Nostalgia - Diploma days (Reviving the Past)

I have been to this place before. I can't put an exact number on how many times though. I take a long look at it. Never seen it like this before. We all were here a few years back and the year before those too, pretty much enjoying the "life" that we knew back then. I try hard to remember when was the last time we all came here. All of us. No matter how hard i try, i cannot remember. It seems like aeons have passed since i last saw this place. Ultimately giving up, i try hard and walk around a bit. I have a weird urge of going upstairs and meet those who may still be there but on a second thought i don't. Though i don't have the luxury of time but i still walk around a bit. Finish a complete round. Get a feel of it- AGAIN!! The sky above me is pink and crimson red in patches. It will turn black in a jiffy!! I walk around a bit. I observe the place with a completely new perspective. I realize the landscape has changed now- how this fact somehow escaped my attention is a mystery to me. I go to the centre and sit there for a minute- like paying homage to a place that is in a way holy to me.Like a shrine. The sky above and vast area around seem to be hugging me and accepting me as a part of them. The endless tides of emotions sweep me and bring a lump in my throat. I feel extremely sad and extremely jubilant at the same time. A feeling that i never entertained before. I go back to my bike, take a long hard vacant look at the view in front of me. I think the place has a life of its own and is staring back at me. It too wants to relive the past. A wish that somehow has to be quelled by taking peace in the fact that the past was worth reliving. As i said, i have been there before but for the first time i was there- ALONE. I knew it all along no one was going to show up, no one would, no one could, things have changed. Things have changed A LOT!! But i still stand here, too many memories attached to this place. It was difficult to fathom the sea of emotions in my heart. A tear rolls down my eye. A part of me was praying that suddenly everyone would show up because it was possible that i arrived earlier than anyone else. No one came on time anyway!! I told myself to stop day dreaming and get hold of myself. I am supposed to behave like an ADULT now. I am sure you are not getting a grip of what i am saying. I will try and make it a bit easier- Even a decade from today i will remember this place as the place where i completed my diploma in Electronics and Communication. For almost 3 years i suppose, it was "our college". Our "own college". Well, not legally but we came here as if it was made for us. It reminds me of "our group". We should have come up with a name for ourselves!!! We were never the best at it. Lol.  We all had our own shortcomings. We were bunch of defected people with different back ground who came together to the college canteen, and spent our entire college hours doing what we loved most. Talking, teasing and most importantly enjoying every moment of life.  I never ever attended any class  continuously. NEVER!! College was all about sitting in the canteen from morning till evening and going home only to return the next day to the same place. Keval hardly came and used to stay at home only. Whenever the mood to attend the lecture ran through us, Mihir made sure we wernt going anywhere. Tiwari was our entertainer, his stories which all knew were fake, yet we all enjoyed hearing them. Then we had Chandan our class peacemaker, Lalit and KK, the behind the scenes guys yet from group itself. And we also had others who joined us, Mahindra (our class CR), Chetan, Abhijeet , Kedar( Used to bring Second hand mobiles every month), Shival (aka Virus),Pednekar (used to carry a Pokemon compass), Vagluu (the porn addict). The list would go on and on. .My mind is bombarded with the endless innumerable discussions we had about other people, staff, life, the future , uttered those words a zillion times. This process was followed by a long walk towards 206 bustop or a food Outlet named Papa Joes .. In the end we used to depart for our places telling each other "kal milte hai, canteen mein" and no one ever came on time. But now those events are somewhere buried in the past. "A place far far away". What i am left with is tear in my eye and a smile on my face.NO matter what happened. NO matter how much we criticized each other, we always backed each other up. ALWAYS. I still remember the 1st year in college. When our class picked up a fight with a few seniors, nearly 20 of us went in a group to beat them up. So afraid they were that they negotiated a peace immediately. Also a time when the college asked us to chip in extra cash for a stolen router from another branch, in comes Mali sir and tells ''Those who don't want to pay get out of the class'', and in less than a minute the whole class was empty.  That was the bond we shared and will always do. We will ALWAYS have EACH OTHER.
I still remember that dark gloomy evening when I first came for admission Somewhere around August 2006. It was raining that day, the college looked like an old ruined apartment, broken window panes, a small hut as a canteen.  When at a time all my friends were joining Andrews and Xaviers to live their destined Catholic youth life, I on the other hand was joining a place exactly opposite. All those dreams I had seen before I completed my SSC seemed to be all but an illusion.
I hated college, I used to feel ashamed to tell people which college I belong to. The irony, is that being from the same area (IC Colony) nearly 90% of the public are unaware of the existence of that college, which included me prior to joining there. Life was fuckall for me. But like they say, every dark cloud has a silver lining. I met some wonderfull friends there. Mihir, Somil, Manish,Jayesh, Rahul etc and soo many more to name . Had good and awesome memories, the college being close to my house was a huge benifit. The first year went easy, except that I was isolated from my colony life also as usual just like school I had a rival. Supalkar our drawing sir who would always ask me questions during lecture. Hated him but most comic memories also came from his lectures only. Be it him slapping Viraj or Rahul or Ketul getting trashed in class..
Second year was tough, I was the BM Patel(Maths book author) of my class with kts in all 3 maths. Yet that too had its moments of remembrance, from the Phatak Puri fights to lectures in Ravi and Shastri classes. From Anitas lecture to Karandikars submission. From Jadhav and Mahajan lectures to Panda ordering me out of the class for over a month for telling her to take Synide for a normal headache.  Every bit of it plays through my mind when I think back.
3rd year went fast ,the Aurangabad trip, more bunking , more studies, project work etc, time just flew away.
In the end I would only come to realize that it wasnt so bad afterall. I got the exactly same certificate of completion from a third rate college than the ones others got from colleges like Thakur.
Just than I hit back to reality. The place has changed now. A new building has been constructed. Our second home(canteen hut) no longer exists. :'(
I can go on and on blabbering about what i am feeling but at all that can be said need not be said. Some things are better left unsaid. Memories do a better job of talking in such situations. LIFE AT TIMES HAS A WICKED SENSE ON HUMOR EH??