Engineering is one of the most popular professions that Indian parents get their kids to do. Well, it wasn’t the same for me. After the trauma of the extremely competitive JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) subsided, I got the chance to join BITS Pilani college in Goa. Coming from a city in north India, Goa was usually the place our distant relatives went for vacations, and I was getting the chance to live there for the next four years. My excitement knew no bounds, but unfortunately, this excitement was accompanied by my parents’ inhibitions towards the party destination that Goa had come to be known for. With instructions on prohibition and discipline being thrown at me right and left, I felt as if I was kept under a microscope as part of a social experiment whose results would be converted into numerous ‘I-told-you-so’s in the future. I first came to Goa in the summer of 2016, and the college’s rules were as calming to my dad, who accompanied me, as were the waves of the evening sea on my feet.
I was pulled in by the beauty of this place. With cheap beer available at a 15-minute walk, and the nearest beach being 50-rupees away from the college, I was quickly introduced to the charm of this place. This entire experience was smoothly accompanied by both, the awe of my friends back home and the disbelief of my older relatives at my parents’ decision to let me be here.
I agree, it was a pain sometimes to reassure the latter of how restrictive and how safe my college in Goa actually is. In any case, my parents’ support and trust in my decisions was definitely a plus. At the very least, that gave me two fewer people to comfort continuously.
Honestly, I have managed to keep my head above the respectable score which was enough for them to not doubt my antics in an open and free environment. I must confess how difficult it is sometimes to not give in to various temptations just for fun, especially when you are a part of a college experience any risk-taking teenager of the country would give anything to be a part of. There are times when you have to choose for your own well-being and those moments are what actually define you.
We are a group of seven friends, and we never fall short of beaches to walk on or treks to cover. Places like Palolem and Cola are the ultimate destinations to calm a distressed mind. Along with all this, trekking through the steep slopes of places like Tambdi Surla and Dudhsagar to reach a gorgeous waterfall, in the end, is definitely soothing.
For the extroverts, Goa does not seem to disappoint either. With parties and economical clubs along the edges of Baga beach, one does not have to strut for long to find good music to move to, and great people to chill with. Accompanying these outdoor ventures, Goa gives you an added benefit of inviting the greatest celebrities to college fests easily. With artists like Nucleya, who grew up in the streets of Goa, and bands like The Local Train who perfectly match the ambience of a state like this, our college fests never fail to amaze the crowd with the lineup of the artists that the student bodies invite.
Lastly, all I can think of writing about is an incident where I asked a senior about his experience in Goa. He replied with a shrug about how boring the beaches get after a while. Maybe all he meant was that it’s less about the city you are in, and more about the people you are with, that actually matters. No matter how amazing your surroundings are, it is the company you put yourself in that makes your day. After spending two years here, that is one lesson I am clearly going to hold on to.
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