on is the great uncertainties of life and the ability to do things at a moments notice and take things as they come. That Thursday morning, going home was not even in my wildest dreams and I had company too! We had decided on another "outing" that Monday, I had planned to do some of my project work that weekend, I wanted to catch up on quizzing after the exams and infact we had held a meeting the previous evening to decide on a schedule for rest of the semester, our second attempt after the previous one had to be ditched since we did not get any LTs. So, a lot plans and ideas ditched, but for many it was perfect timing as they had already decided to go home for a week and for them, it was just an extension of their short break. It must have come as a surprise to the first yearites, who now must be enjoying their unexpected break, but atleast some of them must be cursing the boredom. Perhaps not, since they have not yet been institutionalised by DC, Gaming, Night-outs, Movies, Beach Trips, Faculty bashing and other activities that keeps a BITSian engaged (studies also in the list, only for ten pointers and for the rest of us one the eve of exams).
One day we are celebrating end of exams and relaxing a bit, next evening, we are planning to get back home urgently, from chilled out birds to near-refugees. If there is one thing that I have learned in college, it is never to plan too far ahead in the future, there is simply no point since something will come in the way and we will have to face things as they come. On a bigger scale as we step up from the trivial aspects of campus life to the real world, one moment can change everything. A cyclone or earthquake can change the lives of millions. Sometimes it can just destroy the individual and leave everything else intact, disease, accidents, just bad luck or may be something beyond our understanding. It can destroy everything that we call ours, or change us to something new entirely. Our lives are dependent on so many variables that it would be folly to take anything for granted for it can change upside down in the blink of an eye. One small insignificant action in one part of the world (might have been performed years ago- I take the example of G.D.Birla who started a school for his children which has now become BITS-Pilani, affecting the lives of thousands of students directly every year and several thousand others indirectly) can change our world and we have no control over it.
It is therefore almost liberating to realise that nothing is mine. I do not say we should relinquish everything, but just stop fighting for it. I say work for it, make yourself deserving whatever it is that you want, work hard, give it your best shot and work with all your heart, whether we get it or not is inconsequential since we have little control over the minds, decisions and actions of others. A philosophy, mentioned in the Gita, but each day, I realise new meanings hidden deep within. Make the right decisions and stick to it whatever happens (there is no point in complaining it once you have already committed to it), stop complaining and do what is necessary to carry out that decision and also do what is right and just.
3 comments:
true.
First thing I hated about that day was the sheer indifference with which people behaved. This could be playfulness out of innocence. But to me it appeared like a vicious undoing of the BITSian pride. There was absolutely no sense of oneness or cooperation among us. What if there was not such an important reaction from the institute? How many of the students care to clean the tap after use? Well, most of us would blurt out a careless - no reckless (careless is forgivable) - "fuck it" or a more retro "Oh Goddamn...". This is 'chucking' responsibility. And we call ourselves BITSians - the plural!! What is the plurality in us if such behaviour prevails if a more contagious disease, say Swine Flu, erupted in our campus?? Something makes me feel the 2005 batch was the best of our institute and will likely be the last. They had that oneness. And they would react very maturely to any such situation. And were they not the most hip of our campus?! I don't know. It feels like the coming batches of students are getting more idiotic, more naive, less sensible.
mob mentality prevails over common sense...
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