I literally don’t have any work to do. So this is what i love doing i.e scribbling. But question is what to scribble? I cant go out of home as i have broken my leg out of my own stupidity. So all i’m thinking now is to write my hostel story with little masala added into it.

Wow! Hostel life!! Now that was something. It’s a long story, too long to be put into a single article. So i’m thinking to post this in terms of chapters. Yeah got that rite! Kinda mini novel. Inspiration is of course THE Chetan Bhagat, i assure u this story won’t be even 0.01 percent of his stories. But i do want to write about my hostel life. Because experiences i have had there are worth sharing. May be its a chance to improve my writing. Let’s see how it goes. I promise to make it as interesting as i can.

Well all characters here are imaginary. But well they have been influenced by characters i met at siri residency-my hostel!

I met different kinds of people, few of whom i could understand n others i still don’t know “wat” they were. Lemme try n write down this story of 7 months as interesting as i can make it so that u can yawn little less while reading it! :P so here i begin. It is basically what it is like being in girls hostel! it includes struggle to survive in hostel, emotional dramas, study at India’s No. 1 GATE coaching academy, the lessons i learnt, lessons i taught to others, successful and flop love stories here and there and so on...

Chapter 1: “the decision!”

It was like a bee in bonnet, i was just not ready to listen to any one. I was thankfully placed in infy and Accenture. But i knew this was not something i wanted. I had no guts to leave the job, but on the other hand i was not ready to accept it either. I wanted to go for my higher studies. People told me a bird in hand is worth two in the bush, don’t act stupid!

But i wanted to join India’s No.1 gate coaching academy. The ACE institute. It was just some stupid gut feeling that was leading me. i had heard the news that iit-chennai is going to set paper this time and it is expected to be tougher than we have seen in recent years. But for me nothing of these worked. I just wanted to go to Hyderabad. Thank god my parents supported me because they knew I would not listen anyway. N dad arranged for best hostel around. My luggage was sent too. Only i was left to be sent!

It was hard leaving home. Mom suddenly stopped talking to me that morning. I knew if she talked she would cry. I was no stronger! I too was on a precarious edge. I didn’t want to cry. I just left quietly. Mom hugged me n asked me to take care of myself. She told- “be safe. N try to adjust at hostel, it won’t be home to be listened to whatever u said or to be done whatever u wanted. Have some patience and let others live”. Alright!

My hostel was on the fourth floor of academy. Dad and I got into the lift.

“So we are here finally”, dad said.

I felt there was a sudden lump in my throat. I wasn’t sure i would be able to speak. I just nodded. i thought- What did i do. Why am i here?? Crap!

Take me home. I didn’t want anything I felt but didn’t dare to say it. Everywhere around there were so many students of my age, moving here and there. I caught glimpse of them as lift stopped at every floor. Finally lift stopped at fourth floor. I was supposed to get out.

"Okay all the best!" Dad said.

i wasn’t able to speak. Lift man was smiling to dad and then at me. He must have seen that scene countless times. It was common scene for him. But damn! Not for me.

"Thanks dad" i said as i walked out slowly.

"Take care kid."

"Yes dad."

I watched the lift go down, hoping it would come back and take me home. Nothing happened. I turned around to see my hostel. Warden was a dark lady may be in her forties. My eyes weren’t very dry. She had noticed it.

"Ayyo amma, idhr aawo"

she said as though she was speaking hindi in telgu.

"Hello"

"Tumhara naam aparna hai na.?"

Yes maam i said politely.

"Okk tumhara room dikhata aawo."

She asked a woman to get my luggage to room no. 402.

402? Thank god, just saved by position of digits. Not a bad start I thought. I followed her quietly.

Geez! It was not even half the size of my room at home. n there were three beds to three walls of the room. There was a shelf by the wall. There was so less space in the room. Rooms were like bogies of train. There was a small corridor. With just one window, thankfully window was just in front of my (i mean our) room. This was the only good news i had since morning. Warden pointed to three doors at the end of corridor and i was informed they were bathrooms. She told me my roommates had gone to class and they shall be back by evening. She told (warned i can say) me to use less water, not to posses any electric heater or kind in room, and to put of lights when not in room.

"Yes mam."

"Happy staying" she said to me as though she was telling- i would be watching u.

It was a steel bed, with an old mattress torn at different places. I opened a bedspread from my bag and covered it best way i could. I tried arranging things on an empty rack on the shelf. My roommates were kind enough to make space for me before leaving for their classes. Warden might have told them that someone was arriving. I was feeling sick. Tears rolled down from my eyes as i sat on my bed. Some girl was at the door. I looked at her. She was kind of good looking. She was in her night dress. It looked like she was sleeping and warden’s voice must have woken her up. I don’t know.

