Ramé *

*A Balinese word. Used to describe something which is simultaneously chaotic and joyful.

Twenty-one days. The minimum time, according to Maxwell Maltz, taken for developing (or getting rid of) any new habit. The duration of the longest fast which Mahatma Gandhi undertook against the British Raj in 1943. And as of today, the number of days I have spent in this place called XLRI.

A month ago, I had no clue what life had in store for me. With a waitlist of 147 for 180 odd seats, my chances seemed bleak. Luckily, due to some divine intervention, the waitlist moved by a previously unseen number, and I ended up here.

I entered the campus alone, knowing only the names of the people I would spend my next two years with. A few greetings and a couple of awkward conversations later, my army of one had turned into a contingent of half a dozen. Thus began the journey of discovering what this place was all about. Sleepless nights followed tiring days. The end of case study discussions set the stage for a prospective play. It was during those casual script-writing sessions that I hit the jackpot. I came across a group of serious, yet fun-loving individuals who brightened up my dull life. After a lot of disagreements and last-minute script changes, the performance which we were working towards materialized. And with it, a bond that glued the team together took shape. A family began to form.

The week following the play took us on an emotional roller-coaster ride. We survived with the support of each other, and unknowingly strengthened the link that joins us. A night-long chat triggered by a midweek surprise set a precedent for the days to come. Sleep took a backseat. The lawn became our haven. The stars and the moon became our silent companions. Our laughter echoed in the silence of the night. The deepest of questions were asked and answered. Songs, whose meanings were previously unknown to us, started making us nostalgic. Our true selves came out in the open.

As the 20th night progressed, the sleep-deprived members of our gang started leaving to catch up on the drowsy drug, till only three of us were left. Reluctant to sleep, we decided to appreciate nature’s beauty and catch the sunrise. We watched as the dark sky lost its dominance to the soft twilight. As the 21st morning dawned, I realized that I have formed a new habit. It is my newly formed family.