Battling exam, summer and games

From what seem like an eternity, here I come. I wonder what triggers me to be here today. I do think it is not because I have a lot of time with me, indeed I do not. My fourth semester examination began today. If you asked me how did it go, here is my reply: One side of my head says it went well, but the other side disagree. With a 50-50 on both side, I can tell you the truth only after the result is declared. (Hint: The paper was British Romantic Literature and there were lots of nature poems, some questions look so related that I wasn't sure if it was from Wordsworth's or Keats' or Coleridge's or Shelley's). I still have 3 more papers to go before they released me for two months of ultimate freedom. As this is my blog, I can write what I want. But what do I want to write? This question keep poking in my head and my mind goes into nothingness. I have my next paper due Monday, which left me with 2 days for preparation. And boy, I need a much longer gap between papers, but again I love the feeling of releasing the paper from my head to their freedom after each paper. It is a win win situation, I freed them and get over it, they get their freedom as well. In the future if we were given a choice to choose when to write our exam, I will surely choose the option to appear all at once. Well, let’s talk about this another fine day, for now, let us look into what I have been doing and how am I doing with my life.

I seem to be doing fine, but hectic. Let us say this exam has been keeping me busy lately. I have been reading a lot which is normal when exam nears. The reading is limited to my course, but whatever books that I read, it is legit to be called as reading.

Every morning – oh wait, I am usually out of my bed only at noon, so – every noon when I open my eyes to the not-so-exciting day that lies ahead, the heat of summer welcomed me. I have written a lot, two or three posts that is, about how much I hate the summer of Delhi. My PG does not provide AC, so we had to battle the heat with fan and cooler. However, my side lost the battle to the heat, its strength growing stronger day by day. Things get worst when we had to go out in the open. The scorching heat of the sun burn us to the bones. Today, the maximum was recorded at 42°C, it will go higher and higher. God save me! 

It is interesting how we get addicted to some games in our phone. Anyone remember the good ole days of Flappy Bird? It is a simple game, and the graphic sucks, but millions get addicted to the game that the developer had to shut down the game! There are many addictive games, I am a victim to some. The first was Angry Bird, then Temple Run, Candy Crush follow suit. The latest trend is Clash of Clans, known in short simply as COC. It is here to stay. I am so into the game that I made a custom Tee. Check this:

Here is me wearing the tee:

I have a lot to tell you, but let’s keep the rest for another day.

That is all for today.

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Post Christmas: A Bad Start

A month ago, I was packing my baggage for my Christmas holidays. Even though I had to travel over 50 hours to reach my home sweet destination, the excitement that carries with the feeling of meeting old friends, the simple thought of Christmas, and the feeling of being home exceeds all. After a prolong wait for the semester exam to get over, I  wished my friends an early “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year”, bade goodbyes and zoom away.

I did not left Delhi soon after though. When I reach the train station, I came to know that my train was delayed for 5 hours and 15 minutes. It was near midnight by then. I have no option but to spend the night at the station. I move around the station aimlessly. Counting every second as it passed by, it was an endless night. People were all around me sleeping their night away peacefully. I couldn’t sleep. I was not accustomed to spend my night like this. The cold added to my sleeplessness. The chilly winter cold of Delhi can be daunting, it bites you to the bone. The ordeal ended the next morning when we start-off the journey.

A month later, I am back to Delhi. I am back to my hostel. The cold still bites and I waited for that time of the year where the cold is left with no courage to bite you any longer. It is not summer. I do not mean Delhi’s summer, mind you. I love winter, and hate it at the same time, so is summer. The reasons of which are obvious. Every season has its side, probably this is what nature is meant to be.

My fourth semester has started a week ago. I have not attended any classes till now. The whole week I rarely go out of my hostel. Watching movies, eating and sleeping, the days went by. I do not know if there is a medical term for this, but a certain kind of weakness came over me. I could no longer stand on one leg, I have difficulty stepping to my bed from the floor, I could not rise up without the support of my hand. I am naturally thin, and I consider myself healthy but I have now turn into a solid rigid body. And so yesterday morning, I was on my way to college. I was a little late and I do not want to miss any classes on the first day, so I tried to run. I had forgotten that a weakness still reign over my body. I lifted my right leg, and I realized then that I couldn’t lift my left leg like I used to. I stumbled and as I do not have the strength to support myself, fall flatly on the ground. I do not feel any pain and so I reckoned there was no injury. However, some minutes later, I start to feel some pain on my left toe. I had put on socks because of the cold. I remove my shoes but not the socks to check if there was blood or anything as such. I see nothing wrong and so I move on to the metro station. Minutes later, the pain becomes unbearable and I started to feel nauseous. I feel like vomiting and my head starts getting dizzy. Everything become blurry and I knew something was very wrong. I stepped out of the metro at the next station, rest for a while and remove my socks to see the inevitable. The nail on my big toe was all dark, ohh, what a sight. I must have stumbled on something hard. I took first aid and slowly went back to my hostel. Few hours later the pain become unbearable. Ouch… Because of the pain, I couldn’t even sleep at night.

4 days on, today I am feeling a little better. I do not know how long it will take before I am out of this ordeal. What a bad way to start off my semester. Hoping for a restart to solve this. And by the way, my strength seem to have come back to me. I can stand on one leg, and do all the things that I wasn’t able to do few days ago.

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Winter cold, semester exam and Christmas nostalgia!

The year 2014 will soon end, it is already November, the eleventh-month of the year. The days are getting shorter, and colder. Days like these makes me long for summer, yet the summer of Delhi is not the kind of summer any living soul will ever wish for. The mercury will rise very high at times. The news even says some people died because the temperature rises too high. Such days make me wishes for winter to come soon. And so winter came, but with its arrival came the cold. It is still November, it will get colder and colder, and it will go away in April when the summer starts its business again. Because the weather of Delhi is either too cold or too hot, I guess the weather of late October to mid-November is the kind of weather we were to call the best. I have no option but to say today’s weather is fine, though I am wrap in a blanket even now, the time is past-noon.

The cold won't get any better so yeah, here is a quick update on what is going on. My third semester examination will start in less than a week. I am supposed to be studying even now, but well, here I am. It is a pleasant surprise to find myself updating this at a time like these when my examination is near. This never happen at other times. It has been months since I last posted anything on here, and if not for the exam that is ahead, I would have happily ignored that this blog is still in existence.

