

n

RAB Series

The R Story

A novel by

Ribhu Ahuja

Copyright © Ribhu Ahuja 2008

Free Gift – some poetry!

To write poetry (good poetry), a person should be heartbroken, not just once but several times. And a man's or a woman's heart don't just breaks when (s)he is ditched by his/her so called life partner; people's heart breaks when they don't get what they expect from someone - be it a living being or be it the almighty creator. Their heart breaks when they eagerly demand something from themselves and they repeatedly realize that they are not capable of fulfilling their own expectations even after attempting all possible efforts and going through different ordeals and pains. It breaks, when they have to prove that they are right, but despite proving their correctness, their proofs are not considered legitimate or not accepted socially. Their heart breaks when they don't get peace or they are offended or bullied by someone. Most importantly their heart breaks when their loved ones don't understand them and start opposing them.

Anyways, this is a part and parcel of the package called life - everyone in this world is heartbroken in some way or the other, at sometime or the other and poetry is some sort of an amalgamation of the feeling of heartbreak, sense of cognition and a very basic rhyming. So apparently there is a poet in all of us as we all contain these three elements for being a poet and it's a matter of time when we realize that we can all put our imaginations onto paper in the form of words and rhymes...one day.

Thank you

"Respect the teachers. They are like gods." This was taught to me by my mom, who is a teacher.

"Respect the teachers for sure but if they don't behave like teachers, take you for granted always and start behaving like unethical monsters, then don't forget to teach them a lesson tactfully and making them realize that you are also human as they are, and sometimes you can also make mistakes as they did." This was taught to me by one of my mentors, who is a school principal. I agree with both of them, because that's how the life is supposed to be lived.

"Respect the teachers for sure and but if they don't behave........and all the above I agreed to, but those who mentor you – your teachers, your parents, your peers, your bosses, even your juniors, trust me they are all biased for the one reason that they are all humans with one heart on the left side which can't be right for most of the practicalities of life and a brain at the top of their head which makes them think – sometimes for you and is most of the times trained naturally to prioritize for themselves and their people, and occasionally you might also be a 'rit' in their favorites so they are thinking in favor of you. I am no one to judge anyone's parents or teachers or bosses or relatives but why, why one of the kids becomes a better child for parents and why the teachers say, 'o that kid is not ranked high in my list?' Life in itself is a practice and you learn to live it better and better as you learn its principles and understand its simple complexities – just like playing a guitar, like playing video games, like understanding the female sex – the more you practice, the more near to perfect you become. But there is one more thing to it and that is that if I am intelligent and if I am mentally strong then I could not become anything – neither bad nor good, neither crook nor candid, neither a hero nor a zero. I can only curse myself sitting in a corner of a dark and shady room criticizing myself with a bitter and entirely rubbish but absolute truth and that is 'an intelligent and mentally strong man can NOT seriously become anything and that a fool and a weak can only make efforts to become something, to gain and to achieve and a lot of weakness and foolishness is required to run this world.' What achievement is an achievement, what mission is a mission without any challenges? And weak and foolish only MAKE themselves better, prepare to become strong and intelligent and plan to face the challenges and break the code. History is the biggest proof that everything that's done without planning could let the strongest loose easily and proper planning, accompanied with a long smooch of confidence and a touch of zeal could make a weaker be victorious. That's what I had learnt throughout my life after facing so many situations and problems till now and I am still learning the lessons of the game called life, not to win the wars but the hearts and that, my dear friends is this story for.... and this book is dedicated:

To all those people who made me realize how delicate, beautiful, important, strong, powerful and deadly –

IS the game of LOVE.

I said 'game' of love because it is believed even in today's world, that love is strong and it's the strength of any relationship and it wins over all the obstacles and the ones who are against it; though it requires genuineness and sacrifices, but even that way, don't its definition makes love a game, with its own properties and rules?........... Every love story generally has a common theme - we see you meet, face challenges, fall in love, face challenges, even get married, face challenges and it's all a predictable dream. The last shot will show you and your lover with a family. That's it right? Well no. because I believe in mentioning something which is real, something from somewhere me and you belong – this real world. And there, love do not wins – not always; I have faced it and seen many others losing to love and then moving on. Aren't we all becoming like that clever fox who says that it won't eat those grapes coz they are sour?

'Love is a part of life, just like breathing and eating, although you start getting the feeling and urges and your body parts develop for it at an age near around adulthood and then it becomes the part of your life gradually. But it is a very special thing and a relationship based on it should be developed with one special person, with whom you carry out your entire life with.' That's how a lady teacher of biology subject explained about sex to the students of class eight and I was in the audience too. Everybody listened quietly and paid special attention to the first part of the definition of sex where love was used instead of the s word as school is a place to learn values and they tend to hide and filter out words and complete situations just with an aim, not to teach us to cross any limits and live decently. I respect that part of my school life and many others where some things got filtered from the real world but I seriously doubt the teachings of the school life of ours coz it do not teaches how things actually work, how do our system works and what to do when we face a troublesome situation. We all need to figure it out ourselves, learning about dealing with it in a hard way. There is a very good song written by one of the greatest rock stars – Ozzy Ozbourne, I am a big fan of his, named 'working class hero'. Everyone to learn the real meaning of life should listen........ God made this life simple and full of love, but we have already made it more complicated than it could ever be. When you are born, they all make you feel small by tagging you a name 'junior'. They try to teach you everything according to what they think is right, they filter out the things which they feel you should not listen to or talk about. You don't have a right to teach them anything coz you are yet a junior and you have not brought anything in your tiny brain from where you got born; details of that place don't matter here much. They make you learn to speak and talk and still when they come and meet you they pull your cheeks and say cheeeeeeeeeeee chuuuuuuuuuuuuu, muchhuuuuuuuuuuuu puchhhuuuuuuuuuuuu and what not all strangest words whose meaning you wont be able to understand ever. They don't talk to you in the language they taught you but do all this. When you go to school, you are made to learn what the school, the teachers and your parents have to offer. And if you don't have an interest in mugging up 'A for apple' and 'B for boy', you are their victim. You don't have to bother about the pain that gets collected inside your brain; you just have to live the life and continue learning but just what they have to teach. Life goes on and you somehow learn to live with the pressure on you to come first in school and facing humiliation every now and then when you do not do so or especially when you fail in a subject or two. After you grow up, you are expected to become an engineer or a doctor or another form of a bookworm and your parents have high expectations from you since that is their birth right. After completing the graduation, when you enter the real world to start a new phase of life, for which you have been prepared throughout your life by being put into various emotional, physical and mental pressures, you have already lost the capability of thinking your own way – which the world would praise since it would bring in a new idea, a new concept or a new revolution. I am not being negative over here, but I am being realistic because this is what generally happens with our lives. A would be rock star is forced to become a doctor and after so many efforts he or she becomes too, but would he be saving as many lives a good doctor would have? This is a perspective of the person living this life, but there is another perspective to it too – our perspective. There is this truth of life – some things happen the way they are supposed to happen because they are bound to happen that way since they are written by someone already in a book called destiny and the rules of destiny are followed until you and I make efforts to change the present so that a new page could be added to this book of destiny and this may change the story of future a lot or a bit. Have you ever imagined; that whenever you are trapped badly in a situation at the office or at your home and you get more and more frustrated since you seem to find no solution to a problem and it becomes more and more hopeless every second that passes by? Now try thinking your friend being in the same situation and try to see that particular situation from bird's eye view – jump a thousand feet above in the sky and see your friend trapped in that problem. What do you feel? Since you are not facing that problem now, The solution is quiet simple; you know what he should do now to tackle that situation and come out of it flawlessly; you just need to tell the solution to him or her and your friend will be out of it in minutes, if not seconds. Now, fall a thousand feet down from the sky where you had jumped putting your friend in the problem which actually you were facing. Remove your friend from that situation and put yourself back in there again to come back to reality where you were facing that impossible situation and now you know what to do to change your present that has been written in destiny. Now you know that the twist in the situation is not just a proverb; this is how you deal with someone who has written it bad for you and that's why they call it a dynamic world – where situations and rules can change all the time. And believe me, there is no exception to it – love, war, hatred, friendship, relations; every dam thing is a game and to win, you just need to know its rules and its weak points and you need to be foolish and weak enough to learn to make a change possible. So next time you face a situation, smile at it because at least you know what to do to change the destiny; weather you are able to change it or not depends or how foolish and weak you are and......on the destiny.

#

#  Preface

Well, the most of it, I have already mentioned above but then there is a little more to it. And I found it most effort taking to write this part since I rarely read any books and reading preface of a book...... is like playing billiards and using feet instead of hands in that game. I had done many crazy things in life but one like this......nnnno. This is a story book which starts simple – one guy, a few mischifs and then bang! Love, and then immediate failure, and then pains and then........ ha ha; you would have to read for the last part, up to the last page, right from the first and then, if you wish to say something to me, if you wish to leave any feedback, you can e mail me on the address below:

rabseriestherstory@gmail.com

But, I know that everything on the web is prone to change, so if the above address does not work on some odd day then you will simply have to find me via your favorite search engine. Or, you may find a freshwater pond at midnight, thrice recite the magical spell 'Ribhu.....Ahuja', and then touch this book to the water of the pond and then, wait and watch.......My new and upcoming website address will then form upon the surface of the pool in glittering letters.

You see, this is the problem with reading. Books are where ideas come from. The idea of writing this story also came from reading a book. It started with a mixed feeling of 'Hey, if thousands of writers can, let me also give it a try' and a challenge from a friend, who said, 'What, you are planning to write a novel or what? Ha Ha.' And that laugh made me accept and win this challenge from my friend from TCS – Sushil Choudhary. Challenge accepted mate!

But why   series - The   story? Because there is more to it \- The   story and The   story, just wait and watch. And   series because, that's me. I am   Singh; that's what my school friends call me. The   story is a story about a simple yet bright guy – Ronit, who after school goes for a civil engineering course when he falls in love. His life gets ruined when he gets to know the reality about his girlfriend and when she betrays him – though she had her own reasons. It's about how painful it gets when love tends to almost fail. It's about the tests and tears which Ronit undergo. Life takes the endless and dark route and then what happens, is what the   story all about.

#  Questionnaire:

Where did you grow up and how did you get into poetry?

I was born in Jaipur – Pink city, India and did my schooling from St. Xavier's Jaipur, did my engineering in Kolhapur, Maharashtra and then moved to Delhi and had been working there for past thirteen years in different domains – I started with BPOs, moved into IT recruitment and finally into IT – SAP technical domain and worked in IT companies like TCS and HCL.

I wrote my first poem when I was seven years old, when I was in class 2 and when I didn't even know about the vast and deep feelings like immense hate, excruciatingly painful heartbreaks or eternal love, which are required to be present in one's heart to write a sensible poem. I still remember, we used to get a lot of homework from school for us to finish in summer vacations to keep us inexorably busy during vacations and one of the homework's task was to write a 200 words essay in Hindi on the topic 'What if I were a teacher'. I had been doing a lot of school homework in those summer vacations, plus my mom made sure that I write two pages of cursive handwriting practice book each for Hindi and English as I did not have had (and I still don't, till date ) a good and legible handwriting. So, my plate of unwanted tasks was more than full and I had to somehow escape this essay and needed to relax a bit. My escape plan was to 'erase' three words '200 words essay' – from the question the Hindi teacher made me write in the notebook – 'write a 200 words essay on topic, 'What if I were a teacher' with here signatures below the question and replace it with one word – 'poem'. So now the question became – write a poem on the topic, 'What if I were a teacher'. This was to escape from writing 200 words and still showing that 'see Mamma, today's' task accomplished' notion to mom.

As I erased those three words, being in grade 2, I didn't notice the intricate nuances of the pencil marks that were left on the paper and by observing carefully, one checking up the homework (my mom that is), would clearly notice that I fudged the question. Unknowingly, I did write a full length poem of fourteen lines and my mom checked it and instantly, she smiled, looked at me with her raised eyebrows, as if she knew what trickery I had done, and as I swallowed the saliva out of fear, she flipped the notebook and hugged me. For the first time in days, I didn't get scolded for cheating, because she felt that I did something creative. She tore that page on which I wrote the poem and kept it in her cupboard and asked me to go and play.

Well, that was my first poem and then gradually when my school life was about to reach cessation and I left Jaipur for further studies, I started writing in pain and agony of being aloof and away from home, when I was happy and when I was alone in my room – it gave me a sense of achievement when I wrote something that rhymed and made sense. Poetry gradually got infused into my comportment.

Why do you write poetry?

In order to express thoughts, as a passion and for friends and relatives. I used to be good at expressing things in poem but until I finished my engineering, those poems were like more of romantic and cupid only; not filled with much sage. Becoming an engineering graduate hardwired the logical thinking into my DNA. In fact, the Environmental engineering degree I pursued, did not give me anything much apart from inducing logical thinking into my brain forever. So, after my engineering, when I wrote, I could easily blend the logical flavor into my poems. However, by the age of 27 I had just written 25 or 30 odd poems and I used to show these poems only to close friends and relatives, because I knew that if any common man tries to approach you with some odd poem asking you to read it; this will bug you up. But then, a few setbacks in life, one after the other like a heartbreak, a hindrance at the job or botched ratings in the annual performance review, office politics, so called friends stabbing and bitching behind my back – all the negative things made me indulge myself more and more into poetry. Moreover, I posit that poetry is all about being creative and thoughtful and it's a well-known fact that if one wants to be creative, they should read or listen to creative paraphernalia and one such ingenious thing for me is music. I usually write poems while listening to music – I just pop some earphones in my ears and play any song – romantic, rock, hip hop, jazz, Ghazals, English, Hindi, almost just any music and start thinking and imagining. While listening to this music I would just hit some random strokes on my laptop's keyboard and within a few minutes I would have a ten / fifteen line poem ready. And I write these poems in ideal or free time only – like while travelling in a cab or bus from office and while coming back home from office and that's why I hate driving, because it snatches away my free creative time from me as I can't write while driving .

What's your life like.

As I mentioned earlier that by profession, I am an IT software consultant and hence my professional life revolves around codes, programs, algorithms, client meetings, questionnaires, business process documents, functional and technical specifications. As far as my personal life is concerned, I am very passionate about exercise, work outs, dance and writing. Just a little background about my past - I used to hate books and studies during my childhood because of a few simple and logical reasons:

1. School life seemed to be quiet bookish to me as far as studies are concerned, since it was all unnecessary subjects that one has to go through, study them, excel in them, give exams on them, forget them and then move on to a higher class and running through humongous pages of home works – it all seemed to me to be a waste of effort, ink and paper. I am not criticizing the education here; sage is important and knowledge is power but the way our education systems used to be designed during my school days was simply less practical, more theoretical and most importantly, it didn't have much application.

2. The preface of the science text books in school clearly mentioned that in order to have a scientific thinking, one should ask questions like why, how and what and then, one should learn to derive things logically. When I asked those questions to many of the subjects I studied in school and college, I didn't get my answers so I hated them.

3. This world is a rat race, we are in a rut and most of us just bother about one thing when it comes to studies – somehow I should score maximum marks!

I very well respect the fact that one should learn to forgo what they like, in order to do what is right, but.....but only when you know what you would be doing would be the right thing to do. In school days, we have deal with our daily chores of dealing with colossal revision and written work, so one starts to hate an idea of reading another book even if it is especially not written for the purpose of academics and even if it is written to make your life better or the one that make a difference.

During my career switches or job changes, after every few years as I used to attend inductions for new joiners, or during any corporate company speakers' sessions, I used to hear many veteran speakers or CEOs or vice presidents mentioning that in order to make a difference, read..... read this book, read that book and it used to raise curiosity in me to ask this; and when I joined TCS, TATA Consultancy Services around ten years back, I asked the speaker this question, 'Sir, with due respect, you said that one should read in order to excel in life, and then you mentioned ten different sagacious things about self-improvement. Have you ever thought that one should also write? These books come into the market because people think deeply and then passionately, they write. Isn't it?' On this question that very senior gentleman smiled and made an eye contact with me and said, 'What's your name?'

'Sir my name is Ribhu.'

'Ribhu! You have a very good point. And I have just one word for you, FOCUS.'

I discussed about this with one of my good friends at home and he laughed and said, 'So you are thinking of writing articles or a book? Ha ha ha'. His taunt had hurt me badly and I said to myself, no matter what, but I would certainly write a book. That big thought of writing a book, with some poems in hand didn't seem much promising to me for writing a book. Time passed by and I started to keep living with this idea suppressed. However, I always remembered that senior gentleman's one word spell – Focus.

Within a few months, I was working in an SAP HR project for a client, where our team proposed a standard solution which SAP had stopped supporting from the latest version and our client was on the latest version. So our team's functional lead came to me and asked, Ribhu I know this is tough and this functionality has been removed by SAP in the latest release, but would you be able to do something about it? Other technical team members of our team have already refused this requirement. 'I am not saying NO for now. Let me give it a try.'

'Ok thanks Ribhu.'

