Off the hat goes into thin air!
"Hurrah ! Long Live 53rd batch of CMC !" We shouted in unison.
I had become a graduate. The moment I had been waiting for since years. With the privilege of having my family, teachers and friends to witness the occasion, I soared with pride and joy. What was to follow was a multitude of cultural events, which included a couple of my programs too. We partied like never before, all night long. Elated, intoxicated, exhausted and sleep deprived - that was my state of mind when it all ended. I walked in my half senses to the house surgeons quarters, maneuvered myself into my room and crashed into my bed , my head completely buried in the pillow.
I woke up late. My eyes were stabbed by the afternoon sun beating in through my rooms window. It was a strange feeling to get up that day. I felt hollow like never before. Every morning I had a place to attend, a duty to take over. Its all over, I would have to vacate my room in a few days. What lies ahead is a cloud of uncertainty. I knew one thing for sure, it is going to be a hard year ahead.
Lying in my shabby cot alongside unwashed clothes, underwear, guitar and medical books, I gazed into the ceiling thinking about what I would miss the most when I leave from my college. I do not believe friendships end after college, especially these days when social media is so developed. I can always have my friends chatting to me just at the touch of a button. I surely would miss my alma mater which has made me the graduate I am today but it was something else that was giving me this hollow feeling. It was Calicut, the city I loved. The city where I spent my days as a teenager, as a medical student and as an intern doctor.
My mind surfed through the memories, of places and people in Calicut I met, got acquainted, fell in love with and lost. The journey was beautiful. Each place in Calicut has a story to tell.
The ever boisterous and picturesque Calicut beach filled with energetic robust kids, lovers walking hand in hand and the familiar gangs of teenage kids having fun and soaking up the evening sun; The lovely Mananchira park, almost like an oasis in a desert of chaotic traffic, offering greenery and calm to the families out to relax; The busy and lively SM Street, traders standing out of their small densely packed shops with a pretty grin on their faces to attract customers; The hangouts - Sixth Avenue, Downtown, Focus mall, RP mall, Hiltie mall. The best restaurants - Paragon, M grill, Kings-bay, Sea-queen, Alibhai, Majilis, Topform, Sagar, Mayflower, Mezban, Rahmath, Bombay Hotel, Zain's, Punjabi Rasoi..... The list goes on. Calicut, needless to say is the ultimate paradise for a food lover like me.
The beautiful people of Calicut; always ready to offer a friendly talk in kozhikkodan slang and a helping hand. My mind wandered from one place to another with memories of friends and special ones flashing by.
I shook off my blanket and started the day with the determination to relive those moments with friends in all these places before I leave Calicut. But I was sure that I would always come back even if I had no one to visit just to see my beloved Calicut, breathe its air and walk its streets, ruminating on the beautiful memories they possess. The City of love is not Paris, Its Calicut.
