Nanded, or Nande(a)d as I like to call it,is a so called city(duh....the only thing which qualifies it a city is the fact that it has an airport....)which has been my home away from home(sigh...) for the past two years and will continue to be so for two more years....(365*2=730 days).It would be an understatement to say that shifting to Nanded to pursue my Engineering was one of those life changing decisions of my life.Hell,my life took a 360 degree summersault.
Picture this,a girl who has spent her entire life in the city of dreams- Mumbai is told one fine day that she has to shift to a city that she had no idea existed till she filled out the counselling forms(OK,I'm referring to myself in third person...I have officially lost it...)and said city turns out to be only a town like place with absolutely no city-like characteristics......
So I landed in Nanded and boarded a taxi which would take me to my future alma mater.As I looked out of the taxi's window contemplating the trials and tribulations I was going to face,I saw a donkey smack in the middle of the road.I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming(Its not everyday that you get to see a donkey in the city;cows and stray dogs,yes.But donkeys I don't think so)Shrugging it off as one of those weird things that happen,I continued wallowing in self pity.Then again, strutting as if it owned the road,another donkey.You're probably convinced I am exaggerating but seriously, I counted atleast four donkeys on my sojourn to the college(which spans 45 minutes )..
It was like the city was hit by a donkey infestation all out to taunt me(Yep,I live in this bubble where I believe that everything in this world is centred around me)For a second,I also imagined myself surrounded by lots and lots of donkeys all with garlands in their hands(paws or hooves???)all set to welcome me.
After the nightmarish day-dream I reached my college.There in front of me in all its towering glory,stood the college building.My eyes immediately fell to the college name painted at the entrance.And would you believe it,The college name was written in frigging Marathi.I just had a mini heart attack there and then.How do you expect a girl who for all intents and purposes considers English her second mother tongue(We use English for all light discussions at home,Malayalam is used specifically for yelling at each other ;) )to react to this blasphemy??
I entered the college building with a fast growing lump in my throat.I won't deny that seeing the interior of the college acted as a soothing balm for my' threatening to soon overflow emotions'.We were directed to the admission centre where I was met with the sight of girls decked up in salwar kameez in the queue.I was feeling oddly indecent in my jeans and tees(Come on...I was in shock)
I think that was the last straw,my dad had to complete all the admission procedures himself while I sat there dumbly,half paralysed,trying to work out the best escape route.
Though its pretty obvious that I was too mentally exhausted to actually plan an escape so I ended up joining the college,living in Nanded and the rest they say is History...
Life gives you shocks to get you off your high horse and the fall ain't pretty.I got my fall pretty early in life,though I am proud to say that I have coped well,gotten myself lots of friends and have had some really good memories of this place.It has helped me grow as a person and for that I will be forever thankful.
I'm done for today,but don't worry there will be some more Nanded-bashing in my next post of the Nande(a)d diaries.
Till then...................
Sruti
(I'm starving for comments here... :( )
Picture this,a girl who has spent her entire life in the city of dreams- Mumbai is told one fine day that she has to shift to a city that she had no idea existed till she filled out the counselling forms(OK,I'm referring to myself in third person...I have officially lost it...)and said city turns out to be only a town like place with absolutely no city-like characteristics......
So I landed in Nanded and boarded a taxi which would take me to my future alma mater.As I looked out of the taxi's window contemplating the trials and tribulations I was going to face,I saw a donkey smack in the middle of the road.I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming(Its not everyday that you get to see a donkey in the city;cows and stray dogs,yes.But donkeys I don't think so)Shrugging it off as one of those weird things that happen,I continued wallowing in self pity.Then again, strutting as if it owned the road,another donkey.You're probably convinced I am exaggerating but seriously, I counted atleast four donkeys on my sojourn to the college(which spans 45 minutes )..
It was like the city was hit by a donkey infestation all out to taunt me(Yep,I live in this bubble where I believe that everything in this world is centred around me)For a second,I also imagined myself surrounded by lots and lots of donkeys all with garlands in their hands(paws or hooves???)all set to welcome me.
After the nightmarish day-dream I reached my college.There in front of me in all its towering glory,stood the college building.My eyes immediately fell to the college name painted at the entrance.And would you believe it,The college name was written in frigging Marathi.I just had a mini heart attack there and then.How do you expect a girl who for all intents and purposes considers English her second mother tongue(We use English for all light discussions at home,Malayalam is used specifically for yelling at each other ;) )to react to this blasphemy??
I entered the college building with a fast growing lump in my throat.I won't deny that seeing the interior of the college acted as a soothing balm for my' threatening to soon overflow emotions'.We were directed to the admission centre where I was met with the sight of girls decked up in salwar kameez in the queue.I was feeling oddly indecent in my jeans and tees(Come on...I was in shock)
I think that was the last straw,my dad had to complete all the admission procedures himself while I sat there dumbly,half paralysed,trying to work out the best escape route.
Though its pretty obvious that I was too mentally exhausted to actually plan an escape so I ended up joining the college,living in Nanded and the rest they say is History...
Life gives you shocks to get you off your high horse and the fall ain't pretty.I got my fall pretty early in life,though I am proud to say that I have coped well,gotten myself lots of friends and have had some really good memories of this place.It has helped me grow as a person and for that I will be forever thankful.
I'm done for today,but don't worry there will be some more Nanded-bashing in my next post of the Nande(a)d diaries.
Till then...................
Sruti
(I'm starving for comments here... :( )
Beautiful..!! One of the best features of a good blog is if the person stays intrrested till the end..bliv me..I read the last word with the same enthu as the first..;) well done sis
ReplyDeletekya sonu didi itni tareef karoge to kaise hoga???main already udne lagi hu... :P
DeleteAnother well written installment....From what u describe of the place if Nanded becomes Nandead then Jamshedpur will definitely become "Damnshit"pur.... coz there it felt like a wildlife sanctuary when i was there... you could cook your rice in the heat of the summers and u wouldn't feel indecent for a moment coz u at least wore something!!!
ReplyDeleteDamnshitpur...lol...I think if each of us were asked to name cities and states India would end up with a far more colourful map... :D
DeleteI think every sggs student frm metro cities feel the same when they enter the clg..
ReplyDeleteeven i m frm a small city bt wid lot of good facilities...i ws confusd whn i saw a admins pic in animated form on admission broucher..
bt felt nice aftr entering the clg bcoz we hav atleast 1 huge building to show off...
even u galz are lucky abt hostel, we r still living in dat 1850's caves.
but overall clg is nt only abt city, buildings it is abt frndz u meet their, memories which makes u to laugh and shed tears..
so screw the nande(a)d and njoy the company of frnz.
Believe me ankush bhaiya,friends are the only reason i have coped so well in nanded and ya whatever I say I can't deny the fact that these two years have played a very important part in my life....
DeleteWell done girl . keep it going i am interested ))
ReplyDeleteThe fall brings (from the horse) one to the ground. Its also called grounding :) where you realize that you were living in glass castles, before. I think it was good that you ended up in a place like this, made Marathi almost your first language, learned to live with a strictly veg diet, an so on. You would probably thank your days in Nanded, some time in future.. Warangal in 83 was not very different. (Except we had non veg in the mess plus an audi that showed movies every week ; but then we had a police outpost also in the campus, thanks to the Maoists movement centered in that town)
ReplyDeleteYes acha..I do realise that...still doen't stop me from whining.... :D
Delete