Six Years That Changed My Life

Year I (Class 7): When I climbed the stairs to the D-block third floor on 22nd April 2003, to VII L, i was completely numb. And then I entered a classroom and 40-odd unknown faces stared at me, and i was made to sit beside one such person - Rohan Bhatia. He was an eccentric friend, quite innocent and immature, who was always over-enthusiastic. Then I met Aishwarya "Aishu" Raj later that day in the D-block lounge. He had joined the school one day before me and we quite instantly hit it off, perhaps because we were both 'new fish' in the dirty pond. Ritin Kakkar (a decent bloke) scored 50 in the first Monday Test results that I witnessed. Shayeri (an arrogant-sweet wisecrack) was the 'established' topper and Sukriti Mishra (sweet, but obsessive. God knows what happened to her) was leading the charge of the newcomers. Then there was Lavi Aggarwal (who juggled the third position with me), Prachi Jain (sweet) and quite a bit more. By the end of seventh, 'our' group included me, Aishwarya, Rahul Bhatnagar (oh God!) and Tushar "Tush" Agrawal (a kind, arrogant kiddo).
How it Changed Me: I made a friend for life, in the form of Aishwarya, and also that I was intiated into a ravine that I fell into next year.


Year II (Class 8): Rewind to the Class VIII assessment exams. A 'firang' who is taking the exams with us stands up, all unnerved, while the class teacher tries to calm him. Welcome, Sushant "Sushi" Tandon, to our group. This guy beat me badly in table tennis, but by Class XI, I was able to beat him on a regular basis. Class VIII only reminds me of perversion. Something tells me I was at my most perverted then. But maybe it was only an innocent child's inability to come to terms with things around him. Then, there was a budding friendship with Charit Taneja. And when we came to know that sections would get shuffled in ninth, we all prayed very, very hard. The clock, meanwhile, went on ... tick-tock, tick-tock ...
How it Changed Me: By Class VIII, I had seen the nadir of perversion. It kind of gave me a broader perspective about life, far beyond even my current age.


Year III (Class 9): April 2, 2005 : He has a bag hanging on his shoulders, standing on the short flight of stairs that lead into C01. Welcome, Shubham "Bum" Prakhar, into my world. What can I say about him that I have not already said (check out this blog's archives for more). It was kind of awkward, talking to Mr. ICG and a hosteller. Plus his frequent quizzing incursions and all. But yes, he kicked me, kicked me hard. My jealously of Shubham defined me for the next two years. I had pledged to come out of his shadow in two years (something I achieved). But two other amazing friends of mine - Yash "Hashish" Chopra and Tanmay Singh, I came to know this year. Tanmay (the big, bruiser of a boy) I first saw practicing for a dance in the assembly and have been friends with him since, and Yash ... I don't know when or why we became friends, but its been good so far. And yes, Aishwarya is still in my section. And how can I forget the JSTSE classes? The stay-backs, meeting Debolina "Debo" Roy, Sameer "Sam" Mittal and all the fun we used to have. Oh, I still miss those lovely JSTSE classes!
How it Changed Me: I had become very ambitious, the beginning of all my later success is in class 9, on the day that Shubham Prakhar came to my class.


Year IV (Class 10): Oh God, the boards are here! Add to that the fact that I was rejected by the JSTSE people! The year couldn't have begun on a worse note. Somehow, it went downhill from there. My NSO, NCO, NSTSE ranks stabilized. The boards were fun, walking every morning to Sanskriti, eating a chocolate, and taking the exam - it was completely sans any stress. And yes, Shubham beat me easily in the boards. I was defeated. I had touted the boards as the last 'battle' between Shubham and I, and I had lost, I had been vanquished and humbled! Yes, I cleared the NTSE (which buried the ghosts of JSTSE), but that was more like a post-script.
How it Changed Me: I had been humbled, and all the ambition broken. I could never study that hard EVER again. It felt like the last four years had been undone, and maybe they had actually been.


Year V (Class 11): Oh God, new class, new people! For the first few days, I felt completely hapless - for the first time in four years, there was no Aishwarya to talk to! What would I do? Well.... I found Aeshwarya "Aesh" Raj, and Jayati "JT" Sindhu. In two years, only God knows how much I have irritated these two supremely sweet people. And then there was Mohul Raj Singh, with whom I always have a rocky friendship, and Sukrit. Class XI was more of an ascendancy, when I was beginning to get a grasp of where life was talking me. And mid-way through it, I met Kritika "Kritu" Bajaj. For the next two years, she's been my closest confidante.
How it Changed Me: Class XI gave me valuable lessons in managing people and other 'dps' experience that was to stand me in good stead later on.


Year VI (Class 12): The most amazing school year I could've wished for. I went to quizzes, debates (won some, lost a lot - but it all made me better at a rapid pace). My 5-day hostel misadventure and then my confinement in THAT room in DSOI, Dhaula Kuan. But throughout it all, Aesh and JT and Kritika were always there for me - they never let me feel sad or lonely. Then I interacted with Neelanjana "Neelu" Gupta and with a whole lot of other people. This was the year of my failed foreign applications, of my greatest truimphs and humiliations. And when it ended the way it did, with a 98% and "delhi topper" tag in the boards, it all seemed very ordinary in comparision with what a year it had already been.
How it Changed Me: Class XII has made me what I am today - entirely.


Thank you, amazing people mentioned above, for being there in my life. I owe a part of me to all of you, each and every one of you. Without you, I am nothing, and I can be nothing.
And people from school with whom I interacted only after school got over:(1) Aditi Bajpayi(2) Stuti Govil(3) Nimisha Jain(4) Parmita Mathur
Thank you to all of you too.