She smiled from door. She had noticed my tears. She came closer to me n put her hands on my shoulders.

"Ohh dear! First time at hostel?"

crap! how did she know. “Yes” i said.

“Oh kiddo..It will be alright. You ll have fun.”

“Yeah thanks.” Why kiddo i thought? Yes.. i agree i do look like an overgrown baby because of my weight n Fatso, kungfu panda, lord ganesha were few of the names by which i was famous amidst my friends. But common she couldn’t call me kiddo right away!!

“My name is rinu.” She said and sat on my bed beside me.

“Hi my name is aparna. M from Karnataka.”

“Cool. M from goa. I stay in next room. Department of electrical engineering. U?”

“Well... computer science. Nice to meet u.”

“You are a fresher?”

“Yeah. Just wrote 8^th semester exams about 15 days ago. Waiting for results.”

“Yeah i guessed so.”

“how can u guess that? its written on my face??” I was not so happy now!

“Haha.. i just guessed. i was working at Infosys for last 3 years. Now i want to peruse my masters may be in an iit. So m hear honey.”

“Ya u can call me aparna.”

“Sure kiddo.” she winked. she was really enjoying teasing me. “Chalo U get fresh. cya around.” she said.

Thank god. All through journey i had been telling myself, that m 21 now. I should be strong. N such a welcome from fellow hostelmate was depressing. Anyway

"yup."I closed the door behind her. N suddenly i couldn’t control myself anymore. N i realised i was really crying finally. I wanted to cry from the moment i had left home. it had mounted up. This was the time i just wanted to leave everything n run away. This was not the place i wanted to be. I looked into a small mirror which was on the wall. My eyes were red. I had cried a lot. I thought of washing my face, this wasn’t the face i wanted my roommates to see. I walked towards bathroom. I languidly pushed the door.

Trrrr.. it made sound that was no less than a cacophony. Bathroom was clean. Ah... that was a relief. I was starring at the tap. It was some old tap that I had thought they had stopped manufacturing after 1970s. I tried to turn it. Ice chill water came running through it to wet my hands. I took back my hands suddenly. I realised warm water running down through my cheeks. I wanted to go home badly now... it was finally enough. I don’t know why i kept staring at the tap... i don’t have a logical reason to explain this, but maybe i was just hoping following the laws of thermal equilibrium, the water might get warm if i cried more.

There was a bang on the door. A sharp voice came piercing through it.

“How long on the earth will u take?? I have a class to attend.”

It was hardly 5 minutes i was in.

“Ya i’m coming out” i said.

i heard her bang the next bathroom and repeat same sentence. Girl inside shouted. “Ask me after 15 minutes. I’m just in.” I made a mental note to say the same thing next time. It was not necessary to hurry up.

I was back in my room, arranging things. It was damn hot. I put the fan to its fullest capacity. Still it wasn’t making me any comfortable. Hydrabad was famous for its temperature. And now i was witnessing it. One of my roommates was back. She gave me a warm smile.

“Hello m samudhyata from uttarakhand. Call me sam. U?”

“I’m aprana. From Karnataka.”

she is a nice girl, i thought. Her phone rang. And she started talking on phone.

Other girl was back too. She threw her bag, and did something that scared the hell out of me. Damn she slowed down the fan.

“I have sinus problem u know. So we ll keep the fan low if u don’t mind. It makes my head heavy and i can’t breathe.”

Well... what she just did had made me breathless. I looked at other girl. She was busy on phone. I remembered what mom had said- adjust.

My 2^nd roommates name was shikha. I had thought she was from Rajasthan. But later i got to know that she hails from Madhya Pradesh. Fine. We had a small intro session before she left the room. Sam had finally finished with her phone. I was staring at the fan.

Sam smiled at me. “yes she doesn’t like fan much. She suffers with sinus. It gets bad with fan.”

“Ok we ll adjust.” I said.

I was sad, angry i don’t know what.

“Don’t u feel the need of fan?” I asked her.

She smiled back. “I do. But I’m out almost all day. My friends from college are here. So that’s ok for me.”

Her phone rang again. She smiled at the phone. And then at me . “can we talk later..? its..”

“Ah somebody special?” I smiled as i asked.

“Yep. He proposed me just a week ago.. J”

“Ah.. cool.. congrats”.

She left the room with phone. I saw a pretty smiling girl leave the room. N then i stared again at something which was in my room, which was made to rotate with a speed i could measure myself using the formula of speed=distance /time... the FAN..

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chapter 2 comming soon :P