I sat for long stretch hours for three days and when forth day the functional lead came to me, I asked her to run an application and she smiled and said, 'Wonderful, Thanks Ribhu.' FOCUS was still in my mind and I wrote a technical article about it and submitted it to SAP for a whitepaper review and approval on their website www.sdn.sap.com .Two months passed by and I completely forgot about the white paper and one day I received a mail from SAP, stating that my white paper was published on their site. Mentioned below is the link of that whitepaper:

  * How to copy standard infotypes in SAP ECC 6.0

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/c0aefeb4-85c9-2910-f0a0-c2ad78148e18

After this, I deliberately used to pick up tough and somewhat difficult requirements, which did not have a straight forward solution, used to struggle hard and deliver that solution and one after the other; I shared my knowledge and gradually wrote ten technical whitepapers on websites like www.sdn.sap.com and www.saptechnical.com, mentioned below:

  * Sdn.sap.com papers:

    * SAP Technical Upgrade – Tips and Tricks

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/304b9de6-f84f-2b10-94af-e5ff7461c18c

  * Custom Infotype Creation – Tips and Tricks with Radio Buttons and Check Boxes

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/60a7586d-edd9-2910-68a8-8204303835a1

  * How to copy standard infotypes in SAP ECC 6.0

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/c0aefeb4-85c9-2910-f0a0-c2ad78148e18

  * Let's get started with SAP GUIXT

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/c051bf2b-d821-2c10-0c81-ef878d58e110

  * Viewing the solution manager documents on ESS or on web by deploying the same as a link

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/EP/Solman/ESSLink.htm

  * Saptechnical.com tutorial:

  * Infotypes with huge fields and data stored in cluster tables.

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/HRABAP/Button/Page1.htm

  * Retrieve data from Separate Oracle System

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Basis/Oracle/RetrieveData.htm

  * Creating and designing the HR Forms

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/HRABAP/HRForms/Page1.htm

  * Transporting Organizational Structure from one system to another

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Workflow/OrgStructure/Transport1.htm

  * Payslip through PE51 - adding custom fields from info types'

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/HRABAP/Payslips/CustomFields.htm

  * Let's get started with SAP GUIXT

http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Others/GUIXT/Page1.htm

After writing these ten white papers, I took a break from writing technical articles. However the word focus was still irrefutably wandering in my mind and so was the thought of writing a book. These 30 odd poems were staring at me from behind the screen of my laptop, residing in a word document and I was staring them back, thinking what I should do about them. I started thinking about the situations and the circumstances and the time when I wrote them and started to build a story around them. Gradually, I took incidences from my own life and some relatives' and friends' lives and apparently, with countless hours of sitting in front of laptop, typing and thinking, and typing and editing and then re-editing, it became so vast that I ended up in writing a fiction novel, which could use just eight of these rhymes!

I got this novel copyrighted in 2008 and then started the real struggle – the one that shattered me more, more and more. I started approaching vanity publishers, wrote them mails, sent them manuscript and visited them personally many times. Initially some of them showed interest and later on they said if I could finance or if I could give them an assured sale of a few hundred books (i.e. buying a few hundred copies by myself), they could think of publishing but for this, I was not ready as I had put a lot of effort and hard work already in it. Eventually, I faced one rejection after the other from different publishers and this ostracism was burning me from inside; it was an appalling and pernicious experience and this made me think that book industry is just like our movie industry; it doesn't matter if you are good, you get your first break only if you have contacts or if you are ready to spend money and I am not prodigal enough to spend lakhs of rupees like this. This agony of sitting upon my novel and being unable to do anything about it had put me into deeper and deeper pains and developed my determination and focus stronger and stronger. I happened to then write more than around two hundred poems, both in English and Hindi. Now the situation is that if one mentions five things they want me to put in a new customized poem and they tell me for whom this poem is meant to be, I am able to deliver a ten line poem to them by next day and I have done this for couple of my friends and they liked it very much. It still didn't click me yet what to do about these poems. Finally I got the kindle edition of my novel published and included a customized poem as a free gift for first hundred buyers.

Whenever I get time from my career, there are more poems to be written, more novels to be published and I have to soon start working on a new project of writing a song, rather than a poem. This is one talent I want to attain in life. As I am not good at music or singing or instruments, I wish to work with people who deal with music and songs and I wish to write a good song for them someday!

Do you feel creative Indians are encouraged to get into the arts or is there pressure to get into sciences and commerce?

This is a very paradoxical question and the answer is yes and no. As I mentioned the bottlenecks of Indian education system, generally most parents including mine would want their kids to focus on studies and excel in it first and then if the juice remains they want their kids to focus on other extra-curricular things and they are not wrong at all on their part. The competition is fierce, the rat race is on and if you don't run, you will fall behind! That's what the life is like in India for most of the middle class families. And the fault is our colossal population as it results in cheaply available and humongous manpower in every single domain.

Most parents used to wish that their children should take science and become an engineer or doctor. But now, the trend is changing and it's a media and movie industry brought change. I have seen children facing unbearable and subtle kind of pressure of expectation from their parents, teachers and society and I have seen kids who were initially maverick, first transform into indomitable recidivists and obdurate and then into pernicious rouges of the society when they grow up. But things are changing; our society have seen and grasped from movies like Three Idiots and Taare Zameen Par and people have derived their thinking from these genre of movies and have become broad minded by reading articles on newspapers and watching TV documentaries on child upbringing and now a day's parents encourage their kids to participate in dance, music and singing competitions, becoming TV artists, stand-up comedians and news reporters. Our education system is improving, but it is improving at a minimal pace. For Instance, now animal dissection has been ceased in biology classes and they have introduced grade systems in schools. But we are far behind from those practical implementation based education systems like that of Canada, US or Australia, where they teach about common laws, media industry – movies, theatres and business ideas and planning in schools itself.

Table of Contents

Preface 12

Questionnaire: 13

 Chapter 1 – The Mundan Ceremony 22

 Chapter 2 – AALOO and Satya's Marriage 26

 Chapter 3 – BARFEE and Beginning of School 30

 Chapter 4 – One School to Another 33

 Chapter 5 – The Dressing Table Event 39

 Chapter 6 – Blacky's Bites and Anjali's Cries 43

 Chapter 7 – Mommy's brainwash 48

 Chapter 8 – Homework, Duster work and Pen work 58

 Chapter 9 – Bigger classes, Bigger Challenges 63

 Chapter 10 – Discovery of bunk and drunk principle 68

 Chapter 11 – Principle of Principal Satya 76

 Chapter 12 – Becoming Senior most Devils 87

 Chapter 13 – College, fort or jail? 94

 Chapter 14 – The Mathur Conspiracy 102

 Chapter 15 – Life with Princess Tanya 111

The rhyme 1 113

 Chapter 16 – Let me simply kiss you!!! 128

The rhyme 2 135

 Chapter 17: The relationship demands!!! 137

The rhyme 3 141

The rhyme 4 148

Chapter 18: The busted one!!!!! 148

The rhyme 5 153

The rhyme 6 154

Chapter 19: Mom Its okay. 161

The Gathering 167

#  Chapter 1 – The Mundan Ceremony

Ronit was so possessive about that little toy piano. He would not let anyone touch it. He was so happy when this piano was around him. Yes, this one year old Mr. Ronit Sandhu was so mesmerized by this simple green colored toy piano with blue and yellow buttons that he would die for it. Why shouldn't' he be? After all, his Nanaji (maternal grandfather) gave him this piano.

His Nanaji, Mr. M. M. Arora, was an English teacher in Saint Martins' School, Jaipur for sixteen years. Then he opened his own school. Mr. Arora was a flawless looks man. At the age of sixty he had such charismatic looks that any lady would fall for him...... but he was a grandfather now. His style of speaking English was not less than any Englishmen. He had been strict whenever necessary to them but not ever forgot that they all three were his beloved kids – Anjali – Ronit's mother, Meenakshi – Ronit's Maasi (aunt) and Satyadeep – Ronit's mama(uncle).

Ronit used to feel so pampered in his Nanaji's arms that he always wanted to be with him. Nanaji was very fond of Ronit. He called him 'My Darling Cheeky'. Ronit's cheeks were so plump that everybody wanted to cheeeeek them, so he got nicknamed Cheeky. When Ronit was just born, his mother went and stayed at her parent's place for around 5 – 6 months. As Mr. Arora returned from Saint Martins every afternoon, Ronit would be sleeping. The only thing he would look for, after waking up in the evening would be his Nanajis arms, in which he would feel so protected and pampered. Then Nanaji and Ronit would go for a walk on the street. Ronit would lie in his pram and Nanaji would take him around.

Ronit was about to be one year old and Anjali had returned back to her husband's place three months ago. Nanaji knew that Ronit's parents would soon be getting his Mundan Ceremony done where the barber would clean shave Ronit's head – A Hindu tradition. Before the Mundan day arrived, Nanaji took Ronit with him for a day. Next day, Mr. Arora showed his daughter Anjali, some photographs of a very sweet baby dressed up like little lord Krishna (Baal Gopal).

"Papa, its Ronit?............Wow." Anjali said. "And this peacock feather on his head.... he is lovely."

A perfectionist smile came on Mr. Arora's face when he took that photograph in his hands – a bright, fair and plump face, round dark brown eyes, light orange brown colored sleeveless anghocha( a thin cloth ) and a dhoti of same color, peacock feather on head and a baasuri ( flute ) in his hands. Mr. Arora seemed to be lost in that photograph until Anjali interrupted – "Papa, your tea."

Then came his Mundan Ceremony day. Ronit was sitting in the verandah on the grass in front of his house. He was enjoying the lovely evening jumping and laughing – trying to catch one of those multicolored butterflies which seemed to like playing with this little guy. He removed his sandals and ran helter-skeltor on the ground, taking pleasure of the velvety grass, unaware of what is going to happen to his long and curly hair soon. Suddenly his dad came and said "Come on Cheeky Beta (son / kid), it's your mundan ceremony today. Barber uncle will cut your hair while we will be doing pooja. Then Panditji would give you prasaad and blessings. "

"No Papa. I want to play with these titlees. I want to catch them." Ronit said.

"Beta please. Come on now. Okay, see once you are done, there are chocolates kept for you." Dad said.

After this, his dad lifted him up on his shoulders and rotated him one ninety four degrees vertically, then fifty degrees horizontally, then again hundred degrees vertically and then he threw Ronit in the air and caught him with both his hands. Ronit laughed aloud and said, "Papa, more. I want more of it."

Dad was really cool at this summersault business. He said, "More, later. First you come inside Beta. People are waiting."

Ronit came inside and went to the hall with dad. The hall was full of people. Panditji, barber, relatives......Ronit already became defensive. Panditji was preparing for the pooja and Ronit's aunt did the usual stuff which Ronit hated the most. She poked his cheeks. He did not even see the aunt's face. It was just some aunt. The moment Ronit felt a pinch on his right cheek, he folded his fingers, made a punch, moved it near to aunt's face and said "MMPHhh....... I will hit you."

"No Cheeky Beta. It's a bad thing. Say sorry." Dad said.

Ronit said "Oowaaaan", his favorite word when he gets irritated.

Dad signaled the barber to start the deed. As soon as the barber came near to Ronit, crossing his scissors, Ronit SCREAMED!!!!!, so loud as if he saw a big black ghost and there was no one to protect him. Those tears in his eyes and those aloud cries......... this boy had an amplifier fit in his throat. Soon his Dadaji (paternal grandfather) came and took him in his arms and he started shaking and patting Ronit in order to calm him down. It took Dadaji a half an hour to succeed and Ronit, with his right hand thumb in his mouth was half asleep in his Dadaji's arm. He did a half an hour hard work – screaming. Hence the boy deserved a nap......

The barber, who was already half deaf with Ronit's cries came quickly and started working on Ronit's head......... Screech, screech, screech – his blade running on Ronit's head fast and bunch of hair falling after every stroke. By the time poor little Ronit was awake, the blade job was almost done. As the barber slightly moved his eyes from Ronit's head and made an eye contact with Ronit, just to make sure that the devil was still asleep, he got slightly stunned, finding that Ronit's eyes were quiet wide open. The scared barber, imagining that this eighty percent bald Ronit would now scream hard and make him completely deaf, loosened his grip on Ronit's head. With this aid, Ronit moved his head here and there, stunned, shocked and surprised, seeing all the people smiling at him. With little energy gained during the small nap, sufficient to talk and not so wholesome for crying, he thought of talking in anger. "What happened? What happened?" asked Ronit, with shrunk eyes and bad temper reflecting on his forehead.

"Nothing Cheeky Beta, nothing. You look down" Dad said pushing his head gently from back.

Ronit looked down feeling that now there is nothing that can be done, thinking that the 'Vampire barber' might have sucked his blood by now or may be now he would, soon. 'Papa is nearby.' He thought in his mind, 'He wont let barber kill me. But.....He just pushed me to look down. Brrrrrrr I don't know. Let's be a nice boy.' He kept looking down.

One more screech and Ronit was clean bald. When he was let free, he was slightly relived and slightly surprised. "This Dracula barber did not eat me???" he thought at the back of his mind. A one year old kid would not know what a barber do. All he was aware was that his ass just got saved. The next day when he woke up he had a very nice n relaxed mood. Anjali took him in her arms and kissed his 'bald head'. Ronit felt little strange when he felt his mamma's touch on his head. After his morning milk, he started playing and Anjali lifted her from floor and showed him his face in the mirror on the wall in front and she pointed her finger on Ronit's image and smiled.

He ran to the dressing table and supported himself by placing his hands on the table and looked straight into the mirror. A funny image – he started laughing. He pointed his palm towards his own image and laughed aloud. Suddenly he realized that the lady behind this funny looking baby was his mother. It was the same room. Then he realized – 'Oh god, it's me.' The laugh and fun expressions turned into shock and dissatisfaction. He shouted, "Oowaaaan" and ran away from the mirror. The lad did not look at the mirror for next whole week.

Nanaji..........left this world, that third heart attack he had, he could not bear. Even before he could reach the hospital, the destiny took him from this world. Everybody was crying, shattered and sad. Ronit, sitting on the floor looked at everybody's face in a 'what happened guys' look. It has been a while now when Ronit had come to Nanaji's place. He was missing the Nanaji wibes.

"Where is Nanaji?" he said.

Anjali started crying more loudly. Ronit's dad came, lifted him up and took him out.

"Beta, god has called Nanaji and he is up there in those stars now."

He pointed towards the sky.

'He has shifted into the stars????? Papa, you have seriously gone crazy. Why didn't he take me with him?' Ronit thought in his mind.

#  Chapter 2 – AALOO and Satya's Marriage

Days passed by and Ronit understood that Nanaji would not come back. He turned three and grown little obese as he had been eating boiled and FULL potatoes every day.

These days potatoes were his favorite food.

"Mom, boil one potato for me." The overweight lad used to order.

Anjali would mash the boiled potato, put some salt in it and serve on the table. While having the potato, after 5 – 6 bites, he would start saying this as a sign of liking and enjoying it.

"AALOO AALOO AALOO AALOO AALOO AALOO."

One day, Satyadeep came to visit Ronit's place on his newly bought Lambreita. That was the only scooter choice available in those days. Anjali came with tea and told Satya to sit. Ronit was having his daily 'AALOO' meal on the table. Satyadeep sat next to him and smiled.

"Cheeky Beta, see mama has come to see you." Anjali said.

'Okay, sit. I am enjoying my meal mama.' Ronit thought in his mind.

He used to think a lot in his mind but not say the same every time. Ronit was a mysterious person. People couldn't just read his mind and make out what's the guy thinking.

"Hello Cheeky Beta." Satyadeep tapped Ronit's red plump cheeks.

It was okay until Satya mama said to Ronit – "O you are having aaloo. I will also grab a bite."

Over this Satya did a mistake of taking a spoon from the spoon stand and grabbing a bite from Ronit's plate. That was it!!!!!

"Oowaaaan, Oowaaaan, Oowaaaan. Bad mama." Ronit started crying madly. Satya was horrified seeing all this. He moved his chair a little away from Ronit.

"Okay Beta. Sorry. You have your meal. I won't grab another bite, promise."

"Cheeky Beta. Please keep quiet. See, mama have come to see you from so far." Anjali said.

'Mom, please stay out of this. So what if he had come from far? Did I call him? Why did he touch 'MY AALOO'? ' Ronit thought. His thinking power was increasing very fast.

"Noooooooooo", He cried. "I want new AALOO". He said. A big Rascal negotiator he was.

"Yes Beta, I'll give you another one." Anjali had no choice but to say this.

The boiled potato came and Anjali said to Satya, "You have a half of it Satya. Cheeky already had a full one."

"Nooooooooo!!!!", Ronit shouted with anger and pain. "I'll have the whole AALOO, not half. I'll have the whole AALOO."

Satya mama smiled and let Ronit have the full of it. 'You are not too bad, mama.' He thought and smiled. Satyadeep came to Ronit's place with a purpose. "Didi my marriage seems to be getting fixed soon now. Here is the Mithaai."

He handed over the packet of sweets to Anjali.

"It's not official but I talked to Mummy and she is fine with it. Meena had talked to her parents as well. They are also fine with this marriage." Satya said and smiled.

"Arre Waah Satya. So you will soon be tied into the sweet threads of marriage. Congratulations brother." Anjali said.

"If Papa were alive, he would have been very happy." She said with some tears in her eyes.

Satyadeep got busy in his marriage stuff and arrangements. The time was running fast and the preparations of marriage at Satya's and Meena's place too. After a few days, came the day of marriage, "Satyadeep weds Meena".

Satyadeep was sitting along with Meena and PanditJi around the marriage mandap. There was Shehnaai music all over the place. Satyadeep's friends were all in a naughty mood that day. They had been boozing and smoking on and off so they were in a happy state. Satyadeep wore a suit that day. As he was sitting on the floor, facing the mandap for a long time, his pants slightly slipped down and his hips line could be seen.

Satyadeep's friend Babla saw this and he called Ronit and held him in his arms and kissed his cheeks. "Sit Cheeky Beta."

