A JOURNEY IN WONDERLAND

- Vittaldas Prabhu

There he stood at the door, the sun staring him in his eyes, hoping to explore a new horizon, with dreams and ambitions in his eyes. His mother comes to see him off. He turns around and looks into his mother’s eyes. He could see the twinkle in her eyes. She knew that her son was going to discover a whole new world for himself. She was astounded by his exuberance watching him wait at the door and thinking very hard about something. Clearly he was thinking about the surprises the day would hold for him. He could not wait to step out of the house and go where he wanted to go. He bows down to touch the feet of the lady who gave him strength, who bestowed upon him all she had to give. He said in a gentle tone, "Bless me!" She gently caressed his hair and said, "May you find success in life, son." Seeking the lady’s blessings he sets out on a journey that he would never forget in his life and probably would define his destiny.

It was the day when life would give him a new perspective. He was going into a realm, the wonderland no less exciting than that of Alice’s, the place where he always wanted to be. His dream had come true and the hour had already come for him to step into this wonderland.

During his travel to this wonderland, he sat with his eyes closed and wondering how he spent all those years, yearning to get to the place where he was going. He opened his eyes once in a while just to make sure that he hadn’t fallen asleep! On either side of the road he saw lush green fields. He was so elated at the moment that everything around him looked pleasant and appeasing. He felt that the green grass where beckoning him, the blades nodding as if saying, "Go ahead! Your destination lies ahead."

Finally, he had reached his destination. He thought, "Is this my destination?" He stood there for a while gazing and gazing hard at the monument that had stood the test of time and had given a new meaning to the lives of thousands of young aspirants who wanted to prove something to this world, and most of all wanted to prove something to themselves. Still standing and watching at the sign board that read "MIT", he thought, "This is not my destination. The journey has just begun and destination lies far ahead. This institute is my carriage, the years I will spend here will be my journey, and, at the end of it all it would just be the beginning of another journey towards my destination." He wondered will the years go by as they went on very smoothly during his school days or would the years ahead open up a Pandora’s Box of unprecedented surprises.

Life isn’t as easy as it seems to be. But life sure throws challenges which when taken up in the right spirit always makes the individual feel larger than life. Sure this boy had a lot of dreams and was ready to take up the challenges lying ahead. Little did he know what was in store for him, but, he liked surprises! As mentioned earlier the Pandora’s Box might have been already opened before him.

Still wanting to admire the beauty of the monument he stands there a few hundred yards away. Then he decides to take a stroll around the premises. Taking short steps, having a look around, and enjoying the beauty of the place; it was not very hard for him to realize that the monument that stood on a hillock, was overseeing a marvelous creation of nature. Nature had carved itself a masterpiece. The beauty of the sky that encompassed the entire surrounding was just amazing, and what about the plants, and the trees and the clouds. Ah! Wasn’t it a wonderful sight to see? It was a treat to the eyes. Looking at the sky he realized, "The sky is infinite and has neither beginning nor an end. We can see as far as our sight permits us to see. May be that is why they say that, there is more to it than it meets the eye. And that would easily be his slogan for the rest of the journey at the institute."

As if trying to awaken him from deep slumber, he hears a deafening siren, indicating the beginning of "just another" day for the monument that had stood there for 43 good years serving mankind. But it was not "just another" day for this young man. It was a special day, arguably the day of his life! The day he always wanted to live for to tell about it another day, and he did!

He takes his first step inside the institute desperately searching for his hall. Alas! There it was on the second floor. He walks towards his lecture hall only to find nobody in the hall. Of course, the classes for the day were starting only at 9 and his wrist watch showed 8. Not wanting to waste time he decides to take a walk around the park. He was trying to soak up the environment, trying to get that air into his lungs, the air he longed to breath. It felt different; he could feel the tingling sensation in his lungs. He wanted more of it! He felt happy for himself; after all he was in a professional institute, a different level of education of which some people can only dream of. It was an awe-inspiring moment for him when he stepped into the campus and he realized that he had been endowed an opportunity of a lifetime and had to make it count. He made a resolution, punching the air, he said to himself, "I am going to make this count! I am going to make this count for my mother, my father, my relatives… I am going to make this count for all those who believe in me and have faith in my abilities. And most of all, I am going to make this count for myself!"

He looked at his wrist watch and it was close to 9 o’clock. He decided it was time for him to go back to his hall now filled with his classmates. He walked in and took a seat in the first row, right where he liked it! At the stroke of 9, he watches a short and stout figure walk into the hall. The air felt like integration and differentiation! Why, of course, it was the hour to give the brain some exercise, it was a mathematics lecture. There began the journey for this young aspirant!

There were times when the going went tough. But then it was time to show some great character. This life tested him time after time, day in and day out. But even when the going got tough he never gave up hope, he never showed fatigue, and he never allowed frustration take the best of him. The challenges only made him stronger mentally and that was what was required to survive in a world that was merciless on the lesser people.

Years passed, lecture halls changed, professors changed, departments changed, people changed, and life changed! Life changed, and it became better. It became more organized and disciplined. To put it in simple words, life became professional. One must realize that there is a very thin line between life being professional and mechanical. But this institute instilled dignity in the souls of all the individuals that walked into its realm. It taught its students dignity of labor. It added life to life and made it worth living. Life became professional. The end of education is value and that is what this great institute always gave to its young aspirants and is still continuing to do so in its own glorious way. Never ceasing to give out knowledge and always true to its motto, "Knowledge is Power." Empowering every individual with knowledge was its aim and has never failed to attain it.

The day finally came for this young boy, about whom we have been talking the entire time, to depart from the premises of this great institute. He again stands there where he stood before he stepped into the institute. But this time he was not amazed to look at the monument; this time he was full of gratitude and was very grateful for what it had given him, and for having transformed him into an individual who can now stand on his feet and take the world head-on. The wonderland he dreamt of once as a kid was as exciting and adventurous as he dreamt it to be. The ride was bumpy but what it brought out in him was priceless. It required character to endure the ride and that was what he showed. All the surprises had been faced and the Pandora’s Box was now closed. May be this box would open a different set of surprises for another young aspirant who would start his journey from this great monument of time.

The young boy had spent four quality years of his life at a great institute that never failed its believers. Today when he sits alone, he has a flashback of things long gone. He relives every moment of it and cherishes it from the bottom of his heart and wishes if he could go back and spend the same quality time in this wonderland. He is determined that he would go on a journey to this wonderland again, perhaps in his rebirth.

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