ON THIS DAY…

Lecs, recordings, lecs, PODDAS …..

While stuck in a monotonous daily routine for a couple of days, suddenly a message popped up in my notifications. It was a warm invitation from dear akkis and ayyas for poddas for the membership day. Gavel membership day was organized with the prime aim of strengthening the bond between the members of the club while creating long-lasting memories. I even set the date on my calendar, to make sure that I don’t miss this upcoming gathering. It was a Friday morning when all the poddas got together in front of the Sumangala Building. I must say we all were very busy introducing ourselves to others, saving phone numbers, and having nonstop chit chats.

Then we were taken to the Gavel Room. All the akkis and ayyas welcomed us with a bright smile saying ‘Hi poddo welcome you all to a room filled with fun and laughter. It was like how teachers welcome new grade 1 students to the class. I went into the Gavel room with a lot of curiosity as to what the day had in store for all of us.

Sameera sir gave a kick start to the event proceedings by extending a warm welcome to all the lokkas and poddas uniquely and fascinatingly. I would say it was much more than a warm welcome. To warm us up, Sameera sir took us out of the room and conducted some really interesting games while teaching us immeasurably precious lessons, which cannot be learned even by reading thousands of books. Then the most fun part of the agenda took place.

GAMES! First, all the poddas and lokkas were divided into 4 groups and were given a chit filled with words. To be honest, I was very hyped up when we were asked to make a script with the words, and at the same time got a thought of being invisible after hearing that we had to act out the script. I was not, am not, and will not be happy with my acting skills. All the nervousness faded away with the sweet and fun talks of the lokkas and poddas in my group. After 15 minutes all the gaveliers turned into actors and actresses. I enjoyed all the performances, and I am sure that all of them undoubtedly lifted everyone’s moods even more.

Amid cheering for the performances, the second game was announced. And yes, it was something very familiar. Dog and Bone. I recalled how I used to play dog & bone with my classmates during every PT period back in my school days. An atmosphere of a friendly war was created, and the game began. One of the lokkas called the numbers 14, 3 & 2, 7….  It was refreshing to play that game in university with all the akkis and ayyas. Lifting the spirit of everyone present the game was concluded, of course with a winning team.

After all the participants were up on their feet and having a great time with fellow gaveliers, the group photo was taken to cherish this wonderful gathering as a memorable memory. I felt the thrill of being in a group photo after a long time. I was fed up with smiling in front of a laptop and saying cheese. And that feeling made that group photo thousand times more valuable for me.

To stir the excitement of the event furthermore, we played the famous ‘pani babre’ in a modern version. I was okay with spinning multiple times, but not with making a sentence after that and especially without spectacles. When my chance arrived, I heard ‘one, two, three…’ All I kept saying was one more, one more…okay run. We all got a chance to showcase our creativity by being on a sort of preconscious level. And I am sure at the end of the game unique 4 sentences were created.

Following that was everyone’s favorite. Lunchtime. I kept thinking about what more these akkis and ayyas planned for us.

After a small break, we all got together in the gavel room. Then we got a chance to listen to 3 past lokkas of the Gavel club. Their words truly inspired all the poddas to take a step forward in their gavel journey. Then the afternoon session of the membership day was colored with symphonious tunes and the voices of all the enthusiastic participants. As usual ‘one more was there.

With that, we were at the end of the event proceedings. I was bummed up even when I knew it was the time to say goodbye to all the members. I am pretty sure all the poddas wanted to stay for a bit more and make more memories. This gathering was a great day filled with so many motivational talks, fun sessions, and various activities. Not only that, but the gathering was also made more exciting with all the lifelong friendships we created.