Dear Diary

SEWER RATS:

1. Discovering a rat in one’s room can be a traumatic experience for most, but make sure to acquire high ground to keep some distance from the target. 2. Don’t panic in the face of the next bubonic plague. 3. Order a chicken biryani from the closest restaurant and borrow your friend’s handy rattrap. 4. Meticulously place a leg-piece and some rice in the rattrap and proceed to finish the rest of the biryani in celebration.

BAD FOOD POISONING:

1. In the extremely rare (wink wink) case of food poisoning, it’s mandatory to make sure one is well equipped with the required supplies to take care of oneself. 2. Don’t panic in the face of explosive diarrhea. 3. Make a quick trip to Malhar Complex, acquire a comfortable tent and other provisions from RMS, and head back to your respective hostel as soon as possible. 4. Once at the destination, set up camp in the very habitable washrooms available. Spend as many days as required in your new room to heal yourself.

Dear Diary Written By: Illustrated By: Riya Vishwa Menpara

“Everyone knows that college ends. However, no one really knows what to do when that “end” has been taken away from you.”

July 28th, 2017

Dear Diary,

Today was filled with hope, excitement, and honestly, a bit of restlessness. After 15 years of constantly moving and going to multiple schools, I was finally here. Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat.

My morning started with the alarm blaring in my ears, commanding me to wake up. For some reason, even the alarm was like music to my ears. I must have slept only for an hour, as most of my night was lost fantasizing about my first day. Just the adrenaline of a new adventure was more than enough to keep me up all night (the stiff bed also added to the cause). I wore one of my best outfits (which I had planned since the beginning of summer). Thinking about it now makes me wonder if I went a little overboard. I mean, the whole class stared at me like I was some kind of a clown. Or maybe I just forgot to wipe my face after breakfast. Anyway, I reached my class at 8:15 am to get the perfect mid-row seats and mark my territory. Staring at the blank blackboard, I took it all in. This was it. A new beginning.

As I sat there, mesmerized by all the unknown faces, a tall, dark-skinned guy entered the room. Truthfully, it was hate at first sight. Adding to my persistent bad luck, he came and sat next to me. “Ankit,” he introduced himself.

October 17th, 2018

Dear Diary,

Well, for starters, I completely bombed my maths paper but I’m still praying to get above a 12. It was a tough paper anyway, even the class toppers said so. However, in all honesty, last night seems kind of a blur. I shouldn’t have gone to Supal’s room, especially the night before my maths exam.

As I made my way to her room, I contemplated if this was the right thing to do. Even my left eyebrow started to twitch (should have believed in my mother’s superstitions). Anyhow, upon knocking aggressively several times, Supal finally opened her room. Much to my surprise, it looked like she was studying. As I started to leave with the notes which I initially came for, a “brilliant” idea crossed her mind. “Why don’t you come and study in my room?” she asked. At that moment it felt like the perfect plan. Two friends studying together, helping each other through the difficult problems. What could go wrong? Little did we know that our tedious night study session would end up with us in a dumpster, desperately trying to find the answer key. However, all the bad news aside, I did discover an insane band called Pink Floyd.

January 10th, 2020

Dear Diary,

Been too busy to write lately. It’s the second consecutive week of me oversleeping. I missed my breakfast but was just 5 minutes late to the first class. I count that as an achievement! It’s the same old routine. Get up, go to regular classes, attend my CAT classes, work a little, and sleep. Lately, I haven’t been feeling motivated to do anything. I’ve been buried in an ocean of coursework and can’t find any good internships. Man, they meant it when they said engineering is hard! These days, I can’t find time to call my parents, hang out with my friends, or even go to the bathroom for more than 10 minutes. Ankit seems worried about me. He is adamant about imposing the “fact” that I am not serious enough about my future. I am trying, aren’t I? Why is that not enough? Oh wait, I forgot to do my laundry again! Dammit.

Sob story apart, today officially marks the consumption of my 150th pizza in this college. A huge milestone. Domino’s should have made me their mascot by now. I basically remember the names of all their pizzas by heart. This makes me feel a bit proud of myself. Oh and that reminds me, exercise is officially extinct in my life. The last time I picked up a dumbbell was about 2 years ago.

May 7th, 2021

Dear Diary,

The big day has finally arrived. Today was our last exam. So, in theory, today marked our last day. I don’t know whether I feel glad or upset about these four years coming to an end. I have always thought about this day — finally stepping into the “real world,” making a name for ourselves. But what I also thought about was saying my final goodbyes. Hugging every single person in my class (most of whose names I still can’t remember), saying thank you to all my teachers (even the ones I hated with utmost passion), pranking our warden one last time. Even just one last night out with all my friends. I always imagined the end of college to be a transition period filled with mixed emotions of melancholic excitement. However, COVID denied me the chance to feel any of it. These digital farewells don’t quite hit the same. No graduation ceremonies. No farewell parties. No last day group pictures. No campus interviews. My biggest (and probably the silliest) worry of tripping on the stage while trying to get my diploma has been robbed by the pandemic. I have been stripped off of my “papa kehte hain” moment.

It feels as though my bitter farewell happened a year ago. I haven’t seen any of my friends in over a year. I didn’t get to hug them or tell them how much I will miss them. I didn’t even get the chance to say how grateful I am for every single person who was a part of my entire college journey.

As I sit here writing this, I realise that I never got the chance to beg someone to let me go shower first because I will be late for class, or ask the breakfast lady for one more dosa. Never got to sleep in class or say, “I didn’t study either for the test,” to my friends, one last time. My last day to do everything that’s been done every day for the past 4 years never came. My chest feels heavy and I can feel the sorrow taking over. I didn’t think I would even feel this sadness. Everyone knows that college ends. However, no one really knows what to do when that “end” has been taken away from you.