The Doctor Is In

Case 2: The cure to homesickness

Ever wanted to go back in time... to the home you once knew, to the smell of homemade food, to your cuddly toys, to your computer and your fond friends? If you have felt this way, then I will enlighten you on this medical ailment. It's called homesickness.

It is a rather common ailment suffered by most. Symptoms include despair, depression, anti- social behavior and a tendency to crack the skull of the person next to you. But it does have a cure.

YES! You heard me right. It DOES have a cure!

It was the fourth of August... a bright, sunny morning. The birds were chirping in the sycamore trees, the sun was smiling from the tip of the horizon, the stereo of my neighbors was blaring hard at ultrasonic decibels, my mother was singing the tunes of the Neanderthal age while I was drowning in my own misery.

You might be wondering what had happened to me.

To make a long story short, the fourth of August was the official day... to start college and move into the dorm.

Everything went according to the upper ones' plan... I was forced to board the train with huge bags of luggage. When I say 'forced', picture a girl being pushed into the compartment by two muscled policemen. And just for the record, the two men were provided by the girl's uncle, who is the Additional Commissioner of Police, much to her chagrin.

After having strapped me to the seat, the two men left. The only bright side to my situation was that I got the window seat. Though that point is totally irrelevant to my story.

The train let out a loud whistle and began to pull away from the platform. My mother took this as a cue to shed a few tears while waving goodbye.

"Bye, dear. We will miss you, honey. "

"Oh yeah? Save me the formalities."

And that's how I was being deported... ahem, I mean, sent to my college.

After three gruesome hours, I finally arrived at my destination. Located in the lush green countryside but adjacent to a national highway, my university didn't seem too intimidating. A colorful and extravagant banner hung from the top arch. It read-

A hearty welcome to all the freshers.

Scoffing at it, I puffed up my chest and walked in with the dignity of a roaring lion. The welcoming seminar was worse than I expected. After enduring speeches for half an hour, I dozed off at the first opportunity.

After being rudely woken up, I was told to move my stuff to the dormitory.

And that's where I saw the real thing. Now friends, we have all had a strange fascination for boarding school stories... But the real ones are nowhere close to the ones we read about. The dorm had a peculiar set of rules. No televisions, no computers, no stereos, no electronic items... Me, being the gadget freak, couldn't understand the sole purpose of these absurd regulations.

So, I tried talking to the warden. (Point to be taken: Don't prisons have wardens too?)

But she wasn't very enthusiastic about changing the rules either.

Cursing the upper lords, I stormed to my room number, dragging my luggage with me. My room mate wasn't an angel... truth be said.

"So, can I keep my stuff on this table?"

"No. That's mine."

"Can I keep on this one, then?"

"Nope. That's reserved too."

I gritted my teeth and left the room, breathing fire through my nose. I met another inmate at the canteen. She told me a set of new rules that I had never heard of. Apparently, we weren't allowed out of our rooms after 6:30 pm.

That night I sat on my bed, thinking hard about my future in that place. It was worse than a dungeon. And then I made my decision.

Now you might remember me saying that there is a cure to homesickness. Yes, there is. And you want to know what is?

The next morning, I rang the bell. The familiar tune brought back memories. My mother opened the door and squinted her eyes when she saw me. Her mouth dropped open while mine curved into a smirk.

"Well, mother. Did you miss me?"

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