Joka has been witness to a full fledged rainy season this year. With lakes overflowing till a few days back, the time seems most opportune to talk of that most special of elements- water- and the special relationship which the denizens of Joka share with it. Put simply, you can’t ignore water when you’re locked up 24*7 in a conservatory with seven lakes, when any day you expect the heavens to rain down upon you, and you don’t dare leave your hostel room without an umbrella.

With the passage of time, superstitions have wormed their way into the life of Jokaites. One such story says that when the seven lakes overflow, there will be a bonanza where placements are concerned! Seven lakes overflowing is indeed an alluring sight, if anyone could be tempted to leave the hostels when the rain gods are crying. While that legendary sight has not materialised till now, there were reports that the lakes had indeed overflowed this year, generously worming their way up the paths to kiss the pavements of a thousand ‘blessings’, and in the process sending the gtalk status messages of the Jokaites into overloads of ecstasy, before snaking their way back to their murky layers. Is this reality, or merely the optimistic ramblings of an active imagination? Only time (and placements) will tell. Of course, since this is certainly not an everyday event, some students have taken it upon themselves to find even deeper meanings within this story. As Amit Sureka, a first year student, put it, if a downpour means good placements, then a drizzle certainly must portend good quiz marks! Unfortunately, he became very reticent when it came to revealing his own marks in those quizzes, so the veracity of that particular theory could not be satisfied.

Superstitions may come from the past, but even the future holds some very exciting prospects. Some people say that it’s possible, someday, when the rain gods are smiling (or crying, whichever you prefer), the seven lakes could in fact become one, and perhaps even take over the whole campus. This could well lead to the development of a new round of water sports, involving canoes, men, umpires, and hopefully cheerleaders cavorting in the glory of the rain! This could take inter hostel rivalry to a new level all together, perhaps culminating in the formation of a Joka Premier League! Necessity is, they say, the mother of invention. The mephitic after taste of the rains is an all too bitter reality that Jokaites live with, and it’s possible the necessity for clean air and civilized living conditions could drive some brilliant minds to come up with an antidote, one which would definitely be a hit in Jokaland. It’s not for nothing that students have come to dread the gurgling gutters, and the creatures of dark nature that populate it!

Not to end this piece on a dampener, it’s good to note that none of the parties this year have been hampered by showers of heaven, although it’s possible some students, mostly hailing from the male gender, would have enjoyed it more had it been so. But as they say in Jokaland, think of the lake as half full, not half empty!

For Jokatimes
Pratik Prakash

1. Sunil Says:
   November 10th, 2009 at 10:58 pm

   Looks like the bonanza on Summer Placements has happened