"Engineering -- Smile because it happened.”

With the last working day of our final year nearing us, facebook is cluttered with full of emotional quotes on leaving college and friends. These observations gave me the fuel to write about my engineering life and how it changed me into a better person.

Engineering is all about treasuring fond memories ... making friends n fighting with them; flirting with crush’s n falling in love; bunking classes, hanging out in the canteen, watching lame movies together, week end get-togethers, birthday parties, playing volley ball; Messaging, chit-chatting, catcalling, making fun of lecturers, sleeping, drawing, reading novels n what not except listening to the lecture during a class; copying assignments n last minute submissions; combined mugging up, cursing the paper setter for screwing up the exam, waiting for the results and finally applying for revaluation.

These memories made us forget 7 semesters of 36 subjects, 17 labs and uncounted lectures and assignments.

But on personal terms,

Engineering for me has been a journey of self discovery. I made great friends and had great fun with them. I made people laugh and laughed with them. I made people cry and cried even more for making them cry. I made goals and worked towards them. I made mistakes and learnt from them. I made compromises and lived contently. I made great impressions with the faculty and got great grades ( :D ). But, I made one thing of which I am very proud -
“I lived this journey with a perpetual smile no matter what came to me".

I call engineering a journey because; every journey has a purpose and brings certain impactful changes. Every journey surprises with its gifts and grieves. My journey of engineering has been no exception - it taught me lessons like a mother, protected me like a father, encouraged me like a sister, helped me like a friend. It made me the complete man I am today.

Engineering taught me to make FRIENDS. My first year had been a joyful ride. I made great friends in a very short span of time. My second year tested my ability to stand by my friendships. I tumbled down for a while, but resurrected only to win my friends back. My third year also tested, but this time it was my ability to balance my new friendships with the old ones. I wanted both of them and hence, didn’t give up; I then learnt to master the art of balancing my life for my dearest ones. Today , my final year gave me all I could ask for in this front. On looking back, I am glad that I made this journey.

"A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles .. :-)"

Engineering taught me to WIN. In my schooling and intermediate days, I never won any major competitions, I was always lost in a contention.Speaking in front of a group of people was a nightmare to me. I was a very under confident person; I used to shy away from meeting new people.But engineering changed it all for me; it gave me the courage and opportunity to face these challenges. I won over stage fear and can speak with confidence; I can now stand up to any problem and face it on my own. I won many International and national competitions during my engineering. On looking back, these winning moments make me feel proud.

"Winning moments .. :-)"

Engineering taught me PASSION. During my third year I realized computer science is where I should be in. I think it was my destiny which chose this field for me when I was completely in-cognizant of its potential and I really thank my destiny for this. When I look back at my 17 years of education, it is, at my engineering I actually read with passion. I enjoyed working in some of my labs and loved reading some of my academic text books. Academically, my first two years have been regretful but fortunately, last two years have covered up for this remorse. On looking back, I may not be a class topper but I am a very content person in this regard.

"Product of passion -- a winning website :-) "

Also, Last but definitely not the least, engineering taught me to LOVE. Life is a journey too, and love is what makes that journey worthwhile.

Speaking of my engineering friends,

We might not be the best of best friends, but we all lived our joyful and sorrowful days together. We stood for each other when needed. We all found solace from our problems in each other’s presence under the roof of engineering. On looking back through my last four years, we have shared every emotion possible among ourselves. We loved, laughed, pulled each other’s leg, gossiped, got possessive, fought, cried, hated, repented, repaid and rejoined.

I wanted to write this blog because, we all traveled through the same journey but we forgot that we are destined to different destinations. With the journey of engineering coming to its end, everyone is so preoccupied with the destination that they are forgetting the course of journey. We are at the destination, and its appropriate only at the destination to appreciate the journey we had.

Time is a companion that goes with us on our journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. " What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived ". Our lessons come from the journey not the destination.

Dedicated to,
CSE - 1,
Silver Jubilee Batch,
MVSR Engineering College.

Finally,

“Don’t cry because it’s getting over. Smile because it happened.”

I wanna grow up once again ..

My student days are about to end .. :-(
Life has become so boring and monotonous. Everything around me bores me now. My last semester cursed me with heaps of time. We know that time doesn't move back for us but it is seldom told that doesn't move forward either. It’s unfortunate that one cannot escape from living every moment of time. According to me time is the most mysterious element of the nature. In our happy days, time seems to be running hastily ahead of its schedule while it reluctantly slows down in our sorrowful days.
At one level, things are so uncertain for me, there is this job offer of which I am skeptical of joining and there is this offer that fulfills my dream of doing my masters. My life is now behaving like a pendulum where-in my thoughts are oscillating between these two extremes. I am tired with this meaningless journey of my thoughts.I want this stupid pendulum to come to a halt.
At another level, I am going through the roller coaster ride of my relationships. The real roller coaster ride at-least has the rail road to keep things in control, but there are no such courtesies in the nature’s amusement park, it’s theme is way ahead deadlier. I have been on this ride for quite a long, and it became boring too. But thankfully, the ride is closing in slowly.

I never knew growing up would be such a pain. I heard my friends talking about the cruelty of this reality but never experienced it as i am now. Recently I had to do this job which was kind of tough for me to do it alone. Unfortunately none of my friends were available to accompany me. That day, I missed my daddy the most, coz I realized then that he is the only person in the world who can come for me at any time keeping his work aside no matter how important it is. Even he was not available that day as hez living in tirupati now.

However, I called up my dad and told him that I had to do this job alone. That day on phone, keeping all his important work aside my dad explained me each and every minutest detail that would help me in performing the job comfortably. As my dad was doing so I realized how much I still wanna be a kid .. how much I still wanna grow under his shade .. how much I don't wanna become independent ...
As a kid everyone dreams to become independent, at-least I dreamt. But today, I am afraid I don’t wanna become one. I now know that this incident is just a trailer of my coming future. That’s scaring me. At this point of time the only thing that comes to my mind is this song …

Bachpan to gaya
Jawani bhi gayi
Ek pal to ab humein
Jeene do jeene do
Give me some sunshine
Give me some rainGive me another chanceI wanna grow up once again
Na na nana .. na na nana .. na na nana ..
YES, I wanna go back to those days ..

When my mother used to wake me up for the school and i would never wake up making the same well-worn reason of "stomach ache" to skip my school and play "teacher-teacher" with other kids of my street.

When my father used to forcefully drop me into the skool becoz of the repeated complaints made by my teachers.

When neethakka used to do all my biology diagrams and homework.
When my favorite pastime used to be fighting with vani .. I remember once pushing her through the heights of the staircase and how it left a permanent scar on her face :D.

When I used to wear the night dress stitched by my mom from her torn saree, sleep beside my dad and feel protected.

"I wanna go back to those days and live every moment of joy and sorrow all over again. I don't wanna become an independent person. I wanna live under these wonderful ppl's shadow always".

Dedicated to my family .. :)
Also .. Happy Birthday Neethakka .. :)No matter how many great friends we make in our lives, It is our family which gives us unselfish love and concern even without asking for it. Love my family .. !!