Shrivardhan

There is a tradition here at IIT Bombay of Department Council organised trips. After a somewhat fun, booze-filled trip to Goa (half of which we don’t remember due to the booze) in our freshman year, our expectations were only higher in the sophomore year. As much as our throats were kept moist in Goa, our aspirations were left out to dry this year too and we couldn’t go anywhere. Not being bogged down by this, we welcomed our third year with equal, if not higher, anticipation-only to be shot down again. Enough was enough! We couldn’t settle down to fate this time and stepped up to do the needful.

And to this day I cannot fathom how noobs like myself, Anubhav the panda, Shivani or Sakshee could pull off this adventure. The only experience we had was of convincing our Professors to shift the assignment submission deadlines. But to hell with it. Anubhav said we ought to go camping and then in the next 2 days we had everything planned- transportation and the camp spot!

Okay I admit it wasn’t as smooth as I am projecting it. For example, the restaurant we had decided to have a meal at couldn’t seat so many people at once.

Oh yes, there was also some whining I heard from the rear seats about how long the journey was and how treacherous the roads were but such revolutions were easily squashed with generous offerings of samosas and Tropicana, so it was okay I guess.

Look, organising fun activities for seventy people isn’t easy. It’s bound to be as rough as a teenager’s face. We had no qualms about it.

Everyone who has travelled in a bus with a large group knows- the throat is bound to give up at some point of the journey with all the singing and the howling. One bottle of Old Monk had already laid down its life but a Bacardi Lemon was saved at the last moment. The stock was pretty much over even before we reached! The journey was indeed longer than we expected but the enthusiasm of camping finally kept our spirits high. As soon as we reached the village of Shrivardhan we breaked for lunch.

And I find it pretty shameless in admitting that one of the main reasons why this place was chosen for the trip was the Malvani food I missed in Mumbai!

The men from Hostel 3 finally played real beach Volleyball and not on synthetic rubber; while those from Hostel 2 had the opposite experience of playing football on sand and not the lawns of their hostel. Others found solace in the age old tradition of jumping onto incoming waves and drowning themselves under saltwater. Pretty stupid but damn fun!

After serpentine lines at the bathrooms (something not new to hostelites) and banging incessantly at those taking a long time (again, something not new to hostelites), everyone finally came together for the quintessential bonfire of the campsite. Chicken on our plates, beer in our hands, a random drunk dude leaning on shoulder and a starry canvas over our heads- this was one of the nights I would always remember! How could I forget the drunk dance my wingmates had on the beach? Or the long walk along the shore with Pranjal, Malviya and Kurrey? These memories may not carry much weight themselves but it is what comes to define our relationships. I do not remember what grade I have in PH108 but I remember dipping my feet into the cold waves with Tamboli, Farhan, Ramteke and Songara.

Or how drunk Shaurya and Parth could share their viewpoints on psychology and life. Do I miss not going on a walk with someone else? Of course I do! Such nights are very difficult to come across. In between all the busy schedules and weather conditions, everything condenses down to only a few such moments in one’s life. And it is upto us to make the most out of them.

This short trip was a very enriching experience, something more than what I had planned for it to be. I hope the fourth year has more such moments. Fingers crossed because:

"Yehi baatein toh baadmein yaad ayengi!" - Abhishek Upmanyu