Parichay 2013 - An Amazing Experience!!

Early that morning when I awoke, I had no idea that I would have such an awesome day! As I was walking towards the venue, all I could think of was how much I had worked in the past one and half week and how drained of energy I felt.

But as I saw everyone coming to the venue in twos, threes and even groups, each of them flashing me a wonderful smile I started forgetting the pain and drain of the past few days. With every glint of recognition I saw in each of the eyes, my heart soared to the heavens. The heartfelt morning wishes of delivered to me by guys and gals alike actually made my morning not just good but awesome.

Around 11 AM, the number of participants had already crossed 150. I had predicted an audience of 200+ at the time of preparations and my excitement grew as the numbers reached my expectations. It was a huge surprise when a record breaking 250+ students turned up for the event. Much more than the number who RSVP'ed "Coming" in Facebook. My happiness knew no bounds at the crowd I saw standing and adjusting in the hall.

While Tanmay, our President, went on answering questions, I tried my best to be discreet, sneaking peeks at the crowd and feeling happy at the smiles. Every fresher who came was very supportive to us through out the event and understood that we were handling a crowd beyond our expectations. At break time, as every one collected their slices and came out, I stood by the door watching each person come out and hoped no one would feel bad that the food served wasn't hot or filling.

My most favorite moment of the day was when Tanmay wanted the students to guess my name and the whole audience nearly shouted out my name. I expected everyone to know me by face after seeing me so many times throughout the IPS Orientation Process but never did I dream of everyone knowing my name. It was such an awesome moment for me that I almost ran out and danced to my own music.

By the end of the day, many of the freshers had talked to me and each time they accepted my paltry and incomplete answers without complaint. I probably didn't give satisfying answers to a lot of their questions but they accepted the fact that I tried.

The next best moment of the day was when I woke up from my short nap and saw 20 friend requests awaiting my acceptance from freshers. As I turned in for the day at about 1 AM, my spirits were flying in the skies at the amazing responses we received as feedback.

To the freshers who attended Parichay 2013, I can only say this to you:

"You people made my day!! You are all simply awesome!!!"

Thank you every one and welcome to San Jose State University once again.... Keep smiling...