The real fun time of the day is actually at night. Media students definitely know this. For them, awake in the day- is a mortal sin almost. Not their fault of course. Class room lectures are too boring. So the nodding heads syndrome automatically begins. Rightfully so. Nights are so much more interesting after all. Night is when the intelligent lot seek to educate themselves. Being awake at night thus becomes a spontaneous mission –  a voluntary act which enriches the mind- purifies the soul!

There are myriad reasons why these students have lost their sleep at night. True the rods and cones of the eye are attuned to shutting down naturally, following one’s bio-rhythm as the night progresses. Yet, the diligent ‘pupils’ function on an inverted reality.

Insomnia rules all corridors. If the student life is happily resided in a hostel, then Insomnia is most certainly a religion devotedly espoused. If the student has the luxury of staying at his/her own place, insomnia, is still a virtue.

The endless cups of coffee- in canteens, in between lectures, in between dates, in between multi-tasking- day and night- is one of the most important catalysts of this highly followed practice. Caffeine gives the adrenaline rush the much needed energy push and keeps minds happy and thoughts carefree easily. Alert of course to non academic matters.

For the media life ,weed is the symbol of freedom. The puffs of freedom predominates all beings. Pervades deep into the conscience and drives sleep away. Floating empty is thus a dream- with eyes wide open.

Assignment- deadlines- rush to beat the time is always there in the media students’ lives. Part and parcel of it as most tend to procrastinate till the last moment- as an unspoken rule. When the death knell rings, most hit the panic button. Sleeplessness is then a habitual mode-which leaves people unaffected-yet vindicated of the joy of insomnia.

College memories are always full of downloads at every possible opportunity. When the firewalls are phased out, this favourite nocturnal activity picks up speed. Weird and weirder downloads are tried and tested by all. Shared and  laughed over. Seen again and again. Shared some more.

6 am, the lights are still on. The pillow fights are in full swing. The steam from the Maggi bowls are still rising – punctuated by smell of coffee. Darts go flying through the air and so do paper aeroplanes in their helter skelter ways.Music still blares out loud from all speakers. Sometimes its just a band of the creative few , playing its own music. Some on guitar, some on drums- all heads together, putting the final touches to their compositions.

So what’s new?? Some might turn back and say. “Impatience, is the new life”- after all.

Many lose themselves in the virtual world of games. Shouts of victory, anger, peals of laughter- all filter across periodically. The choices are many. The time is unlimited.

Why most are still awake-  For watching movies of course. Torrent is a buzz word. All the latest releases, the unreleased, the flops, the hits- are all avidly watched. Watched and learned. The action sequences played ten times. The “censored” parts seen with unabashed eyes. The cheers, jeers, curses, claps-all rage on –  unmindful of the stealthy way of the night as it creeps out.

For most, its another Tequila Sunrise, stirring across the sky.  Excited debates on who’s who, crushes, likes, dislikes, the 5 w-s and 1 h (strictly in different contexts) chirp on over the drags and sips. Topics are endless- when the mind is at its most active. Sharp witty remarks flow back and forth as the banter carries on incessantly. Night is young, they say. Why not live for every moment then? Night is the time when all the students can come out of their hibernating shells and show their true colours unfazed. Night is that time of the day when the mind is at its receptive best. Redbull gives all the energy needed thus.

The chat sessions in g-talk or facebook are unanimously one of the addictive reasons for the hyperactive mind- specially when “multi is no longer a task.” Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and other social networking sites have multitudes of the media mass parked at its shelter around the clock. Many a times these amiable students have peers and associates scattered in all parts of the globe- with whom it becomes an imperative  must to keep in touch daily almost. The eyes thus get well adjusted to the laptop screens- glued to every new development. Sleep has no place in this life-sadly.

Many are habituated to the party scenario- as a healthy participant or simply part of the pg 3 editorial team. Media students, after all, update themselves on the latest happenings “at the crack of dawn.”

There is no conscious attempt to drive sleep away. What happens, is a natural process.

Among all these, rather “unusual” factors, there are students of course, who love to study at night. Will power and passion drive them to the point of full wakefulness 24/7. Their minds are always loaded with question marks as they picture reality as a matrix, which enable them to establish a causal relationship to all happening of world. They cant sleep until they know enough. And like we all know, knowledge has no end.

For  the media students, life is a thus a brook un-ebbed. From one point to the other, their thoughts traverse through unchartered channels. Therein lies the beauty of life. The lack of restraint in any action. The bleary beady eyes in the morning, sleeping through lectures, alive at the dynamic flow of life- thus symbolize freedom. A norm need not be followed. After all as media students, “We weren’t born to follow.”