Edited by: Mohan Rajagopal
Do the crowds at the mess, every food outlet, mess lawns, residence hall lifts, academic building corridors or every other place at Ashoka annoy you? Are you constantly surrounded by people and tired of it? Is your social battery forever at an all-time low? Are you looking for some peace and quiet in the ever-crowded campus? Have you become averse to the sound of people bickering? Does the sight of human beings disgust you now?
Welcome to your guide on How to Avoid the Mosh Pits of Ashoka!
Step 1: Do not venture outside of your room, except for the essentials maybe. You probably must leave the comfort of your room for food, the toilet and classes, but limit time outside of it. Get a roommate who is an introvert, preferably — you may not want to test how many people can be in your tiny room at once.
Step 2: (You have decided to wander outside your room- awful choice, but I guess you can’t stay in there forever *sigh*) Take the stairs. I know this sounds like an awful idea but hear me out – those elevators are just too crowded, and you can avoid waiting for an eternity as well. You feel like you’ve accomplished something— maybe. Plus, exercise! I’m sorry. Hopefully, you don’t live on the tenth floor *fingers crossed*.
Step 3: Stack up on mess coupons. Sustenance is important, but those long mess lines are a disaster. You can at least skip one of those abominations. (P.S: there are more coupon machines than you think).
Step 4: Consider having meals earlier or later than your usual time. Most of the time, your classes dictate your meal times – why won’t you let me eat, Ashoka? Chances are you want to have food at the same time as half of Ashoka. Even though eating dinner at 7:30 reminds you of your grandparents, it’s worth not standing in line for half an hour wondering why you bother eating in the first place. You can always have an extra late dinner when the mess empties. (NOTE: does not apply to the dhaba or THC.)
Step 5: Make friends who are introverts. Aren’t you tired of all your very social friends wanting to talk to everyone? This is the perfect solution. Only downfall: you are required to be social in the beginning to make introverted friends. A small sacrifice for long-term bliss.
Step 6: Go to the library. Not only is it a great place to study, but also a great place to find some peace, while also feeling highly motivated (hopefully). A place where people are required to be quiet. The second floor of the library has long couches in the corner where nobody can disturb you.
Step 7: Explore Campus. You never know what campus holds for you. You may never have traversed through all the corners of each academic block. This is your chance to find your sweet space nobody knows about.
Step 7: Blame the UG25s. If all the steps above have failed you, you always have the liberty to complain – possibly even in line at mess with freshers surrounding you. Why are the freshers everywhere? Why are they so enthusiastic about everything? Your senior privilege kicks in.
Although the campus is very full with swarms of people to be found in every corner, there is fun to be had as well. The open mics, festival celebrations, cultural events and more are livelier and even more enjoyable. The elevator may take ages to reach your floor but you may find solidarity with a group of girls all going down to check out of RH3 at 12:30. You can always recharge your social battery in the library or a corner of campus but also enjoy meeting new people and feeling the energy of a large group.