2 Strange Stranger

It was my last day in college/hostel. I was leaving behind the memories that I had created for 4 years of Engineering. I was leaving the friends behind but not friendship. I was leaving behind the campus hostel but not the hostel tag from me. I waved goodbye to the friends who were still there and waiting for their day to leave the campus.

And at last, I went to see the girl whom I thought, I was in love with. I told her that I was going and asked her to keep in touch. Although I knew that I was expecting more when you're in your early 20s. You don't care about this kind of stuff. I turned away and ran towards the Ola cab which was waiting outside the campus main gate. I turned away and didn't look back because I knew that I too would cry like all others.

I was sitting in the front seat of the cab and my friend Kartik was sitting at the back. There was complete silence in the cab. Neither Kartik nor I spoke a single word. We were heading towards Noida to shift to a PG and the cab had reached a few km. And the drop of tears finally came out of my eyes. All the memories were getting flashed sequentially from the beginning. I kept on crying and consistently staring out of the window so that the cab driver or my friend couldn't see me crying. I finally recollected myself from all the thoughts and consolidated myself yet again.

We reached the PG in an hour and life after college began for us.

Another friend Ayush joined after two days in that small room of PG. That room was so small that, there were 3 beds and 3 almirahs and hardly any space left to even stand. There were 3 rooms in total in that house which the owner has made the PG.

The Days started to pass. Kartik and I had joined a 14-day training for the SSB which we have cleared through the AFCAT exam and Ayush has joined a coaching institute for CAT preparation. Although Ayush and Kartik were placed through campus recruitment in an MNC, their joining letter hasn't come yet. I and Kartik have to go to Mysore for the SSB exam to try our luck in the Indian Armed Forces as well.

I and Kartik went to the training institute for SSB preparation in Delhi. So, for that, we had to wake at 5:30 am and then catch the first metro from Sector 19 metro station to Mayur Vihar and then an auto to the academy. It took around 80 min to reach the destination and classes begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm and then we get back by 8 pm. This schedule went on for 14 days straight.

There is a small incident from the academy. It was the first day of training, The Director of the institute was giving a lecture on the 10 qualities of an officer that day. He had explained 6 of them already and before starting 7th he wanted someone to sing in front of a class of 200 aspirants. I don't know what happened but my hands were up involuntarily. I was shocked at how that happened but nothing can be done now. I went up to the stage and sang "Lag ja gale ki fir ye haseen raat ho na ho" and everyone clapped as I finished. The director praised me and told me that the last 4 qualities that we have to inculcate are in him and from that day I was a well-known face of that batch which kind of felt nice.

The day arrived when I and Kartik had to leave for Mysore to take SSB. We boarded the train from Nizammudin railway station. It took 33 hours to reach Bangalore and my journey passed in reading books only. After we reached Bangalore, we took another train to Mysore. The scenic beauty of the route from Bangalore to Mysore gives immense pleasure. Although every journey has a destination. We reached Mysore and SSB screening was the next day. We stayed in a hotel that day.

The next day, we woke up at 4 am as we had to report at 6 am at the Mysore railway station. We reported there on time and one officer came who took us and many like us to the base station of the air force. There we undergo a screening test. Almost 200 candidates have reported at the base and 14 got screened in. Unfortunately, it wasn't the day for me. We got screened out that evening after giving the screening test, we reached the hotel and decided to go to Mysore Palace.