Going back to Chamundi Hills

This picture was taken in 1982 during a college trip to Chamundi Hills. When I was studying in Chitradurga, my friends and I planned a small trip. We went from Chitradurga to Mysuru and then to Madikeri.

Unlike now, the college didn’t arrange any trips for us. We planned this on our own. There were about 15 of us who went for this trip. It was a special trip for us as we are very close to each other. We would be present at all the functions that were held in college. Even if only one of us was invited to something, the rest of us will also be present. Thankfully, everyone liked us so no one had a problem when the tagged along.

Back in the day, everyone was used to walking to places. My friends and I also walked to college every day. No one even thought of buying a vehicle as we enjoyed our walks.

A few of us lived closer to each other, so we met the others after we reached college. That’s when we would decide if we should attend class or not. We all had a good rapport with our teachers. There were five non-commerce students in my batch and I was one of them. But we used to score very good marks.

My best friend since kindergarten is Chidambara Sharma. We are so close to each other that he knows everyone from my family and vice versa.

We have been classmates all our lives, except for three years during high school. We used to have a lot of fun though. We would often cut classes and go for a morning show.

I miss those good old days. It’s sad to know that we will never get them back. However, I am glad that everyone is in a good position these days. I am working as the chief manager of State Bank of India. Chidambara is a senior manager in Indian Bank. A few others are also working in higher positions in various banks across countries. Some of them are also chartered accountants now.

After about six months of struggle, 40 of our classmates had a reunion in 2012. We invited our lecturers too who were very happy to see our accomplishments. We hope to make more such plans and catch up with each other in a few years.
 Parashurama S P