Nameless

It was one scoop of hard work, three years of dream-time and enough of luck that took a girl to her dream academics- management! She was asked by her Maker to be the only child of a couple who were government servants in the God’s own country! They could afford her the best education; she received schooling in the first C. B. S. E affiliated school in the village. Tuned to the British language at a very early age, familiar to the ways of convent education and more importantly brought up by a modest family, she was no special girl. The village girl somehow had a taste of her own unlike those of her gender, age, caste, religion and region. Her reading patterns were not strange but, all she read had sown deep thoughts in her mind. Her dressing was no vulgar, but tom-boyish as jean and t-shirts were quite strange for the villagers to be cool about- she was viewed as ‘different’. Being tom-boyish was not a ‘thing’ for her because it was a ‘thing’ only for others, for her…she was just being herself! She was tagged as ‘different’. Neither parents nor the girl had career plans for her. She followed her school instructor [precisely in the post matriculation years], aimed at being either a doctor or an engineer- pathetic! She now admits that it was the most foolish part in her life that she had decided to venture at something which her heart never longed for. At least consulting a dictionary for the word meaning ‘engineer’ or ‘doctor’ would have helped. For the mistakes in those years, she has learned the importance teachers can play in a pupil’s life! She now believes in mentoring and instructing, not ‘teaching’! Poor career plans had guided her to the best of her life, or she made the best out of ruins she was left with. Phoenix. The bedrock for her dreams, ideas and the very formation of her present just began. The degree in History from a popular campus in her town had equipped her to dream big and live life the way she wanted it to be. She did believe in helping others in pursuing their dreams. No charity. No violence. True love with toppings of lust, music, books, movies and travel. By then it so happened that this girl was ready to launch herself to a bigger arena. So the maths in the examination paper was not that bad. The English passages easy and the candidate flew out with the tenth rank in the Common Admission Test conducted by the university. I hope that my readers would have, by this time figured out with ease that I was talking [oh, sorry…writing/typing] about none other than myself! My education in the oldest School of Management in the country is a mixture of nightmares, friendships and excitement. One of my batch mates had the opportunity to read anarticle of mine and the poor chap poked me ‘’write about your days in the campus, friendships, etc.’’. I am sure he had the least of assurance that I will obey him. But yes, my dear it has happened. I am obeying you and please find happiness in reading this! I was keen on my course being M. B. A. I had no doubts on it. I very clearly remember one of the candidates remarking after our group discussion procedure, ‘’you act very well, expressive face you have’’. I had no clue that people do observe so closely and make mistakes while commenting! We had large classrooms with comfortable furnishings, projector and enough power points to charge cell phones and laptops. I won’t make any general comments and those who read further, please make sure that they digest my views else vomit the dirt. We had enough freedom. One could be what she/he wanted. The soil was fertile, enough nutrients and moderators. All that mattered was what the students preferred to sow. I chose to experience. And I shall tell you some of it- if you are expecting me to reveal my love life, habits, failures etc….well you do have some hope. But I like suspense and would love to cultivate the habit of imagination in my readers, so never expect me to be the confession and you to be in the priest’s robe. Hmmm…I would like to begin with food. Our hostel canteen was not bad, but nothing great either for a foodie. This was not an excuse but a solid reason for me to eat out. I have explored almost every veg-joints in the town. Pappu uncle, the Punjabi Dhaba owner in the town [The Queen of the Arabian Sea] loved to see me enter the restaurant with new friends each weekend. The hot salt lussy, hot phulkas which I used to decorate with Amul butter, green peas masala sabjis, fresh paneer cubes and the fragrance of spices from adjoin shops were too many reasons for me to be a regular. The student-pocket friendly prices of fresh food in this joint [now, hygiene maniacs please excuse me] was my pleasure point no.1. Fast moving ‘consumer good[food]. Café Coffee Day outlets in the town shall never forget me and my friends I swear. We were those lazy people who would discuss too much over a single coffee. Had the store owner calculated the loss he had incurred because of us occupying his seats for long…he would have fired all his staff for entertaining us with similes and service. Well…customers are never to be questioned! Men and women [I don’t care where we come form, be it Mars or Venus]. I have had the best time in my life to start learning about relationships. Men are always men, and women hardly try to change. You talk to you opposite sex then you are a spoiled seed. Girl you look appealing, well then you are trying to seduce. Boy, you act smart, you will be cornered! Why the hell do people smell only the stench? Our society so stupid to ignore the pleasant. It is partly about jealousy too. Being transparent has invited such trouble. Even the ones who are supposed to be models have talked dirt to me. Well, how can the disciples differ from the holy path! Let me open up about my very sweet memories. Friends! I had no enemies! I had a friend who dared to slap me on my face. I had a friend who literally tolerated me. One who guided me. One who walked with me. Luckily none followed me, I enjoy this uniqueness! I still share the same with all of them [except the one who slapped me, he was wrong in two ways, one in what he had done which made me talk against him the other, slapping me]. I had no male chauvinism to experience from my male friends and I had good female friends who never bitched me. The one-arm’s distance theory works fine in every relationship. Well, I shall not complete unless I mention about the purpose of my course. Academics! I was less than average. I tell you; ‘teaching’ is boring for my kind of genes. I wish I had good mentors there. Now I realize that I was polishing myself like a pebble in the wild course of a river. I can withstand the blows and breezes in life. I have had the opportunity to taste a bit of trust, anger, love, sarcasm, rebellion and belief. I am not going to conclude. I know, this is still incomplete. But I warned you in the beginning- I like suspense!