A Small Story about Samanvay
As children, I am sure we must have heard a lot of stories and we must have imagined being part of some of such stories. Little eyes dreaming of flying horses, dragons, fairies, damsels in distress and their knights in shining armors. But the changing times and our growing mind eventually change our thinking and we just stop living in that world full of wonders. But what if we didn’t need to go out of that place? What if our life could be part of one such story? Wouldn’t it be great? Then let me tell you one such story.
Once upon a time in a country called India, there was a state called Karnataka. And in that state there was a not so distant place called Harihar. That is the place where our story takes place. In that small and not so famous place, there lived a family of sorts. It was made of young boys and girls who came from all over the country. They left their homes and came to this place with many hopes and aspirations.
But when they came, they were missing those who they had to leave, their families, their friends and their love. Little did they know was that this place would bring many changes in their lives but loneliness would not be one of them.
These youngsters slowly started to mingle with each other and sooner before they realized, they had made friends who would tease them and make fun of them but would also mark their proxies and help them in exams. They had made brothers and sisters who hugged them and kissed them when they were feeling lonely or when they were happy for any reason. And some of the lucky ones found love, a feeling that makes this small and distant place seem like heaven.
The youngsters also had a very special friend in this place. That friend (conditions applied) was known as the ROOMIE. Now some of the youth got roomies who would laugh with them and some got roomies who would cry with them. But some of the lucky ones (again conditions applied) got a roomie who would ask them to bunk a class so he/she could go to the nearby river with them. Or he/she would sit and dine with you only to stare at the girl/boy eating at the next table. And when it was exam time, the special roomie would play the loudest and saddest song so that you could get all psyched for exams but would end up listening to songs all night long and then sleeping late. One more peculiar thing about the roomie is that it has a very strange habit of eating all the things that the youngster had saved be it chocolates, cookies, chips or other things that better not be mentioned in a public forum. But the roomie was a pal like no other in KIAMS. The person to look up to or in some cases down to, the person with the best sense of humor ever or the worst, who was the cheesiest or the wackiest, all in all a person who shared not just a room, but places in hearts.
Another special person for a few luckier ones or as some might say unluckier ones was the one in whom they found love. This is a special class of people in KIAMS (besides roomies, geeks, hippies etcetera). These could be seen roaming around the campus holding hands, sitting at the triangle or rotunda chatting away, roaming on the love lane, sitting in the class or dining together or just thinking of each other. These special youths were a bit different than regular students. They used to study together but it was the least of their activities. They would sit together in the group discussion rooms for hours staring at notes or laptop screens but nothing would be on their minds besides each other.
And then there would be one more small activity called studying. It would involve sitting in the class, looking at the teacher or the presentation, scribbling in the notepads and so on.
But in reality they would sit in the class but their minds were somewhere else, they would look at the teachers but in their eyes, there would be pictures of things which were more “exciting” and they would be scribbling in their notebooks but it would be about their other personal interests.
And so on these youths would live their lives full of smiles and sometimes little tears too. And one day, all these youth would have to leave the place they called home for 2 years. They would venture out into the world and make a name for themselves. And new youths would come and take their place.
But once every year, there would come a time when these youths who had to leave would return and would bring with them scores of memories which would flow again through the veins of their home away from home. This was a festival and it was called Samanvay, the convergence of different streams that flowed through KIAMS.
Those who would return would share their experiences with the new ones and tell them tales of their stay in the campus. There would be games and there would be dancing and singing. And there would be fun and frolicking and everyone would be involved.
And there would be many other things that would happen but I wouldn’t narrate them all here. Because I still have to live through those moments. I am a student at KIAMS (B13 to be precise) and me along with my entire batch and the Batch 12(seniors) I feel privileged to invite my alumni to come and share those moments with us. I invite them to come and once again unite the family that has been continuing here and would continue to do so for years to come. We want to listen to their stories and share their experiences in KIAMS. We want to know what they did and how they lived when they were here and I want to tell them what I do.
So please come again and help me live the part that I want to live in my story and let this story continue over and over again. “Inviting all our alumni to Come Back Home”
On Behalf of KIAMS Community,
Aadil Ahmad
(Batch 13)
