Calicut

I had skipped Calicut since I was shown my way out of my first relation. That was some eight years before. For many years thereafter, I avoided every chance that would take me through the city. I found it so difficult to go alone to a city that we went around together. For almost eight years, other than the campuses where we studied, it was the city that we 'got lost in our own beautiful world of love and growing up'.

When we grew apart, she told me that she wouldn't accompany me to the city any more. She had found her way and another partner.

It was all over.

Even after many years, tears would roll down my cheeks whenever I passed through the streets we walked together, heart missed a beat or two whenever I went to browse for books. It was here that we exchanged our "stolen kisses", it was here that we fell in love, enjoyed the magic and intensity of a wonderful relation.

I hardly went there all these years unless for stopovers during overnight bus journeys to Bangalore. It might be quite strange, but I never had spent another night in this city after we broke up. Irrespective of this, since my friendship with teachers in the campus were so special, I maintained the contact with some of them for quite some time after which it slowly died out.

Even though I had known JK quite closely since I am in the travel industry, it was hardly few months before that we found out that we studied in the same college. JK was working closely with the school and was part of the alumni network and dropped in my name to the old teachers of our department.

Long months of hospitalisation and frequent travel abroad didn't help much to visit them until today when JK sprung a surprise. I was so touched by the fact that Philip (Sir) took the effort and found time to drop in after JK told him that we were in the Beach Hotel. It was so good to see him and go back to the good memories of those days. Before leaving, he asked me if I would go to the campus some time soon and spend some time with his colleagues as well as with the post graduate students.

One more session of the 'inspirational lectures"!?

I just can't imagine how it would be to face students in the same class where I used to be a student some fifteen years before! What am I going to tell them? The fact that-- it was this campus that gave me strength to over come various sorts of crisis one after the other? Or that having a girl friend who believed in your strength and helped you realise that it is probably a far better option than attending some of the boring lessons by uninspired lecturers in the campus?

Certainly this is going to be a wonderful experience for me. Who would have thought that I would be running a unconventional travel company as a social entrepreneur and that I would be asked to share my experience on Responsible Tourism to post graduate students as a motivational factor in the same college itself?

Strange ways of life.

I still felt something hooked onto my heart when we drove by all those bus stops and shops where we spend time together. It is so strange to be back in this city without her. It would have been even stranger now to be in the city with her. Anyways, some old memories die hard. After the stint in Calicut this evening , I am certain that the decision not to go back for such a long time was probably a good one!

Calicut © GP 2007