Whether it’s a tournament where reaching the top and earning those big bucks is the top priority, or just another fest where winning becomes a subsidiary agenda; outstation trips with your society members from college turn out to be memorable events that’ll be etched in your memory for a lifetime. Irrespective of whether it is a group of five or fifteen, such trips are a wholesome package of fun, bonding and exhilaration.
Endless conversations at the middle of the night, sometimes extending till the visibility of faint sunlight bring out so many untold stories that certainly change the way you looked at each of the members who practiced with you everyday. So all of a sudden, the apparently emotionally strong girl you thought isn’t bothered by emotions turns out to have a soft spot too and the dark and twisted Meredith Grey of real life has a story to leave everyone stunned. On a much lighter note, there are stories of seniors messing up lives, missing their trains and making up songs about random people that’ll tickle your funny bone till weeks later.
Amidst all of this, there’s loads of exploration: in terms of food (and booze and leaves, get the reference!). When your entire contingent is starving in the middle of the night, even the most fake double-cheese pizza that’s nothing but garnished extra cheese over a pizza base and cadbury-cheese sandwich (as wrong as that may sound) shall taste like delights. Meeting new people, getting to hear their version of life and observing the vibrancy of a new culture are somethings that come tagging along.
You might find the party spread across various rooms of the accommodation. At once, the first floor would be the scene of all action and drama. There would be one of the slightly dazed (for obvious reasons!) participants acting as a bouncer while others would be witnessed partying away to glory. These scenes shift from one location to other till no living soul is found sleeping, even at 4 a.m. in the morning.
For some unknown reason, everyone manages to make it for the tournament/fest for their respective performance. The learning graph of such events is substantially high as you witness people flocking down from all across the country. There are new contacts (for miscellaneous reasons) and multiple opportunities to learn.
Train journeys to and from the destination are certainly the highlight of the entire trip. Unending gossip sessions and a mandated ghost stories session act as suffices to the traditional charm of the journey. Expect no mercy when it comes to sleeping because a.) people are not going to let you, and b.) even if you do manage to slide away somehow, the rest with you shall make it a point that neither you (nor the fellow passengers) drift off.
Expecting it to be an event of a lifetime? Be prepared for the following:
1. Eating at the most random hours at the most random places.
2. Your room’s gonna be a mess and you won’t be able to deal with it.
3. You may or may not get a chance to bathe, considering all you did last night (this statement is open for interpretation)
4. Thou shall get no sleep.
5. No matter how shady it may get, you’re going to be in love with your society post that!
For KNC DebSoc, Crossfire. Memories Courtesy: ILNU PD Tournament, Ahmedabad (August, 2015)
Arushi Pathak
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