Jail Break(1996)

A letter from college mentioned about the class start date and details on joining the hostel. This is the first time I will be staying out of my house. Though thrilled it is also sad to leave my parents and stay in a different place. I motivated myself thinking that hostel will be an amazing place and I can have all the fun as shown in the movies.

My parents did all the shopping required for the hostel stay. We reached one day in advance before the college started. My parents & my sister came to drop me and they left after I settled my luggage and bed. The hostel was in the engineering college campus. Barren lands, Pine trees, bushes and one hut selling tea and cigarettes; this is what I could see from the hostel. The nearest main road was 3 kms away and we have to walk that distance to catch a local bus, which crosses that place every 2 hours. Bathroom and toilet were common for all but maintained well. My room will have 3 people including me. So I was waiting to see my roommates. All I wished was to have like-minded guys coz bare minimum I had to stay there for 1 year.

Ragging is quite usual and I was prepared for that. Infact my neighbor’s cousin (Arvind) was also studying here. A message was passed to him about my arrival and to take care of me from ragging. I was eagerly waiting for my senior’s arrival. A bus reached and around 50 guys got down and walked in a line like school kids going to zoo. All were dressed in either stripes or plain shirt and wearing sandals. I could sense my dream of a college hostel life slowly shattering but on the other side I was happy that these guys will not be ragging me.

Mine was the first room in that floor and near to the steps. I stood at my room’s entrance wearing a blue jean and a funky t-shirt. I stopped one guy and asked for Arvind. He didn’t stop nor he answered but all the guys gave me a weird look. I was wondering what had happened and thought these seniors are amused to see person in a funky t-shirt in their campus. After sometime a guy knocked my room, I opened the doors and without even bothering to ask my permission he entered my room and sat in a cot. He was looking like a Ugandan wearing a lungi and baniyan. He checked with me why I was enquiring him only then I realized he is Arvind my savior. I coolly sat in front of him cross-legged and introduced myself. I explained the reason to meet him and reminded him about the phone call he got from my neighbor. He jus nodded and when I finished my introduction he gave me one dirty look and screamed, “how dare you can stand in front of me”.

My supposed to be savior was the first person to rag me. Then I got to know from him that I would be the most targeted because staying in the first room. His words turned out to be true and guys who were double the size of mine to the size of my little finger that night ragged me. After all that I entered the mess to have my dinner. That’s when I decided next day come what may I will bunk the class post lunch and will run back to my home. I was served with tomato rice (deep dried) that looked as if people staying were convicts and deserved this kind of food. I came back to my room and ate bananas to fill my stomach. The ragging continued till late night and we also had a half naked parade that night in front of all the seniors. We were given strict instructions to have bath before any of the seniors wake up.

Next day morning we all stood in the line like prisoners taken for mine work. The bus took us to the college; I had little hope that the campus will be more colourful with some good chicks around. This time too I was disappointed to see gals in pavadai thavani in bright colours, oiled hair and flowers on their head. My class was even worse, out of the 30 in total only 3 gals were there and of which one was the size of a barrel and other of a bamboo stick clad in a green and white chudidhar. I cursed myself and determined that come what may, I should escape from this rural India by lunchtime. As soon as we reached hostel I packed my bag and started walking the 3 kms stretch to catch a bus to my city.

This 3 kms stretch is now teaching me a lesson for not studying well and scoring marks. But more than that what hurts me is my school classmate who scored less marks are now admitted in hep colleges in “CITY”. I was so damn dejected that I literally ran 3 kms to catch the local bus to liberate myself from the jail.

Bye Bye Kongu.