(Forward Note: I am not naming anyone, because if names and experiences
are to be written, I might have to write a book)
Many ‘First Experiences’
After 14 years of studying in a church run school in a small village in
Kanjirapally, my first day in CET was a happy shocker. As I sat in the 4th
bench in M1 Class next to a boy who was from Kottayam, a group of students
holding placards walked into the class. It was Mechanical Drawing Class and one
of the students talks with the Professor and as the Professor walked off from
the class taking his things with him, the student addresses the class talking
something about water and MH. And then came the slogans – “On Strike, On
Strike! MH On Strike! On Strike, On Strike, Water Strike Water Strike!”
As I sat there trembling and unsure of what is happening, the
Kottayamkaaran stood up and said “Come On Da, its strike today.” And I asked
“So No Class?” He gave me a sorry look that a seasoned baller would give a
rookie batsmen when the batsman gets clean bowled. Then he explained the
dynamics of college life and he took me around in his RX 100 and there started
one of my strong friendships and my CET days.
I stayed in a hostel near Palayam, and college bus was my mode of
transport. And we first year students had our trademark weapon with us- The ‘T
Scale’. The seniors in the bus would ask us to shoot the traffic policemen on
the way, ask fresher girls they liked for their names and the senior girls
would have a stare down on us that would make us look as naked as a newborn.
I was given strict orders that the small array of hair that grew beneath
my nose was not to be seen and I got rid of that with great joy as it made no
difference to me and I have stayed loyal to that command till date.
My trips back home during holidays and weekends was in train till
Kottayam and the initial trips with seniors were fun filled - for them. I had
to ensure all passengers near my seat got imaginary tea / coffee and had to
make sure everyone heard the cry loud - “Chaaya, Kaapeee!!! Chaaya, Kapeee!!!”
But the friendships with the senies that brewed over these funny antics are
still well alive and kicking.
Every day in college gave us something to remember - the branch days,
the strike days, Paandi Day, Black Day, Red Day, Cross Dressing Day, Nostalgia
Day, Union Day- all bring back memories and stories; and sometimes when you are
travelling or sitting doing nothing, these memories come back to you and you
just smile or have a small laugh and the ones around you feel for sure - ‘This Guy Needs Help’
One memory that I still try to forget was this College Union Day in
Senate Hall and a known students’ union was ruling the rooster. They had their
‘boys’ all around the hall. And during the entertainment programme, there was
some mishap that happened on stage and the guy next to me screamed and yelled.
One of the ‘boys’ thought it was me and called me over and gave me a friendly
but powerful one right across my cheek. I stepped out and again it was the RX
100 that took me to the place I was staying. (From that day onwards, I knew what I should get into and what I should
not.)
The Branch that’s Forever Dry
The Royal Mexx, as we call ourselves, were elite and blessed because we
had the Mexx Corner which was right where the road from LH joined the CET
campus road. 3 classes in Mechanical branch from M1 to M3, and 4o in each class
with M3 having the luxury of fairer sex as classmates but with numbers you
could count with the fingers of your hand (toes not included)
So it is of surprise that in case you needed to see your classmates
apart from the nerdy ones, the ‘needy ones’ here, you had to go to the Civil or
Electrical Departments – of course there were Electronics and Computer Science
Departments but the ladies here could demolish you with their brains. So, the
level playing grounds for the needy Mechs were Civil and Electrical
departments. And we had boys from the Mech whom the damsels in those branches
would look out for as well during breaks as we had more than a few lookers
amongst us. (The writer is definitely not
one among them as over the years a few told me they had a sibling like
affection and they felt safe around me. What the Hell!!!$%#$^#%$%^)
Then there were the Architects- The Archies. They were a different
league and in a world of their own – exclusive building and even more exclusive
looks and the access to us was always from afar.
Recently, I interacted with a senior person who moved in to our
apartment complex in Cochin and we started talking and realized he was - sorry-
IS also a CETian from the Civil batch of 1989. After sometime when he learned
that I was from Mech, he asked me “You guys also had to come to Civil and
Electrical to relax?” My sheepish smile gave him the answer which massaged his
ego to no end. Ahangaari!!!
