The Diwali vacation was alright, though our train from Mumbai was delayed, getting us to Gwalior six hours late. I wasn't really in the mood to celebrate.Going to Gwalior meant leaving Synergy—and leaving Synergy meant leaving behind the vibrant energy, the shared laughter, and the people who made each day feel alive. and the amazing people there, and even though it was just a short separation, it felt painful. Oddly enough, I didn't feel too left out by their trip because I hardly saw any Instagram stories—except for one from Naira. She had posted two pictures in that white top she'd been telling Sanjana about in class that morning. Due to a weak signal in the train I couldn't see them clearly until the next day, hours after she'd uploaded them. The first picture showed Naira standing on her balcony, both hands on the railing, with her back to the camera.
I quickly replied, "Naira on firee🔥🔥💥💥," to which she responded with a "Yass." I followed up with, "I became a fan," adding a few more emojis, and she replied with a laughing emoji.
It happened again, later on Diwali itself. This time, she was in a traditional outfit, holding a diya in her hands.
"I became a fan two times," I wrote, and she sent another laughing emoji in response.
It wasn't just her—almost everyone looked incredible in their traditional Diwali outfits on their Instagram stories. Shubh posted a picture in a plain red kurta, I wore a blue one, and Sanjana J shared photos of herself in a yellow saree.
If anything kept me busy, it was the practical submissions. Everyone was in a panic, scrambling to finish the tutorials and complete the practical books.Lea, Sanjana, Ramesh, and I were actively engaged in the discussions regarding the submissions.
India's thrilling run in the 2023 World Cup continued in November as well. By then, India had already reached the semi-finals. The 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final saw India dominate New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium. Rohit Sharma made an explosive start for India in the semi-final, scoring 47 runs off just 29 balls. His quick boundaries, including four sixes, helped set an aggressive tone and contributed to India's impressive total. He was dismissed by Tim Southee but left India with strong momentum that other batters built upon.India posted a massive score of 397/4, thanks to powerful innings by Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer. Kohli scored 117, while Iyer added a quick 105. New Zealand's chase was led by Daryl Mitchell, who scored 134, but despite his efforts, they fell short, all out at 327, losing by 70 runs. India's victory secured their spot in the final, marking a high point in their World Cup journey.
It was one of those quiet afternoons during the vacation, where I was crying in the group that I would be missing a four hour lecture of physical chemistry, and then Naira replied to me privately saying that missing a four hour lecture is way better than missing an entire week of classes. Reading her message, I immediately understood—she was heading to Rajasthan. She'd mentioned this plan a while back.
"Aww I'll miss you sitting behind me.", I taunted at which she might have laughed. She added, "Please ask someone with good handwriting to send me the notes." I replied confidently, "I'll write them out myself in neat handwriting and send them to you." to which she sent her classic emoji, the smiley.
Even after returning from vacation, nothing felt special. Naira wasn't around, Lea never showed up, and Rudds wasn't there either. Sanjana, because of Naira, also stayed away. Ramesh and Shaurya were present, but they sat further away from me, so there wasn't much interaction with them either.
And then, just when I thought things couldn't get worse, came November 19, 2023. It didn't just break my heart—it shattered the hopes of an entire nation. India lost to Australia in the World Cup semi-final. The match was a huge disappointment as India's solid run in the tournament ended in a dramatic loss, with Australia prevailing by 7 wickets. This loss struck a blow to the hopes of millions of fans, leaving the country heartbroken after an otherwise promising tournament. Rohit Sharma's catch taken by Travis head, Pat Cummins' wicket taking delivery to dismiss Virat Kohli, after which India's batting line up could never recover. Travis Head was among the outstanding performers who hit a superb hundred to help Aussies lift their 6th ODI World Cup.
The entire nation remembered how Rohit quickly walked back to the pavilion after having a successful campaign as a captain and as a player in the entire tournament. Those tears in his eyes were felt by all.
The dream to see my god lift an ODI World Cup remained a dream forever. I still remember how I was crying outside the academy a couple of days later, watching all sorts of instagram reels with emotional bollywood songs in the background.