I arrived at insti a calm, unassuming girl who didn’t much care for anything, content to go at my own pace. Who would have known then that I would end up with the oddest pair of roommates with the most unique personalities? Let’s call them Quest and Muse.
Quest was an eager soul who constantly sought to uncover the truth and get to the root of everything. I differed so much from Quest in this regard; while I let my life unfold, she sculpted every inch of it. And then there was Muse, always thinking of something to do. She treated life like a never-ending to-do list. She had left home with a fiery determination never to stop because stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant spiraling into an existential crisis. But there was one common thing about the three of us. All of us were loud. Well, loud was rather an understatement: we were chaotically, unapologetically loud.
These differences snowballed into every other aspect of our lives. Still holding onto the remnants of my JEE routine, my first semester was highlighted by waking up at 5 AM like some overzealous monk. On the other hand, Muse was always up burning the midnight oil – especially during exam season. With her up till 1 AM and my needing to be up at 5, turning off the lights required a full-blown intervention. Ever the peacemaker, Quest tried her best to mediate our conflicts, but even she couldn’t stop the drama. Together, we were a beautiful disaster, and life wasn’t about to let us off easy.
The real fun began when Muse and I ended up as lab partners. Initially, it was just because we were adjacent roll numbers, but soon, we got stuck together by choice (or habit, who knows). As Sandy quoted, “I hear them shouting in the physics lab from even two rooms away.” From wrongly grounding wires and debugging circuits for hours in Digital Systems Lab to fun in Microprocessors Lab, we began to learn how to work together. But even all that maturing wouldn’t have saved us from Analog Lab. If Digital Systems was chaotic, Analog Lab would’ve been an apocalypse. Thank the heavens for the even and odd batch split.
A perfectionist at heart, Muse, would refuse to cut wires without meticulously marking them with a pen first—and then insisting (read: bullying) on my doing the same. Muse, in her rare moments of fatigue, would suddenly quip, “Let’s just cook something up and get out of here.” But even in our most “productive” sessions, we couldn’t resist trolling each other. We just made sure no one could miss our presence. We yelled, argued, and made more noise than actual progress, yet, looking back now, I can’t imagine those labs without her. Who else would chat with me about the quirkiest little things or troll every poor soul who made the mistake of being in her eyesight? Labs might have been the bane of every electrical engineering student’s life, but even the worst circuits led to some of my sweetest memories with her by my side. And though I’ll never admit it to her, Muse was the partner-in-crime I never knew I needed.
The equation defining my relationship with Quest was a little different. Our views on life were fundamentally worlds apart, but that’s what made it interesting! Sure, there were times we disagreed, but that’s just life! Life isn’t about agreeing on a singular perspective or fitting everything neatly between the lines, and I truly felt that in our conversations. Talking to her pushed me to think in ways I hadn’t before, nudging me out of my comfort zone and leaving a lasting impression on my view of the world. I was continually amazed at the complexity of human nature, especially at how behind a seemingly stern exterior lay such a sweet soul. The resolute and adamant nature she embodied is something I will always admire.
That’s why I named these characters Quest and Muse. We all have a constant quest within us – a drive that fuels what we do and keeps us going. And then there’s Muse, bringing clarity, sparking fresh ideas, and helping us reflect when we stumble. Together, they shape how we navigate the world – always seeking and learning.
It wasn’t just with Quest and Muse – every person I meet, no matter how fleetingly, has something to offer, a different way to shape my perspective. I will always be grateful for the friend I met in my first semester with whom I bonded, though I barely get to see her anymore. I still cherish my memories from workshops where we all connected in unexpected ways. Even those who have been unfriendly or rude still have lessons to impart, whether it’s resilience, patience, or simply a reminder to self-reflect. The choice to see the value in those interactions lies in our hands.
And then there are those who aren’t in our daily circle but whose impact on us often lingers unexpectedly. No matter how many close companions we have around us, there are moments when we feel an inexplicable void – disconnected, demotivated, and unsure. During these times, the smallest gesture from an unlikely place can turn into a sign of hope. A kind word, a thoughtful gesture, or even a simple check-in from someone can make all the difference. While we naturally cherish those we hold dear, there’s something profound about caring without expecting anything in return.
But let’s not stop at just the positives; life has a knack for throwing lessons our way, even if it sometimes leaves a bitter taste. Whether it was the ‘sus friend’ who was all sweetness on the surface yet couldn’t resist taunting you after their internship success, or the friend who chased every opportunity only to realise they weren’t doing any of them properly, they all have something to tell. They may not have always been the ones that stood by us, but their actions revealed plenty – about themselves, but even about ourselves. Haven’t we come a long way from treating others like black boxes— to deciphering their hidden weights and biases, even if only in parts?
Life isn’t all black and white; it’s filled with countless shades of grey. Whether it’s the critical friend whose relentless negative feedback keeps my loop running right, the distant opportunist who reappears only when they need help, the calculative strategist whose every move seems planned in hindsight, the unapologetic flatterer who leaves you guessing if their praise is genuine or a subtle jab, or even the procrastinating team partner who makes your heart scramble as you submit moments before the deadline – each of them, in their way, helps us realize some invaluable lesson.
So here’s to all those who have played even the tiniest of parts in making me question my inherent truths. I’ve always felt like my life was like an NP-hard problem—except I don’t have the patience to solve it, so I just press ‘randomise’ and hope for the best. With the power of all this self-reflection, I think my random walks weren’t half-bad after all.
