Internship: Goodbye

When it all began I never expected the impact it would leave behind so many years later. College,like all other good things, was expected to be just another short lived memorable journey  that would soon be forgotten. It was supposed to be like that. And if it had been, it would have been easy. Cold,but easy.
And so the thing is, it wasn't so.

Nothing could have been better than being a part of the mansion of the God's. It was a life filled with pride, power and a passion to be the best; a zeal to socialize and make the best of friends, some to last a lifetime.
I was fortunate enough to be a part of a tradition which fueled the need to know each other on a first person basis.  It was a new platform for growth. This was a bunch of kids from the 90's belonging to different batches trying to be a part of a single family. This was life at it's best.

My stay over here for the better half of my 5 years had changed my perspective towards life.
For the first time, I knew what the power of acceptance meant. And that language posed no barrier to real bonds being forged.
In men's hostel we were taught the ways of life. We were taught to choose between the right from the wrong and to choose wisely. We were taught to lead by example. We were taught in harsh ways that even the best among us might sometimes falter but to not lose hope in our friends and in the goodwill that resides within each person.
We were taught to accept failures.à
We were taught to keep smiling and move on.
We were taught to be men.

Curricular excellence was sometimes not my priority though the larger task at hand was never forgotten.
I had come to try and save lives.

Exams and trips often contrasted the poeple we were: from crazy hardworking stressed out individuals to chilled out lazy and good crazy young lads.

As time would have it, one final exam changed everything and the role play had ended. The real stuff had begun
Internship as it began was fearful and full of opportunities. We were cast into the fire and we would soon come out burning with rage. A rage to be the best at what we can be.

It was the best year ever in so many ways for me. As they say, it takes a real crisis to know who your real friends are.
In most cases it can be that one person who would give up their hobbies just to be the reason for a smile on your tired worn out face.
It was a year when I learnt  how to prioritize time for those who really mattered. I learnt to say no. I learnt to accept harsh reality.
I had witnessed death and seen the unfortunate succumb to diseases that they didn't deserve to have..
I had seen the real side of religion, hypocrisy and the things people do for acceptance.

On the last day, I held hands and prayed with the one person who made things better for me. And I was at peace.
After 6 years of recklessness and fun and involuntary learning and sleepless nights, today I was at peace.
Not because I was finishing but because I felt accomplished.

The song has ended but the music goes on.