Exam Time Eccentricities!

Talking about Exam Time.....a whole lot of memories come flooding by. Some of the Exam Time Eccentricities would be worth examining by the Psychologists.

Putting hair oil is not something strange to us Indians. It is supposed to nourish the hair and cool one's head.....but of course now.....you only had "Behenjis" with oil on their head. However, as exams approached, one could see all around more girls walking with oil on their hair... in fact extra oily hair braided tightly! Yes! perhaps we thought that the oil would prevent the escape of what we read from our heads!!??

Now this, I must tell you is real strange but it's so true....and we tease her till date. A very good friend of mine....only during the Exam Time needed to study with a "Dupatta" (scarf) tied tightly on her forehead. She too cannot fathom why she did that.....perhaps she did not want what she read, to fly away from her brain!

Then I had my room mate with her Lucky Tee Shirt. A shirt she was willing to lend if one needed when she was not using it. How generous of her!

Yes, one thing about living in a hostel is that we all felt like one Big Family. We would understand and help each other. Of course like all families there would be fights and back biting.....but then No Outsider / Day Scholars could touch any of us, Hostellers! We would all be united then!

Burning the Midnight Oil!

Gawd! How time flew......before we knew...realization hits us that the academic year was coming to an end and we were to give our Final Exams!

You could feel the intense academic air.....talks of tutorials...guides...as in Guide Books....past question papers...abounded. Trips to the library increased and suddenly there were more people in the library or was it me who was noticing this now?!

After dinner gossip was now replaced with us hitting our books straight away and only breaking up later for a cup of coffee. We would fix a time as to when to meet up for coffee as we were in our own rooms (only 2 sharing) .....hmmmm....now that I think, it would sure have been convenient if we had mobile phones then!

For some reason, I used to feel real sleepy only during the Exam time. I simply failed to understand why.....as balance of the year I would be wide awake late into the night. Thus, most of the time I would not even make it to the time when we had decided to break up for coffee. My friends would find me sleeping with my books opened. I would be scolded...tickled....and pushed to washing my face...having coffee...and then hitting the books again....

Yes, burning the midnight oil....in our case the electricity!

Tempest

All around it was the Annual College Festival time. Ours was known as Tempest. What an appropriate name for our College Fest.....Miranda being the heroine of Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

The 3 days festival was eagerly looked forward to by one & all. All kinds of competitions are held and students from all colleges can participate. There are - debate, just a minute, quiz, rangoli competition, and many more. Didn't participate in any....but went to see....

Hostel Nite!

We all looked forward to the Hostel Nite! This is the night where we could invite guests...which means guys can even come! There's going to be entertainment & good food & friends! Yippee!

My friend & I, we too had invited some friends over....four to be precise......all Hinduites! (as in from Hindu College. Three of the guys were Hostellers themselves and the fourth, she was obviously a dayski!) This is a pretty formal affair. Nearly all the guys were in suits complete with ties while there were loads of girls who were dressed in sarees! The guys looked dashing all formal while the girls looked so grown up!

The Hostel was lighted up for the occasion.....flower pots placed nearly in all the possible places.....small circles of chairs scattered all around.....chowkidars (watchmen) posted strategically....to see that no guys stray to the residential area!

Dinner was delicious.....the menu was pretty elaborate! We all enjoyed it thoroughly! After dinner, we made our way to the Auditorium.....for some entertainment....the grand finale of the evening. I don't remember what all there was but the ending was the much awaited Fashion Show put up by us First Years. It was sort of a tradition. I was in it too! I wore a blue dress....which was actually my Mom's.....a gift which she had got long ago from her German Penpal who had stitched herself! I also wore a ghaghra choli....courtesy a friend...it was beautiful! After our show.....some of the Seniors took to the stage....and spoofed our entire show! How wicked of them!

The evening finally came to an end...before the clock could strike, the magic midnight hour. The goodbyes to our guests were prolonged as much as we could..........we lingered at the gates as much as we could...

Diwali in the hostel

Diwali...the hostel is all lighted up....candles everywhere....down the pathways....it looks beautiful! There's crackers too! Some of my enthusiastic friends in lighting rockets, crackers & various fire works have bought loads of it. I have never been the Participant....always have been the watcher....it was my brothers domain.

Here again in the hostel, I watched. A friend asked me to try it out for myself.....if she can do...couldn't I? I tried...I blasted off a rocket...it was thrilling!

Quite a few had gone home....or to their LG's place (Local Guardian)....to celebrate......but quite a few of us were here. I thoroughly enjoyed my first Diwali in the hostel. Dinner was special......as always on occasions!

Miranda House?

I go home for the holidays......short Puja Break. I get to meet Mom & Dad's friends once again. They ask me where I am........what am I doing...translate studying...which College? The moment I say "I am studying in Miranda House College", I invariably get the raised eyebrows looks with..."Miranda House?" Actually, I love seeing that look. It amuses me to see them scandalized on hearing that a girl like me (I am suppose to be a prim & proper girl, minding my Ps & Qs!...having studied in convent schools where the Nuns have done a good job on me) has landed in that notorious College and secretly wondering if I am now Wild & Fast!

Miranda House.........I don't know exactly when and how it got this wild reputation......but no other Girls College can claim "Holier Than Thou" Title too!

Tea Time/ Visitor Time!

Yes! Tea time was also visitor time in the hostel.........looked forward to by many of us girls!

A visitor walks through the hostel gates manned by a "Chowkidar" (watchman in Hindi). He signs the visitor book - Name, address & the name of the person he is visiting and a second "Chowkidar" shows him to the visitor room/common room where he can sit & wait while the "Chowkidar" goes to inform the girl for whom the visitor had come. Yes, the "Chowkidars" are the only men allowed in the residential block!

The "Chowkidar" usually would shout from below, (if the girl lived on a first or second floor)... "Mary, D-14....Visitorrrrrrrrrrrrr". Other girls hearing it would in turn pass the message....from one girl to the other till it reaches Mary. At times, if we had a feeling that it is an unwanted visitor we would ask the "Chowkidar" whether he knew the name of the visitor or to describe the person. If it was the same, we would send him back to tell the Visitor that we were not in!

Apart from the common room, the visitors could also hang around just inside the gate where we had a "Dhaba" serving "parathas" or bread slice & omelet served with tea.

For girls who did not have any visitors coming in, it was equally interesting to see who came for whom and this "watching game" we could do sprawled on our lawns with cups of tea!