And I'm home...

...to spend the weekend! Oh oh, hold on a minute, the weekend's over, right? Hmm, so what am I doing at home on a Monday evening, you wonder? Ha, no points for guessing! Yep, we are having a hartal for the educational institutes out here. Man, I feel so sleepy now. I sat and watched two movies at a stretch till 2 AM today morning, one of which is Bhootnath and the other, Taare Zameen Par. I must say that TZP is one of the finest movies I've seen lately. And it was definitely a change to watch this one after watching senseless movies like Race and Tashan.

I wonder why I never saw this movie earlier. It's a beautifully crafted movie dealing with a sensitive subject in a pretty gentle and unconventional manner and it's surely an eye opener for all parents. They must realize that every child has his/her own limitations and that their kids are not for them to weigh down their unfulfilled dreams on. Hats off to Aamir for giving us audience such a treat. Actually, a double treat - the wonderful movie and the offbeat actor, Darsheel Safari. I thought he was superb. The innocence, the helplessness, the pain - everything was emoted so realistically with equal perfection by him through out the movie.

Ok, enough of movie talks. Now let's talk about ME! :D

Preparatory classes had started last week and everything's going on smoothly. First day was totally fun. They haven't exactly started teaching anything. We go to college, chat with our classmates, check out the campus, get cold stares from seniors, wander around the corridors and go back - as of now, that's our routine. It's a totally different feeling being a "college student". The best part is that we are really getting a lot more space than we've ever got and gladly, freedom is no more a taboo. Yeah, college life rocks!

Now coming to hostel life. In one word, it's hard. Yeah, obviously living all by yourself could never be easy especially if you've led a sheltered life with your parents, being the only child, that too. Paradigm shifts are always difficult and this one was a major and an extra painful one. Actually, when mom said "goodbye" to me after dropping me at the hostel I did not cry. Only after a while did I feel the pangs.

And that was when I realized how much of myself is dependent on my parents. Like some noble mind once said, "They are like the air we breathe. Necessary, but hardly noticed." It's sad that we take them for granted all those times they are around us and never bother expressing our love to them. It's only on occasions like these that we sit down and ponder and get amazed at how successfully complacency has taken over us.

Sadly and slowly everything sank in. From now on, I'm gonna wake up to the jarring beep of alarm clock as opposed to the warm "Mahi, wake up!" call of my mom. From now on, nobody would be there to ask me if I'd prefer a sunny side up or an over easy for breakfast. (And worse, I'd better get used to the regular steamed rice and all those typical mallu food they provide at the hostel). From now on no more family prayers, only silent ones. From now on there'd be nobody behind my back, nagging me to drink my Bournvita to the last drop and as a matter of fact, nobody would even care if I slept on an empty stomach. But of course, I would never do that. I still remember those last words mom told me before she left. "Take care of yourself. For me." In short, on that day I realized the real value of my parents.

Everything hits you like a thunderbolt and suddenly you realize that you are all alone with no one but that horribly huge lump formed in your throat for company. You feel there's nothing you could do other than bursting into tears and letting out all those emotions you've bottled up within you. And then you see your ipod lying on your table, you switch it on and put it on the shuffle mode and stare at it with utter disbelief to see the words "Meri Maa" dancing around on the screen, making you want to break that god-damned thing into two and throw it out of the window.

And then like an angel, enters your room mate. She sees you crying into your pillow, comes along and sits near you to wipe away your tears and comfort you. Yeah, I've got a great roomie. I know it's too early to say anything about her, but still I'm glad that we're room mates. And ever since she had joined, I don't feel all that bad about things. In fact, I'm kinda starting to like it now. It's just the initial homesickness which is preventing me from saying that " I love my hostel". But really, with a roomie like mine I'm bound to have a great time.

Oh, and I'm glad that finally I'm washing all my clothes by myself. It was something I was reallyyy lazy to do. In a way, it's a good thing I decided to be a hosteller, because self reliance is one skill without which it's difficult to survive in today's world. And in this race called "life" more the skills you acquire, higher would your self confidence soar. Which reminds me of something my dad told me recently,

"Every morning, a gazelle wakes up knowing that it must run faster than the lion or get killed. At the same time, the lion awakens knowing that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or starve to death. It doesn't matter if you're a lion or a gazelle. But when's the sun is up, you'd better be running!"

And finally, the song of the day : Maa - Taare Zameen Par

For all those lucky people who are staying with your parents at the moment, let me tell you that you are a fortunate lot. Ok, at least temporarily. Make the most of your stay with them and once in a while do let them know how much they mean to you!