College days..

I miss my college days.. I really miss being a fresher.. i would love to rewind to my first year of college..
The new experience of growing up.. moving into a free world.. without uniform.. without strict classes... and the first hand experience of the being ragged.
Wow... i really could go back.
I remember when i had begun college i had decided i m gonna behave.. raggings gonna be a piece of cake.. i m gonna be sporty bout it.. and well thats was what i was all the while..
The day after our formal introduction to all in the presence of our parents.. our first dayof class began..
I dint wanna befriend anybody.. anybody at all..
I caught the last bench... I just wanted ta be away from everybody.. and wanted ta be at the corner.. and better still there was a window next to mine.. so what if it was open to the corridor.. i dont mind... i could see the trees beyond in the campus..
Kids filled in.. most putting on a brave face.... some with defiant looks.. calling for trouble.. some looking deep down really sick.. i could read them all....
I waited.. so much of a student body..
there were bout 20 girls with almost as 17 of em cramped together in the first 2 benches.. God only knows why.. 3 on the bench next to mine.. and me all by myself ruling over mine. Woww.....
I dont remember Pd entering.. but i remember her sitting squished between two others in front of me.. and Vishs entry was less Unnoticable.. she came in with a boom.. squeezed herself between the kids on the first seat and started blabbering at top speed at almost everbody on all her sides... I really thought she knew all these girls somehow or the other.. but later i learnt she dint know a single person and was just being friendly.
I sat there undisturbed.. coz Anju had tried talking to me and i had only answered her in monosyllables.. and no one else took any pain in knowing the haughty looking girl on the last bench sitting all by herself... and just watched everybody.
The time until first period went kinda busy and hectic with students filing in and trying ta find comfy seats and making acquantances and so and so.. and no senior had come into our lives yet.. well not really anyways.. other than for the few stares through the windows and stuff...
I watched the students through out our first period.. forming pictures..
Vish and Pdz worth mentioning..
Of vish i made a opinion that shes gonna be the popular kid.. the smatest of us all in her character (well she is..).. totally an extrovert and care for nothing soul...
And i remember watching Pds head bobbing up and down at teachers every word.. and thinking.. seriously if she really does understand half of that stuff i will be wonder struck... which was also true coz hey who was listening??? everybody was too busy trying ta make an impression...
Including me...
Well after that came a break.. and during this was our first intro to our seniors..
Me being the closest to the window and the only girl all alone was a hot prey and was called out first..
I remember my senior girls asking me my name and where i came from and what i do.. whether i sing or dance and what is it that i would prefer to do for them.. and i had chosen to sing a hindi song.. and had done so.. for which i was asked to say a tongue twister in mallu.. during which the bell rang and out HOD came to ma rescue..
I dont know what all had happened in my absence.. but i guess others were also getting their share of ragging..
And so on and so on.. i was one of the favourite among the seniors.. being at the window .. the first face they could see.
i was the only one ready to do what they said and enjoyed doing it..
they always called me out.. if not to rag. to watch them rag others.. which i knew was betrayal of my clan.
They even started saying.. dont call her we have ragged her a lot..
and honestly i enjoyed every bit of ragging.
I have sung numerous songs.. have repeated a number of funny sounding mallu tongue twisters.. have moved forward and backwards to stand at the exact spot pointed to.. have not fell prey for stupid word pranks.. have made omlette in english and mallu.. have offered a imaginary rose to a choc faced senior guy who wouldnt even look at me.. and all the while i had to tell him.. hey look at my face.. i m giving you a flower... and ahve made dosas grooving to music.. have watched a number of cat walks.. have listened to another huge amount of addresses and songs.. and what not...
I just love my seniors for all that fun they had the courtesy to share with me..

I remember when Adarsh and gang.. the then second years.. (thats how we knew them.. and thats how we remember them.. though we never really knew who was who..) ragging me with a sweet jolly smile.. and me in my really good mood smiling back quite at ease with the scene..
They were feared for the number of people their gang held.. and their roughness with kids.. and the way they could put up a fight and make a fool of you.. but i was ready..
They had asked the usual name and address and etc.. and went forward to do u sing..
to be on the safe side i said only in the bathroom..
so they said 'ok.. imagine this is a bathroom and sing us a song..'
i asked what they wanted me to sing?
And adarsh went what do you usually sing??
And then and there right in the middle of our corridor.. i broke into a loud and funny..

"Thandurusthy ki raksha kartha hai Lifebuoy..
Lifebuoy hain jahaaaaaaannnnn...
thandurusthy hai wahaaannnn..
Liffffee buoy........"

They had the best laugh of their lives at it.. and i enjoyed the goofing too...
and from then on.. I was their favourite...
I had broken the hard hearted picture they had potrayed of themselves.......

Go Lifebuoy...