Of canteens and conspiracies…

Call me a conspiracy theorist if you will, but I believe that they tell us only half the story when they say that the college is the heart of the college. A tiny detail that is conveniently omitted is that it is also the mind. One that is sly and conniving, jovial and inviting all at once.

An eclectic mix lashes your senses as soon as you step into the place.

There are groups of students debating the political scenario, discussing the latest movies and music or discreetly sharing the latest gossip. In some corner there sits a book buff devouring her latest find. Loud chattering rings through the air. There is the disgruntled guy forced to ‘treat’ his friends for no apparent reason. There are couples oblivious to all the commotion around them. You will witness it all in the canteen. To think that one can actually learn more in a classroom. Ha!

But beware all this warmth is just a distraction while the diabolic place silently creeps behind your back to embed its clutches on you and send you into a hypnotic trance making you unable to move. It is as if you are tied to the place, try as you may to set yourself free.

To think that professors are under the illusion that students are deliberately bunking classes, while in reality they are valiantly trying to break the shackles holding them back in the canteen! Ignorance breeds distrust. And how!

If you happen to find canteen food not satisfying your gourmet palette, then it is only because the canteen staff wants to contribute to the greater good of nation building at the expense of tarnishing their own cooking genius in effort to assist your departure.

But whatever the intentions of the canteen and its staff, one thing is true; you can feel the vibe of the entire campus right there.

It is the heart, mind and soul of the college.

P.S- If my description sounds too idealistic or cliché, blame it on Bollywood!