It’s been almost 6 years (approx.) of Delhi life that I have tasted so far and I won’t say that I am not enjoying if fully. Yes, there are occasions when I feel I have landed in a city that appears vague and weird to me but then there are certain opportunities and freedoms that I would not have got in any other place, especially considering my College and University.
The decision to leave my family and the cocooned existence in my hometown was of course a challenge for me. I wondered again and again if I would be able to stand up to the rigours that my decision implied. It was not easy for me, not at all- to adjust in metropolitan Delhi and to carve my way amongst lakhs of people. Initially things didn’t go well for me and my preconceived notions about Delhi were strengthened. My preconceived notion said that Delhi was one place which kicked newcomers, trying to throw them out and only if you could “take” these kicks without getting frustrated, would you be accepted here.
The sun’s heat was at its peak, the air was uncomfortably humid. Then the D-Day came when I got admission into Miranda House (2006) and when it came the realization that I would have to live by myself in an unknown place. Hailing from such a small place made me feel timid, apprehensive and nervous. During admission and initially, there were times when I felt saddened by the fact that nobody had ever heard about my home town. I still remember the ambiguous responses which frustrated and alienated. In time I overcame all this, helped by positive responses from my parents, cousins and friends.
Never knew how time flew. It seems just the other day when I nervously entered Miranda house and now nervously again but with a sense of confidence too, await life outside. Three wonderful, fun- filled and incident- rich years have whirred by, years of great learning, not just from text books, lectures, but from varied experiences of life. As I enter JNU (2009), I realise that my protected schools and college days were over. It is a different game, people…Interacting with myriad people, their culture, their experience and their life was really fun. Leading a totally independent life is the best experience I have ever had. A part from my studies, the sense of belonging which I’m attached to my community the so called group ‘the Singtangmite’, the campus life, the seminars, interaction with one of the most experience professors were unforgettable memories which I will always cherish. I Have lived a life of not only mine but other’s experiences also. As I look back, I can sense a modified in me. My language has changed, my tolerance for failures has changed my concerns have changed. And yes I would have missed out on something had I not accepted the challenges and undertaken the journey 5 years back.
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