Something about that place, away from the buzzing everyday life helped him to live in the moment and appreciate it
Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication was the dream that a young man saw who couldn’t see himself pursuing the more ‘dignified’ streams of life like engineering or medicine. He was overjoyed when he got to experience this dream of his. Leaving family and friends, he moved to a new place, ready to call it ‘home’ but he couldn’t just feel that yet. The faces along the corridors of 5th floor in the Viman Nagar campus became stranger every day. In a diverse crowd of people, who seemed more confident and had a clear sense of what their future would look like- this young man felt more and more insecure.
He slowly got used to the six working days and Sunday assignments. He liked the classes, especially the screenings that exposed him to a different kind of cinema- something that he looked forward to. Though he loved every minute of college life, deep inside he was still doubtful and uncertain of the path he had chosen.
The semester exams passed by and then came the first Study Tours where the entire batch travelled to Panchgani at end of the semester. For the first time in months, he woke up to the birds and saw the sunrise. It was beautiful. Somehow, meeting complete strangers in that place felt better than usual. Was it the environment of peace and calm or was it the best breakfast in ages? He fell in love with Panchgani at first sight. A strange feeling that makes people comfortable to open up and build true, lasting relationships dominated the tour. It was here that the faces he saw on the corridors became familiar. Here, he saw that not everyone was certain about their life like he presumed.
He thoroughly enjoyed interacting more with his friends. He also learnt to listen to others- their joys and sorrows. Something about that place, away from the buzzing everyday life helped him to live in the moment and appreciate it. It was not like hanging out with friends at the mall or movies. Here, their bonds grew stronger. He realised that even if he didn’t know what lay ahead and where the road would take him, he’d rather be there than anywhere else. He was no more bothered by the haunting thoughts of future for he was certain in his heart that this was the right choice. His mind was at peace now.
Article by – Rahul Krishnan (Batch 2018)
Photograph by – Mansi Boyatkar (Batch 2019)
