Impact

The title of this write up may sound intriguing and to a certain degree it even is. The question which begs answering is, impact in what context?

Impact can be anything. But the thing that I would be focusing is that of people.

I have met a fair share of people in my life who have had both positive and negative impacts.

To the negative ones, Fuck You. (Take note: 95% the people from my first school)

Brutal. Blunt. Honest.

To the positive ones, Thank You.

You could term that as an understatement towards the good ones.

By now, half the people know that my closest bunch of friends have moved on to better lives.

But what about the ones who have stayed back? Are they special? Hell yes.

The thing about the ones remaining is that they have given life a whole new meaning.

I cannot think of not seeing them for a full day. It just has to happen. Its oxygen in the form of people.

You want to breathe, you have got to meet.

But then again, the best part about life is that it keeps the doors open to meet new people.

I have made a fair share of new friends as well this semester.

The impact which they have had is worth taking a note of.

Mind you, all positive, nothing negative.

Being 23 years old and being at this stage of life makes you look at things a bit differently.

Surprises are appreciated. Impacts are satisfying.

Make new friends, but keep the old. Those are silver, these are gold - Joseph Parry.

Positive. Rational. Infallible. Selfless. Humble. Appreciative.

The words above strike a chord. And I hope it stays that way.

How one year can change everything!

Last year this time, I was staring down at my broken iPhone. It was one of the darkest days of my life and the most shameful one.

I have regretted that moment every single day since that. Life has a funny way of coming forward in front of you.

I was having the time of my college life with my friends along with stable academic performances. All in all, it was good!

Fast forward one year and a new phone later, it's different. Good different or bad different is still not clear.

The suggestion for this topic was put forth by my batch mate and fellow writer Palak Katyal. So a shout out to her for giving me something to write on.

A year is a long time. People can get married, people can have kids, people can die or more so, people can be lonely. The last one sucks the most because it is by far the worst feeling in the world. If you have ever been lonely you would understand.

I was under the impression that the good times were meant to last. However, my friend, they don't. They did not for me. If they do for you, you are one lucky soul. There are some things which even words cannot explain.

This year, it sucked to bid adieu to the ones who had meant so much to me, but, such is life.

Good times don't last. Good people do.

Write that in stone!

Brotherhood

I miss them. Oh fuck I miss them a lot. I don't say this quite often, but, in my head, I have this thought lingering at all times. Is it bad? I do not know. Is it good, hell no!

The people in case are the ones who have shaped me to be what I am today. College would not have been fun without you guys. It's a fact.

Not only were there good moments, there were memorable moments. What makes the moments memorable are the people who are in it.

One was a football fanatic.
One was a pain in the ass.
One was a laziness accomplice.
One was a learner.
One was a roommate.
One was a confidante.

But all of them were brothers.

People go their own separate ways but each of them left a mark on me as they left. I got a chance to learn so much from them that 4 years of being together turned out to be too less of a time.

Now, I cannot bring those moments back but being a part of their life and the fact that they shared so much with me cannot be overlooked or understated.

The only thing left in these 3 months of college is reminiscing those moments and creating a few more with the one's left here.

I've written many times about change being the only constant.
I don't like this change.
Time travel anyone?

The Comeback.