In view of the examination, classes have been dispersed few days back and I am saved from rising up early and facing the cold in the morning for the time being. Because I stay in North Delhi and my college is somewhere in south Delhi, I spent over an hour in travelling. I alarmed my phone clock to 6:30 am so that I don't miss the 8:45 am class. The task of attending the first class had become extremely difficult with each new morning as winter approaches. However, since the University required a student to have a minimum attendance of 66% to be able to appear the semester exam without any complication, I need to attend as much as I can lest my attendance falls below the requirement. I had missed some classes for reasons known and unknown in the course of this semester. Update: My attendance stand at 69.29%!

The exam will end in the first week of December. The word "December" brings to me the warmth Christmas. The thought of it alone is nostalgic. With semester exam nearing, this is dangerous. Last year, I spent my Christmas here in Delhi. Though it did not matter much where I stay, there is something amiss being away from home for Christmas. Something feels incomplete. The nostalgia and the memories of childhood attach with the festivities is missing in a land which is not mine. Being born and grew up from the hills in some sleepy villages spread across Manipur, the Christmas I had as a child is associated with many sweet memories. It is only during this season where I get to travel to town and city, buy new dresses, toys and sweets. Unlike last year, I have booked my ticket to home for Christmas. But first, dear God, please help me write my exam in peace!

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Where are we heading to?

The past few weeks had been super hectic. Assignments, internals, events and many things had keep me busy. The last time I updated this blog was a couple of months ago, July to be precise, and October is almost over. Wow, time flies. The summer and winter of Delhi are extreme on both side. This month is not hot anymore and is not too cold yet, making it the best month of the year. When the cool breeze blows over my face every morning as I headed to college, I can feel a change, a sweet feeling of home, of family, of childhood, of Christmas, a feeling of nostalgia. My dad called few days ago and told the whole family is celebrating Christmas together this year. Last year, my family was scattered and we celebrated our Christmas in four different locations across the country. Not just my family, even my old childhood friend circle who were now scattered in different part of the country have been cooking up plans for the winter to be together. Some thought this winter might be the last chance for a get-together, because time flies and who knows what is in store tomorrow. I have been getting endless calls from every corner from people thinking I’d be convinced from what they said. Last year, when I told them that I would be in Delhi for the winter, they told me how bored and cold and lonely and deserted the city will be. Christmas in Delhi was just fine.
 
A few days ago, a student leader from Manipur was beaten in Bangalore because he could not speak Kannada. The local beat him black and blue and told him “this is not China” when he tried to explain the matter in English. A day later after the incident, two boys from Nagaland who worked in a BPO near Gurgaon were beaten by locals. After they were beaten, the culprits told the victims they would have killed them “had they been from Manipur” and warn the victims to left the area along with other NE living in the city.

For the past couple of years, people from the north-eastern region of the country living in metropolis have been discriminated by the so-called “mainland”  Indians. Many have already fallen victims of such hate crimes. Many have been harassed, beaten, cheated, looted, raped, murdered, the list goes on. I wrote a similar post in the month of January post the incident when a 20 year-old boy from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to death because of his different hairstyle. Many youngsters from the North-Eastern states are influenced by western culture and culture of the Far East countries like Korea and Japan. They tend to imitate them, dress like them and act like them. The Korean wave is very much alive in NE states. As a matter of fact, the local cable operator in my state has 2 Korean TV channels that air everything Korean – serial, KPOP music and whatnot. Come July, a guy from Manipur was murdered .

We are as much Indian as the rest of the country is but because we have a very different culture from the so-called mainland, people tend to stereotype the region as outsiders or foreigners. To our people, we are known for our rich culture and tradition but to the majority of the people of the country, we are misinterpreted. No history book from high school to college has text that defines the history of the region. Because of this, the region remained in oblivion to many. For instance, the only thing that people know about the state of Manipur is Mary Kom, thanks to her achievements.

People from the less developed region like the NE flooded to big cities like Bangalore and Delhi in search of work and employment. Many got employment in call centres, shopping malls and as hotel waiters. After the salary is released, many workers sent a fraction of their hard-earn money back home which in turn is used for many purposes. Civilization reach late and many of us are first generation learners. Many still doesn’t have a single government employee in the family. My tribe does have a few MPs, a few doctors, and a few engineers. We do not have any big entrepreneurs or civil servants like IAS yet. I am sure you can imagine where we stand.

Many talented youngsters come to cities to pursue their studies. My state topped the news when it comes to bandh, killing and bomb blasts. Every alternate day, there is a bandh, killing and bomb blasts somewhere within the state. There are countless insurgencies group fighting for anything and everything under the sun. Sometimes, institutions are closed for weeks and even months at times. In a situation like this, no parents will want their children to pursue their studies within the state. After my 4 months stay in Delhi last year, I was to go back to Manipur to continue my studies. Just before I left, my parents called me and told me that it would be better for me to study in Delhi, citing various reasons like “Delhi is Delhi”, “you cannot have quality education here” and so on.

The young generation of learners from the region have been fighting for justice and equality since long. Every day, new incidents hit the news. None knew that Delhi would come to these. From what I heard, Delhi back in the 1990s was the kind of Delhi I had dreamt. People treated Kashmiris, Tamilians, Marathis, NEs equally. People from the NE roam freely at night without fear. Now Delhi has turn into a beast. Oh, atleast I think so. Many thought Delhi has turn into a beast, many thought Delhi is the worst city for people from the NE to live, many thought Delhi has become the rape capital of the world. It might still be the worst city to live for people from the NE, but look at the incident that happened back few days ago in Bangalore. Just because the victim could not speak Kannada, he was beaten. What reason can we give for this if not discrimination? While we were at Bangalore, let us not forget Loitam Richard who was found dead in his hostel dorm room after beaten by his hostel mates back in 2012. Let us not also forget the mass exodus of NE people living in Karnataka few years ago. It is not just Delhi, but it is spreading far and wide.

One day in my first semester, I was my college canteen along with a friend. He wanted to eat chole bhature and told me to take the order. The lady who took the order told me something in Hindi. I told her in English that I did not understand, she replied again in Hindi for which my friend hit back on her in Hindi which left her quiet. Later my friend told me the lady was telling how strange it was to see someone like me ordering an Indian food – a food not belonging to the NE, and how I was supposed to be knowing Hindi when I am in Hindustani. Does she mean that I cannot eat “Indian food” if I cannot speak Hindi? This is another proof how we have been alienated at every angle.

