Monday, May 11, 2009

Lemonade Days - II

Eco-Summit.

A promise made between four friends in 1st year. And the promise kept a year later. The promise was made between Bibi, Sags, Purab and myself. That we are going to come to St. Xaviers in 2nd year and win in the paper presentation category! That we did. But with one change! Purab went out of the group owing to his tryst with his girlfriend (no regrets man!) and Yash filled in the slot, quite beautifully I would say, proving himself to be more competent than ever.

And once the group was formed, the real hard-work began! From running to ISI to consult economic journals and trying to meet persons of high-profile for obtaining clues as to how to proceed on "Political Economy of Oil and Its Implication for India" to chatting with each other till midnight, thinking up models and endlessly questioning our assumptions and finally rejecting them if it got too cumbersome, only to land upon yet another idea; from continuously urging our teachers to make us understand either the time series or the basics of econometrics to learning better as to how to work well as a team and respect each other's opinions, while at the same time to contradict, to disagree at length, and not just for the sake of it, till we were satisfied with what we put on paper. I must admit that Sags is relentless when it comes to questioning the answers! And it's almost gruelling, so to say, to be under his scanner! :)

We had one of the most fun-filled days this year, though, while we were at it. The three of them, for one week atleast prior to the submission date, assembled in my house and sat with the project since 10:30 in the morning till 9:00 at night. And though we were mostly sincere with our work, as is perfunctory with college-goers, the allure of interesting conversation about life, and beyond... never failed us! To reminisce how often we have lost our stoic selves to the soft feather touch of a woman... to what if a past love would suddenly make an appearance in our lives again! From questioning the human spirit of charity to discussing the equation of power in a lifelong tryst with a woman... the conversations just got better with every passing day! And of the numerous conversations that we had during that time, I will always remember a few for their sheer intensity and sense of purpose..! That of Yash narrating to me how his father set up his business when he was just a toddler of two years of age perhaps...leaving behind all the securities of a steady job! Or Bibi putting into a soliloquy how a man evolves over time... how what he seeks in a woman changes with maturity... and how sublime is his transformation from a self-centred young boy to a caring father..! Well..the list just continues..

The icing on the cake though was the fact that we came third in the paper presentation event, and returned to Scottish Church with lots of accolades and a happy smile! There was a standing ovation from our batchmates! And since we are known by face by most of the teachers and the Principal, we received many a hearty congratulation wherever we went! And since I and Bibi were representatives of our college for the EcoSummit, a greater satisfaction for us lay in the fact that we also came joint third, overall, with Presidency College! When we were in the first year, it had been a disgrace for us to witness that Scottish Church featured nowhere in the awards ceremony! We vowed to change that. And happy we were in being able to do whatever little we could in that regard.

To put in a nutshell, cheers mates! And thanks too! For making such a lovely memory! Though I would like to believe that the Eco Summit achievement is a minuscule one compared to what we would like achieve in our individual lives, it fostered in us a sense of brotherhood that would always be worth looking back many years hence... sometimes, maybe even with a teardrop amidst happier indulgences! The prizes were wonderful, but more important were the times spent together!


The affair with Presidency College.

To have met one of the most loved of all professors across Kolkata, and to be humbled by his decision to allow a few interested students from another college to be a part of his classes is a memory that I will cherish forever! "An ice-cream today is always better than the promise of an ice-cream tomorrow!", the man said in one of his lectures, I remember. Precisely! College-life won't come back to me again! So I am very glad I said a "Yes" to the man asking us "So..you will love to do a few classes, is it?" when we told him that we required a book that is to be found only in govt. college libraries but which we possibly couldn't procure unless we were a part of that college! Thank you A.C. sir. :)

3 comments:

The Dark Side Of The Moon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Expectations Be..nd said...

Hello Miss Lebu-Jol..! Do I know not..? :D :)

Priyanshi said...

You should hope AC sir saw this :P
Hoping beyond hope,that is :P