BESC Picnic

Seven luxury buses left the college premises, with students singing the evergreen chart topper from the Vengaboys: “We’re going to Ibiza”.

For the venue of the Annual Picnic of the Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) was the popular resort that shares its name with the Mediterranean island.

But what’s in a name? When three hundred and fifty students congregate for fun times, the least that can happen is a riot of happiness. And how.

The day begun with breakfast, which was sumptuous to put things mildly.

The students then partook in a variety of group activities that included a plethora of games, a treasure hunt included.

There were the usual musicals – both songs and dances, which too were cheerfully participated in.

However, it was the Chilli eating competition that generated the maximum amount of heat – imagine eating sixteen green chillies for the coveted title of “BE Chilli Queen”? One student did just that (and believe me, there were very strong contenders, including one who went down by just one fiery bite!) All the action had the BE contingent ravishing and the Chinese lunch that was spread, was lapped up even before one finished serving .

The food was delicious, but failed to induce the yarn for an afternoon siesta as is customary: BE-ites, their stomach full, fanned out to discover the resort in their characteristic zeal. Most opted for boating, as the sweetly warm winter sun and the breeze blowing from the waterbody urged them on to take up the oars.

The Table Tennis boards too were a big draw with students vying to match their ping-pong skills with that of Prof Dilip Shah, the Dean of Student Affairs and an active aficionado of the sport.

The Carrom board also witnessed a fair share of action as some students sought to pocket the queen – with the usual “cover”, off course.

The pool table also had a good amount of crowd, with the cue being passed around by turns.

A few students gathered around the pool – their feet in water – as they discussed matters of grave concern, their peals of laughter adding just that dash of joie de verve to the atmosphere.

Some students took to the cycles and pedalled their way around the huge campus of the resort, soaking in the green, far from the madding crowds of the city (and its pollution) we are all used to.

The one regret that everyone had, Prof Dilip Shah and the members of the faculty included, was that it ended too fast.

It was like some unknown power had pressed the fast forward button, which lead to the day reeling away even before one could really feel the happiness sink in.

It was time to wrap the show up and head for home – disgruntled students were rounded up and led to the tables were light refreshments were served.

Somehow, as some students pointed out, the food did not taste as appetising as it had earlier – the bad taste of regret, that the happy day was coming to an end so soon, getting on the way.

The bus ride back was uneventful, with BE-ites remaining uncharacteristically quiet, content as it were, peeling the skin of the succulent oranges that were provided even as their collective heart was screaming silently – “Ibiza, we will be back”.