Parijat Paanch

This post was written over a span of 2 months. Very soon (in fact too soon) PGP1 would come to an end and so would my stay at my current abode. New academic year would see me in a new residence too. Losing something has never been easy for me :| For all those who say ki hi kashavarhi senti hote...well, you may stop here. Thank you very much for stopping by.

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weird. Weird. WEIRD. That's exactly how I feel right now. Reclining on my two pillows (pink and red) at almost 145 degrees with a laptop on my tummy, my favourite rajai on top of me and my teddy bear by my side, it feels weird to write about something that one is going to lose very soon.

Last 2 weeks left and then I bid adieu to this haven that has been my home for almost a year. Room 5, Parijat Hostel. Yes, that same ground floor room whose door is so conveniently hidden behind a pillar. Standing at my door, I can see the entire hostel, even beyond straight till Amaltas without anyone knowing :)

There are very few things in our lives that make us their own from the very beginning. Parijat Paanch was one of them. A love at first sight..a relationship waiting to happen. Although I shared it with another Homo sapien, my bond with my side of the room will always remain special. My corner, my bed, my side of window, the view it offered, the one rare occasion when there was a pair of peacocks outside my window, my white wall, my table-chair-cupboard...everything!! :)
For the first time, I felt responsible for something. Small small things mattered.
Was my table cluttered?
Are there cob-webs in the corner of the room?
Is it time to change the mattress or can I go on for one more week?

I was playing my mom's role. It just happened naturally. Without being conscious about it, I was dusting, cleaning, re-arranging, de-cluttering stuff. And man, did it feel good!! I never thought I would say this but re-arranging the cupboard with some soft music in the background is the best stressbuster ever!! Now that I think of it this all seems like a grown-up simulated version of 'Ghar-ghar' that girls so commonly play in their childhood :P
Parijat Paanch comforted me in hard times..saw me through my 'phases'..my rare ups and the deplorable downs. The comforting bed and my all the more comforting rajai..I rarely missed home; such was Parijat Paanch to me. My neatly arranged study table, books stacked up to the left with my ceramic momentoes in the centre..4 of them..a Ganpati Bappa idol, a cute lil' kid with a ' My Best Friend' sign, a ceramic clock which looks like a toy-house and ceramic gift box with flowers inside and a heart that says 'Together Forever'. I know..too mushy. But I love them all :)
Of all the wonderful memories of PGP 1 at MICA, the times spent in Parijat Paanch would be one of the closest. These times...like the one today..the ones I spend with myself. The solitude in this room never for once made me feel lonely. We both embraced each other, shared silly moments together...you know ones, when no one's around to watch you and you are your realest self. I believe that its only your solitude that knows you the best..the way you really are..when you have thrown away the garb of pretence and the facade of being someone you aren't.

Parijat Paanch would always stir up unforgettable emotions in me. Of happiness. A tinge of sadness. Possession. Ownership. Responsibility. Motherly feelings. Of being a kid returning home after a hard day at school. Of taking care and been taken care.

To the times spent lazing and ceiling-gazing
To all the movies of which I lost count
To reading books before sleeping and sleeping with lights on
To snuggling inside my rajai on cold winter mornings
To those silly times of hiding inside the rajai and making STD calls
To waking up to a sleepy hostel..and sleeping again
To bunking classes and choosing my comfortable bed over education
To late-night assignments and submissions
To the tradition of marroing nights before exams
To friends coming over bed-crashing and not leaving for a long long time
To the laughter, to the tears, to my tantrums and my fears...

Cheers, Parijat Paanch...Hope you never forget me and keep embracing all those who find a home in you :)

With lots of love and a bundle of memories,
Rutuja (Batch of 2008-2010)