To end this on a brighter note, I have started making plan for Christmas, though it is still too early but yeah, I got the feel. My third semester examination will begin a month from now and will ends in the first week of December. I am 0% prepared

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Summer 2014: Towards the Scotland of the East

[This is a much delayed post]

Delhi, June 7: TOI Headline: Fry-day: Delhi’s hit 19-year high temperature record

Oh no, this isn't suppose to be happening. I have a month and a half till college reopened. Why am I battling the summer in Delhi? Where should I go? I need to escape from this heat.

My plan for the summer was to sleep and eat and sleep and eat. But with the mercury rising day by day, I have no fun in doing such. I think of ways to escape from this hell hole. I have a huge bucket-list and travelling topped the list. I haven’t had the chance to accomplish this dream to my heart content. But where should I go? I have a friend in Shillong and he has been calling me for ages to come and visit him before he graduate. Without giving much thought, I booked a ticket to Guwahati. I have friends who stay there. Hope my plan worked out well. Journey will start on June 9 at 11:45 pm.

June 8: My ticketing agent texted me: “Your ticket not confirm”. Oh no. I told him to arrange my journey for the next day.

Come next day, I received the same message. I cancelled my booking from him. I search out for other options to get a confirm ticket as soon as possible. There is a friend of mine who knows a lot about the Indian Railway reservation system, I was told that the best way to get a confirm tatkal ticket is to go to a train station in the wee hours and wait in line till booking open at 10 am. With ticketing agents not helping and Delhi’s summer burning, I went to Saroijini train station taking along two friends of mine on the early morning of 10 June. When we reach the station, there were too many people in lines and we are pretty sure that there was no chance of getting a confirm ticket that day. We went back.

Though I am not much of a football fan, my friends are and June 12 was the date for the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. The opening ceremony used to be usually cool and so I planned not to set my journey date on 12. The ceremony was a total disappointment, if you’d watched the show from India, you must have known how it goes. The TV channel that was supposed to telecast the live happening in Brazil instead give a talk-show and just a fraction of the real events.

The next morning, we went to the station again and the crowd was unexpected. There were already 61 people who came earlier than me. We were disappointed but we agreed to let our luck plays. At 10:23 am, when my turn came, to our utter dismay, I could not grab a confirm ticket. Oh well, long story short, I found another agent and my journey finally starts on the night of 14th June with an RAC ticket. 

Fellow passengers travelling on
the great Indian Railway

After some 30 hours of travelling, I reached Guwahati. After staying for a couple of days in Guwahati, a place similar to Delhi when it comes to the heat, though a little milder, I planned my journey to Shillong. There are no bus service between the two cities late in the afternoon, instead there are taxis that ply regularly on the route. These taxi will wait for passengers and when it get full, only then the journey will begin. After a hour or so, we finally bade our goodbyes to the heat of Guwahati. It was burning in Guwahati, but as we drove into the winding highway of Meghalaya, it started to rain. This was unexpected. I have known that the wettest place on earth is in the state, yet in such a heat I wasn’t expecting such a surprise welcome.

The mountain and trees are a welcome sight

As we drove through the winding road, the trees and the mountains and the greens, I was reminded of my place far away in the hills in Manipur. I haven't seen my hometown for almost two years now, seeing them was indeed a welcoming sight. Two hours later, I saw signs and boards telling me that I was in Shillong, telling me it was not a dream yet I could not believe my eyes. It was like a dream.

Centre Point, Police Bazar - The heart of Shillong

Very soon, our vehicle finally reach the heart of Shillong. The sky was cloudy and the rain hasn’t stop. I was cold. My friends had warned me of the weather in Shillong, and I was told to pack winter dresses. The weather was indeed very cold. The place is quiet and serene. It rained all day long. It was not an Indian summer.

This is Shillong, serene and beautiful

I had planned to stay there for a week at most, but I ended up staying for two weeks. I met my old friends from school, watched football, went hiking, sightseeing, everything was so much fun. I might have stayed longer but there was a change of plan and I had to go to my home state. "Shillong is a beautiful place, I will surely visit again". "You will always be welcome in Shillong, as long as I am here", my friend replied as we bade our goodbyes and the vehicle packed with passengers left for Guwahati on that rainy July morning.

With my guide/best-friend 

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A plan-less Summer

My second semester exam got over two weeks ago. As I came out of the exam hall after every paper, I was asked how my paper went. I would give the same reply every time every day- not too good, but the best I could do, wait for the result. To be honest, preparation for every paper was not satisfactory. There were gaps for days between papers, best suited for movie marathon instead of studying. A boring movie become exciting during exam season. Any paper of mine was not to the level of getting even an A-, but like my reply, I cannot do better than that. Maybe my mind is full, and I cannot take more.

A question I seldom asked myself why I never bother to update or post something on a blog I made. Everything seems interesting and lively at first, but with the passing time, it began to die down. This line seems relatable with human relationship, ahhh… There might be many insidious reasons why I didn’t bother to post here. It might be because this blog is boring (yeah I know that anyway), or it might be because I was busy (No, I wasn’t), it also might be because I have nothing to write (haha hell yeah), or maybe my internet connection was down (Yeah, goodwill of a neighbour, giving me free unlimited wifi for over a week now. Or else I might still be underground).

As I crossed the college gate on the day my semester exam got over, everyone was discussing what they are going to do during the summer. Some were going home, some were going for vacation, some for internship. When asked what I will be doing during the break, I told them that I would be in Delhi beating the summer’s heat of Delhi. I did not have any plan then. I do not usually make plans. I take each day with what life gives me.

The break starts, we do not come to college anymore, we do not see each other’s faces anymore. The common thing that binds us all was Facebook. Very soon, Updates from friends with status like “hooooooommmmeeeeeeeee….”, “finally”, “Paris <3 J'arrive ”, etc. filled my homepage. Some were checking in at IGI International Airport, some at New Delhi Railway Station and some at an airport in another country. Soon, they started uploading their photos with location tag – Shimla, Darjeeling, Andaman, New York, etc. The whole time I was in Delhi, the temperature rising each day. Today’s headline goes- “Delhi’s hottest day in 15 years”. Next day headline – “Delhi heating up, hotter and hotter”. The next day headline – “Delhi mercury to rise higher”, and so on.

I am a movie buff. Hollywood romantic comedy tops my list, followed by Hollywood action, drama, documentary or just anything Hollywood except horror movie which I have no taste. Though I like Indian stars like Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and so on, I was never a fan of Bollywood. I am not sure what intrigued me to start watching Bollywood, but during this two-week times I have watched over 20 Bollywood movies. All thanks to my neighbour, my torrent feed has always some movies downloading and I never ran out of movies to watch. With subtitles, everything is cool. In some movies, there will be shots from places I have seen with my eyes. To me, this is a nice feeling. Though movies from the late 1990s and early 2000s are amazing, I prefer to watch movies of 2010s.

