‘Some students make wonders happen. Some students see wonders happening around them, and some students just wonder what’s happening around them.’
If I were to describe the book in one word, I’d pick: Nostalgia. Page one and Anand takes us back to our college years. The few precious years, where you feel indestructible, and everything seems possible.. You get to explore the world on your terms. And there’s nothing like it. Our hero, Akash is doing his Post-Graduation from the Manipal University. The memories of graduation years are irreplaceable, his old buddies- nowhere to be found and his social life; sinking. From being the ‘Love-Guru’ to ‘Outcast’, Akash is stuck and alone. Every corner in his college reminds him of the fun times with his friends. And revisiting them alone, kills him. At this point, the character is very relatable for all of us have been there. We all get labelled as ‘nerd’ or ‘stud’ or ‘stupid’ in our colleges. ‘A true friend always does two things in extremes, one is silently caring, and other is openly hurting, just to make you perfect.’ .
His breakthrough comes in the form of a girl, Simran who made him realize that he can do much more than he thought himself capable of. Don’t go looking around for a moral from this story. There is none and a lot of hidden ones if you look closely. It’s a trip down your memory lane with hidden jewels along the way. And with the saying, ‘In India, students first do engineering and then decide what they want from life’ this book is a different outlook. I liked how Akash thinks his lectures would be boring and not helpful but ends up enjoying them. There’s nothing better than seeing your hero succeed, but then the book ends on an open note and leaves you wanting for more.
The writing style is smooth, and the story flows like an undisturbed river. There was scope of more, but the author left it undiscovered. A feel-good book, everyone who had a great time in college or wishes had a great time in college, should pick up this book.
PS: I felt the title doesn’t do justice to the story.