"What, Babla mama." Ronit called all of Satyadeep's friends mamas.

"See Cheeky Beta, look at Satyadeep mama. Look, his 'Ass' is showing up. Ha ha ha." Babla mama said and thought that Ronit will also laugh at this.

"Ass? What is an Ass?" Ronit said and Babla hid his face behind his hands. Ronit asked a bit loudly and people started staring.

Danny mama came running and lifted up Ronit. He tried to handle the situation so that people would stop staring at Satyadeep's friends. "Babla you keep quiet man." Danny mama said taking Ronit in his arms and walking away from the gang," Nothing Cheeky Beta. Please speak slowly"

"Okay Danny mama. Now what is this 'Ass'? Please tell me." Ronit said.

'Three year old asking what is an ass. Oh boy.' Danny thought and said, "Nothing Beta, nothing."

"Danny mama, Babla mama was pointing at Satya mama and saying his 'Ass' is showing up. What do it means? Tell me na." Ronit won't spare Danny mama now.

"Okay Cheeky. See, Look at Satya mama. Can you see his Bhumpy?" Danny mama said, "Babla mama was talking abo........"

Danny could not even complete his sentence and pacify Ronit, before that only, Ronit shouted at his full voice, "Hooooooo Satya mama, Your Bhumpy is showing up. Your Bhumpy is showing up."

Satya got stunned hearing this and he looked back. His eyes broadened and became 'O' shaped, his lips became 'O' shaped, his nose too swell to an 'O' shape. As if someone touched a burning cigarette on his ass. All the people present there started laughing aloud. Panditji also started laughing. Even Meenu maami was also laughing in her 'Ghoonghat'.

The video guy, who was shooting the marriage, caught the scene. He moved his camera on to Satya mama. Ronit said, "Mama, please raise your pants na. "

Video guy then focused the camera on Ronit's face who was sitting in Danny mama's arms. Ronit raised his hand in front of his eye reacting to the strong camera light. "Mama, please", he said.

The video guy focused back to Satya. Satya gave a scary look to the video guy and said "stop this camera." Satya himself started laughing and said, "Cheeky Beta, I am raising my pants up. Don't you say anything now."

Satya mama was wondering what all crap this video guy had captured. 'I will have to go to the Video guy's shop and make him edit the video properly', he thought.

Two days after the marriage, Satya went to the video guy's shop. When he saw the original video, he busted into laugh himself. He saw, how this fair and fatso lad was shouting about his ass from Danny's arms. Satya said to video guy, "I want two video tapes of this print. One, with 'my ass scene' and one, in which 'my ass' is all edited. Got it?"

Video guy tried so desperately to control his laugh and since he tried it so hard, he succeeded and said with a red face, "Yes sir." Satya came out of the shop and went to the parking lot to take his 'lambreita scooter'. In the parking lot, which was 50 meters from the video shop, Satya heard a loud noise of laughter. The bloody video waala was laughing about the talks which Satya just had with him.

#  Chapter 3 – BARFEE and Beginning of School

Ronit grew old and he was now four. Anjali gave birth to a girl and Ronit was so happy when the little new born queen came home. He talked to his Dadaji and said, "Dadaji, see. Mummy brought a new beautiful doll. She is so sweet. I will call her 'Barfee'. Somesh – Ronit's dad and Anjali, both smiled.

Ronit used to care for his little sister Amrita, initially. He used to take his favorite toys to her and hand them over to her. That innocent infant, what would she understand about a chuk chuk train. She used to shake his toys a little and then used to throw them away. Ronit didn't mind this at all. He always tried to take care of her and pampered "Barfee" a lot.

Days passed happily, then weeks and then months. Amrita grew and turned two. Everyone used to give attention to her. Ronit used to be the star of every gathering, but now, it was "Barfee" every time. Any uncle or aunty came, Ronit would get just a smile and Amrita, she got hugs, kisses and all the love. Ronit started disliking it. He got pissed so much that he took back this name 'Barfee' from Amrita. He never called her by that name again.

Now Ronit was supposed to go to school, the most ferocious thing for him. Mr. M.M. Arora opened an English medium school at his house only, in Adarsh Nagar, during his last days. The ground floor was the Arora family's home and first floor and back portion of the house was the school. This, 'Modern Kids School' was Ronit's destiny for a year. After Mr. M.M. Arora, it was his wife, Aneeta along with her son Satyadeep's support were running this school.

Ronit, as he came to his Mama's place, for a change, he was happy. 'Only I will get all the love and caring. 'Barfee' would not be here.' He thought, the first day. He was quiet okay with the 'coming to Mama's place and schooling for a year there'. He initially enjoyed the Mama's, Maami's and Naaniji's (maternal grandmother's) caring, but only after a day, he started feeling annoyed. "I want to go to Mummy. I want to go to Mummy." He cried a lot, second day. In those days, everybody didn't use to have phones at their place. Ronit's home in Shastri Nagar, did not have a phone too, so Satya mama couldn't even call Ronit's mother and let Ronit talk to her. Unwillingly, with a little anger and little frustration on his face, Satya mama was driving Ronit to Shastri Nagar in his newly bought car, Premier Padmini.

"Mummy...........!!!!!" Ronit ran towards mom and hugged her tightly as they reached home. "Okay Ronit beta, come upstairs." Anjali said.

Satya, Ronit and Anjali settled down in the drawing room. Anjali said, "Let me bring tea for you."

While she was making tea, Satya mama was looking at Ronit, who was jumping and dancing here and there now.

"Cheeky Beta, Come here." Anjali said loudly, from the kitchen. Ronit boy, now you see. You are about to get a good one now.

"Coming mom" Ronit said. He moved to the kitchen slowly.

"Ronit, I did not like what all you did today. Why this crying Beta? You have to study hard and one day, you have to become a successful and established man." She said and took out freshly fried pakodas from the Kadai. "Beta, what is this? You cry so much there and just don't keep mum. How will Satya and Naaniji be able to handle you like this? This is not done. This is simply not done. You promise me that you won't cry and disturb Mama again. He doesn't have time to bring you here from Adarsh Nagar. Your Mama's place is ten kilometers from here. Do you realize how long it takes for one to reach here? And one won't leave his work every time and come dropping you, just because you feel a little lonely. Try to overcome this, you have to overcome this. Beta, I will not talk to you if you do like this."

'Mom, Enough!!!!! How can you go on and on and on like this?????? Your thought process runs on fourth gear once you start up and your mouth exhausts the talks in 'no gap' manner. You don't let even a single thought stay in your mind. All out from the mouth, the time it is produced in the mind. Please, stop i......' Satya Mama patted Ronit's back and he came back to the 'kitchen world' from his 'thought world'. His mouth was still wide open as he looked up at Satya Mama's face.

"Didi, He is a small boy, and he misses you. Don't scold him too much na." Satya said.

"Satya, you don't know anything. If I loose any control on him now, he would not struggle in life. He wouldn't take life so seriously. I want him to become a big man one day. I have to be strict with him. I am not doing it for my sake and......" Satya shrunk his eyes behind his hands, which he lifted and had put on his 'a few seconds back wrinkled' forehead.

"Didi stop it!!!!" He said in a merciful voice.

Anjali took Satya in a separate room in order to complete the conversation and all that Ronit could see from the door left ajar was Satya's face, just listening and listening to Anjali's talks. Anjali was speaking a little, then crying a little, and then wiping her tears with a handkerchief a little. She repeated this speaking, crying and wiping cycle 4-5 times. Ronit slapped his forehead and said in the air, "Offffoo Mummy. Stoppppppppppp."

As Satya and Anjali came out of that room, Satya gave Ronit a 'Thank you boy, you saved my ass' look. It was time for Satya to go back to Adarsh Nagar as it was evening now. As Satya, Ronit and Anjali came towards Satya's car – along with Satya, Ronit also entered his car.

"Cheeky Beta, I am going back to Adarsh Nagar. You stay here and relax for a day or two. When you are okay, your dad will drop you back to our place." Satya said.

"No. I want to go back to Modern Kids School." Ronit said.

"Beta, see. Once you reach there, you will again start crying. It's difficult for me to control you when you start........" Satya requested.

"Mama, Lets go. I WANT to go back there. Pleaseeeeeee." Ronit said aloud.

Satya started the car and Ronit waved his hand to mom for a goodbye. Satya put his car in first gear and accelerated a little. He started laughing. Ronit looked at him. He continued laughing till four streets passed by. People walking by were staring at him in a 'why this man is mixing laughing and driving'. Ronit shouted looking at Mama, observing people's looks, "WHATTTTTTT?????"

"Nothing Beta. I was wondering at your dad's merciful situation. What he would be doing when your mom would start a conversation with him. Your Naaniji(grandmother) is also as deadly in conversations as your mom." He paused and laughed again. "In fact it's not a conversation, it's always a speech and you know who the speaker is."

Ronit gave a 'whatever are you saying, I understand' look. Satya smiled, raised his eyebrows and turned the audio tape on. They drove back to Adarsh Nagar.

#  Chapter 4 – One School to Another

Ronit used to make sure not to cry in front of Satya Mama. As most of the times Satya would be busy in his school's work, whenever he crossed Ronit, he always got good smiles from Ronit.

Naaniji was taking care of Ronit's studies and she was a better version of his mother when it came to conversations and getting the boy to study and not to let him play for a long time. She knew every nook and corner of the art of getting things done from him. This gentle lady used to start with a smile in her voice, "A-ha, my Cheeky Beta, my Shona Beta (lovely kid), what did you do in the school today? Show me what homework you got?"

"Naaniji, they taught me 'ABCD' today. We had learnt it all and teacher did not give any homework. I will play today, please." Ronit was also none the less. But he forgot that literally, he was talking to the Principal of the school in which he was studying – Modern Kids School.

"Beta, show me your diary please." Naaniji said. 'O man. Naaniji has to check the diary too ha? So, she knows all the gimmicks about the teachers signing the diaries of students, after making sure that they had properly written what all homework they have to complete at home. Alrite......', Ronit thought in his mind.

Unwillingly, but he had to show the diary to Naaniji. There was a lot of homework given. 'Now, I am gone.' The lad thought, looking down on the floor. He lifted his eyes and looked at Naaniji with a pity face. There is no anger on her face, he observed. Naaniji was quiet calm – no signs of anger. But this lad was unaware what will be happening to him in a while. Naaniji closed the diary and made a face as if something got stuck in her stomach. "Cheeky Beta, what is all this? You lied, ha?" She said in a crying voice. Her face had an expression of 'in a second, lots of tears would be coming out of my eyes'. She continued in the same expression, "You started lying, Beta. This is not at all done. This is what you learn in your school. What's your teacher's name who taught you this? Tell me?" Still no tears in her eyes, but the same 'crying' ascent – Ronit observed carefully, as she went on and on.

Ronit heard his mama calling his name. "Naaniji, Satya Mama is calling me." Ronit said with a 'thank god' expression on his face. Naaniji stopped that lecture and immediately got normal. "Satya, I am assisting Ronit with his studies Beta." Naaniji said in a normal voice.

"Okay mummy." Satya replied.

In a nanosecond, that crying voice and that constipated look came back on Naaniji's face and she started the scolding cum teaching a lesson cum giving a lecture to Ronit again. Satya was listening to this conversation from the other room, watching T.V. He knew that whatever may happens in the next half hour – weather sun cools down and stop giving light to the earth and we all die, or weather sun overheats and melts all the snow and glaciers melt and drown the entire earth taking down the entire human species, Ronit would still have to bare all this for another half hour and then only Naaniji and Ronit will perish, only after he confirms to Naaniji in the end that he understood what she expects from him and he will never ever do these wrong things again. Satya had been dealing with this kind of treatment for quiet a long. He was aware what Ronit was going through now.

Some time passed and Satya felt asleep on the sofa. Ronit started doing the homework and it was the dirtiest and barely legible writing in which he was completing his homework hurriedly, with a strong urge to go out and play with other kids ASAP. Naaniji took a glimpse of what he was doing; that was it; a slap on his back – a mild one. And for the sake of it, he pretended to cry as if he was hit really hard - the boy was learning from his Naaniji. But Ronit baby, the boss is always the boss; Naaniji started giving the dose again; and this time, with real tears in her eyes, coming really fast out of her eyes. Poor Ronit, you do not stand a chance dear; the only way out is to give what is expected from you; he got the point and finished all the homework as expected.

Finally, he came out of the room and threw the school bag on the table with anger, making sure that Naaniji did not see him THROWING the bag. Satya woke up with this noise; he looked into Ronit's eyes and gave him a smile. Now Ronit understood what Satya was saying that day while driving Ronit back to Adarsh Nagar from his home.

Ronit had no clue what to do. All his freedom was gone and it was lessons and scolding every time. Now it was a daily routine that Naaniji would call Ronit and check out his homework, make him do better, crying and slapping him to make him false cry and then getting the homework done in a good manner.

He was not so dumb kind of guy at classes. He was a front bencher and used to practically lead the class along with the good guys; his verbal responses in class reflected confidence; his trick was to get proactively involved in what the teacher taught, get an appreciation token from the teacher like "Good, Ronit" or a pat on the back with "Nice boy, keep it up" dialog, and then play his cards. It was Naaniji's and Mama's school, so he can ask without hesitating – "Teacher, give me a toffee na."

The teachers initially remained speechless at this notion of Ronit. Then they all realized what to do. If they were carrying a toffee or two, hand it over to him and carry on or tell him, "Later Ronit." Naaniji knew about this toffee bribe of Ronit but since he used to do well in class, she avoided saying anything about it to him.

The English teacher, Mrs. Sehgal was a tough conquer every time for Ronit. She used to give a lot of written work and Ronit used to fell in her trap. His technique was to do fast furious and rubbish writing and finish it off. Until you get caught and asked to repeat, you will always finish the work earliest. "Ronit, you will suffer for this rubbish handwriting a lot. You are intelligent, but bad handwriting spoils it always Beta." Mrs. Sehgal warned him many times.

Ronit didn't care at all about her sayings. But he had to improve his handwriting for sure, because the Mrs. Seghal's wooden cane 'Phattaks' on his legs were not a very good thing to taste every day. He had been doing good overall in the class since then. One day Ronit's mom came to see him while he was sitting with Naaniji, bearing her lectures and finishing his homework. "Cheeky, how are you Beta?" Ronit ran to his mom, throwing his copies, as he heard her voice. He totally ignored Naaniji shouting "Don't throw your books, Ronit" as he hugged his mom.

"Namaste Mummy." Anjali greeted Mrs. Aneeta Arora.

"Namaste Beta. How are you?" Mrs. Arora replied.

"Good, Mummy. Ronit would be going for an interview to Saint Martin's school tomorrow. I just came filling the admission form. I really wish, he gets through the interview for the admission in the school. I want him to study in the school where papa used to teach; it's such a wonderful school. Mummy, he will clear the entrance exam na? How are his studies going on?" Anjali asked in anxiety though she knew that Ronit was a sharp student, as Mrs. Arora had been giving a day to day report of him to Anjali.

"Yes Beta. He will get through; don't worry. God will take care of it." Mrs. Arora replied. She was a strong believer of God. She just hated atheists.

Next day, after school, in the evening, Satya Mama took Ronit and Anjali to Saint Martin's School. Satya smiled and shook his head in a dancing mode here and there while driving as the school arrived. Anjali was boosting Ronit and telling him "Do well Beta. You have to get through." every now and then. She gave Satya a "What's so funny?" look, raising her eyebrows at Satya as she moved her attention from Ronit to Satya and when she saw Satya dancing. Satya shifted his head left and right, communicating "Nothing happened" and then he rotated his hand in a curve, moving it towards her and then away from her, with a smile on his face, pointing to the car's wind shield........pointing to the school building and giving "Here, the school has come" look.

Ronit got down from the car and it was three four BIG BIG grass grounds in front of him. He never ever saw such huge grass grounds in his life. From the middle of these grass grounds, there was a thin road moving towards two huge buildings – One big one and the other Giant one. Satya, Ronit and Anjali walked towards the big one and as the building was about to come, the road became wider. It took a big square shape, which could accommodate around thousand people. The road had thin lines drawn at a gap of half meter all over and roman numbers written at the beginning of the lines. Ronit couldn't stop to ask, "Mummy, what is this?"

"This is the assembly ground of junior school, Beta." Satya replied. "And there, the small building you see, around the corner of the assembly ground, is the canteen. You get quiet good burgers there."

"Ronit Sandhu.", a man in grey dress called. Anjali raised her hand. "He is next." Said the big man in his manly voice and smiled.

"Didi, he is Suraj Ji" Satya said. 'Satya Mama knows a lot of things about this school. The Principal must be his friend, as Mama also runs a school. A professional friendship stuff....' Ronit thought in his mind.

Anjali held Ronit from his shoulders and told him "All the best Beta." 'Now what is this all the best??' Ronit thought as he never heard this thing before.

He went inside a class. The teacher smiled at him and in return, he also gave a deadly smile. The teacher raised her eyebrows. The smile was that good. "Sit on this chair student", she said. She gave him some plastic made triangles, squares and circles of red, blue and green color and asked some questions about shapes and colors. All of it was simple for Ronit; then she asked about some letters and numbers – she got prompt answers. She thanked and said a bye to the kid. Ronit came out and saw Satya's smiling and Anjali's excited and little tensed face. "What did the teacher ask, Beta?" She asked immediately.

"Nothing, mom. She was just discussing some colors and numbers. As I replied, she thanked me and asked me to go out. That's it." Ronit replied.

