The lasting melody of IIM I

I was in the backseat of a cab when the grand gates of IIM Indore opened to welcome me to it's abode. I was a 21 year old scared of the new world and shy of the new family that will change my life.

But now I am driving out in my own car, in the driver's seat with all the world to embrace. There is just one thing that makes it difficult, the campus road will be left behind. The gates will shine on my back, my room will be alone without me. The classrooms will look pale without the chattering and the business magazines. Sadness just grips this little heart and squeezes the blood out from it. No matter how much water I drink, my mouth can't just seem to regain the moisture.

All this because I didn't make friends here....I became a member of a big family....

Suddenly I want to forget all the pride, ego and poison that's there. I become drowned with emotions, photographs, videos and not so old memories. Nights feel so soothing...I just want to sit in the wind, stare out to the sparkling horizon and think about things that were so little once and suddenly become all so important. Things like saying no to a party, saying something stupid to a special friend.

Placements are only a teaser. Everyone wants to help out people who are sitting silently in the waiting room. I would not have talked to that someone ever, but I feel the need to just go and talk to him about his day. It's the connect of this campus that makes me feel proud for the underdog who got placed. It's an awesome sight to see everyone applauding in unison for one particular chap.

Then there is the downloading frenzy everyone gets involved in. The race of clocking the most GBs just keeps going on, but in between all the photographs and videos become the chartbusters.

The best way to fight the wait to separation is to go out for a drive in the midnight. Just keep going wherever the road goes. But the best part of the drive is coming back to the campus, seeing the bright blue logo of IIM I from far. Then you feel proud about it, and hope that this arrival will reset the countdown and you will start another phase of B-School life.

And in the early morning, you have to do a tough task. A crime. Dropping your friends off to the railway station and airport is a punishment. The sin is nominating yourself to be the one dropping off and taking the opportunity away from others. A just punishment for being greedy and selfish. But when the moment comes, god knows what happens to the communication between the heart and the mind. All that the heart wants you to do, just doesn't find the courage to reach the brain. If that much courage was there, the love from the heart would have reached the arms to go and hug your best buddies. But you just stand there, like an idiot you drop the bags off, do a formal handshake, give a salutary pat on the back and say something stupid like "All the best". It's a great to be there with them, but the eyes feel scared to look up, for they will shout out something you don't want to say. Something like " I will miss you my friend" . The lonely and sad drive back to the hostel is off set by the sunrise and the hope of meeting your friends in few days time. And yes, the sight of those grand gates makes you feel like being in your mother's embrace.

Boys don't want to cry, so we just listen to soulful songs. That is the best escape, a background score for your mixed emotions. And while we listen to those songs, we do our packing. We fill up big boxes with books and clothes. As the things just keep pouring into the boxes, the shelves become empty. Now this is when it sinks in and breaks your heart. The emptiness of your room, reminds you of the 2 years of the greatest time of your life. The emptiness kills you from inside, reminding you every second that this is over. No more deadline extensions. Packing up is the toughest thing to do, it's physically draining, but more than that it's an emotional trauma. There are certain things you just can't put in boxes...

How do I move my bonding to this campus ? How do I courier my friendship with so many people ? There is no box to keep them .... nothing to move them...