No More ‘Squating’: A Eulogy to Kamath Circle

The human mind is wired in such a way that it associates objects, places, and people with every word. Take the word ‘best friend’, and I imagine the neon orange shoes my best friend wears. Talk about ‘high’, and I imagine the song Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys. Similarly, when someone mentions ‘college’ to us MITians, we imagine something specific. I bet this image isn’t of the ink-scribbled desks of your classroom in AB5, nor is it of a sun-lit, valley-facing room in the 15th Block. Almost inevitably, that image is of Kamath Circle (KC); a place which reserves a special corner in our hearts.

Located in the heart of the campus, Kamath Circle is truly what pumps life into our routine here. It throbs with a relentless vigor and adds a beat to the busy day of an MITian.

 

It’s where the squad comes together.

The girls from 13th and NLB, the boys from 15th and 19th, as well as those returning after club work from NLH, meet up at Kamath Circle to spark off an hour-long debate to decide where to head for the evening. In the process, they’re joined by their other friends. Some of them have conveniently forgotten about dinner so they head towards China Chaina Town, while a few take an auto to DeeTee (after a heavy debate of course). And then there are those who want to stay sober enough to finish off two assignments with deadlines looming the next day, but choose to sit around for an hour anyway, idly, silently judging passers-by.

 

It’s the face of the campus.

I still remember the first time I came to MIT. As my cab drove into Kamath Circle, I could see a place bustling with students, with the brisk hubbub that I was soon going to get used to. Steady purposeful streams of people were meandering in and out through the numerous entrances and exits, while some walked without a care in the world, their faces showing a quiet joy at being back home. The place was brimming with a vibrancy that encapsulates the essence of life here. It has served as an iconic landmark and acronym not just for our college, but for the entirety of our little town.

 

It’s where memories are made.

It’s not just coffee, a lot can happen over egg Maggi, a refreshingly cold Sipra from Kamath Canteen, the four-buck ice lollies, or the staple that is the mango milk from fruit Anna, or even a nice Spicy Chicken burger from Snack Point. A special mention goes to the lime soda that comes as a savior as you return to Kamath Circle at 10:30 in a stupor, pulling off antics that you will eventually come to regret before being shepherded back to your block by Campus Patrol.

You may have performed for the first time in a JAM Session before a seemingly jeering crowd right there. Or danced for a flash mob, or scored an all crucial three-pointer for your section in the basketball tournament. With an almost intimidating presence with its crowds and activities too numerous to count, KC has taught us how to get over our fears and to believe in ourselves.

 

It’s like your second home.

The most important aspect about KC is that you are never alone here. If you’re ever feeling low in your room on a quiet evening, just get out and reach KC. You’ll always find a familiar face. People come to KC from NLH with their classmates or club colleagues, and leave KC with their hostel friends. But right there, in that small circle where social circles don’t exist, all of us are friends. Even fruit Anna memorizes your preferences by the fourth time you visit him. It’s a charming little corner in this town which puts you at ease. It reminds you of all the things you can do when you feel low and shows us the power and positivity of human interaction.

 

It’s 6 in the morning. As I leave the campus for the winter vacation, I take one last look at KC. It is indeed the last time I will see it this way. I see one lonely soul, a fourth year, sitting in front of the “No Squating” sign with four suitcases; all the space that’s needed to pack away four years of his life in Manipal. Awaiting him is one last journey back home. But when no one does, the quiet spirit of KC gives him company in his introspective solitude. The first and last memory he’ll have of college, will be that of KC.

 

I think the current second and third years have it the worst. We have been around just long enough to develop a deep attachment to this place but cannot say if the construction will be complete by the time we graduate or have our photo shoots. For the first year folks and their successors, Student Plaza will be what they will strongly bond with; as the last two dozens of batches did with Kamath Circle.

KC is not a place, it’s an emotion. It veritably lifts you up from any disappointment and takes you in. It’s the quintessential college hangout spot where you spent memorable moments that stretched into hours of doing nothing, without regret.  The discolored platform you ran to for shelter from the sudden rain or the shabby canteen that served better food than the food court is irreplaceable even by all the glitz and shine that the student plaza promises.

So, even as Kamath Circle leaves this world brick by brick, cherish the memories made there and the friendships formed that were written in the stars, because brick by brick, we’ve built our own KCs in our hearts, ours to treasure, and ours to keep, forever.

 

 

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  1. I think you forget about the importance of KC it holds during 4th year photoshoot when numerous times the gates were pushed off and guards were pulled into the corner and the batch used to dance till the legs drop dead on the beats of Dhol.

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