the best college tour..

my college gave me a lot to treasure on, especially my friends. all throughout the four years of engineering i made new friends, and the older ones just kept coming closer. frankly, i didn't hit along too well with everyone initially. i was brought up in a different environment, and not many liked my attitude. but, i did make some friends right away in the beginning who are now very close to my heart. these were the people who were more open in the way they talked and expressed themselves. there were some other ones who were more composed, happy with their own world. there were some really wonderful people in this category, and had the last year all-India tour not been there, i would never have got to know them! some of them are my closest friends now, and this post is just to share with all of you on how lucky i feel to have them as my friends.

well, the tour on the whole had many good and bad things linked to it. true character of many many people came out. though it was the last tour, it gave me the platform to know some of the most beautiful as well as some of the most dirty minds. but, the good always had the last laugh over the bad. and, i still recall the tour as one of the best times i spent with my classmates! lets move on then..

when we became the final year students, the first and foremost thing on our minds was the tour. all our previous tours were organised by the same gang of guys, and it was always well managed except for a few lapses here and there, well, no one is perfect! but the class was pretty happy with the guys, as was i. but because of some problems here and there with the department staff, and some politics that came up, those people weren't allowed to co-ordinate the tour this time around. someone had to take up the responsibility, and so, kaka, sudhir and jenny jointly took the initiative. kaka was my roommate at hostel, and his knowledge about tours and travels was relatively more than any of us. sudhir and jenny were class representatives who took up the cause so that the tour doesn't get canceled. now i'm grateful to them!

things started off well, and we started our tour with around 40 of us. some of the people whom i really wanted to come didn't turn up though. thulasi was among them, but she had personal reasons! hmm anyway, we started off from trivandrum by an early morning train. we had a stopover at kochi en route to delhi. we reached kochi in the morning and our delhi train was in the evening. silpa took initiative with her so called "prior knowledge" about the place! she had some cool island in her mind, and we set off to that place along with some three other friends. silu, as silpa is otherwise called, was very excited about it and she was telling us about the beauty of the place she was taking us to. and her description was pretty cool. she mentioned of an awesome restaurant, and well, food had always seduced me! we had a boat ride and we reached this island. and the sight.. well.. ahem.. was nowhere even close to what she had described. we reached some place which had narrow streets banked by some whole sale stores for spices. the smell was slightly irritating, but the confused silu made the situation rather funny!!

she said we were at the right place, just that we have to walk a little to get to "the place"!! but, there was a slight problem, we didn't have a sailor's compass, and silu wasn't too sure on which direction to take! hehe.. finally, after asking a few people we reached this place on an autorikshaw. well, i must say that the place was nice. had a romantic touch to it. so was the restaurant, but the prices printed on the menu card made my jaw drop! hehe.. we had a lemon juice and left the place! we came out, had a walk around the beach and started off to the railway station.

we were just half day into the tour and i was already enjoying it! now, we had a long 50 hour rail trip to delhi. we had games being played around, some couples having there own good time, and some serious discussions going on as well. i was not too involved with kaka or sudhir in the managing part. but, they were two of the closest guys to me and i was kept informed on "whats next" thing. i was enjoying my time chatting around the place. as the night approached, kaka called me and told that we need to keep vigil at night because we had many girls and the corresponding luggage, hehe.. well, coming back to the seriousness of the situation, he told that we should have someone or the other awake all the time. well, i was at repair work on some strained relationship with an old friend. as the things went well with that friend, i was among the people who stayed up late into the night, chatting and laughing and all.

the train journey had a lot many memorable moments. abhilash sir and nissa ma'm were among the accompanying staff. they had been married for an year! abhilash was a cool person, he had some special interest in a few of us. we had some brief conversations all throughout the tour. once he told me that i should try for a job with the intelligence agencies!! frankly, i did hit the roof on that! he was actually pretty serious about it, and even told me how to apply for IB(Intelligence Bureau) and RAW(Research and Analysis Wing)! hehe.. then, there was a time that he told me to follow up dad's business and diversify! his thought process was commendable, but as always, i listen to everyone, think, and then do things my way! i still remember his words.

then, we played "truth and dare". unfortunately, all of us were more secretive than i had thought. everyone chose "dare" in their turns. i had to dance with remya. miranda had to walk in the boggie shouting like a fisherwoman. renu had to jump around the top berths like a monkey. anjali had to teach mukesh how to dance and what not!! it was total fun. then there were moments when i got to speak with amrita, i rather call her ammu. i had always tried to lure out the reason why she turned vegetarian. well, she gave me some good explanation! the train journey had still more.. me and pooja having a friendly fight. guys having a bang at night in the last cabin. antakshari and monopoly been played all around the clock, and me stealing a few moments to catch a nap on achu's lap! but most of the time, it was me, nadim, ayesha, silpa, prince, sudhir and renu hanging out together!

