14 years, 14 things realized.

I still cannot believe that my school life is coming to a grinding halt and I have to take a hiatus from my formal education. 14 continuous years after I first stepped foot in school, I am finally taking a break. The least I can say about the journey is that it was no less than an amalgamation of a multitude of things learned over the years, a weird Frankenstein’s monster of sorts made up of my memories. My school life can simply be summed up with Charles Dickens’ famous lines “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”. I have a lot of things to cheer for but some regrets too. I may not be a likable personality but with every passing day, I am trying to be a better person.

1. Grades are not important if you know your game.

From “ek-mark ko chai bigryo yaar” to “ek mark le pass bhaye yaar”, sums up my academic graph. My AC like semester results will make a perfect pulsating DC anyway. But I don’t regret even a bit of the journey because as I drifted away from the path of getting good grades and caring for the ranks, I found myself and the way of enjoying life. It is all about the hard work you put into anything you do. And what’s the best thing to do?  You should do what you love, no matter what the crowd says. The world will constantly push you to blend in, but here is where you make your biggest decision. Don’t build your life around your grades, build it around your happiness.

2. Time changes, so do people and their priorities.

You will always end up feeling low and hurt if you want the person to stay the same throughout. There comes a point in your life when you will feel all alone in this world. No friends to talk to. No friends to celebrate with. You are no more the priority of your best friend. Most of the time it’s not intentional but as they say, never say never. He/she might have found better friends. And this is the worst thing that may occur to you; especially if you only had a small circle of friends. But remember one thing, making new friends is not as hard as you think. Move on and find some friends who really do care about you. But again, Time changes, so do people and their priorities. So, you might find yourself in the same situation again but this time you are prepared to let go of things.

3. Miss everything in the world but School VISITS.

    YOU ARE JUST NOT ALLOWED TO MISS SCHOOL VISITS! Basically, keeping the educational part aside, it’s all about creating those around 50% of so-called “that moment” and taking tons of photos, 90.01% of which consists of your friends sleeping, 05.05% of which blurs as if they are censored and only a handful of the remaining 04.94% being decent ones. The DOs become DON’Ts and the DON’Ts become DOs, what else do I have to say? I can bet by the end of such a trip you will be the bearer of many a secret. You will feel like the visit is over quicker than Tuesday night’s delights yet every second of it you will take to your grave. (Word of advice: Bring your swimming costume)

4. Just because most of the time it is infatuation does not mean it is so all the time.

If she is someone to whom you want to say, ‘till next time’, but your heart still longs to have one more minute, she is the one. If you are not being able to express your feelings just because you fear for your friendship, she is the one. If you want to see her happy in her own world without you but still can’t and won’t stop loving her, she is the one. Though she is the one, you would make a nice choice by not sharing your feelings if you really think it might end whatever you have together. But it is also true that if she really values your presence as a friend then she would not react that way but with girls, one can’t really predict. May the odds be ever in your favor.

5. “Be great at something than trying to be good at many things” IS A BIG FAT LIE.

What I have experienced after years of school life is that versatility is what one must strive for than specialization. Both have their own reservations but let me put it this way; you are working day and night to excel in a field, but it so happens that you fail miserably, and it breaks you. Of course, it will because you spent all your life to master that field and you are left shattered. Sure, it will take a lot of courage to pick yourself up from that point. But when you are versatile; you may fail in a field, but it will not hurt that much because you will always have a PLAN B. You might not reach the highest level of that field or who knows, you might. But you never wanted to anyway. That is why you tried your hands at different things in the first place.

6. Doing anything for someone who would not do the same for you might be a bad idea.

No matter how much we talk about being good and doing good, it turns out it does not work that way. You will meet many people and make friends for whom you are willing to do anything, but it hurts to learn that some of them won’t even bother themselves to help you out when in need. During such instances, there is only one thing I would advise you to do: Forgive them but never forget.

7. Follow your heart even if it ends up a little more broken sometimes.Your Heart never lies but your mind does. The Mind will always try to convince you to do the things that are stamped in your sub-consciousness and to do what pleases others but the heart will always urge you to do what is “right by you”. There are chances that you might get disappointed by your decision sometimes but following your heart is still the best option because the choices made, and the paths taken are truly by your own accord.

8. Hard work doesn’t always yield results.

Everybody tells us to always be optimistic and hope for the best results. While you are not wrong to dream, you must always dial in your expectations and keep them in check. Just because your dream is to become the president of the country, doesn’t mean you will be. Work smart, not just hard.

9. The three months prior and the three months after SEE.

One thing is for sure, SEE is not that daunting of a challenge to force you to study 25/8 and that too, for three months prior. If you’re in BNKS, three months’ preparation leave before SEE is time where you have two choices, both equally fruitful; you can either make this most productive time of your school life, primarily working hard on your interests beside studies, be it painting, music, writing or anything that is worth your time. The second choice is to enjoy this time to your fullest; do everything and anything. You probably thought one of those choices was going to be studying all the time, huh? Typical. Whatever you do, make these the best three months of your school life. After SEE? Well, you’ve got three full months of vacation on your hands. To do, an endless bevy of things. To not do, only one thing: Bridge Course.

10. Absent days > Present ones?

Is it acceptable? No way. One of the few regrets that I will always carry with me is missing in numerous classes. Some in the name of club activities, some on official leave, and some just because. The time spent not going to class might bring you some form of fleeting joy but in the long run, you will wish you would have gone to those classes (maybe not all of them). Still, make an effort to attend every class. Who knows, it might turn out to be the better choice.

11. Dwelling in the past and over-thinking will kill you.

What if I tell you I know one thing that is true for anyone reading this? It’s the one thing that you all always over-think about. Well, what if I tell you that you’re wrong.  Never ever think you are not good enough. Stop obsessing over your actions and start thinking only about what lies ahead. Don’t stress and don’t overthink. Remember that: you are re-living the past at the cost of living in the present.

12. Nicknames are more than just mere nicknames.

Unlucky are those who are only called by their nicknames because they are the ones who are going to miss school life the most. In the near future, even your own name will start sounding strange to you and that is the power of nicknames.

13. The search for room no.13.

       Now, it is common knowledge that due to Christian belief, there is no such thing as room no. 13. However, this has not stopped many a student from venturing out to see for themselves whether room no. 13 is just an urban legend passed down throughout the batches or the words on an actual door somewhere. Here, it is a metaphor for seeking adventure and thrill and stepping into the unknown. Your life deserves to have a helping of KICK in it(every day). Be it, everyone, heading out for sun-basking in perfect unison for forty-five minutes instead of four to five minutes, enjoying Tuesday’s second supper or just being part of your friends’ daily shenanigans. Seldom does adventure show itself, there is only one surefire way. Matthew 7:7-“Seek it out and ye shall find”.

14. Take every chance you get to dance to “LOLLIPOP”.

Undoubtedly, the second thing that comes to your mind after your unique roll no. about BNKS is “lollipop”. No dance party or cultural program is complete without Pawan Singh’s magnum opus gracing the speakers. Not dancing to this song is literally a crime against all humanity.