Edited by: Arpita Wadhwa (UG 2021)
Photography by: Surabhi Sanghi (UG 2020) and Rutvi Zamre (UG 2019)
There is some kind of falsity in the existence of the word ‘present’. There have been times when I pondered over the reality of this term and before I could grab onto any substantial truth it was too ‘late’. Every moment that is present becomes past in the blink of an eye. That fraction of a second transforms to something we call history before we even know it. People often say- ‘Live the moment’. I like to understand this phrase in a very special manner a method through which you can capture the present; to create something in every moment so that even after it becomes past, every time you think of it, you can feel the same emotions, think ofthe same things and taste the same flavors. It is like freezing the moment by encapsulating them into memories. On 7th and 8th of February, the History Society at Ashoka University did something similar by organizing a ‘Memory Museum’. Anybody from the Ashoka family could display any object that is memorable to them. Professors and students had given objects which spoke out stories that were truly heartwarming. The voice of every object resonated within the room which created a very sweet vibe. There were a few stories as discussed below that struck a chord and stayed with me even after I left the museum.
Isha Pareek, a first year undergraduate student, had displayed a parachute that saved her father’s life. On 22 November 1993 in Ambala, her father Flg. Offr. Puneet Pareek, had gone on a practice bombing sortie in a Jaguar JS120. While coming back, he discovered that his plane had malfunctioned making it impossible for him to land. Ejecting from the same parachute, he managed to escape alive, as the plane crashed in a big ball of fire. Professor Alexander Philips presented a medal that was given to him for donating stem cells to an anonymous blood cancer patient. This medal was awarded by the state of New York appreciating his selflessness. Varun Mallik proffered his great grandmother’s stone moulds that were used to mould sweets made out of jaggery, coconut or cottage cheese. Varun managed to get two of the last few moulds left behind from his great-grandmother’s collection. These moulds forever remind him of his grandmother’s great role in kindling his passion for cooking and eating.
These were just a few stories that gripped my heart. However, every object in the room had a touch of personal connect that had such intriguing tales to tell. The history society at Ashoka was not only successful in celebrating the past but also bringing it back to life.