Wednesday, April 3, 2013

A few words to the graduating students...

Dear friends,

So, finally a long journey is about to end for you guys. I don't want to sound pedagogical and bore you guys by a long speech here. It's just that since i have been through the experience with my friends, I find this urge to share a few thoughts which pass through my mind as I remember those beautiful moments...

The very fact that you are an Agnelite (or an MU student) implies that you have cursed the College, not once, but hundreds of times, in the past four years. I was no different from you guys. But let me tell you this, you are going to miss it. Oh No! Not 'the college' or it's buildings or the classrooms or friends or for that matter anything in particular. Why do I say that I am not talking about you missing your friends? Because that is implicit knowledge. Of-course  you are going to miss your friends and I don't need to tell you that. In fact, you will stay in touch, no doubt. Moreover, you will be making new friends as you move on in life. Then what am I talking about?

Well, I am talking about all these individual things put together. Nothing on it's own will be of any meaning to you guys from now on. But, put these small meaningless things together, and its a recipe for giving you pangs of regret and wet eyes a few years down the line! The college stairs are not worth remembering of-course  But put yourself and your classmates sprawled over them, writing on those assignment sheets with all your might and it will definitely move you. Once again, its not your friends you will miss here. It's the combination of people writing and those staircases. Nobody wants to remember the canteen and it's food for obvious reasons. But you are going to miss the act of getting your plates with your hostel-mates and eating the same old food and then cribbing about it. I accept the foyer was beautiful, but it is meaningless without those countless hours spent there doing nothing with friends. I will refrain myself from giving more instances of this, since there are countless and I think I have made my point here.

So what does this call for? Well, most of you, and I mean it, are not going to realize the magnitude of this moment in your life. I speak from experience. And there is nothing wrong in it, since it is so unreal. In most cases, it is denial which prevents us from acknowledging that the happy college life is finally over. Whereas in a a few cases, it just takes some time for the thought to seep in. While, in a few other cases, like mine, you can see it all the way. You can see that its over. The careless, happy-go-lucky and the fun days of our lives are gone. You can think whatever you want, but eventually you will face reality. It will hit you and it will hit you hard. It's just a matter of time.

So what? Well, if you are the sort of a person who can see this and doesn't want to fool yourself by saying that nothing's over, that you will keep on meeting your friends, that you will keep on enjoying the way you have been doing it over the past few years, then you know what to do! But, if you are one of those, who think all this is crap and emotional stuff meant to weaken you and if you are one of those, who makes fun of people who think this way, then I have one small advice for you. And what is that?

Well, neither do I want to judge you, nor do I want you to judge me. Just do yourself and people around you one small favor. I don't want you to believe whatever I just said. It's alright. You don't have to. Just pretend that you believe in it. Now once you do that, I want you to try and think what you would actually do if you were to believe in whatever I said. Now please do those things (without actually believing). What can you do? Anything and everything that will make these last few days of your college life beautiful.

Spend as much time as you can with your friends. Go out for lunch, dinner, whatever. Stay back in college doing nothing. Capture every moment with your friends. Pictures do help. Talk to those people in your class, who you never spoke to. Move out of your niche group if you can. Make sure nobody dislikes you. Apologize if you think you have done something wrong. Now is not the time to protect that ego of yours. Take videos of these last moments. Go and meet your favorite teacher if you have one (I had Jaikishan Sir and Archana Mam). If you can, then write. Write about your experience regarding the past four years. It becomes difficult to let your emotions turn into words once these moments pass. One fine day, these pictures, videos and writings are going to be a source of the greatest emotions you will ever feel. These very things will eventually give you teary smiles or smiling tears (whatever you would like to call them).

So what's going to happen with all this. Well, if all this is indeed correct, then in future you are going to be very very happy that you did so much to preserve these last few moments; moments which are going to adorn your life forever. If not, its not going to change anything in a bad way. May be, it will just make those around you realize how much you love them and give all of you a reason to smile.

My best wishes with you guys. Stay cheerful and stay happy. May you reach great heights in your life.