Dear batchmates of the class of 2022,
We all breathe in vastly different parts of the world but our shared pain of having to skip a beautiful chapter that we, in fact, wanted to highlight is something that ties us all together tightly. We all are far apart but I can see you every day. I see you all breathing slowly on the blank margins of my journal that have nothing more to say. I can picture you in my bookmark that has been clinging to a dull page for months. I can trace a reflection of all of you in my broken pieces that fear an end without a good-bye.
Two years ago, we were trying to break our safe cocoons to fly into a challenging but also, promising world. Even though it was often difficult to find ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the new college life, it was easy to spot someone who felt equally scared. After a few weeks of awkward smiles, we finally learnt to greet our classmates with names.
In a month or two, we learnt about each others’ families, home states and unique cultures. We found a part of our homesick selves in a lot of people around us. We ranted about how different and disorganized our college was from the one we grew up watching in KJO’s movies. From helping each other with a completely new syllabus to putting up each others’ proxy, we were finally becoming students all over again. In a completely new world, we started feeling safe around some people. We shared our dreams and helped each other come out of our shells.
We went home for the mid-semester break and never came back. Just when we were beginning to explore ourselves and dive into the fun part of college, it was snatched away from us. We had finally started appreciating the anonymity of college life, under which we could be anyone we wanted to be and we were caged again. Our baby feathers were clipped before they could even grow. A miniature virus stunted our growth and shushed our budding opinions. It nullified valuable years of progress and reduced us to a pile of pending assignments. It stole meaningful and enlightening discussions with some very well-read professors. Like little seeds, we had bravely broken through the tough soil, but we could never bloom into a flower.
Our heart ached when we bid a virtual adieu to our seniors. Now, we wonder if the same brutal fate awaits us as well. We stand on the threshold of an impending end and an uncertain beginning that we have not even figured out yet. Important decisions are on our plate but have we made enough mistakes to be able to choose wisely? Did we get a fair chance to know our strengths well enough? Were we able to explore things we love with people who like them as much as we do? We need to grow up without having experienced a constructive phase and the ups and downs that come along with it. Time is forcing us to move ahead while the heart still yearns for more conversations over a cup of tea.
Dear class of 2022, let’s wish to meet in an alternate world. A world where time will be on our side. A world where people will be kind towards innocent animals and honest politicians will save the country from every storm. A universe where the dead will not be reduced to mere numbers. A place where we will not write exams while the country is burning. A planet where nothing will separate us in the blink of an eye. A world where we’ll be able to say goodbye and hug each other before departing for months. We’ll meet and rant about the entire world and history will remember us as silent fighters. Till then, dear batchmates, hold on because as Percy Shelley says, “if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”
With lots of love,
A student of the class of 2022
