From the Gasket of 'Goli' memories

From the Gasket of 'Goli' Memories
- Aritra Chatterjee

Asutosh College may not find its way to your parents' wishlist of premier institutions when it comes to the admission frenzy that accompanies Class 12 Boards. However, it does not fail to steal the hearts of sophomores-far from it ! To say that it steals your heart, would rather be an understatement. For the college legitimately ensures that your hearts are won over by the time you are in the middle of your first year of graduation. And as days snowball into months and months into years,the "rock-er" adda has already hit you like a bug and the college has become your second home in every true sense of the term.

No, this isn't any enterprising venture on part of a notorious senior to stray you away from academics or far worse,to entice you into the saucy potboiler of "Union Politics",as most parents would think of it. Hell not! It's a realization that you are envitably going to land on, sooner or later. Consider this article as  a  teeny-weeny reminder on behalf of a senior that it's high time that you stop whining over the scathing remarks of your parents,neighbours and relatives and start making the most of the three years of your stay at this institution.

Back to adda haunts! Well, where was I?
The "college-er rock"right? Technically speaking, a rock, as the lingusitic sanctions of colloquial Bangla permit, is an extension of the ground floor of a building. And taking into account the spacious mansion that the main building of the college is,it can boast of a sprawling rock,where you can sit and have a decorated conversation with your homies over sips of lemon chai intervened by occasional puffs to ignite the rust-laden folds of your grey matter.Odds are that your professor might well be walking by and you end up being caught red-handed with a lighted cigarette in your innocent and clean sophomore hands. Hence, master the art of fag-hiding to your own benefit. And just in case the lemon chai fails to satiate your  gastronomic delight,you can always enjoy an orange,pineapple or lemon slush for 20 bucks from The Garden Cafe, not to mention the lip-smacking fuchkas near JD Park Metro Station or the steaming hot momos or a cheese corn sandwich from the sandwich corner. And if the rains play spoilsport and the rock is too uninviting a mess,you have CCD for refuge.What is so particularly wonderful is that you have it all in one goli..all in the neighbourhood of a single metro station..tucked away like a fantastic never-ever land!

Space management is something one needs to learn from the Asutoshians. Never have I seen a goli so optimally used up. With the teeming population of the college eyeing for the rock,no wonder the rock fills up in no time. Space crunch has never been an issue with us. What's the footpath for? Further, if you are a stickler for hygiene,what are newspapers for? And if all these are to no avail,you can always secure yourself a seat on one of the unoccupied bikes and scooters that guard the pavement like a body of soldiers,though languid ones.

Walk into the goli adjacent to the college on a lazy winter afternoon and it is an adda zone in itself,bustling with young faces sitting on the pavement in circles,leaving just enough room for a passer by.While some are engrossed in their spread of cards, some drool over pretty faces or a hot physique.There are others who let their pen do the talking, and others still who would get drunk time and again in the psychedelic offerings of a newly-sprung romance or the first-timers of adulthood.Then there are foodies,the wise owl,the scandal-mongers and the list would go on like a interminable serpent of black smoke arising from the chimney-mouth of a factory,courtesy Dickens.

Oh, I forgot to mention the reading room, canteen, union room and common room! With that, I believe I have given wings to the explorer in you. And as for those unexplored adda hotspots-to-be, you, my sophomore,we are counting on you.

Asutosh College

Author's Introduction: Aritra Chatterjee is presently pursuing his graduation in Psychology from Asutosh College. He completed his schooling from South Point School, and is currently heading the column of Social Causes for ExPress. A fashion-fanatic by heart,he believes that men's fashion has still a long way to go and is less likely to flourish unless men become receptive to experimentation and innovation in fashion and lifestyle trends.So he tries to be the change that he wishes to be and has a wardrobe which he can justly take pride in.A regular follower of fashion blogs, he maybe someone you would like to ask for a genuine opinion on what to wear for the day.Fashion and aesthetics go hand in hand and the aesthetics of colour draws Aritra to painting as well.Rich in abstract symbolism,his paintings reek of colour metaphors where colours are not merely hues but represent singular energies and auras peculiar to the painting itself.When it comes to writing,he believes in individuality of style and expression,a hallmark of ingenuity that would set his writing aside from others.Writing, he feels, is yet again an art that needs to be mastered..that words must be placed in appropriate context so that they exist harmoniously in sentences and create a symphony of sorts.He has just completed his first degree graphology course from Kolkata Institute Of Graphology.Now not only do the words count...but they reveal personality traits by virtue of the manner in which they are written!To wind up,he aspires to make forays into the human mind and behaviour,conviced that it is going to be a joyride of a lifetime.His major makes enough room for it and as for us,we are waiting for a good Samaritan in the making.