“Broaden your horizon”, someone said while I was struggling to come up with a title for this blog. How could I even contemplate a title when I haven’t even pondered upon what I am going to write in this blogpost. Well, in some sorts this post is coming out as a forceful piece of writing since I haven’t written any in months. (And GRE preparations helped in coming up with this devilishly convoluted title)

Lot many things have changed in my life in the past 1 year. Exact 1 yr from this day, 4 years of college life came to a harsh end. And like many other momentous changes in my life, I failed to realize and live that juncture. Not a day after 1st year passed when I wondered - “Life is hell here. Learning theory and studying some useless courses is merely a waste of time. Real worlds demands much more than just theory.” Who can really enjoy time with such mentality? You wake up everyday just to grumble about the tons of assignments due, when you have interest just in few. This is where your mind is totally immersed and you fail to live the rapidly passing moment.

But you seamlessly sustain a great deal of frustration about academics when you look around. It’s when you realize that you aren’t alone. Search for 5 and you will find fifty, look for one and you end up with none! Considering degree of frustration varies on a scale of 1 to 10, on a typical weekend in hostel, this would be the scenario for those stuck -

-at level 8 to 10 (screwed up!) -

Oh 1PM is too early to get up, but don’t wanna skip the lunch feast and spend a dime. Net speed looks good, just few minutes spend - I would. DC++ seems spammed by ABC urging to join a CS clan, ah I am rather a Fifa’14 fan. Evening is here, time to purify the atmosphere; before a merry Bajaj Nagar trip to meet dear. No point returning hostel for the mess(y) dinner, call-up a pal and grab a glass of beer!

-at level 4 to 7 (I gotta resist the fun!)

Oh 10AM and breakfast lasts another hour, should hurry before it’s over.

-at level 1 to 3 (Maa ka sapna puura karke rahuga!)

OMG, It’s 8AM and the entire corridor is asleep, grab this opportunity for an assignment leap.

As a wise man quoted - “These walls are funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.” By the time you get to used to the people, place and non-sense around, you realize that the final days are already near. Eventually, you think - it’s the time I get the freedom I deserve, get out of the cage, fly endlessly for the rest of the life! It’s over, the burden to perform better in the next exam, the stress to make-up excuses after the results are out, and ultimately, the pressure to stand out of the crowd!

The discontent of academics, professors, mess food, and oh… weather in Nagpur!

But, now that the time is over, yes never going back, I realize what I have gained through it. I don’t mean the technical knowledge that obviously any university education is bound to provide, but there is much more to it.

THE F.R.I.E.N.D.S. No matter how much I stress on it, importance of those friends in my life that I made here can’t be expressed in words.