Shambhuraj Deshmukh, a first year BSc student at Guru Nanak Khalsa College, was elated to discuss notes and finally chat up with his friends in person, after almost 19 months of online learning. The turnout on the Day 1 of college reopening, on Wednesday, was mostly lukewarm. The regular hustle-bustle returned to only a handful of campuses in the city.

Deshmukh and three of his friends were among several groups of chirpy students that had formed on the campus on Wednesday. “I am back to the same college I completed my junior years from. But, there are so many newcomers in the first year of degree, and today is actually their first day on campus,” said Deshmukh, as the group shared that no high-tech online learning can match the experience of being in college.