CHANGING DIMENSIONS
"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.So, what say about it..?????
Looking from the Window of 4-Rajputana, thinking about the 3 years spent at IT-BHU and even going beyond that,thinking about the School Days/Coaching Days, many memories and thoughts visits me in a manner as if trying to say something;may be the above quoted statement.
Walking down the memory lane,trying to have a picture of those days, when things were not as complex as they are now,there are many moments to cherish and relive which gave us (atleast me) happiness ,regardless of how big or small that moment was. Before the 10th standard(or even 9th),there was nothing as such called "Boards Examination".Scoring good marks in the class tests,getting compliments from the Teachers,invloving ourselves in gossips targeted at delivering new facts and happenings of life,shouting "Chaay-Chaay" and eating Lays in the class ocassionaly,searching through everyone's tiffins even before the recess,running to Playground on hearing the first bell of the games period,little bit of cheating in the half-yearly and annaul exams via "ishaaron-ishaaron",bankrupting any b'day boy at "Mochhuz shop",those ice-creamsat RITA stall(heartiest thanks to Gurupreet),generlly maintaining a silent n decent personality in order to impress tha beautyz around us,completing the home-work,enjoying the Teachers Day and Childrens Day to its max,the annual function,annual sports and the annual fate,talking to friends for long hours on phone,going to Sagar's home on his each b'day.....haah..the list is almost a never-ending one....these gave happiness as if like anything....and their importance is now being realized when we can just have them in our thoughts,as beautiful memories delivering a soothing effect.
8th class passed by,came the 9th(turned out to be the same as heard of it)...hoh..seemed to be like a big leap....by this came the very famous and popular phase in every students life "The Boards Examination".A benchmark based on the perfomance of which many things ahead in our life are decided by....huh....every now and then guys manupilating themselves, trying out each and every thing possible(obviously the fair means) to score as much as they can in the Boards.
aaaaaannn...."
It was just the beginning of the RAT RACE.".....or simply
"The Dimensions started changing."
The 10th Boards went by,henceforth throwing us in a river where there seemed many paths to reach the other bank of the river;but later it was realized that it was actually a Sea (or may be an Ocean) which has no end rather.It was a sitution whereby many suggestions kept in flowing.Some suggested to take Maths,others highlighting the benefits of Biology;also there were few who told that Maths-Bio combination is like anything..huuuh....hardly we gave a thought to Commerce.Simultaneously,we also got to know that IIT-JEE ( rather Engineering ) is the path to success in our case.(I don't know about success but to me it has really helped me in exploring this life a lot;many new dimensions being discovered).Studying for Competitive exams meant like putting all our efforts in achieving the goal. We were mesmerized by the chram and glory of Engineering,and that too particularly IIT-JEE(I don't mean to hurt anyone who wasn't able to clear IIT-JEE;its just a matter of time and luck that we got through it.).We had a rigorous schedule of first going to School and then Coaching.A complete package from 10:00 am till 9:30 pm."Masti" continued along with the studies but again we were looking at other aspects of life in a broader sense.There was no more of "shouting 'Chaay-Chaay' and eating Lays in the class ocassionaly,searching through everyone's tiffins even before the recess,running to Playground on hearing the first bell of the games period,those ice-creams at RITA stall"....haah....
"The Dimensions started changing again"....There used to be long-hours of discussions after the tests of JRS(I still remember the 1-2 hours of paper discussion on phone which I and Geet used to have after almost every test;during 12th,the discussions of mine and Pranay on phone....haah..amazing).Every effort was made to improve our score for the next time(though it was not achieved that easily,but still efforts were made for it). Mind was very much pre-occupied by how to withstand to the expectations of so many around us,the most important one being our own self.We used to come down to V.T.( Vishwanath Temple,BHU) for the "Cold-Coffee" generally on Sundays at that time.Today even we(our school group) have the Cold Coffee at V.T. but the taste,the mood and the talks are not the same.We used to fly kites whenever there was a Test of JRS in class 12th.Me,Pranay,Abhishek and the entire gang gathering at home to have our lunch and then flying kites before going back for the tests again.The tests of FIIT-JEE were totally screwing at times but at the same time prepared us to face the toughest.
Hard-work payed and almost all the friends got into good engineering colleges.This made me to beileve that "The Harder you Work,the Luckier you Get".Each of us entered the college thinking to achieve something very Big or to do something Extra-ordinary.In the college there are no more such serious tests and long-hour discussions.May be the reason for all this is the existence of certain defined set rules and beliefs which tend to put us in a Comfort Zone.By the end of second year,it turned out to be a strong desire for fetching a Very High Paid Job in a Nice Firm.Attractive Salary packages occupied a major portion of our "Dreams".The third year is almost over now and we are now looking up to fetch "atleast a Job".And this unknowingly made us a part of the so called "RAT RACE" of which atleast I never wanted to ba a part of.This makes us more Self-Centered and even Selfish for the reason. The Dimensions are changing...haah...
Sitting in our rooms,we are looking and thinking up every now and then about the various possibilities and options available to us.Options like a) taking up a job(that too whether in a private firm or a PSU), b) pursue higher studies(MBA or GRE), c) teaching in a Coaching Institute(the most highly paying at present moment) etc. have sorrounded us or rather gripped us in such a manner that rest all other things seem to be irrelevant to us.
Still not very sure about where will we be landing up tomorrow but its for very sure that " The Dimensions are Changing"....and will continue to be so.....haah.......amazing but very true..... :):)
