Bus Journey.. TiNg tInG!!!!!!

Most people say that college life is the best if you are within the campus the whole day. I mean if you are a hostelier then you can feel the speed and pomp of the campus. But I say if you want to know the feel and pomp its not necessary to be in hostels. I had a very personal reason for not being in hostel during my college days (even though I had paid for it for some time). Until my college day started I hadn't travelled in private buses to my schools. Wherever I had been, my schools were so near that just a cycle ride or just a brisk walk or even lesser than that. Once I reached college I had planned of going in buses to my college. Since I was new to private buses I had some problems while travelling during the begining. I didn't even know what a CT/ST (Concession Ticket/Student's Ticket) was. Once I started giving CTs I found them interesting. The original bus charge from Manjeri to Ramanattukara was Rs.17/- for which we students gave just Rs.3 or 3.5/-. I along with some of my friends board the bus from Manjeri bus stand. Since we were students we were allowed to board the bus only after all other passengers have boarded. By the time we board the driver starts to raise the accelerator so that just a handful of students get in the bus. Students were looked as if they were slaves of the bus conductor. We were suppose to obey them, should not be seated. We had to follow unwritten rules. We normally get comforted in the back seats where no other traveller wishes to be seated. 7.40 was our bus timings from Manjeri. Sreejith, Rakesh and myself (my friends) board the same bus to the college. Most days we talk a bit and the rest time we take a big sleep(although that's what we are going for). A big hump in the Ramanattukara bus terminal wakes up us. The next is ours. At the terminal we find other college mates waiting. Show hands and leaves to the next stop. Chungam is the next stop we have to get down. Getting to college from Chungam is more difficult than come from Manjeri to Chungam. There we have private green coloured buses coming from various parts of Calicut . The scnes of the bus coming is always a good one to watch. A 50 seater bus will reach us with atleast a 150 students in it. But still the bus brakes at Chungam because there will be more number of students waiting for the buses. Another 20 -25 get in and leave to Rajah Gate. Another option from Chungam is to take a jeep, which runs as a private taxi to college. It costs Rs.3/- which very much costlier to that compared of Rs.0.5/- in the bus. That should be the reason why the bused are fully packed.

Into the World of Surprises

This is the Famous Rajah Gate. Any person getting into the college through this gigantic gate feels something like your are being awaited inside. And so I felt. I was really surprised to see the gate(although I had seen that many times before while comiong for interview) and enter inside as a proud student of Farook College. Staright away I went in. On my right I saw the Abu Sabah Library Complex. Although that was not something very much related to me, I too have been inside the huge library. Daily morning I use to go the library where there is a separate reading room for newspaper readers. I use to go through them because I was the first person in our gang who use to be in college the first. I go through all the papers, share a word with other readers, give a look to the Rajah Gate(mainly for new faces). Once I get somebody of our gang I stop all those stuffs and be with them and wait for others to come.

August 8 2005, First Day in college. My class was just bseide the room of our principal and so all were behaving as if they were kept in jail. No sounds, no walking outside, no nothing. Everything was prohibited in that particular area of study. It took some time for me to get used with my friends name. I was really shocked with certain names because I was not use to such names ever before. I still remeber the first girl I met was Farsana. I should have asked her name atleast a dozen number of times on that day so that I could get used to with the name. I seated myself in one of the front rows. Our class was quite big with three row of students. I was comfortable in the middle row. On my right hand side was the girls side and left again was boys. The first boy I met was Ali Jasim, a fair looking guy. Since I had joined late in class each period I was asked my name and all my whereabouts which I had to repeat for almost a week. In schools one period was around 40 minutes but in college 1 period(1 hour as we say) is 1 whole hour itself.

One day I saw a paper that was hanged in our class room. It was a paper containig the names of all the students in class. One coloumn in the paper showed your reservations. To my surprise I found a name almost at the bottom of the pages showing "general". And that was none other than me.......But I beleived that reservations does stand as a block in making friends. I slowly started being one among the others. I got all the names in mind. The time I joined my college it was almost election time. Although it was not fully started, the anti ragging cell had been in action. I was saved from being ragged from any part of the college. By the time some of the senior guys start up a ragging the other side will come and stop it, althouh the ragging was not physical hearting. The anti ragging was started so that new comers including me would vote for them in the up coming college elections.

The unforgettable moment

August5 2005, we had let our expectations to fly in the air. We decided to leave to Coimbatore for joining for BBM in SNGC college where one of my cousin was studying. My mom, brother, my cousin and myself started off early morning from our house to Coimbatore. I had also carried with me all the necessary things required for my stay in Coimbatore. We were almost reaching Coimbatore, my brother's mobile rang up. That was my uncle saying that we have to immediately reach Farook College since admmission was ready there. We didn't have any ther option but only leave my cousin in the nearest bus station (Palakkad). We didnt waste any time and soon asked the driver to leave to Calicut. We managed to reach there by 10:30am. As usual we were asked to wait outside the room of the principal. At last we were called in. Again seating was as before. I was told to stand. Then the principal said,"this is a management seat but I am not buying donation from you." I was wearing a gold chain.Principal told me that you can wear all these but if you loose it that will be full my risk. He told me to join the very next day itself.

Now too those moments are still in my mind. College life begins here.....

My world, tats something which I feel I would like to share with my friends. This contains my feelings, my thoughts, my beliefs, my concepts etc. To start off I would do with my college days. Like any other person, I too have too many memories that would take me aback to my college days. Its not been long since I have left my college, but still I think this would help me keep my memories refreshed at any point of time.

Back in 2005, the time I was free from my school days. I had no plans on what to do, where to do. Like all others of my age I too started applying for colleges. I was an average student in school( does not mean I am above that now), where I managed to get a first class in my 12th standard. I was happy with what I got because I hadn't expected something more than that. But once I started applying for colleges I understood that colleges had expected someting more from me. My marks where just nothing as compared to my friends which I came to know at a later stage. My applications went through almost all well known colleges throughout kerala and one two applications even left the state and reached Tamil Nadu ( to be exact Coimbatore). With just 71% marks in 12th standard and not being in the reserved section of the society, I was quite sure that it was difficult for me to get into any of the colleges in Kerala. That was the reason why I applied for colleges in Coimbatore. But due to luck factor I had received interview calls from many of the applied colleges. Since all dates for interview come in the same day it was a very big confusion for me to take a decision on where to go. On the other hand we even tried getting into a management quota seats in various colleges.

Days were passing by and I was not yet been admitted in any of the colleges either in Kerala nor in Coimbatore. Outside Kerala colleges open earlier than they open in Kerala. And so college admission in Coimbatore was dificult and admission in Kerala was impossible. The only hope we had was of a management seat in Kerala. 2005 July1st, my 18th b'day. I was asked to attend an interview for admission in Farook College, Calicut.

I along with my mother and a cousin reached college in time. But to our surprise we saw there were a group of people waiting outside the principal's room. All were waiting for their turn to get in the college. At last my waiting turned out be true. We were called in. There were nmber of trophies kepn in the showcases which the college had won during the years for various events. Also I could find a big framed photo of A.P.J Abdul Kalam ( who was the then president of India) along with the college staff. Later I came to know that His Highness had been to the college for presenting an award for the college for its excellence in the field of education.

I was told to stand and my mom and uncle was asked be seated. He said that there was one seat available which is a management seat. That was not a surprise news for us. We had expected ദാറ്റ്‌. I had expected a gift for my 18th b'day, but the principal told I have to വെയിറ്റ്. We left the college with some expectations.