As i sit down to write just another blog , little do i realise that this might well be the last i am writing in ManIpal...Things are so fresh in memory even today..From obtaining a rank in the UGET and the discussions over joining the college to packing bags and descending on one of the most beautiful place on earth , each moment has a story of its own...
I still do remember the summer months of may and june back in 2005, when the options of joining a college kept narrowing by the day. Eventually I was left with two options : either take a drop year or make do with an obscure branch in MIT , Manipal. Well , I must admit that initially I was a bit sceptical but now that i think of it , i can proudly say that i made the right choice..
Recalling the early days here , i can say that the lonely feeling that enveloped the entire first year hostel once our parents left , turned out to be a blessing in disguise..It helped establish stronger bonding between the hostel inmates.. Be it watching movies beyond perm-time or watching nail-biting cricket matches in a fully packed T.V room , everything shall be fondly remembered..
And it would be unfair if i do not mention the first-hand experience of pouring wine and whisky and beer, all in a beer-glass and then gulping it down the throat (with considerable help from seasoned drunkards) as a sign of maturing friendship.. "DAARU" , the most sacred word in an engineering college, too, has its share in taking new friendships to a new high..
But apart from the above-mentioned events there is a much deeper reason which connects the intellectual part of me with this place.. And that is the freedom we enjoyed here..The life here is a right mix of studies, supported by widely-varying extra-curricular activities and thoroughly enjoyed by night-long parties..
Situated on hilltop on the western ghats , the visitors come here to catch a glimpse of a stunning spectacle all through the year..Be it summer or irresistible rainy months, the atmosphere here almost always remains charged..And yet in this high-voltage atmosphere , one can always find enough space for his/her own individual life..It is this specialty that makes manipal stand out from the rest..
Well i can continue at length talking about this place but i deliberately chose to restrict myself to a few para..and it will be only fitting to conclude in the words of a former college editor-in-chief (currently at IIM-K)...."WONDERFUL AS IT WAS .. WHAT A PLACE .. MY MANIPAL"
