And then there was Light!!!!

I sometimes think of how heaven would be, "A blinding place of light" - as so many have said, which I believe must be true. But I think about a place of blinding light and the first thing that comes to my mind is the volleyball court of Down Hostel. If you have ever had the chance of coming out of the entrance of Hostel 'H' on the way to dinner and had a chance to just look towards the volleyball court fully ablaze with blinding light - it would seem like something too good to be true. I used to often stand out side the hostel enjoying a cigarette after dinner - just watching this place and it used to warm the deepest corners of my heart.

It was a very special place for me - A place that in all sense imbibed equality because you did not have to be a pro at the game to enter the court, you were always welcome to play however less you knew. I know of so many people who have improved their game there. In the peak hours of the evening the place used to be crowded, I even managed to count a huge number of 34 people in the court once. Even though the game was insignificant then, it was the enthu and the sharing which was noticeable here.

I remember an incident some time during the late half of our final year, as usual after basketball we were all moving back to the hostel to have our food, but we ended up on the bench between E Hostel and the volleyball court. I remember two three people who were there at that time Saurabh Mathur, Vivek Vikas, Satsang, Chongba and me of course I believe there were others too but at this moment my memory fails me. I do not remember how but Mathur had a guitar with him and we all ended up playing the most favourite song of my final year the one from KK's album - "Yaaron Dosti badee hi haseen hai" - the song was a crowd puller, we all joined in and at that time I somehow felt connected to all the people and the place. It was a very moving experience for me.

After the booze parties at Brindavan people used to frequent the volleyball court on the way back to their hostels. I am sure each one of us has been there at some point of time in an eternal state of bliss (in short drunk). We all remember Roshan Khadka from Nepal - well he used to create a scene after getting drunk. Once he cried so long and hard in the volleyball court itself saying that we would all leave him and go away after we finished college. Although at that time it seemed funny, now that I think of it I am amazed at the way RIT had totally bound us all so strongly that even a person from another country could not bear to be separated from this place and felt so deeply for it.

The best part of the evenings used to be when the lights would go on and then once again I used to be able to witness a place which seemed to me to be heaven and I have often repeated to myself this phrase at these moments - "And then there was Light"

~ Prabhu