Bonds That Broke Barriers – But the
Spirit Lives On
The first few months, you choose to be around people you could relate to
- from the same school or town or even district, and language was in important
factor here. Hindi speaking folks stuck together and they bonded through
language that broke the barriers of branches they belonged to much faster and
easier than mallus did. Because they had no clue what the mallus were talking
and we had no clue about which generation of our forefathers they were praising
about. (M****C***, B%%$%$%C^%$%$%$%, G*&^%&^$%^, T#@*&^ M*&^*
K*#@#$*)
But after one year, friendships grew breaking the barriers of branches
and languages though deep inside there was still that loyalty to your bloodline
– that I am a Mexx guy and the rest are rest of the world.
People who you thought you would never have to befriend becomes one
amongst your closest confidantes. On my first day, there was a guy sitting in
the front row, and as each month passed by, his place shifted one row after the
other for better view of the class. And this guy who drove his Splendor bike to
Kundara every weekend became my roommate in 2nd year, and there was
not a day that we didn’t have a literal fight, but now even after 25 years, he
is my go to guy along with a lot of close brothers.
Friendships like I mentioned spanned across branches and I have friends
whom I can call any time of day or night and I know they will stand by me first
and ask questions later – my schoolmate who drove a Shogun, a kinetic dynamic
guy from Mavelikkara, a man of strong conviction who wanted to go against the
current and got beaten up for it many times, my RX100 guy, a Chhattisgarh guy
whose term ‘Jattikkul Parotta’ became famous and a lot many more.
Amongst this group is one unlucky soul who was in the wrong place at the
wrong time and he was demoted for being a part of the ‘ragging scandal’ that
happened- and we all still wonder what he could have done. He must have gotten
into the room where the incident happened because he was a senior and went
through some books on the table, and was just a curious onlooker. But his curse
became our blessing as we got a gem in our batch.
Small Antics That You Cherish
Forever
My mother would pack goodies to eat every time I come back to the
hostel. We would be 7 or 8 of us and what was meant for 10 people would
disappear in 15 minutes- and what a hearty meal it was for everyone. I always
thought it was out of sheer love towards me that they would be so happy to see
me, and though I knew it was for their gastric satisfaction, I would still like
to keep it in memory as their unwavering love towards me. One memory can still
lift my mood when I am down. My Shogun classmate from school decided to treat
our gang and he buys a cake from a local bakery by 5 pm the same evening I am
coming down, and make the rest of the gang eat it. They are now half-full. Then
I came with the ‘home cooked dinner’ and what is dinner without dessert. So I
unwrap the cake and everyone looks at the Shogun fella. And he tells me- “Aby,
they are in no mood for dessert. They all had cake. You can give it to me.”
The parotta and beef fry and kheema beef from Lords still gives me
goosebumps. What memories we had. Food for the body and good-looking people
sitting in other tables for the mind and soul. And whenever we ordered food
went overboard, they all looked up to me because they knew I would not let the
food go waste and so a new name for me was born – ‘Furnace’.
The three of us –RX100, Splendor and me had a few close friends in
electronics department and we always used to go and sit outside. They were
proud enough not to come to Mech side, but we would go there and talk and get
fringe benefits as well – Vitamin Eye. And the Kinetic and Shogun guy come out one
day as if their fuse is blown out and they were talking about how tough the
class was. And the Mr. Know It All RX100 guy says “What is so tough about
electronics” and he said “Ask me anything” and the electronics duo ask him what
WAP is. I don’t think even the Electronic gurus who wrote several books knew it
was ‘Wide Area Protocol’. (Research is
still going on)
We Must Bring Out The Best In Us
Like the title, though I may be a so called ‘Mexx Macho Boy’ (No One would concur to this includes my
besties) and we may still have that deep rooted loyalty for the branches-
evident even now with the registration for Armaadham - as to which branch tops
the registration numbers. After spending 25 years out there in the world with
strangers and unknowns, knowing that you have a CETian in your town gives you a
proud feeling and we are there in every part of the globe.
We are a proud bunch – The CETians and the tag ‘CET’ raises many
eyebrows and jaw-drops. And when you meet a fellow CETian, be it someone 20
years senior or 20 years junior, the connection is immediate and deep.
So, to all my Machambies (ladies included), we are a different breed and
we are built different. Let us go back out there and make a difference- a
better one. Let’s be a CETian. Always!!!
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