Srinagar, Aug. 2 -- We were literally a dirty dozen.

In a college buzzing with bigger batches and celebrated courses, the twelve of us were tucked away in a corner. We were mechanical engineering students, half-forgotten by the larger campus, yet fully present in each other's lives.

We weren't famous, but there was something solid about our group that clicked like a well-oiled machine.

Each of us brought something different to the table. Asif Ali, for instance, had a mind like a laser, cutting through problems with precision.

There was one Mounis Mallik, chased by merit. It was like marks followed him out of respect. Then there was Akhtar Rasool. That boy didn't study, he wrestled with books. Mechanics of Solids in one hand, Engineeri...