So anyway, I still have around a month and a half until semester starts. My brother has been telling me I should work and earn for my pocket money. Being from a low-income middle class family with no government employee in the family, self-earning is always the answer if I want to buy something costly. Though my parents never refused any of my demand, sometimes I feel bad myself and shattered that they do not have much source of income back home. My brother said I should get a job in a call centre and maybe buy myself some new clothes and other things I have been longing for long. Everybody needs money. I do. But I do not want to do that. The truth is, I have experience ‘that’. After my 12th, my parents, relatives, elders, everybody wanted me to become a doctor. I went to Imphal to take coaching for a medical examination. After a long four months stay there, I began to realize that being a doctor was not the life I wanted. I came home and told my parents all about it. They were not happy at first. Those four months had become useless. I have spent my time and their money. I came to Delhi with no after thought of the outcome. I tried to earn. I went for interview and got a job. The only job for a twelfth passed and someone who does not know how to speak Hindi is to work at a call centre. I had a good time meeting new friends, working in a fancy building on the fifth floor, speaking a Canadian accent, adjusting to the time zone of the West, everything was so much fun. Barely after a month had passed, the fun began to died down, pressure came up from every corner, the salary was not handsome when compared to the amount of work we did, we were required to achieve a “Sale” or two every day (night). We were treated like machines. We are humans. We have a body which needed rest. I gave up. Period.

I gave up, and I am not ready to go in again yet. I have a life.

I have a craze for travelling since ages. Though I haven’t really travelled to much places, I am going to start the journey. This one and a half month seem like the perfect break to go for one.

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College Rant - Adieu Seniors

The academic year 2013-2014 for Undergrads at the University of Delhi will end soon. For those students who are graduating this semester, it will mark the end to their college life. For the rest, there is going to be a very long break, so anyway -_-

Very soon, there will be no lectures to attend, the class-rooms will be empty, the campus will be deserted; and not to forget, no more setting the alarm clock to 6:30 in the morning to attend the 8:45 class which I failed 90% of the attempts. Before everything comes to an end, before my seniors graduate, I thought why not write a little something of my freshman year in college. Though only a year has passed, and I still have three more years to be in college, after this semester I will no more be a freshman, a new batch of students will come and life will moves on. Things will change, life will not be the same.

There is a time and a season for everything. I still remember the first day I came to this college, everything was strange and new. Everyone was a stranger to another. I remember how I ran from block to block searching for my classroom. When finally I got in one of those bamboo-classrooms, we were made to introduce ourselves, and yes, let me admit it was awkward. I don't really remember how much faces I remember that day, but as days passed by, we started to know each other better.

During those initial days, before I could remember or recognized faces of my classmates or friends, I would sit in the foyer and look for familiar faces. I know no one. I reckoned, however, I am not the only one who is lost and without any friends. I saw some sitting alone in the foyer, thinking, dreaming, or whatever is on their mind. I would tried saying hi, hello, my name is so and so...to them. We introduced each other about the self, our hometown and just other introductory tidbits. I remember how 90% of those whom I talked with won't believe me when I told them I am an Indian. They would asked about my parentage, and would asked if we were immigrants, and how I came to India, and so on. They are hard to convinced and sometimes I would simply tell them that I am from a certain South East Asian country. I will be a Filipino to one, a Thai to another, or a Burmese, or a Chinese.

[Fast forwarded. December. End of Semester I.]

Come January and the new semester begin, I am now in the IInd Semester. Delhi's winter is hard to pace with, the chill, the morning classes, it bite us hard (but well remembering those days NOW [summer], it is something very soothing, anyway). Then, NEXUS - my college annual fest came. We rocked, we clicked, we had fun...so much of it.

Assignments, projects and presentations followed. I do not blame the FYUP of the University of Delhi, I am neither an anti-FYUP nor a pro-FYUP, but seriously the many foundations courses are ridiculous. Though they don't carry much credits, and aren't a heavy load for end semester exam, yet the assignments and projects and presentations are overwhelming. They ate up many precious hours. I had the busiest weeks in ages, to meet all those deadlines.

Somewhere in this semester, I happened to make friends with two seniors. We came from the same district in Manipur. Though we have met since last semester, it was only in this semester that we really get to know one another well. We spent many hours together in the college lawn, the canteen and in Satya Niketan, we missed many lectures just to be together. We have fun, laughing at silly jokes. One of them is graduating this season and I will miss her.

Though some classes are still going on, many has completed theirs and students don't come to college anymore. They would rather laze in their room at home, rather than beat this Delhi's heat. There seem to be no spring in Delhi, but just winter and summer. Some professors in my department are trying their best to complete the syllabus by taking in lots of extra classes, but many don't care. Even today, right now, there is a lecture going on. But I believe many didn't turn up. I am writing this in the library's reading room, I might missed all the lectures today. Yesterday, only after I reach home I realized that I did not attend even a single lecture. To tell you the truth, I came to college not to attend lectures but because I wanted to be in college.

As the session come to an end, I want to tell my seniors that they shall be missed and I wish them Bon Voyage for the journey that lies ahead.

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A Guy Was Racially Abusing A Girl From Northeast India. Look How People Reacted.

Racism is prejudice and discrimination directed against someone on the superficial belief that one’s own race is superior. There has been incidents across our country when racism showed up its ugly head and the consequences were fatal.

The folks at Trouble Seeker Team conducted a hidden camera social experiment to check how strangers react to racism. Turns out, we have a few good people who would stand up against wrongdoing, come what may. That, lays my trust in humanity.

Although a person can land up in jail for 5 years for calling a Northeastern ‘Chinky’, it is education not punishment that can curb racism.

via: http://www.storypick.com/guy-racially-abusing-girl-northeast-india-look-people-reacted/

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Thank you March

I have no idea what motivates me to write this today. I know it has been a long time since I last updated this blog. Life seems so unfair, truckloads of assignments, projects presentations and whatnot flood in endlessly. I had another blog last year, after a couple of months, the light dwindled away and now the blog is dead. I will not let this blog follow the trend.

I haven't wrote anything for long, I have lots to share and lots to tell, yet I don't know which one I should talk about, for they are not few but millions. Time comes and go, and today is 1st April. Time was never this fast, I still remember those early years when waiting for Christmas seems forever. Time was so slow then, but as I grew up, time seem to have make some upgrades.

