Salini Vineeth is a fiction and freelance writer based in Bangalore. She is an EEE graduate from the 2008 batch She worked in the electronics industry for ten years before turning to full-time writing in December 2018. She has written five books and contributed to several literature anthologies and magazines. Her latest book is Lost Edges, a novel set in BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa campus. Her other works include Magic Square (novella), Everyday People (short story collection), and travel guides for Hampi and Badami.
I joined BITS Goa in August 2004. As the rickety autorickshaw sped towards the girls’
hostel, my first thought was: “Wow, this campus is huge...” Orientation was soon done, and
the parents left. Around 500 teenagers were left on a sprawling yet almost empty campus to
figure out what it meant to be in ‘college.’ In the first two weeks at BITS Goa, I realized that
to survive on this campus, I needed to walk... I mean... a lot: walking to the institute,
shopping complex, front gate and mess. However, I enjoyed those walks; it was monsoons,
and the Goan breeze had a calming effect. By September, I settled into the rhythm of BITS
Goa, going to classes, eating at the mess, and having all the fun that senior-less, 18-year-olds
could come up with.
Then, my right leg fractured. I won’t tell you how it happened. I was a stupid teenager, and I’ll let you imagine the rest.
As I sat in my room in pain, with my right foot swelled up like a balloon, I missed my
mother. It was not the time when you could just pick up your phone and call your parents. I
needed to first get to the phone booth in the shopping complex, and for that, I needed to walk.
Feeling completely lost and lonely, I broke down.
That’s when my friends came in search of me. Then everything moved fast (except
for my leg, of course). I found myself being carried out of the hostel by two of my friends,
accompanied by our warden, Mitra Ma’am. They took me to a shabby-looking clinic in
Vasco. Thankfully, the orthopaedist turned out to be a legit and kind doctor. He even put a
cast on my right leg! I had never broken a bone in my life and worried about what I would do
next. But my worry was unfounded.
In the next two weeks, while on bed rest, I experienced kindness in every form. I
moved into my friend Anupama’s room for ease of access. My friends took meticulous class
notes for me. In a time without internet and mobile phone, friends flowed into Anupama’s
room to keep me company. They lent me their precious audio cassettes and carried food from the mess. I realized that my friends, though they looked scrawny and malnourished, were more than capable of taking care of me. I made an audacious decision not to let my parents know about the fracture and trouble them.
I guess it was the first ever fracture case in BITS Goa; so, VIPs like the chief warden
visited me, making me feel like a minor celebrity.
After two weeks, I started moving around on crutches and resumed my classes. Two
incidents happened during this time, which are still fresh in my mind. Once, I was sitting in
the Engineering Graphics practical class and didn’t get up when Prof. Kulkarni approached
me. He briefly got annoyed and asked, “Can’t you even get up when the teacher comes?” I
was tongue-tied, but my friends promptly gestured at my leg. Prof. Kulkarni was shocked,
and he profusely apologized. He didn’t have to apologize to a student, but he did it. His
gesture moved me so much that my eyes overflowed. My mid-sem grades were down the
drain, and I was feeling depressed. Dr. Ghosh, my Physics professor, noted this. He talked to
me for an hour in his typical no-nonsense style; it was a crash course on life’s wisdom, and I
still remember most of it.
The cast was finally off, and I took baby steps. At that tender age, I had two great
revelations: Never take any part of my body for granted, and my BITSian friends would
always have my back. It’s been 20 years since the accident, and my revelations still remain
true. I have experienced ups and downs in my life, but the unbreakable BITSian spirit and my
BITSian friends will always have my back.
PS: I finally told my parents when the cast was off. Like typical Indian parents, they
shouted at me first and then hopped onto the next train to Goa!
Join the GRANDEST EVER BITSIAN'S DAY EVENT in Bangalore on 4th August, 2024.
Link to RSVP: BITSAA Bangalore Official Website | BITS Pilani
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