Flinging one shoe on the chair and the other in a corner of the room, I hastily entered the room and started making a mental note of things that I might need. No, I was not being chased by the police. Let me make the picture clear — last night, when I was out with my friends, we were informed about the temporary suspension of teaching activities due to COVID-19.
I reached hostel as soon as possible and began to pack my things. If you live in a hostel, you know there are two things that can make you very happy — 1) Ghar ka khana 2) Dusro k ghar se aaya hua khana. I should have felt very happy about going home, but strangely, there was a feeling of reluctance. Maybe because I had to catch the next train to Surat, but there was something else I wasn't able to put my finger on. I shrugged the thoughts off my mind and reminded myself, "Diksha! Pack your stuff, you have to catch a freaking train without reservation."
There I was sifting through my belongings stuffed in a matchbox sized cupboard. First came out my friend's t-shirt. I wonder how her clothes end up in my cupboard from across the hall all the time. Next, I spotted a very beautiful frame with my pictures that said 'Happy Birthday.' By this point, I felt like I was almost going to miss my train.
However, I somehow managed to stuff some essentials into the bag, and I headed out. It was a train journey filled with anxious people scooting away from each other and avoiding human contact. Naturally, I did the same.
I reached home and the lockdown was announced. My friends who were back at the hostel also made their way to their homes. One fine day, it struck me. This is it. My hostel life just ended and I didn't even get a chance to bid a proper adieu and shed a tear (keeping in mind the emotional wreck I am). I didn't get to hug them tightly. We did not know that the past few days were actually the end of it all.
The strange feeling I had when I was sifting through my things that day was the feeling of leaving behind the life I had at hostel; leaving behind the people who felt like home away from home.
That matchbox sized cupboard was no more just another cupboard. It held some of the most beautiful moments, sweetest rivalries, craziest laughter and an elephant size bag of memories that I brought back with myself to cherish for life.