The past month was great, thank you March for everything. You have been an amazing month, from the start till the end. Many memorable things had happened and those memories which I've created will go a long way in my mind as I traveled along this road called life.

NEXUS, my college annual fest was on the 27-28 February to 1st March this year. Since this is the first ever college fest for me, I cannot judge how the fest was. All I can say is that it was amazing. A lot of things happened in those 3 days.

#liveyoung EXPRESS YOURSELF

Concert by a Jazzy B on the last day 

The Mid-Semester break began in mid-March. Mid-semester break is that time of a semester that every students longed for; to catch up with missed lectures by self study or photocopy notes for missed classes, spent sleepless night to complete assignments and projects on time. I planned to follow up the class for the missed lectures and got myself books from the college library. However, when the break actually began, I changed my mind and instead sleep for hours for all the sleep I have been deprived of. Being an off-campus student, attending the 8:45 class in the morning was impossible. During these breaks, there are days when I found myself waking up only at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. There are days where I do nothing productive but to spend hours online playing Candy Crush (FYI, I have been stuck at level 183 for 2 weeks now). I did read a novel or two, so unbecoming of a literature student and someone who is supposed to be a lover of books. Mid semester break ended. Period.

Due to all the crazy loads of assignments, projects and presentation, my schedule was very hectic and to tell you honestly, I didn't have time even to had my dinner or get enough hours of sleep at times. I am writing this today, but this does not meant that my assignments or other college related works are all done. Indeed, this week might happened to be the busiest week. I still have 3 presentations and 2 projects to be completed before the 4th of April. Sigh.

Lately, I have met and made friendship with two students in my college. We come from the same district in Manipur. One of them is in IV Semester and the other in VI Semester. I met them last semester, but back then I just knew their names and nothing more. This time, we have grown closer. Our little group spent many hours together, in the canteen, the college lawn and in Satya Niketan. At times, we bunked class to be together, I guess that's the fun of being in college.

Us

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10 Things You Never Knew About Me

Life has been pretty hectic lately. Assignments, presentations, projects, oh, those deadlines. In spite of all these madness, here are 10 things about me you never knew, in case you are interested in that sort of things.

#10

I am a left-handed person, which means I do everything with my left hand, yes everything. I am one of those rare breed of mankind. I had a hard time in my early school life because of this strange trait. Learning how to write the alphabets of 3 languages (though I remember only one now), marching exactly like the right-handed people do in parade and stretching out my left hand for handshake at times, all these were bitter memories of growing up as a leftie. I learn how to eat food with my right hand. I still eat with my left hand when I use a spoon.

#9

I did not have a regular schooling. In my first year at school, I was always with my dad who was a principal of that school. I would accompany him everywhere. This has proof, some seniors remember how I followed my dad everywhere. Come KG - II (Nursery second year) and I attended school for 2 days (or maybe 3 days, but not more). My family shifted to another village and I was homeschooled for that year by my dad. I attended two schools for Class V (five), 4 months in one school, then I dropped out to learn music (no kidding) from my sister who had completed her keyboard training course just then, and then I came back to another school for 3 months to complete class V.

#8

I do not have much childhood photos. There are some clicked when I was a toddler. In class VI, I had my first single photo clicked. There were no digital cameras during those days. We use the 35mm roll-camera and you will never understand how eagerly we waited for the prints which usually take days.

#7

While in Class II, my dad promised to buy me a bicycle if I topped my school in the final examination. I worked really hard, and I made it. Just before buying the cycle, my elder brother nagged my dad and me to buy a music system instead. We bought a second-hand tape-recorder costing Rs. 1300/- which was a large sum then.

#6

Back in the land where I grew up, every boys used catapult. They used it to kill birds and squirrel. Though I was not interested, my brother would buy rubber for me. I’ve made around 5 kills.

#5

My first love got married in 2013. Such a bad beginning to my love life, I know. I can't deny the fact that she is beautiful. A friend told me that she is into much and I proposed her which she readily accepted. During those days, there was no phone, we exchange words through letter. Few months later, I found out she had another boyfriend and the relationship ended.

#4

I always mess up being “in love”. I already have three or four failed relationships that just dwindle away.

#3

I wear contacts. It has been more than a year that I've been wearing them. You wouldn't see me much with contacts in my photos. I hope that gives you an idea how much I hate to wear them.

#2

I am obsessed with Korean TV serials. I’ve watch a truckload of them. My favorite is Save the Last Dance for Me, I have watch it for over 10 times.

#1

I used to be very emotional at times. My eyes get wet easily if something goes very wrong.

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Not a genuine Indian, Maybe

Much has been said, there have been enough talks, it has made headlines. Yet every morning, fresh cases echoed into our ears and it never cease. This happened not to everyone, not to their family, not to their relatives, and not to their countrymen.Pun intended.

Ever since I was born, I was never told that I am not an Indian. I was a proud Indian. I learned the history of our great empires and dynasties. I learned about the history of our freedom struggles and how our country got independence from the British's rule. Every year when Republic Day comes, I along with all my friends would rush to my uncle's place who has a TV to watch live the Republic Day event happening far away in the capital city of the country. How I wish I was there. On that day, every state takes turn to demonstrate their rich culture and how proud I feel to see my Manipur lining up the queue. I never knew that Manipur was not a part of India. Every 15th August, I feel proud to be an Indian when I  sing "Jana Gana Mana...." with all my friends, without giving a thought that it was the anthem of another country, and not my own.

When I first came to Delhi, I never thought or even imagine that I would be treated like an "outsider" in my own country. I never knew that the North Eastern states of India were not a part of India. I never knew that North East India was in Nepal or in China. I never knew that I would be racially abused because of my looks.

When I start college at the University of Delhi, I never imagine that my fellow classmates would called me an outsider, a foreigner, a Nepali, a chinky and throws buckets of questions about my identity and the place where I come from.

When I tell my seniors that I cannot speak Hindi, I never imagine that I would be mocked and laughed at, asked about the country where I come from and many other strange questions.

Delhi as a city was, and still is, my love. I liked the city from every angle; the good, the bad and everything that is in it. I don't mind being called a "Nepali" or "chinky" by someone who is illiterate. My landlord who is illiterate used to called me a Nepali when I first moved in, I would tell him that I am not a Nepali but an Indian coming from an Indian state called Manipur which is much bigger than Delhi. When the 'pani'-guy (water) refer me as "chinky" to his subordinates, for they do not know.

People say ignorance is bliss and I ignored as much as I could, for I know this could happened anywhere, even in my part of the country where someone of a typical looking Indian be called a foreigner.