They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I've seen the "they" in question over here but I'm pretty sure they exist.
Let me tell you a story here. A story which would further explain the title of this blog episode.
A year back, a good friend of mine left. The reasons for leaving were further studies. It was about to be a different feeling. This person was a support system for me. A confidante of sorts.
But then in a jiffy with a swift goodbye she was gone. Gone for a year. Little was I aware of the fact that the only year she wasn't going to be in the country was going to be the most challenging one for me yet.
There were the highest of highs and the lowest of lows which she missed.
But it was fine. I accepted it. My friend had a life of her own which she had to live.
Same was the case for me.
But as life was taking a rollercoaster ride for me there were many things that she was unaware of. And I guess that was the best thing to do. This situation applied vice versa.
Distance is a funny thing. You feel like sharing everything that's happened to you in a day with a person and yet you can't.
It's either not possible or you choose to make it not possible.
But distance, my friend, also makes the bond grow stronger.
And this bond has grown. Stronger and stronger.
We may not talk every day or even go weeks without any idea of what's going on in each other's lives but yet we know one thing.
We're there for each other. Maybe not in soul but in spirit.
And that is something that keeps you going. At least it kept me going. And I'm still here. Surviving. Just about.
But on the bright side, she's coming back. Soon.
We would meet.
Soon.
We would talk face to face.
Soon.
We would laugh together.
Soon.
And you know why that's possible?
Distance.
From thousands of miles to a few of them.
Welcome back, old friend.
You've been missed.

Jindal Diaries: Extrovert or Introvert?

Jindal Diaries: Extrovert or Introvert?

In the phase of your life when you’re supposed to be making life decisions on what you wish to pursue as a ‘career’ and what you want to be, college plays a crucial role. Where people are constantly influencing you to choose a certain path, you must be determined and constantly motivated to do what interests YOU and what you would eventually excel at.

People, at all stages of life are often divided among two categories, extrovert or introvert.

If you’re an extrovert, you’re popular, you are involved in extracurriculars, you participate in class discussions. If you’re an introvert, you’re usually the one sitting on the sidelines, with a few but very close friends.

Extroverts usually interact and speak up easily. They love meeting new people, making new friends and attending social gatherings. Introverts, on the other hand, think through every little aspect several times before opening up.

An extrovert’s perspective

Being an extrovert is both, an advantage and a disadvantage. You have the ability to talk to anyone and befriend every kind of individual, but sometime you trust too easily, you give too easily and you love too deeply. All of it can be both, good and bad.

An introvert is usually very selective on who to talk to and what to share. They don’t trust easily and they take their time to make friends.

College life is a different ball game altogether. It’s the first time you’re living away from home, at least for most of us. College inspires us to think differently, to accept people who are not like us, who don’t think like us. You understand that not everyone will like you and you have to be okay with it. You learn to make friends with people you thought you’d never be associated with. 

Life at college has its own way of teaching us lessons that no school or classroom can do theoretically. For a hostler, life can be really challenging. We have to stay with the same people, eat with the same people, study with the same people and hang out with the same group of people. It can get monotonous, specially for an introvert.

Extroverts are usually capable of handling such situations better. They are capable of having a separate group for every activity. As for me, I had a separate pair of friends for studying and a separate group for hanging out. My roommates were from a different school, which meant that I was not constantly with them during class hours. Most of all, being involved in several extra-curricular activities and sports gave me a completely unique set of friends from my team. Getting bored of my company was very rare.

An introvert’s perspective

Every individual before becoming an extrovert is an introvert, as was the case for me.

Life has always been weird to me, but, in a good way. Having spent 11 years in an all boys school, it was difficult to adapt to such a vast surrounding but the thought of meeting new people has always lured me. They give you an insight into their lives and you can do the same for yours. That is when the seeds of friendship are first planted.

Writing, or ‘Blogging’ as the generation calls it nowadays, has always interested me. I believed it to be the first sign of being an introvert because you often tend to write down your thoughts instead of sharing them with a friend. Though I found a friend to write a blog with, in my co-author.

Jindal gave me the chance to meet new people, something that is bound to happen if you move to a new place and begin a new chapter of your life (in my case it was college).

Being an introvert, life is initially hard when you shift away from the comfort of your home. You take time with people and you often miss your personal space, but once you break through the barriers you create friendships and bonds that can last you a lifetime, as did I.

Whether you’re an extrovert or introvert, life in college is always an adventure. When they say enjoy your days here because they would never come back, they’re right.

There’s often a divide, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

You don’t have to be either, you don’t have to be both. Just be who you are, do what you feel and always remember to be true to yourself.