we started with the delhi site-seeing. the sun was in good form, and the day was awfully hot! but we all had a good time seeing new places. there was nothing too great for me to see really, but i was happy to be among friends! next day we went to shimla, it was an awesome place! the toy train, the campfire at night, and the cold night walks were the best things i still recall. it was just a day-night stay and the next day we had to reach back delhi.

next day was the trip to agra. well, with the bus that we had, and the heat that was on prowl, the trip from delhi to agra became a nightmare! as we crossed mathura, most of us started collapsing like a pack of cards! i too went down. i didn't know what exactly happened. i just felt too tired, completely drained of energy, but it wasn't painful. running out of options, the coordinators decided to stop at a restaurant on the highway to agra. i was taken to the AC restaurant, and it felt good. but i still felt drowsy. silu was among the more concerned ones. they all made me sit right beneath the AC vent. and then silu said something really funny,"arun, see we are right below the AC. come on, breathe deep.. breathe in the cool air!" that made a smile come over, you really thought i was dying?, and everyone had a smile on that! she forced some food into me, some curd rice stuff! well, i recovered fast, fast enough to take care of the others who were down. but, the case wasn't the same with all.

as the situation became somewhat better, we all boarded the bus and were off to agra. the trip from delhi consumed the whole day, and we reached agra in the evening in a battered condition! well, we had to cancel the subsequent jaipur trip and agra site-seeing was scheduled for the next day. the night was pretty tensed with even abhilash sir showing the signs. things didn't look too good with some four to five of us still not completely recovered. the heat shock and stomach upset was taking its toll on the tour.

the next day, situation still looked grim. among the ones down were ammu, miranda, renu, and even sudhir! so, me and teena thought of staying on, i had been to agra many times before. i had never known teena too well, but she was a helping hand. we all stuffed ourselves in a single hotel room which looked more like a hospital ward. me and teena were giving ORS and glucose syrups to all, and as usual, i was trying my best to make it all look fun! ammu was among the worst hit. she was staying away from her family for the first time, and so we were particularly careful about her.

things went well, and everyone were back to their feet by that evening. ammu, who was more like a kid to us, was fit and fine. she now had a name for me. "Dr.Raj" or simply "doc" was the way now she addressed me! hehe.. she always had been a sweetheart. we all then went to see the Taj Mahal. and the time we had there was fun, total fun with me irritating silu and ammu to the core!! hehe..

meanwhile, i saw that teena was getting closer to our gang. it was something unusual. then, silu and ayesha told me about some trouble that had cropped with her so-called "gang" and "the friends". the stuffs were sad to know with the type of girl teena was as i came to know about. teena was unofficially our girl, in our gang!

while we were returning back from agra to delhi, we had a stopover at mathura for dinner. generally in the bus, i used to sit with silu and ayesha on a three-seater. we three used to get along well. there was no booking of seats as such, but a common understanding was there among everyone on who would sit where. that night while we were waiting for everyone to come after dinner, i got into the bus to check how many were already sitting in the bus. i saw teena sitting on the so-called "my seat". i was always comfortable with teena, and there joking as ever, i asked her,"so, you sitting on my seat today uh?" well, she gave a smile and said that she would move off. i just smiled back, but i sensed something odd. teena was looking tired, probably sleepy, i thought. i didn't bother too much at that instance.

well, as we started the journey to delhi ayesha told me that teena was not well, thats why she had told her to sit with them. but, things looked okay as i saw it! but after some half an hour, things started getting bad. teena was having a bad backache and she was made to lie full stretch on the three-seater. ammu was sitting on the two-seater in the same file, so teena's legs were almost on ammu's lap. i was still sitting. i could see something was wrong. i got up from my seat and inquired about what was happening. i came to know that teena was having a sore back for sometime. and, that she had been given painkillers. i had a look at teena. she was in deep sleep, i would rather say that she was nearer to being unconscious. she was still twitching and turning in pain. i could hear her in pain. she was subconsciously calling her father, who were sadly no more. i felt bad, very bad.

i recalled the moment when i literally asked her to move out of the seat. the feeling of guilt filled me. i just kept standing beside her, i didn't want to go back to my seat and sit. i stood there, helpless as everyone else out there. no one knew what to do. we were deep into the night, and teena was on a second dosage of painkillers. there was almost no activity in the bus, except a few of them whispering around, just to make sure that they don't disturb the ones sleeping. my seat was still vacant, and i was still standing. even ammu was awake, lightly massaging teena's feet. we looked at each other, and exchanged half smiles, not knowing whether we should even smile. we didn't know what to say. i turned my head and just stared out of the window, i somehow felt responsible for what was happening. at that moment, ammu tapped on my hand and spoke very lightly,"raj, go and sleep. i'll take care of teena." she knew she couldn't do much, and i knew the same about myself.

i stood there for some more time. then, i just gave a glance to ammu, and went to my seat. ayesha was still awake. i told her what had happened before, and just burst into tears! i just couldn't control. i had never felt so bad about something i had committed. i had never felt so helpless. i couldn't sleep the whole night, and ayesha had to bear with me.