But should I remain silent when this is done intentionally? Should I keep ignoring when an educated fellow called me names? All this because I don't "looked like an Indian". How should an Indian looked like? India is a country of diverse culture and traditions, I have a firm believe that every literate people know about this.

In my first year of college, I had to filled a form and I had missed to put a signature in the form. The guy who was handling the papers told me something in Hindi which I didn't quite understand. I told him to repeat in English as I don't understand Hindi. Instead of repeating, he asked me which country I came from. I told him I am from India, he didn't believe me and thought it was a joke and gave a strange laugh. Just because I couldn't speak Hindi, I was treated like an outsider. To them, an Indian should know "how to speak Hindi". They speak Hindi not because they are Indian, but because it is their mother-tongue. Likewise, I have my mother-tongue. Being from a land where Hindi is not spoken, my knowledge of the language is limited to buying veggies, hiring and negotiating autos and bargaining at the famous Saroijini Market.

Every day after college, I had to take either the bus or the metro to reach home. At bus stop, almost every auto drivers would asked me where I was going because they thought I was a foreigner who will not use public transport. The same happened when I stepped out of metro stations, all because I don't look like an Indian.

Inside the class, there is no direct discrimination in my near surrounding but sometimes I am left out of conversations because I don't know how to speak Hindi. There is a guy who constantly called me a Nepali, no matter how much I keep telling him I am not from Nepal. He would make fun of me in his native tongue, I do know what but I could understand the sarcasm in his tone. He has the guts to even asked me: "Why did you come to my country?" "Is there any college in your country?". He knew well I am an Indian, from the many introductions we did when college begins. His intentions were clear, he doesn't want an "outsider" in his class.

There is an old woman (I am not giving the respect of calling her "grandma") living across the next building. Whenever I cross the building, she would always stared at me because I am an "outsider".

While travelling on the bus or in the metro, passengers would gave weird glances at me, because I am an "outsider".

I am proud to be who I am. I am proud of my Mongoloid looks.I am not a proud Indian. I am not proud to be an Indian. Maybe I am wrong to call myself an Indian.

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I too had a Love Story

First off, the title of this post is borrowed. I use that because that line comes to mind when I think of love and the roller coaster that come along with it. Since it is Valentine's Week, I think it won't be a bad idea to blog about the story of my dramatic love experiences. Unlike in the West, the wave of Valentine's day in the countryside is weak. Only text text text and more texts. For the whole week, the many enthusiastic friends I had will constantly keep forwarding me texts with the name of the day as is in Valentine's culture saying I have to propose a girl on a particular day and so and so. Funny though. Finally, the day will come, everyone expecting a lot to happened. Yet, it doesn't, and it won't. It is just another day for those falling in my category, the so-called "single".

Shutterstock

By saying I am single, I do not meant to say that I have always been single. I'd been in love, been loved and had been in relationship, too. The first time I saw someone "pretty" was while I was in Class - II, to a girl in my class. I can't actually remember now how she looked like, but I guess she was beautiful, or else why would she stand out? However, after a couple of months, she went to another school and we lost each other. In Class IV, a new girl came to my class. She was not the prettiest girl, but the way she act and the way she treat others (or me, in particular), I was totally drawn into her. We become friends- good friends. We spent many happy hours together- the short break, the long break and most of the free time we got at school. This goes on for more than a year till, unfortunately, I had to changed school in June the following year. There was no phone then, and we lost track of each other. Sometime in early 2012, our path crossed again, we reminisced our old childhood days- the days we spent together, so young and naive. Few months later, she told me she was already engaged. Now she has a son, her husband works in a bank, and she is still beautiful. She was beautiful, and she still is.

In Class VIII(2007?), there was an inter-school football match. I saw a girl from another school, and she was an angel. She was the prettiest girl I have ever seen in my life. I asked my friends if they know her name or who she was. Except her name, no one know who she was, or where she was from. They knew her name probably because they had asked around, and yes, they did, I find out later. Few weeks passed, I finally got to meet her, and two months later, we were in a relationship. There was no phone then (I was told I was still a kid then), and since we don't live nearly each other; we wrote letters, maybe a dozen of them. Three (Four?) months later, I found out she was cheating on me and our relationship ended. In 2013, I heard news she eloped with a friend of mine.

2008 was a leap year and I hope everyone know what could happened in a leap year (if you don't, go here). A junior from my school proposed me. I wasn't expecting such a turn in my love life. I mean, I was thinking to, maybe fall in love with a student from my class, that way it is more romantic or so I thought. This relationship lasted till the end of my high school life. We didn't actually broke up, but agreed to keep a break during my board exam. I never come back.

In the year 2011, in my Class XII, I turn 18. My parents thought I would do better in my board exam if I stayed in hostel, rather than with friends. So I was taken to a hostel in the school campus. There was a girls' hostel just next to mine, and in that hostel, there was a girl. She was 17. We had the best relationship. Since both of us were in hostel, we couldn't meet often. We met at odd hours, college hours, or during holidays. We exchanged countless gifts. Late night talks become regular. I don't really remember how this relationship came to an end. We haven't officially broke up yet, honestly. But I am single now.

Apart from these few whom I had been in relationship with, there are some more girls I proposed and had been in relationship, but none lasted for more than 2 months. Most of them are still good friends, and a few turn into enemy. I cannot help.

Valentine's Day is almost here, and I am single; the perfect situation to save one's pockets...haha

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365 Days: Oh that's a Year

Date: 18th January 2013

Time: 12 noon

Raining

The train came to a halt. Though a year has already passed, everything that happened right there was still fresh on his mine. It was January, it wasn't suppose to rain, he thought. Growing up from a land with a rich cultural history and traditions, and superstitions; he had heard a saying which goes that when it rained unexpectedly in a place someone had just arrived, it is a welcome sign that the sky had acknowledged his presence. It's not that he believe in myths but he knew it was a sign, good or bad.

His whole life, he was confined more to the countryside and not a city. The sight that lies before him, it made him overwhelmed with amazement. This wasn't the sight he had expected, what was he expecting then? Indeed he hasn't thought about anything. A week ago, he was in his native village wondering what to do with his life.

His whole life, people keeps telling him that he has to become a doctor. After the completion of his twelfth examination, he was admitted to a medical coaching institute in a nearby city. Though he was not so sure if being a doctor was what he wanted, but the pressure that his parents and relatives gave him, he was driven to it. To the world of his parents and relatives, a medical doctor was the perfect profession, in the line with engineers and IAS officers. Every parents in his community has dreams of their sons and daughters becoming anyone of these three. To them, all other professions are secondary and are professed by weaker people who does not want happiness in their life. 