She got a little more tensed. "Satya, he will get through na?" She asked.

"Yes Didi, let the results come na. We will know by tomorrow. Now relax. Please." Satya tried to calm her down.

While driving back to Adarsh Nagar, Satya knew that Ronit might get another lecture from his mom, so to avoid this, he played a song aloud. "Satya, one minute. Lower the voice please." Anjali said. "Ronit, look at me." She held Ronit's chin while he was watching out from the car's window, and moved it towards her. "See Beta, your Nanaji was an English teacher in this school for sixteen years. Your Mama had studied in this great school only. I want you to study here, Beta. Please." She said.

'Ooh. So that's why Satya Mama knew a lot about this place. I see.' Ronit thought. "Yes, Mummy." He replied. As they reached Adarsh Nagar, Naaniji smiled. 'O man, she is standing at the gate only', Ronit thought. "Come in People." She said with a bigger smile. As Satya and Anjali were talking to Mrs. Arora, Ronit quickly escaped to the kids playing nearby and he made sure to stand and roam at a place, from where he was least available to Naaniji. He came home at around eight o clock that day and sat near Satya Mama. He knew he came late and had to defend himself so he sat at the most safe place. Satya Mama said, "Don't worry. Your Naaniji and Mummy went to Baapu Bazaar for shopping. From there, your Mummy will go back to Shastri Nagar and Naaniji will come here till nine. So relax."

Ronit slept before Naaniji came back. Next morning, in the class, it was the third period and Hindi teacher was checking homework copies. Ronit's chance was about to come. 'God, please help me. You already know that I did not do my homework. I went to that Saint Martin  
School with mom n mama.' He was praying in his mind and he suddenly looked back when Mrs. Sehgal called his name. "Ronit, Come here." She said in a firm and confident voice. "Come; follow me upstairs to the staffroom."

'God, I wanted to you to save me from Hindi teacher. You threw me in English teacher's hands? That's so nice god', the lad questioned god in his mind. Mrs. Sehgal stopped at the staffroom door and turned around. She browsed her purse for something. 'Gosh, these days she started keeping the wooden cane in her purse. I am about to faint.' Ronit closed his eyes.

"Here, take it Beta." She said. As Ronit opened one of his eyes, and looked above, he could see her smiling teeth. WTF, she was handing him over two 5 Star chocolate bars. Ronit's expressions changed from 'shaky' to 'pridy'. He gave a wide smile. 'Why is she offering me TWO 5 STAR bars today? She never used to give me anything except canes on my bhumpy.' He thought.

Naaniji came across as Mrs. Seghal handed over the chocolate. Ronit quickly hid those bars into his pocket. Naaniji said, "Its okay Ronit, you can have them Beta, you deserve them."

'Naaniji? Are you drunk today?' Ronit thought in his mind.

"Beta, I just got the news from Satya Sir that you got through in Saint Martin School's interview. Wow. I am very happy for you." Mrs. Seghal said and smiled again.

After the school, Satya Mama told Ronit that they will go out for dinner today. Anjali called up, and as she heard the news, she said, "I am coming there right now. I am on my way. Oh my bachha, Ronit." Satya had kept her on speaker phone so as to make Ronit hear how happy she was.

"Didi, mummy would also be going for dinner along with Meena, Ronit, me, you, Jijaji and sweet little Amrita. So we will go to LMB only as that's pure veg. restaurant." Satya said. Mrs. Arora was a hardcore Vegetarian and LMB was a good choice when she was joining for dinner.

"Okya Satya, We will go to Laxmi Mishthaan Bhandaar only. See you soon."

#  Chapter 5 – The Dressing Table Event

That night in LMB, when it was declared that Ronit would be joining Saint Martin's School from class first, it was also thought that he should come back and stay in Shastri Nagar, with his family – Somesh, Anjali and Amrita. He did not even bother to listen to the decisions being made and was busy eating his 'butter nan' and 'dal makhaani'.

Anjali said to Mrs. Arora, who was wearing a heavy numbered spectacles and a light n sweet smile, "Mummy, Ronit will stay in Adarsh Nagar with you until he completes this prep class. I will come to pick him up and collect his stuff one day, once his big school is about to start." She completed the sentence and moved her eye focus from Mrs. Arora into her plate with some tension lines on her forehead. She seemed little tensed too along with being happy. What could be wrong at this moment?

Ronit was busy playing with the other kids in the restaurant after his dinner and was not at all a part of the conversations going through amongst two big mummies. When Satya was driving back Meena, Mrs. Arora and Ronit to Adarsh Nagar, Mrs. Arora said to Ronit, "And Cheeky beta, you know na that you will soon be going to Saint Martin's School."

"Yes Naaniji." The lad replied.

"And when you will join Saint Martin, you will be staying in Shastri Nagar, with your mom and dad." Naaniji said with a little lower voice.

"Ya? O yessssss. Naaniji, wow. I am going back home!!!! I am going back to mummy." Ronit replied with zeal.

Naaniji was a little sad, foreseeing that this sweet, jolly little boy will be leaving her soon. She remembered all these days, he was so much a part of her life. She could not forget all nice moments she spent with Ronit - her telling stories in the night to Ronit before they slept, her 'sweet, little and mild' scoldings to Ronit in order to make him do the homework properly.

They reached home and Ronit jumped into bed. He was sleepy already after this heavy, late night dinner. Naaniji told her TWO stories that day despite of him saying to her, "Naaniji. I want to sleep."

She continued with the second story too, saying "Please Beta, hear it", not realizing that the lad already slept as the second one started. Next day, Naaniji gave him a sweet candy before he left for school. That was the first candy she gave him before school and without Ronit completing any homework target for it.

'Man, what have happened to Naaniji? She is becoming a nice nice Naaniji now.' Ronit thought. Time passed and the last day came. Anjali came to pick up Ronit and his stuff. Mrs. Arora looked at Anjali as if Anjali would be taking away all her wealth from her in a few minutes from now. "Come, Beta. Sit. I kept all the stuff of Ronit, ready to be picked up. I will call him. Wait." She raised her voice. "Cheeky Beta. Your mom has come." Mrs. Arora seemed little frustrated saying this. Ronit came to see his mom and smiled. "Mom, what have you brought for me?"

"Beta, I got this toffee for you and lots of love." Anjali kissed Ronit as she handed over the toffee to him. "I came here to take you home, my little Bachha." She smiled.

As Anjali and Ronit were about to make a move, Naaniji started crying – horribly, as Ronit cried, when he first came to stay in Adarsh Nagar and Satya had to drive him back home. Anjali hugged her and tried to soothe her down, but she won't stop. Satya had to come and hold Mrs. Arora in his arms as Ronit and his mom left. She was hiding so much love in her heart for Ronit. 'Why didn't you express all your love to me while I was around, Naaniji?' Ronit thought as he looked her from the taxi's window. He raised his arm to say bye.

Ronit reached home and he was the star that day. Dadaji, Daadiji, mom and dad – everybody pampered him. And BARFEE also grew a little big. Ronit was pally with her since he was getting the attention and this brotherly affection from his side lasted for a few weeks. After that, the history repeated itself. She was getting more of everything – love, privileges, better bed to sleep, better gifts from people round and better pampering from every guest who used to come. He started hitting her for small small things. He didn't want to but his hands won't stop the slap action and showing the frustration.

Ronit and Amrita – Cheeky and Teeny, grew up. Cheeky turned six and Teeny turned three. Ronit got more pissed off as time passed and he thought that he has to quarrel for his rights every time. Cheeky and Teeny used to play with their neighbor kids – Sonu and Pappu. Sonu was the elder sister and Pappu was the younger brother. Cheeky used to give attention to Sonu and Pappu while playing any game, be it hide and seek, or be it 'poison and antidote', he used to ignore Teeny like anything. One day Pappu hit Amrita slightly while catching her in the 'poison and antidote' game. She slipped, cried and went home.

Cheeky couldn't tolerate this and he punched Pappu on his face. Blood came out of Pappu's face and he cried there itself – so loudly. Cheeky looked down at Pappu's face who was kneeling down and said to him, "Listen Pappu, she is my sister and you can't mess at any cost. You got that? I won't tolerate this again." He said and left.

Ronit???? You used to hate Amrita. Now what, suddenly.....? You broke Pappu's face!!! That's weird man. There was a thin hard crust of hatred for Amrita in Ronit's heart, below which it was a huge burst of, thick like chocolate, love for her...........She was the "Barfee", after all. Pappu's mom came charging and said to Anjali that Ronit had blew her son's face. Anjali empathized her and called Ronit. "Ronit Beta, you should not do like this please." She said. Deep inside she was happy that despite of all these frustrations, Ronit did a brotherly thing today. She smiled as Pappu's mother left.

Anjali used to sleep with Ronit and Amrita since past few days otherwise they would end up quarreling and hurting each other. One night, all three of them were sleeping on the double bed. The dressing table was there in the bed room only. It was around two o clock in the night when all three were sleeping and the green colored glowing night lamp gave a blurry vision of the room. Ronit woke up from the bed and looked for his slippers. He started walking slowly. Walking while sleeping – was he suffering from a disease????? He went to the dressing table, opened the first drawer and started looking in the drawer. As he opened the drawer, there was a slight noise and Anjali opened her eyes gradually. With one winked eye, while the other one still in sleep, she looked and found Ronit standing in front of the dressing table.

"Cheeky Beta, What are you doing? Crazy sweet boy, you are praising yourself in the mirror at midnight. We all know that you are quiet charming, baby. Now come and sleep." Anjali said and Ronit half asleep, slowly came walking and jumped in the bed. Next Sunday morning, when Ronit woke up and went to bathroom to brush his teeth, his mom was sitting down on the floor and was WASHING that dressing table drawer thoroughly which Ronit opened last night.

"Cheeky Beta, hats off to you." Anjali said to Ronit.

"What happened mom? And what are you doing?" Ronit asked.

"I threw all the combs which were in this dressing table drawer and am washing this drawer which you opened last night." Anjali replied.

"But why mom? Why? " Ronit asked curiously.

"Because you did your SUSU in this drawer last night!!! You peed in this drawer last night, you silly boy. I was thinking that you saw a nice dream and the king Ronit was admiring himself in the mirror. I didn't know that you will leek out in my dressing table you naughty boy." Anjali replied with anger and laughter mixed in her voice and Ronit had an innocent boy look on his face.

"Beta, it is not at all worth that you stopped peeing in the bed, until you go to the toilet – yes the TOILET yourself or wake me up to take you to the toilet. Got it?' Anjali said.

"Yes mom." The lad replied

#  Chapter 6 – Blacky's Bites and Anjali's Cries

Ronit came back to Shastri Nagar and there were two floors in their house now. The ground floor, where Ronit's Dadaji, Daadiji, and his uncle – his Pintoo Chacha stayed and on the first floor, Anjali, Somesh, Amrita and Ronit were supposed to stay. Anjali got a black Alsatian crossbreed dog from some of her friend in school. They called it Blacky. It was a brave dog, but as it was quiet small, Anjali told Ronit, not to leave him.

As he was a puppy, big cats used to chase and keep an eye on him. One day, when Blacky was tied to a grill in the verandah, there was no one around. A big cat came to hit Blacky with its paw and make Blacky 'the cat's dinner'. The cat quietly went to Blacky, bent down, raising one paw after the other, slowly, with its 'antenna' like tail pointed up, as if it were receiving GPS signals from some station. It quietly reached Blacky, who was enjoying his nap after the milk and bread lunch. Blacky, with slightly opened left eye was watching the cat approach him quietly – dear Kitty Cat, a dog can smell a cat a kilometer apart. The moment the cat reached Blacky and raised its paw to make Blacky taste it, he barked with anger like anything. WOOOOF GRRRRRR!!!. There was no fear in his roar, but hardcore anger for why the cat thought that it could hit a paw on Blacky's face. How dare it? Then a paw from Blacky straight on the cat's eye and it ran away like anything. MEEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW. After that, no cat ever dared to come near him at all, even though he was still a baby dog.

Ronit came to Shastri Nagar recently and his school days were about to begin again as the vacations were about to get over. Ronit became quiet pally with Blacky and he would hug him all the times and Blacky would lick Ronit's face as a token of appreciation. In a month only, Blacky grew big and was like one of the strong dogs in the street. He learnt to shake hands when any family person gave him a hand and whenever Ronit used to come home in the evening, Blacky would move his tail to and fro in the air and blink his eyes and raise his paws as if he wants to get love and attention from Ronit. Ronit would hug him and rub his palm on Blacky's forehead. While Ronit did this to Blacky, the dog would close his eyes, bend down his ears and got lost in some other world. When Ronit would stop rubbing his forehead, Blacky would open his eyes, take his tongue out and raise a paw in the air and say woof....mmm....woof, as if he wanted more of Ronit's caring.

Ronit was quiet happy and would love to play with Blacky in his free time. If he were eating a sweet or something tasty, he would keep a piece of it for Blacky. He would then go to Blacky and raise it in the air. Blacky would jump on his two back feet and try to grab the bite. He learnt to balance on two paws only for quiet a while. His meals were mainly bread dipped in the milk.

Ronit used to watch newly bought television on Sundays especially as in those days, Mickey and Donald used to come at 10 o' clock. Before that 'Ramayan' used to come and the entire India would watch that serial on National Channel. The National Channel was the only channel in those times and Ramayan was the biggest hit in those days. Everyone used to watch it. Ronit would also sometimes see this serial and wonder on the power of arrows that Rawan would shoot in the air and it would make the entire environment full of fire. Then an arrow from Lord Ram would come and spray water all over and nullify the effect of the arrow shot by Rawan. It was quiet interesting to see the arrow and sword fights in that serial. One day the story was about Prince Bharat's bravery, which Ronit was watching, sitting on Dadaji's lap. It was shown that Bharat was so brave that in his childhood days, he used to get hold of a lion from the jungle and would count his teeth.

Dadaji told Ronit that Prince Bharat was so brave that he did not feel fear at all while counting a ferocious lion's teeth when he was only 5 – 6 years old. That was it, now Ronit have to find a lion like animal and count his teeth. Before that, he would not be able to sleep properly. He thought, where would I find a ferocious animal? Mmmmmm...... O ya. Blacky is ferocious. He left the drawing room and ran straight to Blacky, who was having his daily meal. During the meal time, Blacky won't like anyone to disturb him, but Ronit went straight to him and lifted Blacky's mouth in his hands from the milk bowl. Blacky got a little surprised before loosing his temper. He thought that although Ronit is my master, but anyone can't dare to disturb me while I am having a meal. Then Ronit put his two fingers in Blacky's mouth to open it and saw ferocious teeth of the beast and started counting them.

That was it; Blacky lost the temper....... Grrrrrrrrr Grrrrrrrrrrr and he bit Ronit on his Right hand. Ouchhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Ronit shouted and ran away to Dadaji. "Dadaji, while I was going across the grill, Blacky bit me. Ooowwwaaan." Ronit said.

Dadaji told Ronit to relax. "Beta, let daddy come. He will take you to the doctor."

Ronit: And what would the doctor do?

Dadaji: Nothing Beta, he will give you some medicine, do bandage and......

Ronit: And????? He wont give me an injection na?

Dadaji: And.......

Pintoo Chacha came from the bathroom and found that Ronit was bit by Blackie. He heard Ronit asking "And?" to his Dadaji and so he told Ronit – "Ronit, and the doctor will give you fourteen injections – ho ho. All very hot and all very painful. And you know where he will put these injections...... In your stomach. You will be having fun there now."

Ronit: Nooooooooooooo.

Pintoo Chacha: Yes. Beta why did you go near Blacky when he was having his food? He won't bite you just like that. And see. You have to get the injections done since otherwise, you can get an incurable disease – Rabies. And then you will become mad. Injection is necessary Beta.

Somesh came and took Ronit to the doctor. The doctor told Ronit that these days they give only five injections, not fourteen and that too on the hips, not in the stomach, for a dog bite. Ronit was so scared by the name of injections that he did not even get up from the examination stool, placed near the doctor's seat. The doctor kept on saying to Ronit to come and lie on the bed, but he shouted and cried – nooooo noooooooo noooooo. Ultimately, Somesh has to lift Ronit in his hands and bring him to the bed. He somehow released himself from Somesh's grip and ran outside the clinic, crying and he slipped. Somesh caught him and the compunder came to assist. Next minute, Ronit was on the bed, shouting, with his hands held by dad and legs held by the compounder. Now there was no escape. He started crying loudly and some needle pricked him on his right hip. 'Oh, it was not that painful. Just like a pinch on my hips.' The devil thought. Then as the beast's teeth counting lad left the clinic, dad brought him two chocolate bars. 'It would be worth crying when I come for the next injection too, next week. After all the reward is all because of the tear effort I put in', the naughty lad thought in his mind.

Injection days passed by and now it was time to join the school. Ronit said to dad that he wants a small bicycle. Dad sat on the bed and called Ronit to stand between his legs and he kissed him.

"Beta, you know, it requires a lots of money. I will go on a business tour and will get lots of money for you to get the bicycle."

"Papa, you only go for the tour, Chacha never goes for a tour ever. What is this? Mummy also gets angry on you for the same." Ronit replied.

"Cheeky Beta, this medicine business of ours requires frequent business tours as I have to get the payments from the parties. They don't send the money by themselves. We have to go for collection. And your Pintoo Chacha, whenever he goes for a tour, he fells sick. He is not habitual of the outside food." Dad replied to Ronit

"Papa, you told all this to mummy a lot of times. But she says that Pintoo Chacha should also take initiative in work. He will fell sick once or twice, and then he would become habitual." Ronit replied.

