A big group of really close friends, a class full of people you look forward to seeing everyday and days of endless fun. These were a few things that topped their expectations list. Sadly they haven't managed to experience most of these things. They have however been fortunate enough to experience, being a part of a group of friends who don't care about them, a class full of people they can't stand and days of endless group projects (antonym for fun)!
I think there are mainly two types of people in this class. Those who have made it and those who haven't. When I say those who have made it, I'm talking about the over friendly extroverts who had a strategy from day one. It was, find birds of the same feather and flock together. And the well executed plan got them friends within days. Two weeks down the line, they had their very own group. A group that most people were envious of.
Moving onto the second category. They consist of the shy introverted types, who wanted to be somebody, but never got a chance to. Firstly, wrong plan of action! Secondly, they were just not able to make their presence felt. As a result, the road to having a social life has been quite rough. A lot of them have been jumping from one social circle to another. Those who have stuck to one, don't seem very happy either.
Going back to those who have made it. They certainly look very happy. But sometimes, behind those happy faces, I sense a bit of weariness. I say weariness because I get this feeling that they are tired of these pretences. I mean, how long can a person stick to same group of people, who have nothing more in common with you, than the fact that they have been able to make their presence felt? How long can you pretend to be interested in their lives when you frankly don't give a damn? How many hours can you spend with same set of people, without wanting to kill yourself ?
Apart from that, there are also rules and regulations . There's a certain code of conduct that needs to be followed. You have to go against your principles for the sake of the 'group'. And according to me, the worst is having to be nice to people you really, really dont want to be nice to.
So the truth is NOBODY is actually happy. A lot of them are just wearing a mask. If they take that mask off they're just as miserable as those who haven't made it.
Then there's a third category. That's me. I didn't want to become a part of BMM, so I could have the coolest friends in college, or the best looking guys in my class, or the most fashionable girls to hang out with. I joined this course because I like this course, and I can't imagine myself doing anything else.
So, while people do matter,they are not on my priority list. I'm not saying I don't want to make close friends. I do. Infact I miss having the kind of friends I bring home everyday so we can lie like potataoes on my couch and watch TV. The kind of friends you don't forget as soon as you get home because you talk to them every single day irrespective of whether you have anything important to share with them or not. The kind of friends who know every detail about your life no matter how small or insignificant.
But frankly speaking, two years in Jai Hind taught me enough about group hopping and having random friends. Some people might like sitting in a Mocha with a new gang of friends everyday, but after a point I got sick of it. The Summer after taught me how only few of those friends you make in college actually stay. So what is the point of having a big group or even feeling miserable about not being a part of one?One day, they are all going to go away anyway. So as long as you have a few decent people to hang out with while trapped in that classroom, I don't see why anybody should be grumbling.
Bottomline is at the end of this course, if you have ONE close friend to take back with you, you should consider yourself lucky. I know I will!
