It would be a sin to not write about Malhar. With
all the emotions, insecurities, friends and adrenaline involved malhar is
something that every aspiring writer's muse.
It’s a tumultuous ride, there are times when it seems like too much to
handle and times when the sheer excitement is unbelievable.
They say most of Malhar is a big hype. Maybe. For an outsider, malhar is
nothing but a chaotic crowd. But for many volunteers, its life
To be honest, Malhar never was or will be my life. It won't dominate and
influence me to that extent of saying that it’s all I care about now. But it
certainly had an undeniable effect on me.
Last year, I was intimidated by the sheer size of
Malhar. It was dominated by the seniors, speaking a language I cannot
comprehend. All in all, it scared me off.
I still don't know what prompted me to apply this year, but I did. It
was like taking a plunge into something that terrified me- a whole new group of
people, talking to them, interacting, and making new friends. I had just
recovered from my first year of learning new faces, and now I had to do it
again. And that too with seniors ; the mysterious creatures from the land of
hugging.
When I went for the first conclave meeting, I had second thoughts right
before I opened the door. I mentally calculated how difficult this would be and
all the other things I could be doing with my time I took a deep breath a
willed myself to open the door. Before I could, someone else did from the
inside. And then I was sucked into this vast being called 'workforce'
The first meeting was..Interesting. Learning new names and faces,
talking to a few. At that moment, I thought I didn't belong. Everyone around me
was talking to the few friends they already had, and I was staring awkwardly. This
other girl with pretty curls was doing the same. And then we noticed each other
and started talking.This story doesn't end with pretty curls turning out to be my soulmate or best friend. This story doesn't have an ending.
Over the next few weeks, we worked as a team. It’s amazing how people
with nothing in common can bond over a single thought that they share. Amazing
that a person like me, who is perfectly comfortable being alone rather than being
sociable can actually make friends amidst a unique brand of craziness called
Malhar. The constant debates, discussions, jokes, singing, long breaks and some
meetings where breaks were longer than the meeting itself! I doubt everyone in
that group will remember me, but I know that a few will. I know that over the
past few days, as exhausted as I was, it was easier to be dead tired with the
group. Returning back to the gcr, had this feeling of coming home after a day's
work. The OC and the OGs will always be remembered. Those moments spent with
the department, the events, planning, execution, crazy insider jokes and the
secret Santa will all be cherished. Malhar gives you a feeling of
belongingness, that you are a part of something huge, something which has a
system and life of its own.
I feel everyone in Xavier's should participate in one festival or the
other. It opens your mind to so many things you didn't know about your college
or even yourself.
So for me, Malhar isn't life. It’s one of the many experiences
that I will carry with me forever.
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