"Beta lets not discuss this too much. You go upstairs and do your home work or study." Dad replied with a little anger.

"Papa, the school hasn't yet started. It will start by next week." Ronit replied.

"Okay then go play outside." Dad said.

In the afternoon, when Anjali came home from her school, tired of teaching, she saw Ronit patting Blacky's head smoothly. Blacky closed his eyes and bent his ears down and he really liked Ronit's caring for him. Anjali said, "Ronit, so you are friends again, ha? He bit you and made you go for injections. I still think it was one of your mischiefs which made him attack you, anyways....come on. Let's go upstairs"

Ronit had no words to say and he looked down on the floor as he followed his mom upstairs.

"Huh...... Ronit it was a tiring day for me. Our school opens earlier than yours every year. Today, I did not have time to have tea properly. Hey come on, I'll make you learn, how to make tea." Anjali said to Ronit with a comfort smile on her face.

Ronit: Okay mom.

Anjali: See Beta, one most important thing, be very careful with the gas. Make sure that you open the knob of the burner and ignite it with match stick or lighter. If gas does not burn up, turn it off immediately.........

She continued with the safety procedure and the tea recipe. Once the tea was ready, Ronit told her about the discussion with dad in the morning.

Anjali got a little shocked, as if her old dry wounds suddenly got scratched.

"Ronit Beta, you are a small kid, you don't understand a lots of things. But you know why, now we have two floors? Why we stay on the first floor and why we stay upstairs now and your Dadaji and all stay downstairs? Coz I had been in utmost pain while we were staying downstairs. As I used to come from school, there was a big pile of work ready for me back home. I had to do the mopping and cleaning, washing utensils, wash clothes of the whole family – what not. And it was a big family before. Your dad's three sisters got married recently. I had to wash everybody's clothes back then. In the night I had to prepare dinner for all – your dad, me, Pintoo, your Dadaji and Daadiji, your three aunts who got married now, and then again, wash utensils heap. And you know what, when I said to your Dadaji that it's a pile of work for me, should I keep a servant for assisting me in all this house work? He said, we don't have much money to spend like this. When I said, I'll pay her from my salary; he said no, you have to do this work. You are the groom of this house. It's your duty to do all the work here. I got so pissed off, Beta. There are a lot many similar situations where I was tortured and your dad also took side of his mom and dad. I cried and fought with him and then, he made this top floor for us." Anjali said.

"Ya mom, I understand." Ronit saw tears in Anjali's eyes as he replied.

"And you know what? I am not an enemy of your Pintoo Chacha. But till when he will depend on your dad in life? Every thing, your dad does in the house. Be it vegetables, be it electricity and water bills, be it touring, be it any work. Pintoo will not go for the tours as the food there do not suit him. He gets sick. But if it's about going for a picnic, he can go for long trips to Delhi or Goa. Then his stomach do not gets upset? It doesn't suit him, my foot. Huh. Well.......... Let me take a nap now, this is an endless argument and will never end, Beta." Anjali said.

"Hmmm." Ronit said, realizing her pains.

"See I work really hard in school and try and put so much effort on students. I just make sure that they don't need any tuition from anybody on my subject. I keep a strict control on students of eleventh and twelfth class and give them the best teachings I can. But after all this I need some rest at home na? I also need some space." She said and went for the bed for afternoon nap.

#  Chapter 7 – Mommy's brainwash

Ronit started going to the new school but was a little scared and surprised with the new bigger school world. So many kids in the school, and no teacher knew Ronit – This didn't use to happen before. He has to cry loudly after reaching school, shouting "I want to go home. Oowaaan", with tears in those tiny eyes. Sometimes he succeeded though in leaving for home early, by making a fake excuse of stomach ache or sickness, but then those school people had been handling thousands of kids like Ronit every year. Ronit was quiet happy when he was back home, but always crying, when in school.

Anjali was a biology teacher in Saint Queen Merlin's School and she had put Amrita in that school only. This was good about Ronit's family. Ronit got admission in the school from which his mama studied and his Nanaji taught and Amrita joined the school in which her mother studied and then after college, she came back and joined as a biology teacher. Good for Ronit and Amrita or rather bad? Time will only tell.

One day, the decent and quiet boy, Ronit came to his mummy's school. Mom got busy in her daily work so she sent a peon with Ronit to show him the school. He went to the rides and slides area of the school along with his sister, where some kids were playing and Sister Principal of the school was laughing and monitoring those school kids. "Hello my kid. How are you?" Sister Principal said to Amrita. She knew that Amrita was Anjali's daughter. "Sister, you know, my mummy teaches bib big students. She can order anybody to do anything here." Amrita replied

Sister started laughing loudly and said to the little Amrita, "Yes kid. I know."

Amrita was a chatterbox every where. She was a very active kid in the school, during initial years of the school. Well why not. She was getting all the mummy's protection in the school. Ronit had a little tough time in school since no one was there to protect. Ronit became a quiet, decent, sweet and shy guy to the world since all the world was in front of him to face and nobody with him to fight with it. But back home, oh he was a big devil. He would fight his sister with full voice and energy. He would argue with mom and would go on until he gets a 'phattaak' on his face.

During homework time in the afternoon, Anjali used to leave the kids on their own. Her daily routine was to wake up at five o clock, prepare tiffens for kids and Somesh, wake up kids, get ready and catch the bus to school with Amrita. Bathing and dressing up the kids was Somesh's responsibility. After school, Anjali would come home, prepare lunch with the maid's help and go for the afternoon sleep. No one would make a noise when Anjali is sleeping in the afternoon. Cheeky's and Teeny's speaking in normal voice was also banned during the afternoon. They would quietly do their homework and if they needed to talk, they were allowed to speak at a very low voice. If at all, anybody's voice reaches Anjali's ears while she is sleeping, both kids were punished for that sin. Four slaps on Ronit's face and three on Amrita's. Ya, just because she was a girl, she should bear less pain. One day when Ronit would mature a little, she would have to answer him about this. That day he won't let mom win the argument just by slapping his face. He thought every time about this when Anjali used to tell the kids that you both are equal for us. We don't differentiate between a boy and a girl.

In the evening, Anjali used to wake up, make herself a sixth cup of tea and start the homework inspection. For her, tea was the fuel of life. No tea means no life. Eight cups a day was a normal routine for her and despite of that, she was as fair as milk. She would first of all open Ronit's homework copy, see the dirty hand writing and her extra white face would turn extra red. "Ronit' put your hands on the table with fingers straight." She used to shout and Ronit would come in the cry mode. He knew that as he would put his hands on the table, she would take a pencil and hit his finger's bones so hard with that pencil as if she is beating a drum with a drumstick.

Then Amrita's turn would come and a similar treatment to her too, though with a milder effect. Then all the homework done by kids would be torn off from their copies. "Do it again, you idiots. And I want a clear handwriting." After breaking the hands of both the kids, Anjali used to prepare dinner and when Somesh used to come from work, the family used to have dinner. It was quiet common that one of the two kids won't get dinner if he or she got a diary remark stating homework not done or if he or she got a poor in the copy. Dad would quietly feed the punished kid after the other three family members had dinner.

Anjali was none less than Hitler to kids. She was a horrifying personality in the school too. For her, the strategy was simple – if you do well in studies and work hard and score good marks, you are a lovely kid and I will pamper you a little. But if you are not doing well in studies, you are my enemy and you should die of the punishments I will give you. Whether it was class 11th or 12th students in school or whether it was her own kids, if you are not living a hard working life and you do not study twenty five out of twenty four hours a day, you do not exist for her. Amongst the first five top rankers always during her school life, she was damm good at teaching too. If ever Somesh tries to teach any of the kids, he used to get a good one from Anjali. "You please don't teach them. I will teach the entire concepts to them. You don't even know how to teach kids. Please, don't try to come between kids and studies. I will only handle it."

As the kids grew bigger and heavier, their school bags too underwent the same transformation. Till forth standard, Anjali used to give a lot of attention to Ronit's studies and it was considered not so good if he was going out to play in the evening. Anjali would want that he should go and play in the evening just once or twice a week. Rest of the times, he should be drowned in books. It was little forceful on him. He was a slightly above average first division guy. He always used to study because there was a mummy pressure on him and not because he wanted to study. This excess pressure on him made him hate the studies. If he is not under mom's observation, he would never like to touch the books.

During the exams, as he used to come from school, Anjali would sit with a leather belt and then discuss the question paper with him. "So, what have you done today in this paper, you silly duffer."

Ronit used to get horrified with the loud voice, and in fear, he used to tell his mom all wrong answers despite he wrote them right in the answer sheets actually. Getting beaten by belts was a usual story for him. He got so habitual to the exam days beatings that whenever he came home after giving the exams, he used to tell his grandmother, "Daadiji, I am going to mom to get beaten by belts. Please come and save me after two belts. Before that, mummy won't let you stop her at all."

Daadiji used to tell Ronit, "Cheeky Beta, she is your mom. She hits you for your own benefit. Although she hits you quiet badly, but she wants your benefit only."

"Oh Daadiji, no one would hit her son just before seeing the result. And I won't, I just won't study if she continues like this. I am ready to die but I will not study, even though I can but I JUST WON'T." Ronit would say to Daadiji.

In forth standard too, he scored just a first division. Anjali would never be happy with his result and Ronit never used to feel sorry that he used to get just the bare first division – something in sixties. Because of the scoldings and the beatings, his personality got shattered. He would stay irritated in school. He won't make any friends and would always have an angry face. Sometimes because of this agony and loneliness, he used to sit under the big banyan tree in his school and cry.

He got determined in fifth standard – I WON'T STUDY NOW. THAT'S IT. Daily, he would get slapped because of homework not done diary remarks; now, dad had also started beating him. The shouts and beatings on Ronit were so high every day that even neighbors' kids also used to ask him, "Ronit, so u got beaten up by belt today also? Cha Cha, poor Ronit."

He had no replies to all this but he quietly used to bare the insults. His diary was half full with diary notes from teachers like 'homework not done' and 'did not prepare for the class test properly'. Earlier, he used to cry aloud with tears in school when he rarely used to get a diary note. And now, it was a tradition that he would get the diary note almost daily. He learnt to play tricks, saying "I did not bring my diary today", to teachers so they can't give him a diary note. But it also didn't play well after sometimes. One teacher asked the class monitor to go to Sister Principal and ask her to issue a new diary to Ronit, so the teacher can give a diary note to him.

Again a smart trick; Ronit was told to go along with the monitor to the Principal's office. If he gets a new diary and a diary note in that diary, first of all mom would belt beat him all over and then ask, why you got this second diary when she will read the big remark stating all his deeds. If Ronit don't show up the new diary with the diary note signed by his parents, the teacher won't leave him and would send a letter to Ronit's place to call his parents to come and meet the teacher. A small diary note in the old diary is a safer deal, he thought. As the monitor called Ronit to come with him, he said to the teacher, "Teacher please, can I put my dirty hanky in my bag and go?" 'Gosh just let me reach my bag once. Only I know where I hid my diary, the monitor didn't get the diary when he checked my bag since I kept it in the secret pocket.' Ronit talked to himself.

"Okay, keep you hanky and go to the principal's office." Teacher said.

'O Yessss. That is it.' He thought and slid his hand to the secret pocket of the bag, picked the diary from there, on the floor and made a coughing sound, so that no one can hear the falling diary's sound. "Teacher please, I found my old diary. Here it is on the floor." Ronit said to the teacher.

"That's surprising Ronit, I was standing near your chair only when the monitor checked your bag. Neither me, nor the monitor was able to figure out that the diary was lying there on the floor. It's really surprising. Anyways, bring your diary here." Teacher replied.

Ronit gave a 'well, in order to save my ass, I hid it from you but if you are so desperate to screw my ass that you would get a new one and fix it on me and screw me then, so its better you screw my old ass' look to the teacher.

The teacher gave the usual note 'homework not done' diary note. Back home, the same old story – one slap on the face and same question, "why you didn't do the homework?" No replies from Ronit, just usual eyes down posture. "It's enough, let dad come today. You got twenty six diary notes Ronit, and it's just two months since your class five started. You duffer." Anjali grabbed his collar and said in a frustrated voice.

Somesh came that night with an angry mood. Generally, he would show his angry eyes to the lad, raise his hand up to his head in a slapping pose and rotate it near Ronit's cheeks and without touching him, he would move it like a slap in the air and see Ronit closing his both eyes in fear. Then he would say to Ronit not to repeat the same stuff again and spare him. Today was just a big bad day for Ronit. He got one of the tightest slaps of his life from dad and he fell on the floor. "Get up. Get up you idiot." Dad shouted on Ronit.

As he got up, he peed there itself and a huge amount of urine fell on the floor from Ronit's manhood. One more tight slap, but of class C category; the first one was of class A. "Papa, don't hit me. Please." The boy cried.

Dad held both his ears and pulled them apart in opposite direction, with almost his full strength and Ronit shouted madly.

"Shut up. You get one more diary note, you got that, just one more diary note; I will seriously kill you." Dad shouted.

Mom used to take out the anger of work on kids regularly. But today was the first day when dad came tensed from work and took out frustrations on Ronit. He cried for around three hours in bed when everybody went for sleep. 'You people are animals and god will not spare you for all this.' This was the first time Ronit was cursing his parents.

Next day, he woke up and he remembered – 'O man, I did not complete my Hindi home work yesterday as it was all the brutal beatings I was going through, which ate up all the time. Anyways, I will not do it now. I will have to die getting beaten one more time but I can't do anything now. First period is Hindi only.' He did not make an eye contact with dad or mom that day while getting ready for school and having breakfast and when Somesh wanted to look at Ronit's face, he just turned it and looked in the other direction.

Hindi teacher straight away caught her usual victim, Ronit Sandhu. "Ronit, show me your Hindi copy." The teacher took a glance on a few pages of the copy.

"Ronit, please bring your diary." The teacher smiled.

She wrote the diary note, handed over the diary to Ronit, and told him, "Ronit, please get out of the class."

Ronit was in his own tension as he stood out of the class. 'Who will sign this diary note now? I can't bear this kind of brutal beatings anymore. ', he thought. 'I will sign the note myself.'

Today's homework – mom's sign practice. The guy signed two full pages but could barely make the exact copy of her signatures. Then he does it in the diary. Now nothing can be done. It's signed. He kept mum when mom woke up and did homework properly – in nice handwriting. Mom asked, "What you will study today?"

"I have two class tests tomorrow mom, I am preparing for Maths and English." The lad replied in a lower voice.

"Oh, so you do have to study for the class tests? Don't you give them just like that – without studying?" mom taunted.

'I will just do as you told, mom. I will give the tests as usual only, without studying', Ronit thought, turning the pages of the book.

Next day, the Hindi teacher checked Ronit's diary. "Ronit, when did your mother change her signatures?" Ronit was all in sweat. It took the teacher just ten seconds to find out that the signatures were fake. He was sent to the Principal's office and his parents were called. 'Till when will I get over with this beating business?' He thought while standing at the doorsteps of Principal's office and his parents being called. Anjali and Somesh came within fifteen minutes. They were called inside, not Ronit. He looked at the floor while his mom and dad entered from the door in order to avoid their angry red eyes.

They were having some discussions and his school diary was being flipped and passed amongst his parents and Sister Principal, as he took a glimpse of inside the office. Sister Principal called few of Ronit's teachers; Ronit got 4 – 5 heart attacks like things when he saw all his teachers entering the office. 'They must've come to discuss some stuff about me only', he figured out 'now, I would be held from collar, given a few slaps, my ears would be brutally pulled apart and then Sister Principal would hit me with cane.'

"Ronit, come in." Sister Principal waved hand at him. As he came in, his mom was replying to the Principal – "Sister, you can beat him as much as you want. Break his legs if he doesn't perform properly in school"

'O god, I am a dead man now. I am praying to you for the last time god.' But, as he entered, he was asked just one question, and that too, very politely – "Ronit, why you do not perform in school, when you know you can? What are you scared of?"

'O boy, at least somebody believes that I CAN perform but I am not feeling like doing it, and I won't do it. Reason – tortures.' He thought in his mind and said nothing.

"Come on my child, speak up. Say what you want to say. No one will hurt you. I promise." Principal said in a lovely voice.

'Now you can speak up, you naughty boy', a voice came from inside. "My parents beat me a lot, so I do not perform." Ronit said.

Anjali tightened her jaws and as Ronit looked at her to check what she would do now, she gave him a 'kid, you see me at home, you are dead today' look. Sister Principal also noticed that horrified anger in Anjali's eyes. Sister immediately asked Ronit to go back to the class and attend the next period. As he went, Anjali started, "Sister, you saw that na. He has no hesitation. He doesn't want to study only. He would get a good beating from me toda....." She paused as the Sister Principal gave a close eyes look and raised her palm near her own face, giving Anjali a 'Stop it, please' look.

"Mrs. Sandhu, did you notice one thing what the boy said first?" Sister asked.

"What?" Anjali became curious.

"He said, my parents beat me." Sister said and continued. "Did you realize one thing? The boy is sharp enough to hide his diary and making all the other excuses, as his teachers explained? Do you realize that your ward is not a DUFFER Mrs. Sandhu?"

"What do you mean, Sister?" Anjali asked in return.

"I mean, that it's the excess of pressure and achievement challenges that you are putting on him. That's what is killing him. And as a natural human tendency, he is getting strongly determined that he just won't study. This way, if it is continued, he will get mad or he will become a psychic one day." Sister explained.