The good marks he scored and the countless pressures that poured in, he had no choice but to take the path created by his parents and relatives. Three months passed,  he knew deep in his heart that he was heading the wrong way and he start to realize how he would eventually regret taking this path sooner or later. A doctor was not what he wanted with his life to be. Though he might become rich and healthy, with the perfect job and the "Dr" tag in his name, like his parents has always dreamed, he knew he was never going to attained this, he knew he would end up hating himself waking up each morning for the rest of his life.

Finally, he decided to stop this before he come to a place where there was no turning back. When this news broke out, the response was overwhelming. With a population of over 7000 in more than 400 houses, a hospital and a PHC, the village still lacks a doctor, among many others.  When a certain boy who made news few months back that he is trying to pursue the medical profession; and then after 4 months, overturn it; it made headlines.

The confusions created by people around him and the never-ending talks from relatives, it was psychologically disturbing to him. Everyone in the community has hope that he would become the first ever doctor from his community. Although attaining this title won't be so bad, he wanted to escape from this nerve-wrecking confusions and chaos. He has a brother who lives in Delhi, maybe he could help. Maybe he could help him escape. Sigh.

And there he stands on the platform in an unknown foreign land, with a bag next to him. This was a dream, this cannot happened. Everything looked strange to him, he hasn't see anything like this before.  Along with three other travelers, they stepped out of the station. Once outside, the environment was a total change. He could feel the cold winter wind on his face. The rain which hasn't stopped yet had flooded the whole area outside the station. He could hear the buzz of vehicles all around, cars honking at him from every directions, and yet he was excited. They called a taxi and then putting the baggage on the trunk of the vehicle, he took the window seat so that he could enjoy the view of the enchanted city as they headed to their destination. Like most taxis in the city, they hired an air-conditioned for a exciting and comfortable ride. It was a total change from what he sees back home. He was in another world. He feel himself like an officer travelling in the best car to attend the biggest event in the universe.

Being a new arrival, he could not  figure out which direction he was taken to. He saw buildings, tall buildings, perfect lane, greenery, parks, everything was paradise. About an hour later, they were taken to a smaller lane, and then to a neighborhood, till the taxi stop at a corner of a building. He thought this must be the place. Close enough, they told him they have reached. They took their bags and then enter into a building and then to a long hallway, and then the stairs that seems to almost touched heaven. At length, they knocked on a door, and someone opened and smiled, welcoming them to the room. He wasn't still so sure if this was all but a dream, this was too great to be real, too real to be a dream. It was not a dream, it was reality. He was in Delhi. He is in Delhi. That's my story.

This day last year, the 18th of January, I stepped on Delhi's soil and breath Delhi's air. Exactly a year ago today, I took to journey to where I am today. I still have a couple of years to stay in this great city I fall in love with. I don't know how things will pan out in the end, for now let us live with it.

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Introverts from an Introvert: A Personal Reflection

A central dimension of human personality theories is the trait of extrovert-introvert. Everyone of us fall in one or the other; either an extrovert - the type of personality that society adores or an introvert - the type which are viewed in a far less favorable light and considered freaks and losers by most. Unfortunate as I am, I fall to the latter category. I think of being an introvert as a personality flaw, a flaw which I possessed, and I always wanted to assumed myself as an extrovert. Just recently, I came across an amazing piece about introverts by Carl King, a list of the Top Ten Myths About Introvert on his blog (you can find it here). I find it so true and thought it will not be a bad idea to share it with my reflections.

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

This is so true. I talked a lot, but not on lame boring topics. Engage me in a conversation about something I like and we can talk for hours. I also do have answers for everything, so they said. You have been warned.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Give me a reason to interact or just start talking, I have no set of conditions for anyone to initiate conversation. I do get embarrassed at times, but that can happened to anyone depending on the moment, so I feel no pressure in it. Being shy doesn't necessarily meant that he or she is an introvert.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

This is the real world, so let us be real and honest. I don't see any reason to hide on what we think about something, but rather prefer to cut it straight and get it done right away.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

I'm on Facebook (who isn't?) and this point reflects what I did on there everyday. I interact mostly with people who enjoyed my company. Making and maintaining solid relationships are my life's top priorities, and it will be hard to do the same with a large number of people. I have no patience for other people’s bullshit; you have been warned.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

This is so very true. It seems like Carl King has been to my mind.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Puzzle lover? Check. Dreamer? Check.  I enjoy being and living alone, and need my own space. If someone doesn't want to listen to me when I have something I wanted to share, I do feel sad, lonely and ignored.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Yes, I am an individualist, I don't follow the crowd. I need my own space. I am weird, but that's fine because you are weird, too.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that there are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Boring lectures? What do I do? To the cloud.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

I do prefer quiet areas and my room to crowds and noise. Now I know why.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.

A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

Maybe the only way is to pretend, which is so unnatural. Society should stop trying to change the mindsets of people to think whom they can't be. Just because someone isn't an extrovert, it doesn't mean that there is something wrong with them and they need to be "fixed".

And here is something truly excellent on why it’s great to be an introvert:

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Officially 2014 and 21: From the Shelves

Though this isn't the first post that I am putting up in 2014, I still feel that this is the first. If you have read my last post which came up a few days after the new year, you will know why. If you haven't, well, you should do it right now [link here] That post was meant to be updated in 2013, before the new year. So this is this official first post of the year. Happy New Year.

Before I go on, let me confess that this post says nothing, just plain nothing. I am in the college reading room and this look like the best thing I could do right now. It is now more than a week to the new year, the semester has started and yet I still haven't been able to collect myself up and get into my normal schedule. The simple thought that this is 2014, a new year, I am still so excited.

January the 4th was my birthday. Yo! I am 21, the perfect age, the magic number, the age where I am legal of doing anything, or whatever comes to your mind when I say I am 21. Since my birthday happened on a day when people are trying to get back to their normal life, after the long celebrated days of Christmas and New Year hiatus, I don't usually celebrate birthdays. Birthday celebration means cakes, candles, friends and so on. Being from a Christian family, we would have a prayer together, and a heavy dinner. This is that time of the year when all of my family will still be home, to celebrate Christmas together. In other days, my family is scattered, right from my childhood, and which goes on till now, with presence in five different places.

