‘Friends are the family you can choose’ 👬🏻👬🏻👬🏻

25 June 1997 | My First Day in College! 😍

[When Ragging was on ‘high-intensity’ mode!]

#memoriesfromdiaries 💛

Today, in the year 1997, was my very first day in my College life.

It’s that ‘rite of passage’ moment in your life, when you are all anticipation and excitement personified, in a place far away from home, completely oblivious of what the next moment, the next hour, the next day, the next week and the next month holds for you!

And well, back then, ragging was very common in Colleges.

Just around seven months ago, (On a fateful day - 09 November 1996), a ragging incident in Chidambaram had had the entire nation shaken and shell-shocked!

An innocent fresher at the Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Annamalai University, by name Pon Navarasu, was murdered during a ragging incident by one of his beastly seniors - John David, and his body parts were scattered in different parts of Tamil Nadu.

[You may want to read about the incident, (if you really want to), on Wikipedia HERE.]

Ironically, the victim Pon Navarasu’s father Professor P. K. Ponnusamy, was then a serving Vice-chancellor of the Madras University. This murder prompted the Govt of Tamil Nadu to immediately enact strict legislation banning ragging in educational institutions, thus criminalising the act of ragging.

Not withstanding this, just six months later, ‘seniors’ in colleges, dared to defy the legislation, all over the State, and indulged in ragging in some ‘mild’ form or the other.

Especially hostelers like us, who were far away from our parents, got stuck at the hands of our seniors, who bullied and ragged us [their juniors] with such reckless abandon, according to their own whims and fancies!

Even as we, juniors, checked into our allotted rooms in [Hostel A - Schwartz Hostel], we were so scared out of our wits, that we were quite hesitant even to pop out of our rooms, leave alone go to the Mess for our food.

That’s when we had a saviour to our rescue - an old gentleman - initially we referred to him as grandpa warden, but then we came to know that he was fondly called, Captain.

So it was our ‘Captain’ who marshalled us all to the mess and back!

To my utmost joy, among our bevy of juniors, I was able to spot at least 12 literature students!

Literature rocks you see!

There was a great demand for Literature back then. [like it is, today as well]!

So yes, quite soon we all became friends, good friends, bosom friends, to such an extent that, one among my classmates – Wesley Santharaj, aced the Best man at my wedding!

As they say,

Some friends come into your life for a reason!

Some for a season!

And some for a Lifetime!

I had the blessed privilege of gaining such lovely ‘friends of a lifetime’ here, during my hostel days!

Personally, from my own experience, I would say with all conviction and happiness that, in a home away from home, when you are all alone, it is your sweet friends who bring joy to your life, add meaning to your life, give value to your days, and gift you fun in endless ways!

They are the only ones who share in your joys and sorrows, your likes and dislikes, your coffees and teas, your sports and games, and well, many a time they are the ones who know more about you, than even your parents would have known!

That’s hence the good old adage that goes thus –

‘Friends are the family you can choose’.

How true proves the adage!

To be continued…

[PS: In this diary entry, by sheer force of habit, I’d mentioned ‘went to school’ instead of ‘went to college’, and I’m literally laughing over it. So, the inconvenience caused is not regretted at all! 🙏😋 Some little joys of life, you see! ] 😍