Yesterday as I was driving from my Office, back home I was greeted with the verve of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations which stand for Pune as I remember it. The Pandals located at fixed distances, with the magnificent Ganesh idols, the soft hymns, the occasional remixed songs, the lights, the festive spirit, all of it brought about some memories with it.
I first came to Pune in the same period, eight years back to join Engineering College, A painfully shy teenager who daily travelled 30kms to reach college. Pune was different back then. Six-seaters were still running, the roads were full of potholes; vada-paav was for 4 Rs, The numerous malls were not the part of the city skyline. What remains same though is the spirit of Pune. Apart from the occasional core areas, I never felt left out. I was as much a part of the city as the city is of me.
The first day of college as I remember it was tense, I had joined late, so the groups were already formed. People knew each other and no one bothered to introduce each other. My being shy was not any help either. The next thing I remember vividly is the Ganesh festivities, with the roads jammed; I always worried about reaching home on time. The extroverts planned a site-seeing throughout Pune and I struggled to reach home before sunset J
First Year of college soon rolled through, what I achieved in this first year was a group of five girl-friends who were fun. Some of them I lost touch with over time and some who are still the best of my friends. I lived on a stringent budget back then, so every day having snacks and juice (patties and sugarcane juice) near the college was indulgence. What significantly stands out is the innocence of the first year of college, the need to prove oneself, the sometimes bitchy sometimes sisterly attitude of teens, the stealing glances at your crush who somehow became a reason to attend college. I have enjoyed my best in the first year of college and still smile at the stupid jokes we cracked back then. I remember stifling laughs throughout the one hour lecture once, and that’s one of my happiest memories. Very soon the year was through and we were reshuffled to join our respective streams.
Second year of engineering passed with me always seated on the front desk oblivious to the rest of the folks behind me. For me no one existed beyond my desk. I vividly remember a very talkative, bubbly girl sitting beside me for a boring Maths session and getting bored more so by my silence. Later as we got closer, she confessed how much she cursed me for my silence.
The years passed through with all the ups and downs and very soon I was out of college. What changed the most in those 4 years was me. More than the technical education, I value the education which changed me as a person. I still am introvert and take ages to open up. The friends that I made back then, some stayed, some drifted apart, rest are acquaintances I smile at when I run across them. But every one of them contributed to what I am today. As George Adams said:
“There is no such thing as a "self-made" man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”
I owe my mental makeup to many of such friends who unknowingly taught me many a things, be it laughing at stupid jokes, enjoying life, managing studies and fun or more deeper values like trust and friendship. I always thought of myself as a person who has cloaked her shyness under arrogance and I occasionally wear my cloak inside out.
Growing up isn’t about age, it’s about the experiences which you learn from; I owe all my acquaintances the fact that they are the part of my experiences. Good or bad, it’s the experience that counts. Eight years back, as I wrestled in the crowd to catch a glimpse of the all famous Dagdusheth, I realized that the God of learning is not going to bless me based on my efforts to reach him, I am truly blessed because I have accepted and learnt and that’s what is expected out of me. So the silent prayer which I offered all thorough my four years of engineering, almost subconsciously as I drove past the Paud bridge and the Ganesh temple there, suffices for me. Here’s that prayer: “meri galtiyaan maaf karna aur mujhe sadhbuddhi dena” That’s all I can ask for. For rest everything, I have the banks and credit card J
Bottomline: This is the first time in years that I am not busy enough, first time in years that I have enjoyed the Ganesh festivities, first time in years when I have actually slowed down my two-wheeler to have a look at the Pandal and first time in years that the deafening music, be it hymns or remixed songs have not irritated me. So maybe this is the first time that I feel at peace with myself. All thanks to the God of learning.
