Somaiya Memories Only Old Students Will Understand

There's a version of you that exists only in the minds of people who knew you at Somaiya.

The version who ran across campus because you calculated wrong and the lecture started 5 minutes ago. The version who knew exactly which bench had the best sun angle in winter. The version who had opinions about which canteen item was worth the walk.

These memories might seem small. But they're the actual texture of your college years.

Here's a collection of moments that every Somaiya student eventually lives through.

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The Morning Rituals

The Sprint From Gate to Class

You know that specific cardio workout that happens when:

• Your bus ran late
• You woke up to your third alarm
• You completely forgot about that 8 AM lecture

The campus gates to your building. The building entrance to the elevator (occupied, obviously). The stairs, two at a time. The corridor, trying to breathe normally. The classroom door, trying to enter without being noticed.

Every Somaiya student has perfected this speed run.

The First Lecture Zone-Out

8 AM attendance marked. Brain not yet online.

You've mastered the art of:

• Looking attentive while completely elsewhere
• Nodding at appropriate intervals
• Writing something that looks like notes
• Being ready to answer "Yes sir" to any question

The "Did They Take Attendance?" Panic

When you walk into the second lecture and your friend says:

"They took attendance in the first 10 minutes."

The stomach drop. The mental calculation. The bargaining with the universe.

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The Food Memories

The Canteen Experience

Every Somaiya canteen has its own:

• Peak chaos hours (avoid)
• Best items (known by regulars)
• Worst items (learned the hard way)
• That one staff member who remembers your order

The canteen queue during lunch break is a test of patience. The canteen at 11 AM is a secret haven.

The Chai Breaks

There's "chai" and then there's "Somaiya chai break."

It's not just about the tea. It's about:

• The 15-minute escape from wherever you should be
• The conversations that somehow matter
• The ritual of it all

Years later, you'll miss those breaks more than the lectures.

The First Day Canteen Confusion

Remember not knowing:

• Where to get the token
• Where to pick up the food
• Where people usually sit
• Whether you can take the plate outside

And trying to figure it all out while looking like you definitely knew what you were doing.

The "I'm Broke This Week" Diet

When the month is too long and the money is too short:

• Day 1-3: "I'll just have chai"
• Day 4-5: "Water is fine"
• Day 6: Friend pays
• Day 7: Some money arrives, feast mode

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The Academic Adventures

The Back Bench Culture

The back benches have their own sociology:

• The sleepers (horizontal when possible)
• The talkers (elaborate sign language when caught)
• The phone users (screen brightness: minimum)
• The random listeners (surprisingly attentive sometimes)

Teachers know. They've always known.

The Assignment Deadline

That specific atmosphere when a deadline is in 2 hours and:

• Everyone's in the computer lab
• Someone's asking for the format
• Someone's asking for the question
• Someone finished last night and is just watching

The solidarity. The stress. The collective denial.

The Internal Exam Ritual

Internals mean:

• Finally opening that PDF you downloaded month ago
• Discovering the syllabus is larger than expected
• One night of genuine studying
• Selective preparation (pray your topics come)
• The post-exam analysis that helps no one

The Practical Viva Terror

Standing outside the lab, waiting for your turn.

Everyone sharing:

• What they were asked
• What they answered
• What they should have answered
• Horror stories from previous batches

The practical viva lasts 10 minutes. The anxiety lasts hours.

That One Professor

Every batch has that professor who:

• Actually made you interested in the subject
• Was tough but fair
• Had memorable quotes
• You still remember years later

And also that professor who was... the opposite.

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The Social Fabric

The Friend Group Formation

How friend groups form at Somaiya:

• Week 1: Sit next to random person
• Week 2: Sit next to same person again
• Week 3: Start having inside jokes
• Week 4: Group permanently formed
• Year 4: These are your people for life

The randomness of it. The significance of it.

The "Where Are You?" Messages

The eternal group chat question:

• "Canteen?"
• "Library?"
• "You coming to class?"
• "Where is everyone?"

Your location was always being tracked by friends, not apps.

The Event Crew

If you've ever been part of organizing a Somaiya event, you know:

• The 3 AM setups
• The budget problems
• The last-minute cancellations
• The moment when it all comes together

And the bond you form with fellow organizers is different.