"So you mean that I should let him do whatever he wants, so he plays more and don't study at all. You know, whenever I am in school on Saturday and I give him some study task to do, he do it roughly and hurriedly, just because I can't say to him that you did not complete this task. He uses knives and break open his dad's almira so cleverly and take out his video game and play it the whole time until I am about to come. And then he keeps it back and put the lock in its place after putting the game inside, as if I don't know. I am his mother, Sister. I am aware about all his veins and arteries." Only a biology teacher could explain like this and she did.

The argument was getting interesting but Mr. Sandhu could not contribute anything to it. Anjali told him while coming to the school only, that she will only talk as it's the study business; Mr. Sandhu, he was on mute right now. Anjali's orders, so he can't override them. It's the fact about all most all the husbands – if it is a clear and strict order, then they can't even think of going against it. Otherwise they only would have to buy new crockery, new window glass panes and probably a new T.V. too, because the wildly wife would be throwing and breaking all this stuff going back home while she points out a few old mistakes of the hush husband and get to the kindling point, ignite and explode.

"Mrs. Sandhu, see how brilliant he is. A dumb boy can't open dad's almira's lock. He is deliberately not focusing his energy on to study. He just now said that he is not studying because his parents beat him all the time. And, the freedom which you are talking about, he is getting it for only short periods. That's why he wants to take full advantage of it. You are now giving him, say only 2 percent freedom. Give him 60 – 70 percent freedom. Don't even bother to look at what he is doing the whole day. Initially, when he will get it, he will misuse. And then, when he knows that this freedom will be with him only forever, he will be himself. He will, by himself cahnelize his energy into right directions. You won't even have to bother about his studies then." Sister retro – explained and she saw a 'what are you saying' look on Anjali's face, so she negotiated on the deal a bit.

"Okay, let's do it this way. Leave him on his own for two weeks – just two weeks. If he is the same, you can always, slaughter him like you always want to."

This made an effect; Anjali got the thrust of it. 'Sister not even knows me much and she is feeling that I want to slaughter my son. O my Ronit, I love you my child. I am strict because I want you to reach heights, Beta. I love you very much my bachha.' Anjali thought in her mind and tears came out of her eyes, although just for five seconds. She didn't want to loose control on her son as she learned being a teacher that she can't be friendly to her students, it will mislead them to lesser scores and their mind would deviate from studies. But this argument with Sister Principal made her think that Sister was also saying a right thing. Well, as they say, only a woman can change other woman's thinking, but whatever happened, might lead to a new principle in Anjali's 'how to bring up your kid' dictionary book.

There was an 'I understand' look in Anjali's eyes, but the intensity of it was not ample; just a hint of it. Anjali and Somesh went back and that evening Anjali called Ronit and asked him to sit on a chair beside the dining table, while she was sitting on another chair already. 'What? Now I will be beaten after being tied on this chair, so that I can't even protect myself. God, are you even seeing what's happening to me down here', Ronit thought. Maybe.....the god was listening to you. Just wait and see how your life changes now. Anjali, being a teacher, can't tell the things in one or two sentences, so she started the essay.

"Ronit Beta, today in the Principal's office, you told that we beat you a lot? We don't beat you that much Beta. Me and your dad work so hard and give you all the best of what we can. We love you and your sister too much. You don't understand how it felt, when in the office you said your parents beat you too much; I felt so hurt."

'And so you will tie me with a roap and will keep beating me till I am handicapped.' Ronit thought.

"Come here Beta, come close to me."

'I am dead now', Ronit closed his eyes thinking that a tight slap will come over now any time.

Anjali hugged Ronit and said, "I love you, Beta. We will not hit you any more. It's just that we want you to become a nice and big man one day." She cried saying this. Good that she didn't tell Ronit that this freedom was just for two weeks.

As Ronit was being hugged, there were some tension and curiosity lines on his forehead and his nose. 'What??? I get a hug and not a slap????', he thought. Two three days, he enjoyed like anything, but then, he showed drastic improvement. A 'Good' in his English copybook, a 'good diary note' in Hindi!!!! – Only toppers used to get that. Wow. He scored Seventy Five percent in the finals that year. He started calling his mother – 'MOMMY'.

#  Chapter 8 – Homework, Duster work and Pen work

Anjali gradually realized that she was putting unnecessary pressure on Ronit; it's just some boosting which should be done to him or every child otherwise the kid's personality might hamper. As he grew older and studied in different classes, it was clear that he was a slightly above average boy. The percentage was some sixties in every class. As he grew up and reached adolescence, he read about protons and electrons; acids and bases; mitosis – meiosis and menstruation cycles.

The teachers at Saint Martin's School were so firm and motivating, that the students were all performing well. Ronit now moved to the higher classes – mischief became less important now. The homeworks given were a little excess, so some homework to be completed in home, and some, quietly in other subject's period or in the recess. There were mischifs still going on sometimes – in class eight. One day Ronit went to school, it was noon time. In Saint Martin's school, the homework was not really checked literally after class six. The teacher would check the homework in a 'present it to the class way'. If there were, say, eighteen questions given in homework, the teacher would ask the first row's student to read the answer of the first question and then discuss it with the class – weather the student wrote well, bad or perfect. Then the second boy would read the answers to the second question and so on. When all the questions get answered, the next boy would start with the first question again, or with some other assignment.

The students used to adjust their seats according to the answers which would come on their chance, and would write only that answer or just one or two more, just in case. If a student says he did not do the homework, then of course, he would get a diary remark. So the lazy students used to manipulate and choose the questions, whose answers were small and would write those answers in their copy. Then they would see, on which seat, this question will come, and would ask the boy on that seat to exchange seats with them, so that when their chance comes, they can read this small and easy answer and get rid of the diary note easily.

It was sometimes that teachers also, by their gut feeling, used to find that something was fishy. And then, they would ask the student, "Hey Ravi, you used to sit in the second row on the third seat, but today, you are on the first row, seventh seat. Why? Please come back on your seat Ravi." Then Ravi would get a mild heart attack and others would be laughing for a while. Then, Ravi would pray that father principal would come for a round and discuss some stuff with the teacher and class. It might consume some time and the period might get over. If Ravi would be lucky that day, something would happen and his chance might not come. Otherwise, a sure shot diary note for him.

The homeworks were in excess, but what could be done. Teachers won't be able to finish the courses if they don't give homeworks and the students won't have answers in their copy ready to study during exams. So, 'doing the homework in class in some other period quietly and secretly or in games period, while others went to play' was quiet common. The rule was that if you are caught, you are dead. If the homework was of English and you were doing it in the Hindi period, and Hindi teacher catches you somehow, in spite of your bondish smartness, she would tear your English copy and give you a diary remark, saying 'Homework done in Hindi Period', then she would discuss it with the English teacher and the English teacher would give you a diary remark – 'Homework not done'. If it were a games period and you are doing homework in the class, while others are out on the grounds for sports, the sports master would suddenly come to your class and give you a tight slap and make you kneel down on the ground.

One day, it was a free period, and the substitute teacher gave it as games so all boys went to playground to play. Ronit did not complete his physics homework and was completing the same. It was a good opportunity since it was a free period, just after the interval. Ronit was copying it from a sincere boy's copy and suddenly he felt that a small leathery and powdery object hitting his right cheek, turning it red. He kept his pen down, looked up and pressed his cheek with his right hand. It was Pramod, his friend, who hit him with the duster. That was not a heavy wooden duster, but a thin leather holder and canvas like stuff to erase the chalk from the blackboard. It was painful for Ronit to bear that duster on his cheek. He took the duster and hit back Pramod on his cheek. They both laughed, and then Pramod grabbed the duster and threw on Ronit. He bent down and saved himself, and the duster was in his hands now. Pramod would run here and there to save himself. Another bang from Ronit. The two boys started enjoying and laughed, running after each other. The classroom door was closed and the noises of their laughs and giggles were not disturbing any surrounding class.

Pramod gave a nice duster shot on Ronit's left ear and he ran towards the door. He was heading towards the corner of the room and with Ronit chasing him, there was no escape other than to open the door and run away, and that's what he did. Ronit got so pissed off of that solid shot he received that he really wanted to take the revenge. He hid himself behind the class door, holding the duster in his hands.' As Pramod would enter the class, he would get a tight duster shot from me', Ronit thought and held the duster in a hitting position. In class eight, it was allowed to wear either navy blue shorts or white pants, along with white shirts. Today both Ronit and Pramod came in white trousers. There was a silence for two minutes and then, a whitely dressed personality entered the classroom – white shirts, white pants, almost of Ronit's height. What now, a STRONG duster shot from Ronit on his cheeks of course. Then, Ronit started laughing aloud and came from behind the door to see Pramod's painful expression. "Ha Ha Haaaa......aaaaaaa oooooo noooooo." Ronit shouted. The school's principal was standing in front of him with one hand on his red and aching cheek. "Father, I am sorry, I was doing my homework only, while someone hit me with a duster and you also came in white shirt and pants today so I thought.....", as Ronit was giving a useless effort of explaining things to father, he got a tight shot on his face, with a chalk and Pramod came in laughing and was about to hit the second chalk too. "Haaa Haaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa Father????" His accent changed from 'screw you' to 'don't screw me please, have mercy' as Father Principal turned his face towards Pramod. "Okay fine, both of you bring your diaries and follow me to my office."

Class eight was on third floor and Father's office was on second floor. As Ronit and Pramod were following Father, on the staircase, there was still mild laugh on their faces about what just happened. The period almost got over and students were returning from the playground, back to the class. They saw the two guys following Father Principal along with their diaries and some of them laughed and pinched Ronit and Pramod's ass. "Ha Ha, seems you are going to get suspended." One of those guys told Ronit and Pramod and they came in serious mode. In Father's office, it was the first time visit, as they didn't do such big deeds before. "We are sorry Father. Please do not suspend us. Our parents will kill us. Pleaseeeeeeeee", both begged.

"Who is suspending you? Get this diary note from me, signed by your parents. "Doing mischifs in class and do not maintain discipline." That's what Ronit and Pramod saw, written in their diaries when they returned back to class. While coming back from father's office, none dared to open their diary and see the note as anyone passing by would look and start questioning. In class, everybody gathered around today's Heros and said, "Show me, what note you got?" The diaries were circulated until the teacher came to the class and everybody settled. After school, Ronit went home and told mom about whatever happened today. She got little anger expressions on her face and saw the remark. "Do not repeat it. Okay." She said and signed it.

Ronit didn't get the thrust of that first diary remark from principal as his mischifs continued. It was the age; if he would not do mischifs at this age, when he would do it then? In his old age? One day, it was the second last period, geography teacher came in. She asked students to read the answers of the questions one by one, in the usual way. Ronit was sitting in the last row. Just ahead of him was sitting Nadeem. As Ronit was in the last seat of the second row, his chance to answer a question came, just after the last boy of the first row. The teacher chose the zig zag way this time. As Ronit read the answer from some body else's copy, he was baring the funny faces of Nadeem, trying desperately, not to laugh and answer the question. Nadeem tried his best to make Ronit laugh while he was reading the answer as he was a backbencher, so he camouflaged teacher's view while making funny faces to make Ronit laugh. The other trick for back benchers was to read answers from someone else's copy as no one would notice whose copy was it. After a small giggle, he was successful in reading the answer to the class. Nadeem made various kinds of faces from below ther desk, bending down near Ronit's chair and made animal faces, pinched Ronit and made sounds of monkey sometimes. His efforts of distracting Ronit and make him a laughing stock in the class went useless.

Nadeem was next. As his turn came, he started reading the answer to a question, and got a pen hit straight in his ass by Ronit. He read, "The westerly winds enter India from...... AAAAAAA its west coast." The entire class laughed at the AAAAAA sound of Nadeem which was due to the painful pen shot in his ass by Ronit. Teacher tried to calm the class down, "Quiet please", She said. Nadeem continued, "The temperature in the coastal areas like Mumbai and Calcutta is equatorial, whereas in areas away from sea, the temperature is extremeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." Another tight shot from Ronit – a pointed ball pen straight into Nadeem's ass. The whole class laughed madly. This time, the teacher made out that there was something wrong with Nadeem and Ronit. She asked Nadeem, "Why are you not able to read the answers properly?"

"Teacher, I got hit by somebody from behind. Maybe while adjusting the chair somebody accidentally hit me." Nadeem replied.

One thing was there for sure – unity. All of the class guys would screw each other as many times they can, but no one would directly take names of anybody in front of the teacher. But the teachers would also be aware of all this as they handled the same teenaged crowd every year. "Listen guys, I want the truth, not this crap from you. I know something was done by the guy sitting behind you." The teacher said and everybody looked at the seat behind Nadeem's seat. It was vacant. Everybody giggled and the teacher went to Nadeem's seat. She figured out that Ronit shifted from his seat to two rows on the right in no time. "You, Stand up. I saw you sitting behind Nadeem, as I entered class. Why such a sudden change of seat?"

"Teacher, that seat was shaking a lot. So I changed, after I get my turn to read the answer. I completed all my homework no." Ronit replied.

"I know, you completed the homework, but there was something going on. What's your Name?" Teacher asked.

"Ronit Sandhu", Ronit replied.

"Ronit and Nadeem come in front and tell me what exactly happened. We are not moving ahead until I know the truth." Teacher said.

They both thought, 'Who cares if you are not teaching ahead. Anyways, we'll tell you what happened – now that you caught us.' Nadeem and Ronit went to the teacher's desk and Nadeem said, "Teacher, by mistake, Ronit might have hit me with something. It's nothing serious....."

"Quiet, Nadeem. Enough. I will not teach the class now, and you both are responsible for this." Teacher said and she looked at Ronit. "Do you want to say anything, Ronit?"

"Okay mam'. I will tell you the truth. While I read an answer to the class, I got pinched by...... you know. And then some funny faces and sounds too from below the desk. So as to make me laugh and not let me answer properly but he failed at it. Then it was his turn and I touched my pen on his leg to make him laugh." Ronit replied.

"You TOUCHED? Show me how" Teacher said.

Ronit took a pen and very mildly touched Nadeem's leg with it from back. The teacher said, "You did it this way only before? Because, this time he did not shout."

Ronit said, "Fine, I will show you." He took the pen and pricked it hard as he did before in Nadeems ass.

"AAAAAA" Nadeem shouted and the laugh of the entire class and teacher covered his shouting. After everybody laughed, the teacher said, "Ronit, please bring your diary."

Ronit thought that now it's no point in giving an excuse and he brought his diary. The teacher opened the Teacher's Remarks page and she gave a look at a front bencher, Mohit Sharma. As teacher looked at him, he said, "Teacher, please. Spare him na." He shrunk his eyes as he said this. There was innocence and an emotion in his voice. The teacher smiled at that decent boy, closed Ronit's diary and told him, "Ronit, this boy saved you today. Go sit."

The bell rang and it was games period now – the last period. Ronit along with the other class mates packed their school bags, kept them at the assembly ground and went for playing. Ronit went and said thanks to Mohit Sharma, who saved him from the diary note. This guy had both his legs deformed since birth. Ronit gave him his favorite ink pen, as Mohit was very fond of ink pens. He never used to write with ball pens, and Ronit, he used his pens to write only in exams. It brought a smile on Mohit's face. Ronit also replied back with a very cute smile.

#  Chapter 9 – Bigger classes, Bigger Challenges

Ronit was doing okay in studies and he would bring just the first division again. This is what he was. Anjali said fine. "In ninth and tenth, I won't spare you. You have to take science and move ahead in life. I don't want you to be stuck in your dad's business of medicines where he have to abuse at the workers to get the medicine lott done on time in the factory and go touring every second week. I want you to choose your own destiny, Beta." Anjali said to Ronit.

"Mom, we get all the comforts because of that dad's business only na? I mean look, we are one of the lavishly living people in the colony. We have a jeep and we have two scooters. Only two – three families in our colony have four wheelers. We have our houses furnished. What? Are you not satisfied?" Ronit asked.

"Satisfied? You said it Cheeky. Let me tell you that we own the jeep because it is useful in transportation of medicine cartons from one place to another. Your dad bought a second hand canter and spent grants to get that load moving wheeler in running condition. Look at the standards, for instance, we are not living in a posh colony. It's one of the colonies where half the crowd THINKS about weather to send their kids to school or put them into some work. If you call it as a satisfying stuff, then my son, I am sorry. But our definitions of 'satisfied' differ by some miles. And...... your Pintoo Chacha got married; still he is not awake in life. Still, he won't go for touring although, every Sunday he have to go shopping with his wife in that jeep when my husband is hundreds of kilometers away from me, touring for collections. I don't say that Somesh do not care for me and you. He of course do, but the person, if not let alone with responsibilities would never learn in life. Somesh won't ever give responsibilities to Pintoo. That way he is taking the time which our family deserves from him and side by side he is letting Pintoo's hands and mind get rusted."

"Mommmeeee. Again you are into that orbit. Come out of it please. There are a few things you have to live with sometimes. Think of the things that make you feel happy in hard times. Pleaseeeeeeeee." Ronit said.

"Ya. You are right, Beta. Offfffff. Let's forget about it but I want you to see life with a different perspective. You are taking science in eleventh. Tenth is very important class. Okay." Anjali said with a low pitch all through and then a high one when she came onto the words 'taking science' in eleventh.

