Life and its WASE

Coming back to Bangalore after two years, it is taking some effort to fit back in. All the nooks and corners of the Electronic City office is full of memories of friends. The roll numbers on the cafeteria table take me back to our exam days. I could almost picture everybody. All had some distinct characteristics during exam times. Some images are bolder in my memory than others. I dedicate this post to WASE exam times. 

Shrestha would refuse to switch off the lights at home, and would sleep on her books almost since a month into the exams. I would swing my hand between her eyes and her books and she would not know a thing, but the moment I would reach the switch tip-toeing my way through, she would miraculously get up and scream. And then I would come back to sleep in the most well-lit place in the world, and in less than a minute she would sell all her horses too.

Akhi would be dialing her SOS numbers a week before the exam, for notes, xerox copies, status update on others' coverage. 

Sandy and Shrestha would be sitting in the Lucent work station on the mornings of the exams, frantically reading - Shrestha's revision, and sandy's first look into the books. Akhi and Shweta would be giving them company in the work station. Sandy would be collecting printouts in parallel and Akhi will be asking her to make two copies, realizing these precious notes are missing. :) 

Vishal would be surrounded by girls between 6 and 11 pm everyday on the last 15 days. Invited envious looks from other 6 of the famous silent 7. He would finally turn up for the exam in his blue and white plaid shirt - his lucky shirt - and i also think he had a blue and white lucky reynolds pen. :) 

Kapil, would have been preparing stapled print-outs and xerox copies of notes for all his worthless friends. I was part of this elite list. He would study very hard too in the last 7 days. i fail to understand how he scored so well in his papers with completely illegible handwriting. Benefit of doubt I guess. :)

Tarun would have slept his days through and would go with selective studying - his selections always worked. :)

Jose, the coolest customer of all. No frantic moments, no group studies till the last minute, always the first one to close studies (can you believe it), he would be prepared with the indexes even. :)

Abhishek relied I think on his knowledge most of the times and hence did not study as much as others. No wonder his answer for a digital electronics multiplication for 7 and 3 was - simple! 7x3 = 21 :D (Wonder what the teacher was thinking before putting this question in a Masters examination paper.) :) :)

Noops would often end up sharing the study room with me, and we would curse ourselves for not studying a thing after gossiping through the night. :) 

Dhaani would always enter the examination hall with a white face as if she had just seen a ghost. And on the other side, Nikki would look in control of everything. :)

Varun was Shrestha's brother in exam preps I am told. In Kapil's words - jitna shrestha roti hai ki padhaai nahi hui utna hi hamara vijji bhi rota hai :)

Prity would walk-in almost expressionless, her brows just a little skewed. :)   

It was, by the way, always comforting to see Devesh during exam times who, you could sense, would be sitting ram-bharose (god's mercy). :)

Once settled and invigilators walk in, you would see people moving their necks and rotating their head in all directions to be able to pass on the best wishes to all who mattered - completely knowing these wishes only could take them and their friends through. 

There is no one in Bangalore EC any more. Sandy left two weeks back. She was the last one to leave. Though we hardly met each other - may be once a week or something, but the thought that she was there was very comforting. I am missing you Sandy, shift back asap.

And all you others settled abroad forever, enough! Come back now!

Errata only for VJ :)