The King of Knowledge~ An Affair to Remember

On treading the oft divergent paths to a living,

We forget life in between.

And as the milestones are crossed one by one,

All we quest for is to become a ‘someone’.

Hobbies move disarray from the realm of a person

From centre to the corner, role-reversals in suspension.

And we all grow old one day, and it hits us

In intrigue of a career, we ended up like a portrait by Bacchus-

Morbid, like a beautiful tragedy

Most of us fall prey to life’s comedy.

My first encounter with the word 'Overseas' happened when I was in 11th standard. Studying in a Convent school, it was the time when hormones run wild and life as it is, ceases to bind us. Humming songs, writing poetry and somehow managing through the tides of algorithms of alphabets would explain my adolescence. Nonetheless, there was one thing that mesmerized me-

It was the framed certificate from London School of Economics and Political Science belonging to the father of my first date. I thought I was in love with this guy and would eventually marry him, simply because he had a father who was a pass-out of LSE.

Thus, my platonic love for London has been ephemeral in lucid intricacies- it defined perfection for me. Time passed by and I fell in love with history and political science. In 12th std, I scored very well in both the subjects and even got distinctions in the same.

But one day my dream was shattered when I got my first real rejection. No, not from that guy but from my parents. They’d made it very clear to me that LSE was way too expensive and that they would not be able to invest the money required. I do not blame them; I have a younger sibling for them to take care of too. I took admission in one of the best colleges in the country for my graduation in History. Why not Political Science? Because there can be no better place to do justice to it than LSE. You think, I am crazy? Well, yes I am because big dreams are worth it!

And that’s where my true love affair began. 

History for me is my dreamland where nothing is baseless or fantasized. Nonetheless, without the power of imagination and the magic wand of words, one would feel bored or incoherent from the subject- something that majority of the population globally suffers from!

And that’s when King’s College, London re-surfaced into my bewildering scope of things. Not only do they have an extremely prestigious research faculty and esteemed world ranking in Historical Studies but they’re one of the few colleges that introduced innovative and hitherto studied syllabi, including that of fashion-poetry and classical poetry forms like Hellenistic Poetry.

If LSE meant the first sense of perfection for me, King’s College is perfection personified. The best part about King’s College is that I can pursue both History and Poetry together, with regular poetry reading sessions and creative writing courses. Moreover, it is situated in one of the most favorite places I have visited- London!

Regarding History, what interests me the most is this particular course in the War Studies they are starting this year onwards, to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. It is a defining moment for historical studies to study the WW I as a phenomenon and scrutinize the various nitty-gritties of the same- things that may have been ignored and which have come back to haunt us with the test of time. With better opportunities and a first-class Masters degree in hand, I can continue my research in King's College by taking a loan and repaying it by earning a stipend too! Hurray!

...If it means to be there in every moment

And relish this uncertainty

Then I shall want to live this life

With all its wondrous revelations

And with know that I am safe

In the arms of the Unknown.

This leap of faith, I shall take

Reach out to what lies ahead and beyond me
Because #KnowledgeIsGreat!

This post is written as an entry to the #KnowledgeIsGreat collaborative endeavor by British Council in association with Indiblogger.