"Alright mom. I won't let you down on this one. Promise." Ronit replied. In ninth class, Ronit joined a computer course in the summer vacations. He once saw a T.V. interview of some youth professionals on the national channel. Anjali didn't opt for the cable satellite T.V., though it was an available service in their colony now. Reason – the kids won't study then and would watch Zee T.V. or Star T.V. then all day. One young girl on the national channel interview said, "These days, it's really good if you do some computer course apart from graduation. It adds weightage to your profile." She said giving her own example how she got preference over the others in an interview. So now Ronit had to do this computer course.

Those were the days of DOS and GWBASIC. Windows did not launch in India yet; no colored monitors. Only black and white computers, with most of them installed with a 3.5 inch floppy drives, and one or computers in the institute would have a 500 MB or 1 GB hard disks. And when the institute people would do the counseling of any student coming along with his dad like Ronit, they would surely say it's the state of the art lab that we maintain here in our institute. It was a fact in those times but then the counseling, they would do it so flawlessly that anyone coming there, even for some other purpose, if listens to the counselor, he would think of joining the course. Ronit joined the courses for some programming languages.

Those institute people were really good at teaching the subject in an interesting and efficient way. Ronit soon became a champion in the institute. The programming languages were the topic of his interest. When he joined back the school after the vacations, computer science was a subject, in which he was really a king. The teacher always got the precise and right answer from Ronit whenever she threw a question in the air for students to answer. Sometimes, the teacher would pause and start thinking about a problem which she is not able to solve instantly in the class, and computer king Ronit would come with on spot answer. It is really nice if you have already studied and practiced the subject beforehand. You are number one then.

In Computer Science, Ronit scored the highest marks always, even more than the class rankers, but other subjects were tough riddles for him. Mathematics especially, in which he flunked in the quarterly and half yearly exams continuously. Then the parents thought, it's the time for the tuitions for him. Anjali couldn't help him with surds and trigonometry. They went to a maths teacher nearby their place and he started the tuitions. Ronit started with a good pace in the tuitions. The teacher – Mr. Bhatnagar, told his parents that the boy has it in him; it's just that he is not getting proper guidance in the school. He seems to enjoy maths tuition and when I give him a surprise test, he do more than expected in them – almost cent percent marks. In the final exams, Ronit scored second highest marks in maths in the class, and of course the highest in Computer Science.

Class ten began and it was the class of boards and the class which would decide the future stream. Ronit was sincere and serious from the beginning. Parents thought that he should go for the summer coaching classes for science and maths. Ronit agreed readily but he said, "I would still like to continue with my maths tuitions with Bhatnagar sir." The summer classes were good learning and boosting experience. The organizers conducted the classes in a school, which they occupied for summer vacations. Anjali said to Ronit, "You know what. As I talked to the coordinator of the summer classes about you joining it, they offered me to teach biology to class tenth there. Let's see now." She smiled.

Ronit asked her if she is really going to teach biology there. "Yes, of course. I would be glad to take a few topics, for which any other teacher isn't available." Anjali replied.

"So how much they offered you, mom?" Ronit asked curiously.

"I don't know. I don't care. I am never interested in the money part Beta. You know that na." Anjali replied.

"Okay mom. Asked just like that." Ronit said.

The next day, the coordinator of the summer classes came and introduced Anjali to the class. She was bright, confident and the first 'no book' teacher the class got acquainted with.

"Hello students, I am Anjali Sandhu. I will teach you some of the biology topics. You can keep your books in your bags, your ears open and you eyes focused on the front. No side or back staring please. Whatever topics I am supposed to cover today or in coming days, I want to make sure that they are on your tips as each gets over and I want a little co – ordination from you. Can I expect this much from you all?" Anjali said in a confident, professional, crisp and experienced voice.

"Yes Teacher." The class replied in a jolly good manner. She started with the topic of the day. She went in a very easy to understand, precise and to the point manner way of teaching. Ronit wondered that his mom was so deadly good in teaching her subject that his mouth remained open in excitement and surprise. She handled and guided the class in such an efficient way, that the mischievous guys of the class also listened to her with full attention.

As Ronit and Anjali went back home in the auto, he was so happy that his mom was one of the best teachers who have taught Ronit in class. On reaching home, he hugged his mother and said, "Mom, I love you."

The summer classes got over and Ronit was able to move smoothly in science and maths. Fortunately, for tenth class, the school appointed the best of the breeds' teachers for English, Hindi and Social Studies too. Ronit was so serious with the studies in tenth class that he totally sacrificed his evening time of playing to studies. In tenth, teachers won't give too much homework and make the students mark the answers to the important questions in the book itself and ask the students to study them at home. As Ronit used to come home from the school in noon, he would start with social studies – history, civics, geography and economics. Then he would go for maths tuition to Mr. Bhatnagar. After that, he would come home, practice maths problems and then in the night, he would study science.

After tuitions, sometimes he went for the white and brown thing, with his tuition friend – Deepak, who was a very naughty and fast type of a guy. When Deepak, taking a cigarette puff, asked Ronit, when did he smoke his first cigarette? Ronit said, "In seventh class." Deepak bent down and touched Ronit's feet.

"Man, you came out to be my guru. Two steps ahead of me. I started in class nine." Deepak said.

"O come on Deepak. While looking for my video game in my dad's almira, I used to see the 555 cigarette packet kept there for so many days, which my Nanaji gifted dad on his marriage anniversary long back. My dad, you know, he never smokes or booze. One day I thought, let me try one. I opened the packet and lit one. I kept the deodorant ready as I knew it would smell smoky. While having the puffs and coughing, as I was flipping the packet, I accidentally broke a cigarette. I immediately stopped rehearsing smoking – as it was first cigarette of my life, and started crying. It was the last gift of my Nanaji to my dad. I kept the cigarette packet back, spread the deo in the room and never dared to look at that packet again ever. After that, I continued it with you only." Ronit said and after finishing their smoke, both guys had a peppermint to avoid smell and left for their homes.

Ronit had newly grown mustaches at those times. He used to wear trousers and shirts. No t – shirts, no jeans. He oiled his hair daily and was a 'study all the time' type's guy, whose ass grown fat because of excess sitting on the chair to study. Anjali's motivation and study challenges made a fat ass out of that smarty. One day Satya mama came along with his cousin brother from Delhi, Kamal Bhahiya and his family – wife and two kids to Ronit's place. Kamal Bhahiya used to stay in America and every year, he used to come with family to Delhi to meet his parents for one or two months. As Kamal Bhahiya's wife saw Ronit's poor study loaded face, she told to Satya straightaway, "Satya, how strange he is?"

"Didi, he is giving boards this year, he has loads of studies on him." Satya explained her.

'Let me get science in eleventh, aunty. After that if you see me, you will never make a face on me, but would rather be jealous that why your kids are not rocking like me. And they don't have boards in America?' Ronit thought in his mind as he went to his room where he would practice his maths problems. He was good enough to score more than seventy percent in every subject in board exams and he got science eleventh easily. He had a choice of taking physics, chemistry, maths and biology OR physics, chemistry, maths and computer science. He thought that mom is always there to guide him if he takes biology and he can become an engineer or a doctor if he chooses biology now. On the other hand if he takes computer science, which was not at all there in class tenth – only till ninth, the subject is not that much interesting and he would have to study computer theories rather than tackling programming. He opted for biology and Anjali told him that it's totally his decision. He took admission in the biology section.

#  Chapter 10 – Discovery of bunk and drunk principle

It was the first day of class eleven and the class teacher, Mr. Ansari came to take the first period of the year. He came in a very serious mood, with his physics books and greeted the class, "Good morning students. Welcome to the world of science. Mhmm." He cleared his throat and continued. "I see a lot of new faces here; obviously it's a new class." The class giggled a little. "But I see around fifteen old faces too. As you can see, a couple of students are repeaters in this class. Boys, let me tell you that this is one of the toughest classes of your career, not just because it's quite challenging as its science and the courses are too vast, but also, since at your age, you want to enjoy and not struggle. The further classes after this 'eleventh standard' would be more tough and so only those who we think can bare up those classes would be sent ahead. Hence you need to control this youth age factor; otherwise you might be seeing me again next year acquainting you as a 'familiar face'. It's not the fun time for you all, but it's a test time every day. You may ask the repeaters that we warned them a lot and tried to assist and help, but teachers can't do anything if you don't write the papers well. You would have to study three four hours daily, else you would not be happy with your exam results. I will be teaching you physics." The class was pin drop silent now and there was a little horror in the air. "And I just want you all guys to pass and move on to the next class next year. Okay so what subject I came here to teach you?.........O ya, Physics." The class giggled again. "Mmhmm. Today we well start the first chapter, Newton's laws of motion" Mr. Ansari said, clearing his throat. The first four five weeks, there was little regularity in class.

Then the Saint Martin schools' annual fair committee became active. It was one of the biggest school fates in Jaipur where crowd used to come in lakhs. It would be held in the month of October where every class would put up a stall of some item, be it eatable or a game – it was the class's wish to decide that. There would be a lucky draw for the raffle tickets sold by the students – every student have to sell at least one booklet of twenty tickets and the students who sell twenty booklets would get a silver medal, the students who sell fifty would get a gold medal. With each class, containing at least 50 students, and each standard from 1st to 12th, there were 4 sections, so the raffle tickets sold in entire Jaipur would sum to a huge amount of money. Moreover the raffle tickets contained advertisement from sponsors so the money to print the ticket came from there, plus the gifts of the raffle tickets were also sponsored by the fair sponsors. It was a full profit to the school on selling those raffle tickets. Apart from the stalls, the annual souvenir book would be released on the fate's day. The book would contain the annual information about the school, the events, cultural activities and the advertisements from the publishers, the quarter page advertisement for certain thousand rupees, the half and full page advertisements of certain more amounts respectively. Again, the profit from the sponsors of souvenir would go in the school's account.

Now who would bring the advertisements from the sponsors? Obviously the eleventh and twelfth class students and the students who opt to become the members of the fate committee. When they would bring the advertisements? Obviously in the school time, attaining a permission slip to go out in the school hours to talk to any sponsor, who would be interested in getting their advertisements published, be it a motor company, be it a computer institute, or be it any other firm. What would students get from all this? Freedom from the boring classes and whatever advertisement they bring to the school, they would get a ten percent of that as a token of appreciation.

Ronit, with his new friends – Praneet and Manish also wanted to join this committee and enjoy some time outside the classes in the school for the fate work but the committee members were majorly chosen from commerce and arts sections and not science. Moreover the seats were already full the day the news of fair committee came out. Now the only hope left was to get permissions from the fair committee teachers to get the advertisements. First day, Praneet went to Mr. Sharma, the fair committee head to get the permission. Praneet's elder cousin brother was in class twelve – commerce section and so he was aware of how to ask permission and to whom as he got trainings on this from his cousin.

Praneet went to Mr. Sharma and told, "Sir, me and my two friends have some contacts and we want to bring some ads for the souvenir."

"Okay student. Tell me which class you are in and tell me the names of the students who would go for getting the ads?" Mr. Sharma asked Praneet.

"Sir, Praneet, Manish and Ronit from class 11, biology section." Praneet Replied.

"Three guys would go to get one ad, ha?" Mr. Sharma asked with his left eyebrow up slightly and right one in its normal position.

"Sir, actually one person has the scooter and...we two know the sponsors. So...." Praneet's voice faded.

"Okay, but I want to see the ads in a day or two." Mr. Sharma replied and took a piece of paper and jotted down three names.

'Praneet, Mahesh and Ronit, allowed to go for fate's publicity work.

Sign Mr. Sharma

Mr. Sharma handed over the piece of paper to Praneet. "Thank you sir." Praneet said and smiled. He went back to Manish and Ronit who were eagerly waiting after the meal interval, in a corner as if there tenth class result was about to come again and were wondering if they would pass or fail. Praneet raised the slip as he came towards them. "This bloody Sharma, he raised one of his eyebrows on me as I said that three of us would be going, just like Ronit do when he is doubtful about a point. Though Ronit do it in a much better way and his one eyebrow goes quiet high when compared to that old ass Sharma." All laughed as Praneet said this.

"Hey guys, Sharma have not put any date on it. We can use it tomorrow as well na" Ronit said.

"Arre waah Ronit. Brains ha. Come on, now take out your scooter." Manish said.

"Me? For all three of us? Well......" Ronit said in a negotiating voice.

"Arrey come on yaar. I or Praneet will take ours out tomorrow n day after. Everyone's turn would come yaar. Now be a nice boy you sister fucker." Mahesh said.

"Okay na, you mother fucker." Ronit said as they both smiled at each other.

It was quiet usual when boys of class eleventh talked amongst each other with these proactive verbs like sister fucker or mother fucker. It would be quiet odd, if you do not greet friends with one of these two words or include them in normal sentences like, 'Sister fucker, that is a really nice car'. The trend usually begins in class seventh or eight but it is mandatory to use these 'fucker verbs' amongst friends when you reach the senior classes, otherwise you are considered as abnormal.

The three guys went to the cycle stand and Ronit took out the scooter, showing the slip to the cycle stand attendant, Munna. Saint Martin School was in C – scheme, near M.I. Road. They went out and Praneet said, "Ronit, we would first go to a tea THADEE and have some tea and cigarettes. You smoke na?"

"Ya, of course. What about you Manish?" Ronit asked Manish and Manish tore one of his GUTKHA packets and emptied some of the contents in his mouth and kept the rest in his pocket, folding the packet.

"Yesh Ronittttt." He said with his mouth full of GUTKHA and Saliva.

"Cool. So let's go now. Praneet, where to go, you tell me please." Ronit asked Praneet as he started the scooter and Manish sat behind Ronit and Praneet put his thin ass on the little place left at the back.

"Do you know Kishan Jee's THADEE? It's near by only. After the refreshments – that is cigarettes and tea, we will go for some ad hunt too. We would be back to school by the second last period."

"Okay Praneet. Show me the way." Ronit said and started following Praneet's directions.

"You know a lot about this ad business ha? How man?" Ronit asked Praneet and Manish screamed, "Ouch, you asshole. Drive slowly. On the bad roads, you ride the scooter on full speed. U made my balls almost crack and reach my mouth, you speedy ass."

"Ha ha ha" Praneet and Ronit laughed aloud and Praneet replied to Ronit, "My cousin brother used to guide me all these days what he was doing in eleventh."

They reached Kishan Jee's THADEE where some of the students of class twelfth and eleventh were already sitting, smoking and drinking tea.

"O ho........ Join in you mother fuckers." One of the senior guys greeted these three lads and smiled.

"How are you doing Banaa? Give us three stools na, Sister fucker." Praneet smiled and replied.

"Kishan Jee, three teas and three Wills Navy Cut please." Mahesh placed the order and a small guy in a torn t shirt and naker came and served the nicotine and tobacco things as Praneet, Ronit and Manish shook hands with the crowd.

"Hey Praneet, what do this word Banaa means?" Ronit asked Praneet curiously.

"Banaa means a big person, a dada, a leader." Praneet replied.

"Do you guys know the name of the road which asks, am I a road?" Manish did the foolishness of asking a stupid question to the gang.

"Its M.I. Road you mother fucker. Mirza Ismile Road. Now shut your ass like mouth and don't ask such stupid questions and bore us or else we will make you smoke a cigarette from your ass and just to let you know, the burning side of the cigarette will be facing your ass. Okay" A twelvth class guy replied and Manish did not speak a word after that.

After smoke and tea, they decided to go to a nearby market and Praneet said, he would show how to talk and get the notice of any firm. They went to an electronics goods shop and Praneet said, "Hello sir, we came from Saint Martin's. As you know we will have this Martin fair in October, and we would be publishing a souvenir. Would you like to place an advertisement in that for your firm's publicity, Sir?" The shop attendant did not understand a word and he kept looking at Praneet's face. He told Praneet to speak in Hindi. Mahesh and Ronit laughed aloud as Praneet gave them a 'fuck you' look. He explained it in Hindi to the shop attendant and he said when his boss would come, he would explain it to the boss.

"We will come tomorrow again." Praneet told him, converted his sentence in Hindi and returned to the scooter, where the other two were standing. He said to Ronit and Manish, "We have to talk in English only, first. It's the matter of our school's prestige, you know."

"Ya, ya. We got it Mr. Martin fair." Ronit replied.

"Okay? So you got it ha? You would talk to the next firm, man. Decide which one." Praneet said to Ronit and Ronit got little bubbles in stomach. "Well, I would have to talk 100% in English? That I can, but talking to anybody for an ad....... I feel little strange you know. You show me one more time how to talk, please." Ronit gave a smile to Praneet while replying.

"O now you feel strange. Well when you do not attend those boring chemistry and biology periods and come roaming here and there in school time, you have to do this talking stuff, at least. And of course, you will get a ten percent commission when anybody places ad through us. Do not forget that na." Praneet replied.

"Okay, I will go this time, but after another cigarette round yaar. Let's search for a cigarette shop." Ronit said and they went for a smoke again. Ronit talked to another potential sponsor but it was also a flop show. They returned to the school when the second last period was almost over. The mischievous minds did not want to attend the last period which was of chemistry. They went to the basket ball court and mingled with a class already playing there. The next day, after the interval, Rajiv also joined in. Rajiv was also a part of the gang but he was absent yesterday. Praneet said, "Sister Fuckers, listen. Sharma asked me for a pen to make this permission slip yesterday and this is that pen which I handed over to him. We can write Rajiv's name in this slip and I think it will work with Munna."

They scribbled Rajiv's name on yesterday's slip and soon, the four guys were out of the school. Two scooters carried these four asses to another 'Beach waali THADEE' this time, which was also near by. They sat and someone asked Praneet, why it was Beach waali THADEE?

