That day wasn't bad...wasn't sad..wasn't hard hitting, but it just wasn't any other day. Dragging the stupid 'mundu' along,hoping it wouldn’t fall off, making sure you didn't forget the camera praying it would'nt rain, I tagged along, the long line towards the quadrangle, walking the walk I've seen many a senior make, never having thought what it would be like to be in their shoes, but there i was happily walking towards the two empty rows in the front and finally sitting down thinking about all the banter that was to happen on that assembly. Yup! just another assembly...but some how it wasn't,maybe it was the 'mundu'...hmmm...everything was happening,normal stuff,blah blah,except this time it was us doing the major part of the talking,doing the major part of photography and for some reason we were the talk of the day. We were praised :O , commended for all the things we did once upon a time and we even were the topic of some of the teacher's speeches :O. Wow !! ahh well as they say "its good while it lasts" but well this time it did last, all day actually. Yep totally NOT a normal day...
"You may return to your classes after a short interval, we begin with the third period" rang through the speaker, we stood up {well most of us} obligingly, only to realise we didn't belong to that category anymore...weird...so now what? mostly when we weren't supposed to return to class all of us would be in the ground already half way through our national sport {not cricket please!!} but today that holy ritual was also not practised...how much more of this should we take before sanity again prevails...! There was a clump at the deserted quadrangle, a photo modelling session, make sure the 'mundu' is still attatched session, even helping the uncle's carry back the speaker to the office session, but this time they wouldn't allow us to help them "it's your special day, enjoy it " they said...that was a first timer ! So now what? Usually we just stand around until someone makes a suggestion but today suggestions were on everybody's lips and we finally ended up breaking into groups and going to every class n blah...it was fun at the beginning but eventually that also was like not much fun. Why didn't they bring out the football yet, was a very good doubt running through me at that time....but then again nothing about that day was making any real sense so i kept mum....after all of them grew tired of walking in circles with no real meaning we again regrouped and set out to make preparations for the lunch we were organising...
The indoor stadium thus stood majestic n intimidating in all its glory- our venue for the lunch....but it was all empty inside {no chairs i mean} so began our second national sport...arranging chairs. We were so good at it in the past that the principal even mentioned about it in some the assemblies {that's an honor you see ! }. So we didn't need telling twice as we started making the place resemble something of an 'eat out' thingy...! The food arrived, on time :O and in correct number :O {i could see people pinching themselves} hmmmm..ya so we sorted into groups ready to serve the people who made sure we deserved to pass all the 12 grades. It was funny if you looked at it from the angle of an outsider but for us it meant something. All done and we had our share of the lunch, a few grumbles on the finding of a chicken leg in a veg packet and the spilling of icecream...rather depositing it in someone's pocket, we were again jobless...! And so like true loyolites, we sat around talking and talking, needing no topic and no provocation. When we finally did feel drowsy and became aware that sleeping on the dust filled ground would do no good to all the degrees we were to achieve we slowly started to form groups and start the "going to each and every class" thingy again !
>>fast forward>>
We had one final ceremony, the candle ceremony, traditionally the best send off for a student from loyola. Having never seen it {some of us never even having heard of it} the imaginations started running wild and we started sharing our creativeness and finally at around two in the afternoon ended up at the sutter hall. The ceremony was nothing like our speculations{there were talks of it being a personality show :| :| } ..it was silent, slow, but to tell you the truth it was the only time of that entire day we were at peace with our environment. The service was warm and it did what it was supposed to do, touch our hearts. The teachers, all of them, stood in kind of a circle and we with a lighted candle approached each and everyone of them. Listening to what they had to say wasn't as heartening as their facial expressions when we approached each of them, the warm smile....which meant recognition,acceptance into their heart, and conveyance of their blessing all in one smile...that was enough to trigger something in me, but i could never really figure out what.
And then the flood gates opened..it was as if they were waiting for one simple provocative action and a slightly audible sob was all it took. Tears were here and there, not like in a funeral but like in a helpless situation. I stood back, tears were the last thing on my mind, i was thinking of ways to photograph some of this amazing footage :D {cameras were not allowed in the hall}. I got weird glances, stares, 'don't you even care?' looks but nothing happened. I wasn't being insensitive, but i don't think tears would have done any justice to the feelings running through me at that time. Thirteen years along the same route, same road, same place and all of a sudden no more? Nope, tears were not the answer. I had company though, some of them also realised crying just wasn't enough to bring out their feelings at that time. So we stood back,watched through glassy eyes, all the time thinkin of the same things "Is it really over?". The feeling was so incredulous that we appeared blank and emotionless. We wanted to tell them, rather to scream out how much all of the people and surroundings around meant to us, how much we were goin to miss it and how much it was a part of our lives. But silence was all that we had in us and in the end i think that the silent stare told it all....it wasn't just a school to us, not just a home away from home,not just a legacy...loyola was a part of us, grew along with us, defined us, and was something that would be with us till we die and nothing could take it away. Right then and there we realised the meaning of the word 'loyolite'.
Disclaimer: This article has many a gap in it including our party at night, but some things just can't be portrayed through words and im no fool in thinking otherwise. So it stops thus....we came as a bunch of nobodys, became a bunch of somebodys, but we parted as loyolites.
