Writing a post from the hostel of an IIM was only a dream
for me. I had got into an IIM precisely 5 months back but still writing a post
could not happen. Largely because I had started believing that my mind and
heart had stopped reading between the lines.
Now, blessed with a broken foot and a
week-long-complete-bedrest, I have what seems like an entire lifetime to
myself. And surprisingly, my judgment of myself was wrong. I can still read
between the lines.
Our college is a good 25 mins away from our hostel. And that day, as always we were in a rush to make it to the college bus, only to see that the last bus to leave was more than full. So we got the college van instead. It was one of those rare days for me when I travelled in van, having missed all the buses. And I had hardly interacted with many of the people with whom I was commuting.
As we started, first thing was to turn the music on. “Beete
lamhe…” was the song that played. Expecting some local songs, we were happily
surprised to find regular “our” songs playing and what ensued was a magical
trance. Many of us sang along, while some chose to hum and the rest stared out
the window.
It was then that I realized something. All of us came from
different parts of the country, and so belonged to different cultures, had
different childhood (and some adult too) experiences, motivations and yet
aspired to achieve a common goal.
The music, on the outside, was the same to everyone. But to
each one of us, it meant an entirely different world. However, the underlying
emotion was same- love, belonging, passion.
I assumed, knowing whatever little I knew of them, that
while one of them thought of their CAT scores and getting a better college,
another one might probably be thinking of her ailing pet back home and how she
won’t be able to see it anymore. While one thought of a handsome summer
placement and the life ahead of him, another one relived the song thinking of
his love.
And what was I thinking? I was only too mesmerized and
occupied with this thought to think of anything else.
It is amazing how one simple thing as music means so differently to different
people. And because of this, it stops being simple.
