Ah! What a beautiful evening to remember and cherish for times to come!
I made so many memories during my stay at UConn, Hartford and this evening definitely stands out whenever I reminisce over those beautiful moments. This evening was special because of so many reasons, but the most important one being my friends and roommates.
I have been blessed to meet so many amazing people throughout my life and UConn was no different. All of my roommates have been so kind and easy going with me (maybe because I was the youngest among them 🤪) that I never felt like missing anything. All of them were really good cooks and it was at Hartford that I really learnt how to cook and later on honed my cooking skills.
We were sharing a huge apartment among the five of us.
You had Shlok, who had and has been one of the most influential personalities I have ever met in my life. The best thing about Shlok is that he always speaks whats in his heart. If he telling you something, you must know that’s what is in his heart, nothing else. And, he never shies away from speaking his mind or helping someone out. I remember him helping me so much during my UConn days both academically and professionally. Learnt so many things from him and still continue to do so today.
Followed by that, you had Raghav. It feels so weird to call him Raghav. I am going to address him with his beloved nickname – Doctor Sahab. Over the one year that we stayed together, Doctor Sahab has showered me with so much attention, advise, and care that really showed how much he cared for me. The way Doctor Sahab used to ask me “Jagre, bol kya khayega breakfast me!” brings smile to my face even today and I can’t tell how much those words meant, especially when someone is ready to cook something for you! Love you, Doctor Sahab!
Next one we have – Roushan. Ye hamare group ka hero tha! (He was hero of our group). If I wanna talk about Roushan, the closest example that I can give is of a coconut. I know it is melodramatic and kind of cliche, but that’s what I have noticed when we shared that apartment together. To buttress what I just told – here’s an incident. I had told all my friends and roommates not to disturb me for the very important certification exam that was supposed to give. The certification cost was $295 and as a student, that raises the stakes so high. It was a pin drop silence during the entire duration of the certification exam and when I was finally done with it, I shut down my laptop, opened the door of my room, and came outside shouting “Bhai ka exam ho gaya” (I am done with my exam). I remember the urgency and serious look on Roushan’s face who was busy doing something in kitchen. That one moment showed how much he cared about my exam and wanted to make sure I don’t have any kind of disturbance while I am busy with it. These small moments define who you are as a person, and in that moment, I knew, how much he cared about me and my exam.
And last but not the least, you have Suvir. Suvir is our Punjab ka Puttar. The one year that we stayed together, Suvir made sure to keep things light hearted and always brought fun to the group. I remember enjoying endless sips of beer with him, especially by the window side of our apartment, soaking the soothing view of the Hartford Downtown and listening and telling each other plenty of stories. I miss those simpler times.
Apart from my roommates, Kokila has been one of the closest friends I could make during my stay at UConn. I still miss our talks and hopefully, we’ll be able to catch up sooner.
When I was shopping for coming to the US, I knew, I would need at least one pair of Indian Ethnic wear and I was lucky I already had an outfit that I wore to my girlfriend’s brother’s wedding. I chose to wear the same outfit and glad it worked out well as you see in the picture above.
UConn had chosen “a hotel” (the hotel name that I am having a hard time remembering) to host this event and it turned out to be a good one for more than 200 students to enjoy carelessly and have some delicious food.
Once we reached the venue, all of us took our seats and the festivities started. UConn then-Dean Dr. Suresh Nair started the event. I don’t remember his exact words, as I was mostly busy clicking pictures and checking out what they had in food to offer. There were many UConn Huskies who had prepared well for some dance and singing performances. I was so impressed and pleasantly surprised by the sheer enthusiasm from everyone involved to make this event a success.
Informal events like these introduce you to the hidden side of your fellow colleagues.
You can get a glimpse of amazing dance performances down below.
After these wonderful performances, it was time for some photo op. I saw a bunch of my fellow huskies posing for the photo, so didn’t hesitate to join them, as you can see belowI am not sure where my roommates were at this time, I for one, tried to hang out with everyone that I could find, learning from the SGGS Alumni Meet in NJ.
And after clicking numerous photos, it was feast time. As you know by now, I was not the one shying away from savoring some good Indian food, so as you can see my plate, I filled it up nicely with generous quantity of chicken legs and “a pretentious quantity” of veggies. I threw a couple Naan slices in there, just in case!
Man, the food was delicious and I remember filling up myself on this wonderful food with a couple servings.
I mostly sat down with my roommates to devour this food, post which, they announced the dance floor was open to us and I started listening to some wonderful music. Back home, I have had similar experiences, where they let you have some fun once they are done with all the performances. This was just the moment I was waiting for, as I like to enjoy any event to the fullest; this gave me a perfect opportunity to dance (the way I want to) and with everyone that I want.
I managed to capture a couple videos, which are not of great quality, but, they sure are enough to bring a small (or maybe a big) smile to (at least) my face!
Enjoy! The first is with my UConn MSBAPM huskies.
& the second one is with Shlok and his UConn MBA friends (which later became my friends too). I simply love this video, running around a bunch of friends, with a camera in hand, literally transports you to that particular moment, and let you experience it. Funny, how human brain works, AMIRIGHT?
At the end of the event, I managed to capture this sweat soaked selfie with a few UConn MSBAPM colleagues. They look they sure had some fun. My selfie game was always strong, I guess! 😂
The entire Instagram gallery is here.
Now, not many people know this, but I went to one more party after this celebration and it was the first “US party” that I was actually attending. My roommate, Shlok, invited me to this party that he was going to his friend, Nidhi’s, house. Having learnt my lesson to never say no to a party (at least in the US), I immediately complied, which meant, saying NO to my other roommates who were going to Boston for a day. I felt bad, but went ahead with open arms at Nidhi’s place.
This party turned out to be a complete “attitude makeover” deal for me. I learnt so many things just interacting with people at this party.
I got to know Nidhi better, who turned out to be one of the closest friends I could make at UConn Hartford, and we continue to be in touch almost every other week. I got to go on so many road trips with her, and it was awesome to see her happiness when she finally met her prince charming (that’s later).
After Nidhi, I remember talking to Kanika, who turned out to be the president of the Graduate Finance Club (GFA). I was pleasantly surprised to find that out as I was scheduled to interview for the VP position at GFA in a few days. She helped me with a few pointers explaining what they look for in an interview and wished me the best.
I met the other Milin in this party and had such fun discussions with him.
I remember Shlok giving me my beer (was it beer? I don’t remember now!). Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos from this party, but, it is sure etched into my memory forever.
Many things learnt, plenty of new friends made, especially a few life lasting ones.
Grateful for everything that this great country has to offer!
Until next time!
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