4. Road Trip"S"

The college is quite far from my place, so i decided to take the institute bus. The journey lasts for well over 2 hours! Its almost like a roadtrip daily!! But not so when you are a fresher, these 2 hours are something you dont look forward to at all.

The bus has its own "seating plan" just like there is one for the semster examinations. Not that it is enforced on by someone but its rather like mutually agreed upon by everyone.

The first row, just behind the drivers cabin, is a favorite for the Bus In-charges. Two-seaters are hot-favorites among the love-birds, The freshers would, normally, give anything to sit in the cabin with the driver. It looks like a refugee camp during the days new students arrive, everybody wants to be there. It becomes THE place to be. Just because of one simple reason, it saves them from the Junglees.

The preffered seats for these so called Junglees is the last two-three rows. This elite panel consists of mainly Mechanical, Electrical, Automobile and Electrical & Electronics Engineers-to-be. They seem anything but human when you are a fresher.

My first day was no different, someone from the same college had advised me to sit at the front. I was more than happy to follow it as a week had passed and i still hadnt been asked for an "intro"(These days, its not ragging i guess, its an intro.)

Then, one day, when the bus was still about halfway from its destination, the bus incharge got off. I was numb for a second. I knew that it was only his presence that had saved me from the Junglees. Now, they could do whatever they wanted to. I didnt even want to think about it and just hoped that somehow the Incharge gets back in the bus. i was too preoccupied to even realize someone standing right next to my seat.

"First year??"

"Y...Y...Yes" I replied hesitantly without even looking at him

"Then what are you doing here?, come on at the back its much more fun there" replied the voice.

What else i could do, i had to get up, Still staring at the floor of the bus as if i were to write a thesis on the patterns, and still hoping that some Seagull drop the Incharge back in the bus!!

The intro lasted for the rest of the journey. It gave them a fair bit of idea about the skills i had, singing, dancing, stand up act, poetry and so on. About some, even i was not sure that they existed!

But as they say, all is well that ends well. After the 'Intro', I was granted an entry into the Elite Panel, that meant, even i could pass comments, crack jokes on others and what not!! I was officially a Junglee now!

From that point on, the journey has been more enjoyable!!