A BITSian is a BITSian is a BITSian ...
Two years it has been since I walked out those gates ... Got me a regular 9 to 5 job and blended seamlessly into mainstream society ... Nothing to remind me of BITS except the handful of BITSians working in my company ... So I was pleasantly surprised one day when after work I accidentally ran into a BITSian who was just visiting town ... We met on the main road, and stood there talking for over half an hour, oblivious of the time or the place ... We were so excited - we were seeing each other after years! ...
It was a very typical BITSian reunion, except for the fact that the guy was my STUCCAN in my first year ... Here was a guy I barely spoke to as a volunteer, out of fear and respect ... A guy who (I thought) probably did not know I existed! ... And here we were, more than 5 years later, chatting away like long lost sidees! ... After all these years, we had one thing in common - We were both Ex-BITSians excited to see a familiar face again ...
It has happened with me quite a few times over the last year ... In the crowds of a shopping mall or a bus stop, I see a face staring out at me ... A feeling of faint recognition, and then I go over and start an excited conversation ... And mind you, these are BITSians I've never even spoken to before in BITS ... And yet the reunion is no less nostalgic than if I had met my wingie again ...
There's another incident that I just have to recall here ... I was at a multiplex a couple of months back, waiting for a movie to start ... In the distance I saw a senior of mine buying popcorn ... Very soon I saw another senior (his batchmate) approach him ... They exhibited the usual signs of BITSians meeting after a long time ... The hugs, the smiles, the endless barrage of questions ... Very normal, except that they happened to be members of opposite political parties on campus ... Never in my stay in BITS could I ever imagine that two hardcore rivals could mingle with such ease ...
So there you have it ... Within BITS, we are indeed a diverse bunch, with our own loyalties and affiliations ... We have our wing, our discipline, our department, our clubs, our regional assocs ... There are all sorts of people - some we like, some we hate, some we ignore and some we don't know exist ... But all these complex relationships tend to be confined to the walls of Pilani ... Guys on campus might not realise it now, but once you graduate, a BITSian is a BITSian is a BITSian ...
It was a very typical BITSian reunion, except for the fact that the guy was my STUCCAN in my first year ... Here was a guy I barely spoke to as a volunteer, out of fear and respect ... A guy who (I thought) probably did not know I existed! ... And here we were, more than 5 years later, chatting away like long lost sidees! ... After all these years, we had one thing in common - We were both Ex-BITSians excited to see a familiar face again ...
It has happened with me quite a few times over the last year ... In the crowds of a shopping mall or a bus stop, I see a face staring out at me ... A feeling of faint recognition, and then I go over and start an excited conversation ... And mind you, these are BITSians I've never even spoken to before in BITS ... And yet the reunion is no less nostalgic than if I had met my wingie again ...
There's another incident that I just have to recall here ... I was at a multiplex a couple of months back, waiting for a movie to start ... In the distance I saw a senior of mine buying popcorn ... Very soon I saw another senior (his batchmate) approach him ... They exhibited the usual signs of BITSians meeting after a long time ... The hugs, the smiles, the endless barrage of questions ... Very normal, except that they happened to be members of opposite political parties on campus ... Never in my stay in BITS could I ever imagine that two hardcore rivals could mingle with such ease ...
So there you have it ... Within BITS, we are indeed a diverse bunch, with our own loyalties and affiliations ... We have our wing, our discipline, our department, our clubs, our regional assocs ... There are all sorts of people - some we like, some we hate, some we ignore and some we don't know exist ... But all these complex relationships tend to be confined to the walls of Pilani ... Guys on campus might not realise it now, but once you graduate, a BITSian is a BITSian is a BITSian ...
posted by Baba Yaga at 6:54 AM
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