Neeraj's Take On.......

The place where I study now, IIT Madras is located in the middle of a National Park. So we hostellers aren't permitted to use motor vehicles ( It's not of much use anyway, considering the fact that I don't have a motorbike despite having a driving license. Also, the experience at the driving school was gut-wrenching). So all hostelers had the option to walk or ride a bicycle. Given the vast campus (around 660 acres), walking for a lean person like me is out of the question. Also, it had been a long time since I rode a bicycle, so I decided: Get a Bicycle!!! Every year for freshers who don't have a bicycle, there is a bicycle sale at the Sangam grounds inside the campus, where over a thousand cycles are for sale. Me and my father went there and a salesman showed us a Red colour XYZ bike.( I don't want to hurt the sentiments of the lovers of the particular brand, it was a well-reputed one, and it took me a while to come to terms that this bicycle was made by this bran...

 As the Ananthapuri Express left Kerala and entered Tamil Nadu, it was a moment of joy and nostalgia for the 18-year-old me. On 23rd July 2019, I was to join the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras. ( I think that's the date, I can't remember it..... Come On, it's been one year since that took place!!!!). As the pastures and windmills of Nagercoil went past me, the good old days in Trichy came rushing to my memory when the first thing we were eager to know was the last day of the Annual exam, so that we could book our tickets to Kerala. That routine went on for several years until in 2013 all got derailed and I ended up permanently in Kerala. When we reached Chennai and had a day more to the orientation,  my father and I decided to get everything done before we leave for IIT : go to the movie, eat outside, buy some stuff for hostel etc.  Hostel. Was told to be Cauvery when it was changed to Brahmaputra at the last minute. I didn't know either of...