At the end of everybody’s school life there comes a time when they have to leave it all behind and move forward. Every year, during the months of July and August a new set of young individuals go through this bittersweet phase; be it away from home, their home city, or nation. Although it creates an atmosphere of excitement, optimism and hope for the future, it also brings about a sense of nostalgia, love for home, and the wish of wanting to freeze time the way it is.
At this time of the year, students realise that this is the first time in their lives that they will be away from their home, family, friends and all that is familiar to them. Rishabh Santosh, a young man who will be attending the University of Michigan this year reportedly said that, “I’ve been imagining living away from Bengaluru, away from a city whose roads I know in and out, to an alien place where I know no one, and it scares me to an unfamiliar degree.”
Another student, Mitali Oak, who is leaving for the UK to study at London School of Economics talked about what she will miss most about the city. She explains that, “No one else in the world will understand the little things that only Bengalureans do. From fighting with auto drivers for charging the ‘double meter’ after spending over an hour in traffic, to that warm cup of filter kaapi from Shanti Sagar, to evenings spent eating at Mosque road during Ramadan, and of course to the lovely weather notwithstanding the sudden and heavy downpours.”
Although people are leaving, which will result in friendships getting strained, a student of 1st year of Delhi University, Sona Pinto who left Bengaluru last month, explains that, “The beauty about distance is that it not only makes relationships stronger, but makes one realise who their true friends are, which I believe is a huge part of growing up and a reality check that is bound to happen to everybody.”
So as a large part of Bengaluru’s student population says its heartfelt goodbyes this month, the end of what seems like a lifetime approaches on a long sentimental ride to the airport.
