My fellow hostel-mates inspired me to be a kinder, more collaborative person, and I deeply admire the curiosity, awe and love they have for the inner workings of nature. Who else but this group could throw parties with conversations about beetles and consciousness seamlessly intertwined with the music and dancing?
On my last Friday night in Bangalore, my hostel-mates threw a goodbye party for me on our communal terrace. They requested that I play my violin for them one last time, so I brought it out for an impromptu concert featuring everything from Irish jigs to film scores and the Game of Thrones theme to Elvis Presley. There were even a few attempts at Indian songs. The program was as diverse as the song requests I received! I felt grateful that I had this powerful tool, my violin, at my disposal to bring people together and celebrate one last time. When I played "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music, several of my friends began singing along and the chorus of varied voices moved me deeply. My friends are a testament to India's rich diversity. They grew up in all corners of India, speak different mother tongues and studied a variety subjects in college. Now, having bonded because of our different perspectives rather than in spite of them, we have had a lovely moment singing together under the stars on a rooftop in Bangalore.
At the conclusion of my spontaneous concert, my friends urged me to give a goodbye speech. I began by recounting the tale of my first week in Bangalore, back in late August of 2018. Since the walls of our hostel are paper thin, the raucous voices of my hostel-mates interfered with my initial phone calls to my parents from India and even interrupted my sleep.
