The Pilani Pilgrims

by Suresh L

Some journeys take you back to where you began… Nine guys – the Pilani Pilgrims - take off on their first reunion trip to BITS Pilani, 18 years after they have passed out. However, only one of them knows that there’s a hidden agenda in this desert safari… Hours before Maitreyee starts off on her 32-hour train journey to become a BITSian, she discovers a secret that has remained hidden in her family for the past two decades - a book with letters written to her Mom by a man named Joe. Who was Joe? Where did he vanish all of a sudden? Why do the nine guys choose hot, hot July to have a reunion on campus? What is the hidden motive behind their meeting? How does Maitreyee come to terms with her unexpected discovery? A treasure chest of memories is opened as a series of mails sweeps everyone off their feet and takes them on an unforgettable journey to the land where the past is going to come face to face with the future. As for the answers to the questions above, they can be found at the place where it all began - BITS Pilani . “To take something that is close to your heart and to entwine it with something that is part of your very DNA – that’s storytelling at its most honest form. This is what Suresh has done with The Pilani Pilgrims. As you embark on this refreshing narrative, you cannot help but relive the past and look at it with wonder,nostalgia…and an undeniable sense of wistfulness. It’s never too late to be a teenager… but if you don’t subscribe to that theory, your next best bet would be to pick up this book and allow it to transport you to when you were. - Anu Hasan actor, singer, model, TV personality, entrepreneur and a BITSian to the core

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2014

Reviews

[Sahil Khatkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a book begins with two people sitting in Sky for a ‘psenti drag’, you can safely assume that it will, if nothing else, strike a chord with the inconspicuous Pilani-lover hidden deep down within any BITSian's convoluted conscience. With its description of countless anecdotes from an age gone by, the personal vicissitudes of a rather insecure BITSian and the collective antics of a close-knit wing, the book manages to do just that.
It follows two parallel stories: first, that of a group of nostalgic alumni who are reuniting in the campus 18 years after graduating. Through a heady mix of laccha sessions, juvenile jabs and multiple trips down memory lane, the reminiscing ex-BITSians paint quite a picture of a ‘gen’ BITSian’s life from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, replete with amusing wing traditions, comical PS tales, fest chronicles, jaundice induced campus epidemics and a strike or two sprinkled for good measure.
The other is the story of a reluctant 17-year old girl being accompanied by her mother on her first journey to this inconsequential desert town. Her reluctance turns into curiosity when she discovers a hidden folder full of love letters from a BITSian of the ’87 batch to her mother, hinting at a love triangle between the two and her long deceased father, while subsequently setting up a rather poignant climax.
Although the amalgamation of these two slowly converging stories scores quite well on the nostalgic front, especially if you’re an alumnus or psenti-semite, the plot does have its shortcomings. For one, it is unable to maintain the tempo it sets in the initial few pages, often losing itself in detailed descriptions of the BITSians of yore. This is compounded by the fact that there are a total of at least ten key characters, making it virtually impossible for the reader to keep a tab on each of their traits or connecting with them on a personal level. While this disconnect may lead to the climatic scenes packing a mightier punch for the casual reader, a meticulous reading of the book undertaken at a leisurely pace could possibly unravel the entire tale prematurely.
Observing it from a purely literary viewpoint, however, this debut novel from an ex-BITSian definitely takes a place above most of the other current popular literature which chalks out college experiences. Grammatically sound, though not a literary masterpiece by any standard, the book deftly incorporates BITSian lingo into an easy to follow prose style, thus becoming an apt choice for any BITSian who wants to cultivate a habit for reading or wishes to delve into some light material about familiar things.
All in all, even though it mentions enough incidents to fill any unimaginative BITSians’ psenti-sem bucket list, or transform even the most raucous alumnus into a silently weeping wreck craving for a Sharma’s MNB, the novel captures the true essence of what a meek naïve child takes away from his/her stint in this institute – a bit of knowledge, a lot of confidence, a multitude of memorable experiences and friendships that triumph over all else, whatever the situations, distance or time. The book is not merely a collection of some amusing incidents depicted immaculately, nor can it be termed a definitive page turner, but it is a story about our lovely little hamlet, with its sundry weather and beautiful life-long relationships; a story about us all and for us all.
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[Aravind Nagarajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good nostalgia trip.

[Dhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parallel stories that finally converge. Mostly the first degree students from BITS Pilani, Pilani campus can relate to a lot of things in the book - 'been there, done that'.