Seniors

Everyone's life in first year college will always have an important chapter for Seniors and Ragging. Though officially ragging was banned in all colleges across Tamil Nadu, every first year student will feel like a rabbit caught in a mid of a hungry pack of Wolves when they first meet their senior group alone without any lecturer or college staff in sight. Thats what most of us felt, when we went to college again to Karatampatti  after the initial joining ceremony. For the joining ceremony we were accompanied by our parents, but this time we have to fend for ourselves.

So the first day myself and Naveen boarded the bus to Main Guard gate, there was a Senior sitting in the front of the bus, we were in the end of bus. Naveen told we will better go and wish him 'Good Morning sir', though I had a little bit of fear, with six month in my village I was somewhat boldened a bit. After sometime the Senior turned towards us and he signed to come front. First Naveen went and said 'Good Morning Sir', then he asked to Naveen, Can't sirs come and wish? and he turned towards me and asked me where I'm from. I was about to tell, that I'm from BHEL Township, but then I thought for a moment, why should I say so instead I told him I'm from Arasangudi village. The Senior looked at me slightly confused, why this guy from Arasangudi is boarding a Bus in BHEL Township. So he asked me that, I told him I live here in BHEL Township but I belong to Arasangudi. Once he understood that, he asked about few persons that he know in Arasangudi. When I answered that I know everyone of them., he became very happy and he told me to be on his side and said to me not worry as nobody will rag me. He is Saravanan, called fondly as Arakkan (Yaksha). From that day on, none troubled me. 

He told the entire senior Gang that I'm his brother and all of a sudden I am a friend of seniors. They will make me sit with them and ask us about the name of my fellow students and then they will ask them to do something really funny. Some of my fellow classmates got so angry, Senthil even told me once that I will be soaping the seniors and thats why I'm been treated nicely by them.

But once when I was in bus with the most elite senior gang, who didn't worry about management control and just did whatever they want.There was this senior girl standing next to me, one of the senior asked me if she looks nice. I didn't think anything I told him, yes she looks nice. Immediately this guy called her and told her that I told him that the senior girl looks nice. But she was a nice person, she looked at me and asked why he is troubling a poor fellow like me.

Few other seniors became my friends during that time, most of them I still can't forget. Lenin, Ajith, Dravida Selvam are some of the many. As time gone by, most of my fellow classmates became very good friends of the seniors. Our seniors taught us  what to do and what not to do so that we don't fall into being branded as a bad set. And they will ask us how the new building in Theeran Nagar is coming up, and when they could come there. Finally after couple of weeks, the feared became friendly and we never had any issues with our seniors in the first year. It infact evolved to be a good partnership between the seniors and us.

If I could dedicate a song to my seniors, I would dedicate "June July Madam Pookum..." from Kalloori...