Mumbai Musing 4 and final part: Life In a Hostel

The room on the ninth floor was a gate way for heavy partying and music were often played blaring loud among the residents. Every now and then, some parties were happening in some of the rooms of residents and after a moment of hesitation, I bonded well with the guys. I was well- settled in the single room on the ninth floor where I would often sneak in my favorite whisky, Imperial Blue or Smirnoff flavored Vodka in the room. The booze session was spent listening to radio mirchi, munching chikki and, waving to girls in the neighboring hostel. It was good fun.

I wasn't spared from the mischief as some of the hostel mates  would often lock my door from outside and had to yell, urging the neighbors to unlock the door for me. I mean, it was crazy and often, I would get angry at such kinda but, with the passage of time, I laugh when I think of the harmless fun. And, to think, I fumed out of the room, screaming, bc, mc and c*****.
If the room could speak, it could tell tales of silly antics, dancing in the room as I fell in love with S and my disappointment, crying session nursing my heart break. How I performed jigs in the room, how S was calling me during the night, our lovey-dovey sms session and late phone calls. It is in the room that I grew restless when S silence was killing me post our break-ups and me shouting on the phone. S was my life at that point of time in life and my growing frustration when things didn't work out between us. I hardly studied in the room as Rajabhai Tower in Fort was the hang out spot where we dated and studied in the old, gothic and colonial building with the chairs, tables and fan dating from the British Raj. On the eve of exams, me, Dhruv and Partha studied on the first floor where the warden resides and there were tables and chairs that were a facility provided to studious hostellites. The warden's floor has a huge space and where we spent the whole night studying for exams and, no doubt, girls from the opposite hostel, Telang was a big distraction. Since the floor faced the chicks room, they were calling us and hiding, what we could listen were giggle as they played hide-and-seek games with us. We also spotted some girls, switching the light in their room on and off, and some even walked naked in the room, pulling a towel on their body, shouting like mad dogs in a cage to seek attention. We could hear whispers, "Look, look, they are watching now," and they giggled.
It was on this floor that we were having daaru and cigarettes as a study break, as warden and his wife were sleeping. On the eve of the exams, we stayed awake throughout the night and we would only catch some sleep in the morning at 8.
It was the time to leave the hostel after completing my two years as a student in the hostel. I knew that I was going to miss ISH, good friends made, the canteen guys, security wale mama and also, Pintoo the guy from UP who runs a telephone booth and who boast a lot. It was quite an education staying at ISH where I've met various characters, ranging from funny to serious kind and really chilled out dudes. It was the time to call the cabbie and carry my stuffs inside as I waved ta-ta and good bye to Mumbai, promising to be back with a bang. I still miss hostel life in ISH and Mumbai, where I spent one of the best days of life. How lucky to stay in Churchgate and pay rent of 20,000 per year while rent of a flat ranges between 30,000 to one lakh. The perks of staying in a university hostel. I still miss the place.
Love
Vishal