The Tryst With The Hill...

Ever since I entered IXth grade, I’ve been hearing one same line again and again,
“Bas, yeh 2 saal ache se padh lo, fir life set hai.” But those 2 years are yet to finish. So, on 2^nd of June this year, I stepped into the next phase of these “2 years”. This time it’s for the tag that somehow increases your rate in the matrimonial market- an MBA degree. But thankfully, all the bournvita  I’ve had over the years has had a good impact on my brain and I know why am I here and what I want to achieve from the next two years (rest assured, sprucing up of my marriage profile would be the last reason for being here). But insights into my choice of college and field of profession some other time, today I’ll share with you’ll my 3 weeks so far on the hill. 

Before you begin wondering about the word “hill”, let me throw some light on my whereabouts. 

My home has shifted from New Delhi to Pune, Symbiosis International University has succeeded the University of Delhi, the under-grad years at S.G.G.S.C.C have paved the way for post-grad years at S.I.M.C, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication and lastly, from a happy late sleeper-late bloomer, I have now become an exponent of the “not so early to bed, but still early to rise” theory. The exact place I’m perched on at the moment is a hill in Lavale, and as the cab driver told me, it’s pronounced LOVE-Ley. A campus on the hill somewhat aptly takes care of that feeling of being away from home, and to add to that, a picturesque view, good people and surprisingly good mess food (at times) have made my stay so far one like the KFC tag line.... “So Good”. 

In Pune, the first person with whom I had a reasonable interaction was the auto driver who drove me through the city and up the hill. Coming to a new place, I had all kinds of plausible scenarios in my mind...

1.     He would grossly overcharge me and take me through a long route.
2.     He would take me to some remote place with the intention of kidnapping me.
3.     He would take me to the wrong place all together.

But thankfully, some negotiation took care of the first point, the GPS on my mobile took charge of the 2^nd one and his confidence took care of the third point. While I mentioned it to him that though we had agreed upon a fare, he was over-charging me seeing that I was from a different city, he kept insisting that “aise cheezein Delhi me hoti hongi” and that he was charging the reasonable amount only. It was almost an hour drive from the airport to the campus, so we had many other things to discuss. The weather, the rains, the people, his life, my life and my wife... yes, he did ask me if I was married or if I had a girlfriend. Kaafi jaldi frank ho gaye, nahi?? He mentioned about how he came to Lavale  to see the shooting of the movie Bodyguard and showed me his pictures with Salman Khan as well, followed by a small jig on the title track of the same movie. In between I was looking at all that was passing by, the roads, the people, the sign boards (most of which were in Marathi).

So I finally reached the campus in the afternoon, checked in the hostel, entered my room and dozed off, only to wake up in the evening. The days that followed included interactions with my fellow batch-mates, induction sessions, documents verification, daily classes, weekend trips to the city and last but definitely not the least, the realization that I had the typical Dilliwala accent, or so I was told. 

So, in ways more than one, the hill has been pretty welcoming. I’ll share more as I experience... 

Tune in next Sunday, for I hope to share the next post then.

Until next time we meet
Take Care :)