The Seniors-Juniors Dynamic

First year: Seniors seem terrifying and all-knowing. Second year: First-years look so young. Third year: You are the terrifying, all-knowing one. Fourth year: Everyone seems young.

The cycle continues.

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The Campus Rhythm

The Time Between Classes

Those 10-15 minute gaps that are:

• Too short to go anywhere
• Too long to just stand there
• Perfect for:
  • Quick chai
  • Bathroom break
  • Gossip update
  • Phone scrolling
  • Existential reflection

The Free Lectures

When a lecture gets cancelled and suddenly you have an hour:

The ethical dilemma:

• Go home? (Too far)
• Study? (Optimistic)
• Canteen? (Obvious)
• Wander? (Inevitable)

The End-of-Semester Rush

That specific panic when you realize:

• Attendance is at 73% (needed: 75%)
• Two assignments aren't done
• The lab file is "in progress"
• The semester ends in 3 weeks

The negotiations. The calculations. The promises you make to yourself.

The Last Day of Exams

That feeling when the final paper of the semester ends:

• The immediate relief
• The analysis ("What did you write for Q3?")
• The plans that seem possible again
• The forgetting of everything you memorized

Nothing compares.

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The Small Things

The Weather-Specific Memories

• Monsoon: Running between buildings, wet notebooks, that smell of rain on campus
• Winter: Actually enjoying the walk to class, early morning fog, sweater weather
• Summer: AC building as oasis, shade routes, the afternoon heat coma

The Wifi Situation

The eternal struggle:

• "Eduroam is not working"
• "My device limit exceeded"
• "The password changed again"
• Hotspot from the one friend with unlimited data

The Library Silence

The way everyone coughs at the same time. The way whispers somehow carry. The way someone's notification always goes off during peak silence.

The Random Campus Events

That time when:

• A celebrity visited
• There was free food somewhere
• Some technical fest had gaming
• The news went around campus in minutes

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The Growth Moments

The First Presentation

Nervousness level: Maximum Preparation level: Questionable Actual performance: Somehow survived

Looking back, it wasn't that bad. But in the moment? Terror.

The First Leadership Role

Whether it's class representative, event coordinator, or club head:

• Feeling unqualified
• Learning on the job
• Making mistakes publicly
• Somehow figuring it out

The First Real Failure

That test you failed. That rejection you got. That project that didn't work.

Somaiya gave you space to fail before the stakes got higher.

The Moment You Felt You Belonged

At some point, between the chaos and the routine, Somaiya stopped being "the campus" and became "your campus."

You can't pinpoint when. But you know it happened.

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The Final Semester

The Countdown

When you realize:

• Only X days of college left
• Only X classes remaining
• Only X chai breaks left

And suddenly everything feels more significant.

The Photographs

The obsessive documenting:

• Every corner of campus
• Every group configuration
• Every casual moment that might be the last

Phones full of images you'll actually look at later.

The "Last" Everything

The last canteen visit. The last library session. The last lecture in that classroom.

Each "last" carries weight you didn't expect.

The Final Day

Walking out of campus knowing it's different now.

You'll visit again. But not as a student. Not in the same way.

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The Post-Somaiya Nostalgia

The Reunion Phenomenon

Meeting Somaiya friends after years:

• No awkwardness
• Immediate return to old dynamics
• "Remember when..." stories flowing
• Feeling like no time has passed

The Campus Visit

Returning to campus and finding:

• Some things exactly the same
• Some things completely changed
• Current students who look impossibly young
• Your old spots still there

The Trigger Memories

Random things that bring it all back:

• A song that played during fest
• A phrase a professor used
• The smell of canteen food
• That specific Mumbai weather

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For The Current Students

If you're at Somaiya now, reading this and thinking "I'll remember everything":

You won't. Not all of it.

But you'll remember:

• The feeling of that first week
• The face of that person who became essential
• The view from that one spot
• The taste of that one thing from the canteen

The small stuff. The texture of daily life.

So pay attention now. The mundane moments become the memories later.

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Conclusion: It Was Never About the Campus

Here's what you realize eventually:

Somaiya itself is buildings, benches, and boundaries.

What made it significant was:

• The people you walked with
• The conversations you had
• The version of yourself you became there

The campus was just the container. You filled it with meaning.

And that meaning stays with you. Wherever you go.

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This article is part of 7K's Somaiya nostalgia series. For more perspectives on campus life, explore the other articles about Somaiya.