This feeling of satisfaction made me realize that I wasn’t just in the college to earn a degree, as an institution like SCMC had so much more to offer apart from academics
As a part of my upbringing, my parents succeeded in giving me an experience of a plethora of fields and activities. This resulted in me becoming a jack of all trades and earning accolades not only in academics but also in sports, literary and debate competitions, dance and other activities. While I continued to pursue writing as a hobby, I found my calling in sports and dance.
Coming to college, living in a different city and meeting such talented and diverse people was all overwhelming. I had left my admission in another university and joined one of the best mass communication colleges in India. I was thrilled that I was a part of this institution. At the same time a part of me felt lost. From my seventeen years of experience, which I must say is a lot, I knew if something could pull me out of it; it was either dance or sports. It was right then that the trials for SIU intra-collegiate sports had begun. I was the Sports Captain for my school and something that gave me a stronger kick than playing sports, was representing my institution! I gave my name for badminton, did well in the trials and got selected on the team. The team consisted of really good and well trained players like Anandi and Indrani and throughout the practice sessions, I got to learn a lot and improve.
“The day has come. I am representing my college, Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication. Badminton is my game and this is my chance to make my college proud”. It was all this and more that kept playing in my head during the entire tournament. We reached the finals and were up against a strong team. My Shah Rukh Khan fandom kicked in and I told myself “saat minute, saat minute hai hamare paas, shayad mere college life ke sabse khaas saat minute. Aaj main acha khelu ya bura, ye saat minute mujhe hamesha yaad rahenge, toh abhi apne zindagi ki sabse achi badminton khelke dikhau. CHAK DE!”. However, fate wanted us to come back for it wasn’t out best shot but we knew we had it in ourselves.
Even though we were taking home the first runners up trophy, we felt proud and happy as this was the first time SCMC had come so far in badminton. Adrenaline kicked, sweaty, exhausted and red with enthusiasm, we had gone further than we thought we would. I had enjoyed every second of this experience and wasn’t upset about standing second. This feeling of satisfaction made me realize that I wasn’t just in the college to earn a degree, as an institution like SCMC had so much more to offer apart from academics. It was the journey that would make my end result count. So I bid good bye to my “lost self” as I needed all of me to enjoy and make this experience count!
Article by: Ishita Singhal (Batch of 2019)
Photograph by: Anonymous
