With a descent 83% in my H.S.C. examination, I was all set to take an admission for engineering. However, when God has different plans set for you, absolutely no one can challenge that ever. Maybe my fate never wanted to explore an engineer in me and with a heavy heart, I decided to quit the scientist in me, academically. I desperately wanted change. While surfing some prospectuses, I came across BMS Course heading and my mind took leaps towards it. I thoroughly studied the aspects, the subjects, the protocols of BMS and the ways it can recreate me again.
By the time I was getting ready to take admission almost 2 months of the course passed. The seats were full in almost all the colleges I wanted admission in. Ultimately, it was C.K.T. College that I approached to try my luck. The admission process was altogether a different ball game, but I somehow managed to get through it too.
I still clearly remember the day of 30 August2011. Last roza of that year’s Ramzan. I travelled all the way from Pen to my new college in Panvel. As I mentioned earlier, I joined BMS almost 2months later, so it was exclusively my first day of the college. Everyone knew each other and I was a perfect stranger amidst them, except I knew some friends who were from Pen.
I had dressed myself in a descent Chudidar, black-n-cream in color. All others were in uniforms. No doubts when I entered the class, I was the attention-seeker, both for students and for my teachers as well. My friends from Pen took the initiative of introducing me to their new friends. Generally I am 1st bencher who loves to sit on last bench since my school days. That day we didn’t had the 6 o’ clock bus and so we reached a bit late. So it was obvious that I didn’t sat on the 1st bench, but on the last. I sat on my 1st day with my mate Nikita Thakur(we have 4 Nikita’s in our class!) . I must especially mention that except for my teachers, they are the one who got along with me since my first day and made me feel comfortable. Priyanka Kale(again we have 4 Priyanka’s too; I got to know this because every second person I was introduced to would either be Nikita or Priyanka), Nikita Gori, Ankita (all from my home town, Pen),Aarti, Priyanka Kadam, Priyanka Jage(the then CR),Heena, Aparna , Ayesha.
The 1st lecture I dealt that day was Statistics by Sachin sir, and then started the discussion my name, where do I belong to, as to why I took the admission so late and blah blah blah types of questions. Everyone wondered as to why I landed into this course, although I have my own reasons for it. All the teachers found it so difficult to pronounce my name that I had to literally spell it to get it right. “NAVMEEN…. Are you a Punjabi?” was how Tarveen ma’m reacted when she heard my name. PadmaPriya ma’m was much mild and easy towards me assuming my anxiety on my first day. Last lecture was accounts- a pure nightmare for any science student attending for the 1st time, & I was no different. The lecture went in a blur of moment and except for my intro to Trupti ma’m I couldnt recall anything much.
We had four lectures and a break in the middle. I approached the Coordinator, Sini ma’m to ask about the sessions I missed. All the teachers assured me to extend help to cover my losses. I returned to class overwhelmed.
Just post break the 3rd session was about to start, our coordinator walked briskly towards our class and literally roared out my name taking me to the staff room. She handed me her cell and commanded, “Call your dad?” I was so dumbstruck at her statement that the cell phone was about to slip from my hand. I managed to gather my composure. Before I could react in any manner, she continued, “We have an IV going to Bangalore-Mysore-Ooty. Today is the last day of bookings and so I want you to confirm whether you are in or not.” I followed her instructions and called my dad, but his phone was unreachable.
When I look back at the 1st day I know it was a real turn I gave to my life and now it’s the time to change gears and accelerate to make this turn a golden one.
-KHOT NAVMEEN IKHLAK,
T.Y.BMS
C.K.T. COLLEGE, NEW PANVEL
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