Since I am on a low budget, and the thought that it's rude to asked financial help from my parents at the beginning of a new year, I didn't planned of celebrating my birthday, just let the day pass and go. I do not know how but my brother knew about it, he gave me the green signal and said that I should not let this special day passed by unnoticed. To make the long story short, here are some pictures:

Happy 21st Birthday

Sharing the fun

I also made this short slideshow:

This is it. I am 21. Yiiiiiiiiiippppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the new semester has started and I am back to college. It has been more than a week to the new semester, yet the campus with its rustic building seem to not noticed that it is time for another hectic semester. From what I can see, I can tell at ease that many who went home for the holidays hasn't return. Being in Delhi and winter is a wonderful combination, it is way too cold to be inside the classroom in the early hours. No matter how many layers of clothes you had on, you will still be able to feel the chilly hands of winter. I can see many students standing in the sun, and not in their classroom. The weather of Delhi must have been too cold to them, or so I guess. Sigh.

It's 4 pm, it's holiday time. I should go home now.

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The 2013 Closing Report

Let me start off by admitting the fact that I am a lazy blogger. Gap between posts can take ages. Today being the last day of the year, the 365th day of 2013, I had so much to write finally. Before I even realized, 2014 is here. Years come and go, leaving a truckload of memories behind. So many things have happened this in the past year, most were amazing dotted with few regrets.

The year 2013 was a wonderful year for me. It was one of the best years of my life. I was able to accomplished a ton of things, and what surprised me most is that many of those things happened were unexpected as well as spontaneous. Starting from New Year day, my share of 365 days were well spent. Here in this post, I will walk you down memory lane and have our shares of 2013. Sure there are many things I might have missed in the list, thanks to my memory.

To start with, in the first week of January, I along with some friends successfully organized a "Career Guidance" seminar back at my hometown. After a week, I attended a cousin's wedding. Believe me, it was the best wedding ever. In the future when I grow old, I know exactly how my wedding will be.

I came to Delhi for the first time on the 18th of January 2013, passing hills and mountains and rivers, a place so far away from home. The first sight of Delhi made me fall in love with it. You can read more about the epic journey by clicking here [link not active].

My coming to Delhi was the biggest surprise, not just to me but to everyone. No one believed me when I said I was in Delhi. But I really was in Delhi. Since I was here without a purpose, after the initial days, boredom came to me. The people I know here in Delhi are mostly call centre workers and they worked in night shift. They slept during the day and worked at night. The few others who were students were busy with their classes. I was all alone. Since I came from a place where Hindi language is unknown, the language was a total stranger to me. I lied. I took up Hindi till upto Class V, armoring me with the knowledge of reading the alphabet. I cannot speak the language, and because of that that I don't find comfortable to be alone in the city. Of course, I can always speak English, but for a country boy to be alone in a big city is not a kid's play.

I had a huge wish list and in the month of March, out of boredom, I was able to accomplished one, with bitter sweet memories. As long as I can remember, I had a dream of earning for myself and not always demand from parents. Though this can be done later in life, after my graduation, with a job, but I didn't want to wait that long to accomplished this simple desire. I started searching for a job and finally landed with one, at a call centre. A job at a call centre is the easiest to find for someone fresh out of school and with no prior experience, so they say. But even before the completion of a month, I quit. Go here to find out why [link not active].

June came, accompanying with the heat to Delhi's summer. Accomplishing my plan of staying in Delhi for 5 months and future plan to attend college back in Manipur, I booked my ticket back home. Two days before the journey, my parents call with a change of plan. They wanted me to do graduation in Delhi and nowhere else. My dad start his lecture of all the good things about Delhi. It is worth mentioning here that my dad had been to Delhi in early 2000s and my grandfather in the 1970s. It is always wise to obey the words of our parents and respect their decisions. I canceled my ticket. Sigh.

Very soon, the admission at the University of Delhi started. Since my parents wanted me to stay in Delhi, out of the many universities in the city, I choose DU. Though I had appeared the entrance for a language course to JNU, a dream university for every students, or so I hope, I knew what I had done and rather than having another gap year, I applied for English and Botany in DU, though the later was my optional paper in my twelfth.

Very soon, admission to DU came and the sky-high cut-offs were making headlines. Though there are many colleges in DU, there are some colleges with higher standard, if you know what I mean. I have some favorites and in the second cut-off, my percentage which was "excellent" back home and "average" in DU made it to one. Halfway in the process of admission, a problem struck resolving only at the fourth cut-off, securing the last seat. I had a narrow escape.

College starts, I moved, and life starts rolling into places. Days passed, turning into months and here we are, standing at the edge, with a new year ahead.

2013 has taught me a lot of things. First, it taught me that it is perfectly okay to live life as it comes. Not living, but seeing Delhi alone was a dream for me, a dream I hope to accomplished in the distant future, (after my retirement, maybe). Like a dream, I came to Delhi, lived for five months, booked ticket to go back home, changed plan, and now hooked to stay in Delhi for the next four years or maybe even more.

In September, when a friend of mine got sick and was admitted to hospital, and the more recent one in November when my brother got sick, I realized the importance of good health and the need to remain healthy in a land really far away from home.

Four pairs of shoes, three pants and four shirts; and a phone - pray they all landed on safe hands. I had a surprise one evening after I came back from college to find some of my clothes missing. Either someone had breached our door (which can be open easily if someone know how to even if it's locked), or had climbed the wall of our building to my apartment and then left with his find. Another time, my phone was stolen at a train station. I agreed this was due to my carelessness. The year 2013 had taught me to be more careful and to learn to adapt the life in a city.

The year also taught me the value of money; how hard it is to earn and how easy it is to spent. In the month of April, I got my scholarship for 2012 from my state, another scholarship and I also got half my paycheck from the job I did in March, the whole amount totaling to over twenty thousand i.e. ~ $350, which was, well, a big amount for me. After doing some upgrade to my laptop and buying a cheap smart phone, my pocket was soon empty. This whole time in Delhi, my pocket was always empty. My brother who worked in an MNC provide me food and bed, and some pocket money. My dad is a pastor and I don't always have the courage to asked from him seeing his meagre income. To reach my college, I take the bus as well as the metro. My typical expenditure in a day goes like this:
     Bus to metro :  10
     Metro : 13
    Bus to college :  10 (15, if the bus is AC)
    College to metro :  10 (15, if the bus is AC
    Metro :  13
    Metro to home :  10
                               =  66 (if AC = 76)

This is only the fare; added the stationery, too often phone recharge, everyday canteen, weekend visits to Delhi's famous places, occasional auto hiring to college when I am late; I was always broke.

... and the list goes on. It will take forever to  write about everything. Thank you 2013, I had a great year.

By the way, it is always better late than never: Happy New Year

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