The crowded streets of Delhi’s Vijay Nagar were familiar to me since 2007. Vijay Nagar and Ramjas College of Delhi gave me a familiar vibe – thanks to my sister. Eleven years ago, she came to live here when she took admission to a college in Delhi University.
I grew up listening to my sister and her friends’ stories about Vijay Nagar and campus life at Delhi University’s north campus. I never thought I would be able to live those stories, be a part of the same place to study and get the opportunity to build myself here.
It was June 25, 2017, when I finally shifted to Vijay Nagar myself after enroling myself at Ramjas college. Just like my sister’s stories, I now roam around searching for different food and chaiwalas on Hudson Lane and Vijay Nagar. I proudly share my experiences with her when I encounter something exciting.
A year ago, I never thought I will be able to understand and take any responsibility, be able to tell the difference between right and wrong.
After taking admission in Ramjas College, I was always asked why I did not choose Miranda House instead. I was asked if my reason was because Ramjas is a co-ed college. All I used to tell them was, “Perhap yes, co-ed is one of the reasons. But all I dreamt was of being a part of Ramjas and its beautiful memories.”
Today, after a year, I can proudly say that Ramjas has got its own charm. And within a year, it has given me so much to look back on – be it my new friends (who are not so new now), new memories and newer ways of understanding myself. Ramjas College was a dream come true.
Today, I can confidently say that I have made one of the best decisions in coming to live in a city that bursts forth with stories that I had grown up listening to. I have learnt to take responsibility for myself and create the best memories. A home away from home.
People come and go, but this one year taught me how people who love you will fight to stay with you. Without two people, it wouldn’t have been easy for me. One of them taught me how much one needs to struggle to get their aim getting fulfilled and the other taught me how destiny can help you learn about yourself. They taught me how to forgive.
A year later, I can see how a city can change a person for the better.
Special thanks to one of my favourite people for all the stories and letting me relive your wonderful memories. The leaves that were once strewn in your path now lay in front of me. And As I trace them, I feel a smile in the corner of my lips.