“This is a satire piece, learn to laugh, you will definitely live longer”
What makes LUMS, LUMS at the end of the day?
When I pause to ponder over this question, my mind reverts back to Oweek’17. I had the privilege of being coached by someone who till this very day abides strongly with what he said on Day 1.
Agar LUMS mei kabhi chill krna ho toh friends kay sath Khoka(y) pr beth jao
In fact, that is how I first picked up on the term Khoka chillings. No matter what part of the semester is, the green benches adjacent to the drive lane, right outside the Khoka Shop are the way out. Be it flunking a quiz to expressing your valuable take on the PDA issue, Khoka is the place that allows you to illustrate on your LUMS (and life) experience(s).
But what is all the hype about?
This spring semester provided me with the opportunity to explore the university (and myself) in a very non-conventional and nuanced way. Simply put, quite different from what & how your Oweek coaches would describe. Thankfully to my cause, I had a friend alongside who was ready to contribute her input into the matter.
The other day both of us sat down to grab a cup of chai. From what was initially a normal friends conversation went on a tangent of dissecting the place in front of us: the Khoka!
We were not surprised to see the place crowded with people because that is usually how Friday afternoons appear to be. Although you would expect some of them to return back home.
Making full use of the spare time we had, the two of us embarked on a mission to understand Khoka. What is it about the place? Who are these people you get to see every day? And finally (and most importantly), Is the Khoka hype really worth it?
Dissecting Khoka
You are mistaken if you thought Khoka was a term that originated in LUMS. Sure, the word is used more frequently than it would possibly be used outside the vicinity of the institution. But Yes, there are Khokas outside LUMS as well
In the literal sense of the word, Khoka is primarily a shop on the corner of a street where people would sit down, have a tea coupled with some ‘gup-shup’.
Well, in one way or the other, the literal meaning does relate to what actually happens at LUMS. Yet, there are some particularities which I have observed and found worth mentioning here.
It’s about the same type of people you get to witness on a daily basis, and possibly wearing the same type of outfit over and over again. Mind you I mean the guys in jogger pants with an Adidas jacket and Nike shoes (without socks) above all to complement the combination.
Let’s dissect the Khoka starting from the drive lane.
You exit your car at this location possibly because you want to mingle in with the Khoka chillers. The first thing you notice? There are people everywhere, literally everywhere. Finding a spare bench might be impossible at this point so all you have to do now is find anyone you know and try fixing in. That anyone could be someone from your Oweek group, society or an individual you asked notes from and they were nice enough to share them with you. Which in a way explains how LUMS freshies actually begin their friendships.
All you need to do is force yourself in with a group that wouldn’t possibly mind your presence. They probably do but unfortunately, are too shallow to exhibit their concerns out front.
If you manage to look around, each bench has a group although appearing to be the same but doing somewhat a different activity. The conversation centres around LUMS life, quizzes, gossips etc. Not that, you, as an individual find the conversation(s) meaningful, but there is no other choice. You have to fix yourself in because you need validation from the group members.
But what about the time when all the conversations seem meaningless and no one has any contribution to make? In that case, start playing Rung! There is no reason why you should even get up from that bench.
Manage to look closely at the Poondi Benches! You come across a bunch of seniors, not in any way appearing to be worried about their future prospects. At that point, all that matters: a cigarette and some Tame Impala music to make most of the situation.
If you ever have to sit at a Khoka Bench, the one adjacent to the shop window is a straightforward NO! Mainly for two reasons: a) Ijaz bhai has an exhaust installed at that location which essentially means you expose yourself to unbearably hot air. b) There is always some society thing happening on that bench.
Not going to point out which society, in particular, occupies the bench the most, but you know who you are.
Perhaps the environment of the Khoka wasn’t lit enough for these society people and the only way to overcome that is to make everyone listen to Faded by Alan Walker in the loudest possible volume. If people disapprove of the song (which normally should be the case) then you have some NFAK qawalis as a viable alternative.
Not going to mention the windows, they are always reserved for certain kinds of people.
Move a bit ahead to land yourself in the extended part of the Khoka. LUMS literally had to make an extension to accommodate more Chillers.
The story is a bit different here. You possibly won’t come across people playing rung or listening to EDM rather the benches have supposedly a different purpose altogether. If you don’t run into some faculty members, then mind you there will be some birthday celebration happening. Long story short, the Extended Khoka, on a comparative, happens to be much more peaceful and calmer. Although who knows, it probably won’t be long before the Chillers take over this part as well
Conclusion?
There is no conclusion. Try being a little nerd and experience the tranquillity of the LUMS library.
