We Are Nostalgia

We are nostalgia

old friends who go back a long, long way,

raw-boned and scrawny,

barely out of our teens,
a motley bunch

in pursuit of a master's degree

in that cold, pine-needled land across the state

because ours didn't have

a postgraduate setup then.

Coping with study stress, cultural divides
and bouts of homesickness,

we sealed strong bonds at Mayurbhanj, Long View, and Bijni,

over guitar sing-alongs, dinners, socials, and picnics

out in the wilds where the boys would disappear
into the bushes (for Dutch courage)

before asking the girls for a dance,

and complain when the girls wouldn't oblige
but declare it time to get back to the hostel!

Vacation time, homeward bound,
early morning risings to catch the hired bus,
long hours on winding mountain roads,
stopping for meals at little shacks,
rewinding cassette reels with a ball pen,

nodding off on one another's shoulders,

promises to stay in touch.

Thirty odd years down the line,

in varying positions of power at work

we never dreamt to attain,

old friends meet and greet again

at funerals and at weddings.
So much history forged together,

yes, my friend, we are nostalgia.