Someone at AIT

The lamppost on both sides of the road never look that much large to me as it was that day. The “thar- thar” sound of auto have spell in it or was it the beauty of the city. I couldn't remember which of them it was but I was deep inside my thoughts. That kind of experience to get away from family was the first for me . It was like the sweet cold of November and March when it feels very nice and sometimes discomforting. The excitement of starting a new life, life of my own, where I am going to build my own rules ,where I can have much awaited freedom and identity of my own but still I couldn't allow myself not to think of my family. My father was with me but I missed my mother and sister . My mother and sister live in village .Village life is has its own benefits and freedom is one of them . As my mother was not much educated and my father usually had to be away from home for the purpose o job. My father was an army man , he retired in 2002 and some how I agree to the point that credit of getting me to this college goes more to my fathers 24 years of service in army then to my hard work (if I can call it that way). Claiming 25000 rank in AIEEE and still getting college like AIT is like a dream for me .While I was lost in my own thoughts we reached vishrantwadi. We searched for some place to stay a lodge or something as we cannot afford a room in some hotel. So we started looking around . We found a place to stay at night and the next day was my counseling. We picked up a six-seater from vishrantwadi to AIT . When we were about 300-400m away from college I saw the red color AIT I can't explain how it felt like and when we entered the campus I was really stunned and what I was thinking was “i gonna study here ”, coming from a village I couldn't have thought of any better college then this was.

Some how counseling gone nicely I got IT branch and alloted room in New Boys Hostel. My room no was 201F. The rooms are nice three tables were there and three beds . we asked for chairs as there were no chairs. As me and my father was talking the room 's door opened again and the person standing there was some old fellow of my father's age not less than 40 . He politely asked me “is it 201F” I answered him in a very soft voice “yes” I really don't think he would have got what I replied as the decibel level was very low and also thanks to the army “ Shaktiman ” trucks moving behind our hostel. But he started unpacking that saved me from repeating my reply. I was certain that he is not my one of my roommates may be dad of one of them. I don't know why while taking to him I kept my voice so low may be I was trying to look extra polite but one thing I remember is that my father stand up to show his respect for uncle and so do I. I don't know that uncle's name so lets call him uncle X. This was the time when my father and uncle X started talking . Some times I wonder how easy it is for one army man to stuck in conversation with other one .They have tone's of experiences to share and hundreds of topic's to talk on. They started talking about cores and brigades and reached to a common conclusion that Pakistan is evil at the end of the one and a half hour of uninterrupted conversation they had. They were talking about Assam, Shri-lanka, jaipur, laddakh .I was unpacking my stuff but I still can't see any sign of my room mate coming. And suddenly a average height young man with cap on his head and well dressed appeared on the door . That was Sanjay . I later came to know that he was from Kanpur

Meanwhile my father and Sanjay's father (Mr. x) were finished talking. Then both me and my father went to have some tea as my father want some and I was not willing to leave him alone or to me rightly say to left alone as he was going back to home in two to three hours and I don't know when I will be seeing him after this. When we came back in our room there was no one there. I later found out that Sanjay went to have his hair cut as we say to get AIT cutting and his father went with him . Me and my father sit and talk for some more time The usual stuff “Give us a call if you need something” “don't worry” “ keep your mind in studies” and all that .I was listening to him and was also thinking about my life ahead It was like a wast sea and I was on a boat which I don't even know heading to where . After some time my father said that he should go as he had to catch “Jhelum Express” from Pune railway station . But when I insisted him to stay for 10 more minutes he agreed. And for tose 10 minutes I kept my head on his lap , I don't know that tears came out of my eyes or not but my heart was crying . And one thing I can still say is that I haven't forget those 10 minutes even now . Then my father said good bye to me and left to Pune Station.

And I said “GOOD BYE”