In mourning, Hislop tells students someone’s waiting at home

Nagpur: Grief echoed from empty classrooms and corridors of the otherwise full-of-life Hislop College on Saturday.
Was it just another case of adrenalin-driven youngsters throwing caution to the winds? Or a cruel joke that destiny played? Who is to blame? Amid these reflections and deliberations, the overpowering bitter fact that haunted everybody was that seven young members of their family were no more.

The day after accident that took them away started on a sombre note, with a prayer meet in the college auditorium. The jam-packed hall had hardly seen such a “pin drop silence” before. “The institute has lost seven bright students and it’s a big loss. But the tragic incident reminds us how precious our lives are,” principal Dipti Christian told the gathering. She asked the students to follow rules on the road, no matter what.

As many wanted to attend the funerals of their friends on Saturday, the college authorities decided to suspend all classes. Right after the prayer meet, many students and teachers left to attend the funerals one after another. “We have lost seven bright students who were extremely sensitive towards the society. They were members of the Rotaract Club and would regularly take part in social service projects,” said Jigisha Naidu, teacher in-charge of the college’s Rotaract Club.

She recollects the recent Valentine’s Day that these youngsters chose to spend with the specially-abled children. “They brought change in many lives but they could not live to see that,” some students said.

Though in shock, close friends of the seven were running errands once the bodies were handed over to the families. “No words can describe what the parents are going through. Losing a child is unbearable,” said those who attended the funerals.

Students who didn’t know the seven personally also “felt the vacuum”. This incident put everybody in an introspective mood. Although what happened “cannot be undone”, teachers felt there were many lessons to be learnt. One of them said, “One might be an expert driver. But one must remember what they are driving is only a machine and cannot be taken for granted.”

There was nothing wrong in having fun but the road was not the place for it, said another. As Christian aptly puts it: “This is an age full of excitement, energy and experimentation. But you should not forget there is someone waiting for you at home.”