well, as we reached back delhi, things looked better. teena was back on her feet but not totally recovered, she was somehow managing. i arranged for a little tea party at home and called in some select friends. it was good fun. mom was telling about the "me" when i was younger. well, those things were not the stuffs i would like to post here! hehe.. shruti, my sister, hit well along my friends. actually, her friendliness made me wonder, whether they were my friends or hers!?! especially, anjali and miranda became the good elder sister to her, and shruti was loving it. my house was on the seventh floor and the night sky with an India Gate view looked amazing. the tea party led to a dinner party. we all had dinner and we were off to the station where we were to leave to hyderabad.

we all boarded the train, and we all were tired. the past week was not the easiest one to go through, but there was something good in all the bad that happened. many had already slept while we were still making sure that we had all the luggage and the counts were correct. by the time we guys settled everything, it was late in the night. i somehow didn't feel too sleepy. i was on duty, it was my turn to stay awake. it was getting quite boring, so i thought of having a walk around lest i fall asleep. as i crossed a couple of cabins, i saw a figure sitting all crouched up on the side lower berth. i went closer, and bent my head to avoid contact with the upper berth. it was teena. for some reason, i wasn't really surprised. i asked her why she hadn't slept. and she had a simple answer,"i wasn't feeling sleepy."

i thought of giving her company for sometime. actually, i was too bored with solitude. we started talking, and we talked of many many things. her schooling, childhood, cousins, friends and "the friends" were among the topics we talked about. i too told her a lot about myself. i liked this girl, and told her that it was sad to meet her with just about a six-month semester left in the college. she was worried about her upcoming project and i invited her to my group. teena was soon to become a part of our project with prince, nadim, sudhir and me. incidentally, ammu was sleeping on the lower berth right beside us. she was using a bed-sheet to evade the mild coldness of the night that was in air. and.. it was funny the way she was moving and turning and toiling in her sleep. the sheet kept falling off and Dr.Raj was busy putting it back all the while! it was funny with the way she was moving her legs around, and me and teena enjoyed the situation! it was some quality time that i spent with teena, but i couldn't let sleep keep away from me! hehe..

we reached hyderabad. we stayed at a hotel that was close to th market place and the girls had a good time shopping, while we guys had to accompany them. but i did enjoy a few moments that i had while buying gifts for thulasi and kicha. well, the selections were very apt and funny at the same time! hehe.. i later went meet my long time great friend anandita who was studying at hyderabad. the next day, we went to Ramoji Film City. this place was awesome. they simply had anything and everything that one would need to make a movie. they had huge bunglows, a railway station, a hospital that looked like an airport from the other way around, and thats not it, they had a whooping five jails!! hehe.. they had this much and even more. i really enjoyed the day.

unfortunately, because of my stupidity and dumbness, i had to go back to our hotel while others went to see the lazer show! when they returned that evening the guys called me up at the hotel and ordered me to come to Big Bazaar. we had a shopping spree there and had a great dinner at a nearby chinese restaurant, thanks to ammu's lamb dish selection! hehe.. and then, me, sudhir, renu and teena had a walk back to the hostel while the others took an autorikshaw back! it was slightly drizzling, and teena had a lot to tell. i could see a great friend in her, and i think it was mutual. i came to know more and more about her, and today she is one of the closest persons to me!

the tour had almost ended. we had to catch the train back to trivandrum. the big attraction during this journey were the artists in ammu and renu that burst out and decorated sudhir's feet! he won't forget that for long. we enjoyed the last train ride a lot, but a sort of sadness filled the air. may be because we all knew that it would be our last tour as one class. but nevertheless we all had a great time. there are a few things that i have omitted here. there were situations, that i came to know long after the tour was over, when some of the guys tried to ruin the tour for some reason still not clear to me. there were some people who tried to extract some image mileage when the situations were the worst and we rather needed support. there were people who backstabbed us, while we stood by them when they were in trouble. but then, those things were never talked about, but everyone knew who did what.

the tour was amazing for me, the most memorable one. there were funny moments like when silu seemingly messed up her idea of a great place in kochi. there were those moments i experienced the love and care, when i collapsed due to heat stroke en route to agra and friends came up to me. there were moments when i felt responsible, when ammu fell sick. there were emotional moments when teena's backache went uncontrolled. there were those cozy moments when we friends all sat together and had long chats. the tour had many such moments, and those moments would always be remembered and cherished. i got so much love and care and happiness from my friends, which is the actual reason why i enjoyed the tour to the core.

the tour renewed the friendship with many of the old pals like nadim, sudhir, prince, silpa, veena, kaka, anjali, achu and many more. lastly, the tour gave me two of my greatest friends in ammu and teena. i regret meeting them so late, but it is always better late than never! we all can still sit around a table and chat endlessly about this tour that we had.. undisputedly, the best college tour..