Umm... This post is a trip down the memory lane of my Engg days... but first, Happy Friendship Day. I dont know how the concept came into existence.. I guess the card companies created it to boost their sales... Well, they seem to have done a good job.
Anyway, the rains always remind of my previous hostel... I was in the govt hostel and the terrace was out-of-bounds since some female had committed suicide from there. But we made it a point to get drenched in the first rains of the monsoons on the terrace. These are some of the memories

• When it rained at night, we would gather on the terrace and perform our special "rain cum tribal" dance
• The hostel was huge and it was difficult to keep out the cows and dogs. These dogs lived with us in the corridors and created a nuisance. Once the girls chased a dog to the terrace and locked him there. He jumped from the terrace and died... God, rest his soul.... but I cannot stop laughing over this.
• Mobile phones were not allowed in the hostel since they consume electricity... but we kept them anyway... one of my friends was having a late night conversation on the phone when a dog snarled at her. She got so scared, she jumped from the 2nd floor. She was found by the warden with a cel phone in a broken hand.
• Every year one of the girls made the warden cry in front of all the girls... that was hilarious
• We spent the reading vacations cooking on a stove. On birthdays, all the girls assembled in the b'day girl's room and were served a delicious dinner cooked by her.
• There was only one TV in the hostel which was black and white and the knob was also missing... the TV room was the source of a lot of fights... since only Doordarshan played on it, the fights were because of the light. Once the fight between 2 girls got so physical, it was better than any movie I have watched.
• Our fav sport was the water sport. Due to lack of entertainment, we played with water even though there was scarcity of it. There were times when we had to fill water in buckets and carry them to the fourth floor for the next day.
• Our rooms were full of lizards... Now it takes more than a lizard to freak me out:

It was late at night and I was sleeping peacefully.

Roomie (screaming her lungs out): AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! Help

Me (sleepy): Umm, kya hua?

Roomie (freaking out and in tears): There is a lizard in my cupboard. What do I do?

Me: Nothing... just leave your cupboard, it will be gone by morning. Good night (going back to sleep)

Roomie (to herself): What a callous b****!!! What do I do now? sob...sob...sob...

Well, call me callous but 2 years later this same roomie was called for consultations when lizards infested someone else's room.

This is another incident. 4 lizards had made the the room of my friends their adda... these girls hated lizards. They came up with innovative ways to drive them away... using peacock feathers, lemon etc etc. Nothing worked. One night they got so frustrated, they started aiming paper balls at the lizards.

Me: Leave the poor lizards alone.. what have they done to you? They actually save you from the insects.. you ungrateful people!!!

Them: Instead of lecturing us, just make the balls. Today is D-Day.. it is either them or us.

And then all 3 of them burst into tears, it was sooooo funny... more so, coz I could not laugh.

There was this time when a dog was sitting outside V's door. S was sleeping in the room. She could see his tail from beneath it and freaked out. It was midnight and screaming for help didnt really help... so, she makes this call to my roomie.

V: Hi, Mitali. Bul hai kya? I need help. Mere room ke bahar kuch hai. Ask her to come and check it out.

M: woh toh so rahi hai... Kya hai room ke bahar? V, mujhe bhi dar lag raha hai. Main kaise aayu?

V: Shivangi ko bula le. Plz help karo...

M and Shivangi mustered the courage and left the room and drove the dog away. Cel phones can save lifes...

The reason I was asked for is I am considered to be this fearless female... nothing scares me... not lizards or dogs or heights or death. Hell, death is just another adventure... isnt it?