The Fire

Our college is located inside the Exhibition Grounds. This huge piece of land was donated by Sarojini Naidu to the government for educational institutions. On the grounds, there’s a school, a degree college, and a polytechnic college. There are no hostels for the school, but both colleges have their own hostels. I studied in one of them.

By the time we were in our final year, hostel rules required us to stay on the topmost floor, which is the fourth floor. Our room was right in the center, with a view of the entire exhibition ground. My friend Manoja and I had even argued with the warden and HOD to get that room, because during exhibition season (just 45 days a year), we could see everything from our window.

On Wednesday, January 30, 2019, it was a normal exhibition day. People were coming in, shopping, and leaving as usual. After dinner, we were sitting by our window, pleasantly watching the stalls and the crowd. Suddenly, we noticed a small fire break out in the middle of the exhibition. At first, we ignored it, thinking it was minor. But within minutes, the fire spread like crazy, clothes, toys, stalls, everything started burning.

We didn’t know what to do. The first person we called was our Maths HOD, Malati ma’am. She was the one we’d always turn to, whether it was good news or bad. Then we spread the news through WhatsApp statuses, called fire engines, and informed the police. basically, we tried every possible way to alert people.

Inside the room, it was me, Manoja, Pravalika, Maina, Venalla, Bindu, and Ashu. We closed the door and sat by the window, watching the fire spread and people run. The noises outside were terrifying. We thought everyone else in the hostel was doing the same. But then one of our friends called and asked, “Where are you guys? I can’t find you!” We casually said, “What do you mean? We’re in our room.” She screamed, “Are you mad? Everyone has evacuated the hostel!

That’s when we panicked. We opened our room door and realized the entire floor was empty. Not a single person was there. Just then, our friend Ramya ran up and dragged us down to the ground floor. But at the gate, security stopped us. He said, “The fire is too close to the hostel gate. You can’t go out now.” We begged him to let us go, telling him everyone else had already left. Finally, he allowed us out, with a security person escorting us.

We ran and reached the metro station, where all the other hostel students were waiting. That night, rules didn’t exist. The strict hostel curfews vanished. The metro staff even let everyone ride for free. Some girls went to relatives' or friends' houses without informing anyone, and some of us just stayed at the station.

The fire raged on, but thankfully, no one was hurt. Still, the loss was massive. Vendors had come from all over India to sell their products, and everything was reduced to ashes, clothes, toys, and money all gone.

Eventually, most students went with relatives, but Manoja and I returned to the hostel around 2 a.m., once the fire was under control. We tried to sleep, but it was impossible. Sirens, JCBs, vehicles, shouting. It was all too loud. There was no electricity in the hostel, only a handful of people, and honestly, we were terrified. Manoja and I didn’t leave each other’s side for a second. Even to go to the washroom, we held hands the whole time. Thinking about it now makes me laugh, but that night, we were truly shaken.

The next morning, we went straight to the office. Malati ma’am, the warden, and other staff were already there. For Manoja and me, the office wasn’t a place we visited only for work; we loved chit-chatting with lecturers. So, we narrated the whole night to them. They advised us to take 4–5 days of rest, saying students might need some time to recover from the mental stress.

Later, the hostel decided to provide lunch for the vendors who lost everything in the fire. Of course, Manoja and I volunteered. Along with the staff, we served meals to them. After that, all we did for the next 3–4 days was eat, sleep, and watch movies. Slowly, the exhibition resumed, and life went back to normal.

Even today, whenever January 30 comes around or we hear fire news, we remember that night. We laugh about it now, but on that day, we were genuinely scared out of our wits.

Students often joke, “What if our college burns down? Maybe we’ll get holidays!” Well, in our case, the exhibition grounds actually burned down—and yes, we got holidays.