The Last Sunshine: A Farewell to College Life

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Author – Biswadeep Ghosh Hazra

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The wind kissed my face sternly for one last time as if to bid me the final farewell. I am surrounded by my friends sitting atop a platform on the roof of our beloved hostel. Four years ago, I was terrified of this insipid place and yet today, I am here, wishing if time could be slowed down to a null. Sighing, I smile on my wicked fate; four years seemed like four days now. My sighs were soon suppressed by the incessant laughter of my friends surrounding me, giving way to the occasional clinking of beer bottles and cigarette smoke. We were intoxicated, or to say in a simple colloquial term, ‘high’. Sitting at this point made us all reminisce about the way we dodged hostilities, fell into the deepest abyss called love, passed our semesters with the utmost difficulty, woke up with bad hangovers, and cooked and ate delicious food with a hunger insatiable like the devil’s. Everything led us up to this day; for come tomorrow, we will ‘pass-out’ from this college into a strange oblivion called ‘life’. Being last in almost everything was a forced habit during these years in my hostel and college life alike; going home was not going to be any different. I had seen several of my friends depart, their crying faces invoking deep sympathy within me. No amount of intoxication, or any activity for that matter could assuage the pain associated, and the handful of us remaining would have to meet the same fate someday or the other.

Our four years at Haldia Institute of Technology, Haldia, West Bengal were up. Though my friends and I belonged from different departments, we were united by our souls.  Staying in the hostel for all this time had its effect as well. We were connected by an invisible thread. All those study sessions during the examinations and practicals, the tension during campusing, the joy when one of us was lucky enough to secure a job- everything was larger than life itself.

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On occasions, we even risked our lives and fled away from hostel to go out (for the sake of having an adventure and to eat!) and enjoy without a care in the world. Such is the beauty of hostel life!

The sun slowly made its way up the horizon, illuminating our faces and maybe our lives as well. This was our last sunshine in college.

“The sun is in all its glory, this is utterly beautiful. isn’t it? Looks like Surya-dev is riding his chariot with seven horses in resplendent glory,” said one of my friends staring in amazement. Alcohol turns everyone into philosophers. Nevertheless, I couldn’t agree any less with him.

“Four years! And this sight has never gotten any older. It still amazes us all,” I answered supporting him.

“Gosh, I will miss you all, very badly” another one almost cried out aloud.

Complementary hugs and handshakes were exchanged; our friends can make any journey virtually un-noticeable.

After our last huddle-up, I went back to my room; there was a lot of work still left to do. My parents were coming to receive me and relieve me from my college and hostel life; I had to clean the room to the best of my abilities. The bags, trunks and suitcases were laid open in front of me, as if they were opening themselves to me and had nothing to hide. On the dusty floor, they lay, barren and naked. I had never changed my room in these four years, though we were free to do so. The reason being my affinity towards the same. I looked around my room and memories came flooding in. I lay on my bed for a while, basking in the sunlight and reminiscence at the same time.

I had fallen asleep after the previous night’s tryst and was woken up by the familiar ringing of my phone. Flashing on the screen was my father’s number. My parents came shortly after that, with a smile on their faces. A shroud of desperation and sadness encapsulated me as I walked towards the college building for completing some formalities. Soon, I would not be a part of this college, but the college would be a part of my life.

As the car sped away, I grabbed my shades from my mother to hide my tears from my parents. I refused to see any of my beloved juniors, as I was not good with ‘farewells’ and ‘goodbyes’. However, I miss them from the bottom of my heart.

This article is submitted as a part of Nostalgic Article of the Month contest

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