It began in those misty Laitkor mornings. The kind where the fog wrapped around the hills like it had nowhere better to be. The kind where even time hit the snooze button.
We walked into campus half awake, bags heavier than our intentions, pretending we hated mornings while secretly loving the ritual of it all. The corridors hummed before we did. Chalk scraped against blackboards. Bells rang with unnecessary confidence. And somewhere between unfinished homework, shared tiffins, and bad canteen jokes, something quietly important was happening.
We were becoming us. Not individuals chasing marks or medals. Not lone stars trying to shine brighter than the rest. But a batch. A crowd. A unit. That is the thing OLA teaches you without ever putting it on the syllabus.
No one becomes strong by standing alone.
The Early Lessons No One Noticed
At first, it looked ordinary. Classrooms. Attendance. Assemblies where we stood too long and listened too little. But between the obvious lessons, there were the real ones.
How to pass notes without getting caught. How to copy without being obvious and how to get caught anyway. How to laugh when things went wrong. How to sit quietly next to someone who did not need advice, just company.
Batch after batch, year after year, the Shillong sky watched us grow. Not just taller, but thicker skinned. We grew a sense of humour that could survive embarrassment. A loyalty that refused to dissolve in the rain. And an understanding that someone always had your back, even if they complained about it loudly.
We were not just classmates. We were the fine print in each other’s stories. The side characters who mattered. The witnesses. The ones who knew the before.
Moving Like a Crowd Thinking Like a Team
OLA never felt like a place where you had to be perfect. You just had to be present. We moved like a crowd loud, messy, impossible to control. But when it mattered, we thought like a team.
Shared laughs that echoed down hallways long after the joke was over. Shared battles that bruised egos, friendships, and sometimes knees. Shared silence during tough days when words felt too heavy. And somehow, every mountain felt shorter when climbed with the same mad people who swore they would push you up.
Or at least pretend they did not see you slip. There was comfort in knowing that failure would not be faced alone. That success would be celebrated loudly, even if it was not yours. That is rare. And we did not know how rare it was until much later.
Joy Doubt Mischief Heartbreak
Life did not go easy on us. It never does. There were moments of pure joy wins that made us feel ten feet tall. There were doubts about grades, futures, ourselves. There was mischief the kind that becomes legend by lunch. And heartbreak the quiet kind that teaches you empathy early.
Whatever life threw at us, we threw back together. Someone always cracked a joke. Someone always offered a shoulder. Someone always said Chal it will be fine even when they had no proof. That is how bonds form. Not in perfect moments, but in shared chaos.
Legacy Is Not Loud It Is Loyal
People love to talk about legacy like it is built by heroes. The toppers. The captains. The ones with their names etched in gold. But OLA’s legacy It is quieter. Stronger. More stubborn.
It is built by ordinary souls who decided sometimes consciously, sometimes not to show up for each other. Again and again. It is the friend who stayed back to explain a concept. The senior who said Relax it is not that bad. The batchmate who defended you when you were not around.
The teacher who believed in you before you did. Legacy lives in these moments. In consistency. In care.
Growing Older Not Growing Apart
So here we are now. Older. Maybe wiser. Definitely louder. Faces we recognise instantly, even after years. Stories that do not need full explanations just keywords and laughter.
Memories that refuse to fade, no matter how far life pulls us. Time has changed many things. Careers. Cities. Priorities. But it has not dimmed that glow.
Because OLA was never just a phase. It was a foundation. We did not just leave with certificates. We left with a mindset that we are better when we are together.
Why OLA Endures
OLA endures for one simple reason. We chose to stay. We chose to stay connected. To show up for reunions, conversations, causes. To cheer each other on from different corners of the world. We chose to stand as one even when life tried to scatter us. Because some things are not meant to fade into memory.
Some bonds demand maintenance, effort, and a little madness. And honestly We would not have it any other way. Better Together Always OLA is not perfect. Neither are we. But together, we are resilient. Together, we are louder than doubt. Together, we are home.
Because some things like misty mornings, shared laughter, and lifelong friendships are simply better when experienced together. And some legacies They do not need statues or speeches. They just need people who refuse to let go.
Better Together.
That is not just our story. That is our strength.