So, here I am. Right in the middle of a spell of excruciating pain and discomfort, owing to the latest addition to my repertoire of vestigial organs, the dreaded wisdom tooth. As far as I know, I'm none the wiser since the blasted thing decided to announce its arrival; if anything, I might have started cursing humanity even more. Be that as it may, it gave me a chance to bunk office so aal izz well.
Without wandering away from the main subject, this post could see some uncharacteristic sentiyap, so kindly ignore it when you come across it. I took a trip down memory lane (oh boy, here it comes) to Roorkee a few weeks back. The trip was supposed to happen at Convo, but my company's sense of timing put paid to all those plans, and I was busy being trained in office in November. Of course, missing Convo was not my choice, rather a condition forced upon me. Hence, the trip in January was planned. Some wise guy once muttered that you realize the importance of something only after you've lost it. This might even be a Chinese proverb; I'm not certain. And even though I 'd majorly convinced myself that life can only get better post-Roorkee, I was made to rethink, albeit for a short time.
Yes, none of my classmates were around when Pandeyji (it could also have been Tiwariji or Guptaji; I don't remember) from the Acad Section handed me my degrees, and there was nobody to share that fist-pumping-and-high-fiving moment with. Neither were there any hat-tossing or photo sessions. Yet, the joy of finally reaping the fruits of hard work (okay, maybe not-so-hard work) was something special. It's a joy that can be experienced even without human company, much like the joy of watching a really good movie in a cinema hall, without friends. For a moment, a tiny moment, you get this special, surreal, indescribable feeling that makes you want to stand still and soak in everything around you. Thank god, it doesn't last long, for you'd not want people staring at you as if you were some nutcase.
I was in Roorkee for three days and a bit, and the plan was to relive those various campus moments for one final time, because I knew that it would be a long time before I take my next trip to the campus. True to expectation, some wonderful times were had, in that tiny little town on NH-58. Fun times with Soni and Ukey in Govind, fun times with junior junta, a trip to our first year rooms in RJB, food at Alpahar and Ganga Canteen, a jaunt to the CBRI colony, a full round of the campus, the trip had it all. Oh, and needless to say, the first thing I did upon arriving on the Roorkee railway station was to take a rick straight to, you guessed it, Baadshah (more about Baadshah a little later). It was a classic case of too much happening too soon. Hell, for a fleeting nanosecond, I even considered coming back and getting a PhD from the Insti. I sincerely thank the almighty for not allowing me to be swayed that way.
It'll not be very polite of me to dump each and every experience here, for nobody likes to read a long, soppy tale, including yours truly. Hence, I decided to list down 5 reasons (not exhaustive, not in any particular order; Ah, those Litta times!) why Roorkee scores over Bangalore.
1. Let's start with that temple for gluttons, Baadshah Hotel, Pahadi Bazar, Roorkee. Baadshah is known to serve legendary chicken, that's even forced a few veggies to turn non-veggies in my campus time. Never mind that the gravy is redder than blood, never mind that Baadshah consumes about 17 barrels of oil everyday, resulting in oil-based hangovers the next day and never mind the fact that chicken bones lie strewn across the floor, extending you a warm welcome. It still is the darling of all chicken-lovers on campus. It's a known fact that Baadshah traded hygiene for awesomeness sometime during the British rule, which turned out really well for people like me, because while hygiene is temporary, awesomeness is permanent. A Baadshah trip has been the high-point of many mundane days on campus. It is truly, The Baadshah. I've found a low-quality substitute in Bangalore, going by the name of Sher Khan Hotel. It's not very far from my place and serves good chicken, but comparing it to Baadshah is akin to comparing a light sabre to a tubelight wrapped in transparent-green paper.
2. Roorkee afternoons are characteristically lazy and long-drawn, so you can take a bath, watch an episode of South Park, take pictures of Govind Bhawan, have lunch at SP, have a bakar session with people on your way back to campus, take a full campus tour and take pictures, have snacks at Alpahar, have bakar in Nesci, go to UG, come back to your room, watch two more South Park episodes, and it'll still be 6pm.
3. What's better than getting paid for doing absolutely nothing? This is NOT the stuff dreams are made of, this is reality. 5th year in Roorkee is a paid vacation, for most of the Dual junta. There's a solitary theory course in the whole year, plus you get paid 8000 every month. Just as getting an acad-back in IITR requires special talent (unless you're being taught by AKJ or SNS), spending 8000 a month in Roorkee requires some effort on your part (this doesn't include trips to Delhi every weekend; we are talking about spending the money in Roorkee). I'm seriously starting to question the adage, 'There are no free lunches'.
4. The joy of riding a bicycle, after crossing teenage years, is one that can be had only by a fortunate few. Riding a bicycle, full throttle, in winter nights is even better. Roorkee affords you the opportunity to go to the Railway Station to see a friend off, at 1 am, on a bicycle, in single-digit temperatures, come back in even colder weather, sip some tea at Bus-T while shivering at the same time, come back to the campus, turn the heater on, cover yourself with a cosy blanket and drift off to the most blissful of sleeps ever.
5. Feeling disillusioned in the rat race? People getting onto your nerves? Feel like joining a gothic cult? No worries, Roorkee has lots of quick getaways for you. Haridwar, at 30 kms, offers you the sacred Hari-ki-Pauri ghat, good food and lots of peace. 20 Kms from Haridwar, Rishikesh offers you white-water rafting trips, secluded river beaches and continental food. Mussourie, 100 kms from Roorkee, is the quintessential hill-station with its Mall Road and tourists all around. And if you possess features common to a sloth, Roorkee has the canal-side in Solani Puram.
And if nothing works for you, get admitted into the IITR Chemical Dept, and graduate with a B.Tech, when you should really be getting a Diploma for only spending 2 years in the department.
