ഓർമ്മചെപ്പുകൾ (5 years on): Leaving College amidst Covid Fears, towards an uncertain future

 16 March 2020. A date that will stay with me forever.

A cold eerie dawn with an undertones of uncertainty. The day we made our way out of hostel, with the backdrop of the Covid Virus threat. Lockdown came a week later.

It was like in the movies. Being smuggled out in the shadows of the dark. The narrative made it look like so (in a funny afterthought), but we had our flights in the morning

Me and my friends were helped by the local driver, and got cooped up in a typical Omni van, on the way to Indore Airport. We were flying towards different directions. A fear within that I may never meet them again.

Through the vast highway connecting Indore-Bhopal, our Rahul bhaiya sped on, the journey interspersed with some swathes of the Yellow/Orange streetlights that we are familiar with. Casting their long and eerie shadow on the deserted roads and lending an appearance that would add to my feelings of uncertainty.

I could'nt fathom that we were travelling on a road that connected multiple villages. A sight of normal kaccha houses with livestock and a small , small chance that something might run over to the road, ending up in us running over it. This was my first time leaving college for home, after being admitted. These sights became familiar later on.

After much uneventful sightseeing in the dark and a short slumber later, we stopped at an Federal bank ATM to withdraw cash, after scouring much for one, for miles. My friend Athul got out and withdrew cash that would ultimately help pay my share of the trip. I was unaware of this, as I was already short on money and thought that 1000 rupees would work. A stupid teenager's all-knowing calculations.

At last we reached our getaway destination and Rahul bhaiya left us at the terminal and we told our goodbyes. After entering the terminal and going our separate ways, a feeling of uncertainty washed over me, as I was left thinking if I would ever be able too step foot in MP again, or see the friends (machans) that I had bonded with. Some of which had became a facet of my fledgling college life, to beat home blues and college days together.

I made my way to Bengaluru, then to Kerala, two days after that. Hooked on Fifa Mobile, with a fear underneath to beat the days away

I did end up visiting college twice after that - once in a similar fashion in 2021 when i was the only passenger from the hostel, and the next in more better conditions. My convocation.

Times were such, and that was my harrowing, but memorable anecdote from the Lockdown times that we look down at, with a mix of fear, nostalgia, and reflection - 5 years on.