When a Teenager Walked on the Streets of MP Nagar

We all know how much of a burden it is to become something in life.

Even before the time when Bhopalis start realising this, they are asked to join a coaching class in MP Nagar, the locality which gives us more than just education. When you are just about to pass your 8th grade, you are presented with brochures of numerous of these "coachings", and after a brief research on which one is the best, you join the one all your school classmates are joining. You just follow the herd.

I don't know about the figures of how many IIT-JEE or NTSE selections these coachings have given; to me, MP Nagar had been about memories and good times from my teenage. I am listing down some of the most memorable things I have experienced, see how many of these you can relate to.

The Movie Bunk at Jyoti

The one place where you can watch good movies for cheap in MP Nagar is Jyoti Cineplex. We used to bunk our coaching classes often to go for movies here. A typical bunk would be watching movie for 60 bucks in the front row, and having a pasta treat after that at Bake 'n Shake, which is in the same building, or Filfora, if the mood is to eat non vegetarian food.

Killing Time in Vishal Mega Mart

Don't feel like studying? It is time for some window shopping!!

The local charm of MP Nagar zone 1 is Vishal Mega Mart, where we used to hang out when we had already bunked the class but just wanted to sit and chat, without actually spending any money. I still have the announcements memorised, "Dear customer, welcome to Vishal Mega Mart" and "Staff announcement!!" One of the best memories of this place for me was to get caught by my parents while I was bunking... "Vo mummy... class cancel... tabiyat kharab...Sorry :(" 

Class Ends at 7:30, Reach Home at 10:30

I didn't usually use to miss any class, not for studying, but because of the time we used to have after the class just standing on the ground floor and chatting with friends. Everyday after the class was over, I used to go and stand near a place where all my friends used to come and we used to talk for hours. Most of it was gossips like who's who's girlfriend, or who ditched whom and what not! We were teenagers after all. I have made everlasting friendships in the basement of my coaching institute.

Orkutting the Famous Junta 

The first social network we were introduced to. I don't think I would be able to explain how fun Orkut was to any of the current generation kids. There were some people in the coaching class whom everyone seemed to be a fan of; be it that hot girl who used to sit with her friends all the time or that studious guy who used to be in the first row, you could find everyone on Orkut, send a request and get talking. It was all so easy back then. A lot of my friends made relationships on Orkut, which unfortunately but certainly, did not last. 

Fear of the Danda

You are deep into your book, not even moving your head, not speaking a word in the class, not even blinking or breathing. Why? Not because you love the class, but because you are too afraid that the teacher will come and beat the book out of you. It looked strange and weird back then but when you pass out of the institute, you realise that you wouldn't have read a word without it.

I'll Start Solving The "Sheet" from Tomorrow

Everyday at the end of the class, we used to get a sheet full of questions which we were supposed to solve before coming for the next class; never got motivated enough to solve them. When I passed out of the coaching institute, I had a big box full of these sheets which I sold to the recycle market.

The Celebration at Milan

Topped a test? The teacher appreciated you? Got the phone number of your crushed? There is only one place to celebrate, Milan Sweets. The mouth watering chaats, samosa, sweets and namkeen gave us the perfect memories to cherish. I never miss a chance to visit Milan whenever I visit Bhopal. It is just too hard to resist a hot gulab jamun when you are passing from MP Nagar.

Strength of Class Today? 750

There is one thing that you cannot ignore without appreciating. That is the courage of these teachers who could teach as many as 700 students in one class and still be the best IIT-JEE coaching in town. On a full strength day, it was hard even to breathe in the class. Studying? You don't say!

Summer Vacation

Summers are supposed to be the best time of the year of a school going kid. The catch is if the kid has not joined a coaching class in MP Nagar. Summer vacations was the worst time of the year for us. We had to go for 8 hours of Physics, Chemistry and Math classes everyday in the hot sun. I used to eat lunch sitting on my bike in my institute's basement. I got a sunstroke too, what else do you expect?

Revisiting MP Nagar Today

Whenever I make a trip to Bhopal, I always make sure to visit MP Nagar. It became my second home in my late teenage. As my car drives over that land, I practically see myself and my friends in people wandering around. For me, it was a time which can never go out of my mind.

If you too have these memories, I am sure this post would have connected to you. What is your best memory from MP Nagar? Comment below, and we might include it in the post too.