THE WALK

The chillness of the night did not wither the spirits of the inmates of the hostel. The long four year voyage is about to end in few months. Boisterous crowd thumping the poor volley ball, the animated discussions on university admits, poor junior getting taunted by some wretched souls, all these are typical of a final year hostel life. Oblivious to all these proceedings I am immersed in deep retrospection. With a confused feeling I instantly get up from my bed and start to walk towards the nearby coffee shop.

Though the general tendency of the human mind is to be social, a tinge of loneliness makes you feel good. I chose the longer route through the deserted woody road. The nagging sensation of under achievement creeps in to my present thoughts, giving a slight depressing feel. Chewing over the experiences I see that so much has changed in the college in these years, from new buildings to hi-tech computer centers, but the sad truth is that there is always a fraction of pupils who are bound to remain stagnant in every aspect. The feeling that I may as well belong to this group upsets me.

At this point in time, I see a silhouette of a stoopy figure holding a cigarette, ambling towards me. The brightly lit building behind, prevents me from immediately recognizing him. However his walking style reveals that he is my first year bench mate. Late night gaming and other notorious habits have literally taken over major part of his college life. On comparing myself with him I feel slightly relieved. As I approach him, all my thoughts of how pathetic he is, morphed into a mocking smile. I could only see a total degradation of all his basic abilities changing him into a filthy creature. Seconds after I crossed him, the shocking image flashed in my mind. It was his reaction. He had given back the same sarcastic smile.