"You see all sand here, the open space and the bench on which we are sitting beside the wall is a stone bench. And look in that corner, those three guys are doping. All stuff that happens on a beach. So this is 'Beach waali THADEE." Praneet explained with a smile. They roamed around here and there after having smoke and tea and tried for ads, but no success today as well. They reached the school in the last period and went home, collecting their bags.

Now it was a habit and they did not attend any period after the interval. Either they will ask for permission slip from Mr. Sharma, or they would use the previously given slip – changing the date, or they would make a fake slip and if none of this works, they would jump from the fenced wall, near the tennis court. The tennis court area was one place which one could use to jump the fences as it was in one corner of the school premises and it had 3 – 4 steps constructed adjacent to the wall, which one could use to climb the walls. Then it was easier as you have to just climb the two feet high wire fence and jump on the footpath on the other side of the wall. It became a common practice to not even go to the school on every Friday, and directly go to any cinema hall and get the tickets for first day first show and enjoy the movie in school dress. But sometimes when the class strength on Fridays was really less, father principal may go to these nearby cinema halls and catch the white dressed Martinites and blow up their asses. Ronit and his gang always kept a colored, casual t – shirt in their bag and as they entered the cinema hall, they remove the school belt, tie and shirt and wear the t – shirt and watched the movies without any fear. There was no movie which released when they were in class eleven, whose first day first show they did not attend. Whenever Ronit's parents ask him to join the family for a movie, he would say that he prefers to stay home because he already seen the movie and knows that it's a bore one. When mom, dad and sis returned from the movie, he would ask for sure, "So, how was the movie?" They would also say, "Ya, it was good, see it once", though both parties know that the movie was bogus.

Then came the winters – the rum days. The gang of four would jump fence near the tennis court and get on to their scooters, which they parked outside the school for daily activity purposes and would pool in money to buy soda, rum, disposable glasses and cigarettes. The pocket money was not sufficient for this purpose, so everyone in the gang, take hundred rupees for filling fuel in their bikes from their folks, ask the petrol pump guy to fill petrol of fifty bucks only and ask him to make a bill of hundred bucks to show to their folks. They would always say to their folks that the scooter gives less mileage. The money though used to go in liquor and smoke. Every day, they would get drunk in a park, go home and then study a bit. Then came a time when the liquor rates clashed by fifty percent. Praneet said to the gang, Guys, licenses of the liquor shops are about to expire. Every year, the licenses get expired in January or February and then they have to get them renewed. These liquor shop people would sell their stuff in half rates to finish it off. And a better chance for all of us."

Praneet was right about the rates. Although the reason he gave was appropriate or not, didn't matter as they would buy quarters for each and would drink the rum neat – all of them. Soon, days came when the rum quarters were available for the gang members in their blazers during assembly time. The trick was to stand in the back in the assembly line and all gang members one after the other in the line where one or two guys would have a quarter kept in the chest pocket of their blazers. The rule would be, to take a sip and quickly keep it in your blazer's chest pocket. Then look around, and when nobody is observing you, pass the bottle to the guy in front or back and let him enjoy a sip. They would drink in the assembly and after the interval, drink in the parks nearby. Then they would come back to school and if they are really high, they would stand in a group in playground and start the abusing business, "You mother fucker Princi, you fool teachers, you stupid suckers. This entire school staff is an ass hole, all mother fuckers." They would shout until the sports drill master does not show up nearby. When he comes, the one who abused most loudly would be the first one to run away and save his ass from the big stick the drill master used to carry. He literally used to bang the stick on these drunkards asses, but fortunately he was great enough that he never used to complain to the principal otherwise, seventy five percent of the class would get suspended. This stuff used to happen every year with eleventh class because in twelvth, no one would take so much risk.

The exams came and it was the sentence time – really less time to study and really big course to cover. Ronit and his gang fortunately had a good habit too. At home, they would do the self study for the course throughout the year as they know that the entire course, they have to do by themselves as no teacher would jump the boundaries of the school and would come to Beach waali THADEE or Kishan jee's THADEE to teach them, and the gang can't just stay in the school after the interval as it would start itching badly deep inside their asses. Ronit's trick to study was to do the numericals separately in the evening as it would be the interesting part, and theory, he would take the book and scan it one page after the other, very fast so as to get the idea of various topics he might have to study. He would then look at the previous years question papers and then again scan the course book, with a pen this time. He would mark some topics as important, and leave the others as it is, depending upon his gut feeling. Then he would concentrate and revise the topics he marked important for the theory part and leave the others, he would not even read the not important topics even once. The time was going good until the result day approached after the exams. The whole gang was pissed off and tensed about 'who will make it to the next class.' Fortunately, the entire gang of Ronit and party passed and was sent to the next class. They were all surprised and shocked at this rather than being happy.

#  Chapter 11 – Principle of Principal Satya

Ronit was through with the result trauma too and a week or two were still left for the new classes to start. His lucky days were on as mom would go to school and dad would go office, so he was alone in the house....... or may be not.

He got a call from Satya and Ronit asked his school gang to lower the volume of the T.V. Satya asked him, "Ronit Beta, I suppose you have some holidays still left. I was going to IIT Delhi for attending school seminar on teaching tactics along with two of my school's teachers. Would you like to join me? There is one man's space still left in my car which I will drive to Delhi and back. We will have a lot of fun. What do you say?"

"Mmmmmm....... Well." Ronit wanted to say a no and join the gang back for the blue movie they were watching on his V.C.R. The C.D. was not so common that time. He was thinking, what he would do in the seminars.

"O come on Beta, I will send the teachers to attend the seminars and we would go enjoy here and there. You know, being the school's Principal, I can order them this much at least." Satya read Ronit's mind and said to him.

"Okay Mama, but what about asking mom and dad?" Ronit said.

"I will ask Didi right way. Okay so you start packing your stuff because we are taking off for Delhi tomorrow morning Beta." Satya replied and Ronit said ok.

He went back and asked the gang to rewind the movie for him. One of his friends whom they all called Jax said, "O sure Ronit. We can watch this hardcore Negro doing the white chic in the bar in front of everybody again and again. No problems, here you go." He took the remote of the V.C.R. and pressed the rewind button. Jax was the tallest guy in school, seven feet high and a very notorious one. One day in eleventh class, in the past, he was stealing and eating somebody's tiffen in the English period. The English teacher, Mrs. Gupta, who was 5' 6'' in height, called him and was so angry with him that she wanted to slap him on his face. Well why not, he was eating food when she was teaching an important chapter. She stood up and tried to slap him; jumped and raised her hand but could not reach his face to slap him. After getting pissed off, she took a wooden scale and hit Jax on his ass so hard that the scale broke. Jax smiled at her as if nothing happened and the entire class started laughing. She said in an angry voice, "Go back to your seat. Such a tall fellow you are and no sense. Huh."

As Jax rewinded the movie and played it, there was a bar in which a couple of guys and gals were hanging out. A hot white chic came in wearing high heals and a micro mini. A strong white guy went and started talking to her. He wanted to seduce her with talks but was not getting successful. Just then a Negro entered the bar, double strong, tall and smart. He went to that white chic and straight way asked her, "Come on baby, let's make love here. I will satisfy your deepest desires to the fullest." He kept his right hand on her left breast. The white guy got pissed off but didn't dare to talk or touch the Negro as he was really very strong one. So the white guy said to the white girl, "Don't worry baby, I will give you a real love. He won't be able to give anything to you, come on." He held white girl's hand and tried to pull her from that place and take her away. The Negro got angry and he banged both his hands on the white guy's chest, held his collars and threatened him, "What are you gonna do, MAN?"

The white guy left the place and the Negro kissed the white girl with force and tore all her clothes and rubbed his hands on her naked private parts. She was all hot and passionate now.......... he opened his pants and dropped his underwear down, and then what was shown in the video made all of the gang's mouths open and kept it open for two minutes. He had a nine inch long, wooden plank like thing in between his legs. As he started the deed of doing her on a table in the bar, the crowd circled them and watched the girl getting done and heard her loud cries which comprised of thirty percent pain and seventy percent immense satisfaction. As the gang watched the movie, something was erect in everybody's pants – in between their legs, they all noticed this when they looked at each other and it made them laugh like mads, seeing the protrusion on each others pants.

They laughed and laughed. Their enjoyment paused as the phone rang. "Who the son of a bitch it could be?" Ronit said. All went quiet and Ronit picked up the phone. It was a wrong number, but a blessing in disguise. Anjali entered the home and all the guys just made themselves normal, as if they casually met here today. As Anjali entered, Ronit said, "Mom, I will make tea for you", and he ran on the kitchen while all stood up and greeted Anjali, "Namaste Aunty."

"Namaste, what are you all doing here today?" She asked.

"Aunty we were playing the video game, over here." Jax said and pointed towards the video game console lying on the table, while he pressed the eject button on the V.C.R. behind his back, took the cassette out and prayed to god that Anjali do not notice this. Fortunately, she looked at the game console and came out of the room into the kitchen. "Cheeky Beta." She said and the sugar container slipped from Ronit's hands and he started sweating.

"Yes mom." He kept looking at the gas stove as he replied.

"Beta when your friends are through with the game, make sure that you keep it in its shelf and not leave it outside. Hey why are you sweating?" Anjali said.

'Oh so you didn't succeed in making out what we were doing. Woooof thank god!!!!', he thought in his mind and replied with a smile, "Mom, your son is standing near the gas and making a nice tea for you. So, a little sweat on his face should not be a matter of surprise."

"O okay Beta. Good that you are making tea for me. I really am in need of it now." Anjali replied.

As Ronit finished making the tea, all the gang was ready to leave. Jax took the video tape and said that he will return it to the video shop while returning to his home. Again the phone rang. This time Ronit smiled at it and thanked the previous caller in his mind for saving the gang's asses. It was Satya mama this time. Satya said that he wanted to talk to Anjali for the Delhi trip, so Ronit handed over the phone to her.

After the talk, Anjali said to Ronit, "Beta, mama must have told you about your Delhi trip. If you want to go, go because you won't get time and a trip like this again. I think you should go. You will go na?"

Ronit smiled and said, "Mom, I will go but will you ever ask a question and give me space to say no?"

"No, never." She replied and Ronit packed his stuff for going to Delhi. They took off from Satya's school at around ten o clock. The two old teachers took the back seat and Ronit sat beside his mama, who was driving the car. As they reached the midway at Behrod, they took a halt from the journey. Satya told his staff teachers to go inside the restaurant and order tea and meal and he would join them in a while.

He asked Ronit, "So Cheeky Beta, which brands of cigarette do you smoke?"

"Ha?" Ronit got shocked. "I don't......"

"O shut up Cheeky. You have your maternal genes from my family. I studied in the same school, you are studying in. And most important, I have been through your age, so don't you hesitate. I know what all mischifs and deeds you must be doing. So which brand did you say, young man?" Satya looked in Ronit's eyes and said.

"I take Classic Regular." Ronit replied in a hesitant voice.

"O okay. Good. I will also try your Classic Regular. Now please go and get two – one for you and one for me. You need the change? Here." He put his hand in his pocket and was about to check out his purse.

"Nah, I have change. I will get it" Ronit said as he stepped out of the car. Two minutes later, he brought two cigarettes. Satya said to him, "Can you light the cigarette for me please?" He lit both the cigarettes and handed over one to Satya.

Ronit took his first puff in his usual style, held the cigarette with two fingers, brought it to his lips, took a long puff, and as he did that, he let the grip of his two figures loose on the cigarette, made a horizontal 'V' with his figures around the cigarette and as he was done with the long puff, he narrowed down the horizontal 'V' of his figures and gripped the cigarette back in his figures and removed it from his lips. Then, he blew the smoke straight up in the air. "Oh my Johnty." Satya said.

"Johnty? Who is that?" Ronit asked.

"Johnty is John Travolta yaar. He smokes in his movies like the way you just smoked." Satya replied.

"Oh I see. Let's finish it soon. I am feeling hungry, Mama." Ronit said.

They joined the teachers for lunch, geared up the car and moved on. They reached Delhi in the evening and entered the hotel they have booked two rooms – in one room, the two teachers stayed and in the other, Satya and Ronit. They all woke up in the morning and headed for IIT Delhi where the seminar for teaching tactics in the schools and colleges was being held. They entered the IIT and it was a big journey within IIT. Such a big campus, Buildings quiet away from each other and it was a world in itself. Satya told Ronit while driving and looking for the seminar hall, "See Beta, some of India's or rather world's best engineers spend their college life here in this campus."

"O ya. I know. Whatever. I don't want to be in IIT. I have seen my friends becoming mad and becoming bookworms trying to get into IIT. I believe that if I am intelligent and different from the crowd, I will prove it to the world one day and I don't have to die into books for that." Ronit replied

"Well you are stupidly correct. I mean, if I look at you as a school's principal, I would want to convince you to study hard and become a bookworm to get into a reputated institute, but if I look at you as your mama, who did enjoy his college life like anything and yet runs a school today and holds a respectable position in the society, you do make sense to me and I believe in you. One day you will show the way to the world." Ronit smiled at this reply of Satya. He asked Satya just like that, "Did you ever, in your life, got a hundred percent marks in any exam?"

"Do you think I am that big ass hole?" Satya told Ronit in a low voice so that the teachers could not hear.

As they finally found the seminar hall after roaming here and there, Satya saw the events list of the seminar and found that there would be 7 – 8 presentations, and it would finish by the end of the day. He asked the teachers to join the seminar and told that he would join the same after the lunch break as he has some important work in Delhi, which he would finish soon and join in. As the teachers left the car, Satya told Ronit, "See yaar, being a principal, I am bunking the presentations. Ha ha. You know what; I will call my staff teachers on their cell phone and tell that I will not be joining as I couldn't finish the work. Well I am the boss after all. We will roam around in Delhi and will have fun."

"Okay, as you say." Ronit replied as he remembered the bunks in class eleven. "So what will we do?" He asked.

Satya: We'll go to Kamal Bhahiya's place after we munch in something from Mc Donald's. Okay?

Ronit: Okay, sounds good. Please turn on the music. Mc Donalds?

Satya: Ya it's a really nice eating place – not yet in Jaipur. You'll enjoy it. Now listen to this. A lady had three daughters. The eldest daughter came and told her mom, "Mom, I am going out with Hearty, to party" and the mom said fine. Then the second daughter came and asked, "Mom, I am going out with France, to dance" and mom said fine, you can go. The youngest daughter came and said, "Mom, I am going out with Chuck...." Mom immediately interrupted and said, "No, you are not going."

Ronit: Ha ha, let me tell you a better one. One day, one Sardarji goes to a restaurant and orders a Tandoori Chicken. That area was an area of dons and criminals. So as the waiter brings the chicken, all the dons stand around Sardarji. As Sardarji starts with the chicken's leg, one don says to Sardarji, "Sardarji, if you break the chicken's leg, I'll break yours." Sardarji thinks that it's not good to mess around with these dons so he says to the don, "Okay. I will not break it." Then he takes the knife and thinks to cut and have a chest piece of the chicken. The second don says to Sardarji, "Sardarji, if you tear this chicken's chest, I will tear yours." Sardarji says, "Okay. I will not tear it." He thinks something in his mind for two minutes and then he turns the Tandoori Chicken around and puts his finger in the chicken's ass and licks that finger, points his ass to the dons and says, "Okay now you do what I have done to the chicken."

Satya: Ha ha ha ha ha. Good one. Now that's like my boy.

Ronit: Okay, listen to one more. Once there was this Yamraj who was the in charge to decide who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. He used to ask one question to every dead person and depending on the answer, he would send the person to heaven or hell. Once there were four nurses which were dead and were standing in line to answer Yamraj's question. He asked the first nurse, "In your life, you have been serving people. But by any chance did you ever touch any man's penis? Speak the truth because I can cross check and if you did, I might send you to hell."

The nurse replied, "While serving an old man patient, I gave a bath to him and touched his penis at that time."

"I understand, you did it while you were serving an old sick person. Do one thing, wash your hands in this holy water bucket and then you can go to heaven." Yamraj replied. She did as told.

The second nurse came and the Yamraj asked the same question to her. She said, "Yes, while I undressed a wounded patient I touched his penis with my hands and arms as I had to remove blood stains and glasses from his body."

"Okay, wash your hands and arms in this holy water bucket and you can go to heaven." Yamraj said. Now as the Yamraj was about to ask the same question to the third nurse, the forth one pulled her back and jumped to Yamraj and said, "Yamraj, before you ask this nurse to wash her ass, can I wash and gargle my mouth in this holy water bucket and go to heaven?"

As Satya heard this joke, he stopped the car and parked it on the side of the road, opened car's door and went out and he laughed and laughed, he sat on the floor while laughing and continued his laugh for another five minutes. Ronit also laughed and asked him to come back in the car and move on. Satya told to Ronit, "Cheeky, I deliberately controlled my laughter until I stopped and parked the car. If I would have started laughing while driving, we would have hit into some body's vehicle. Ha ha ha ha ha. It was a really deadly joke."

They had a meal in Mc Donald's and then went to Kamal Bhahiya's place. Kamal Bhahiya's wife opened the door and he welcomed them, "Hey Satya. What a surprise. Come on in"

"I knew that you and Kamal Bhahiya are in India these days. As I have come to Delhi for some official work, I thought I would give you a visit." Satya said to Kamal Bhahiya's wife.

"O Good that you have come. Kamal would be coming back home soon. Hey, who is this smart hunk?" She pointed at Ronit and asked.

"Any guess, Didi?" Satya said.

"Mmmm I don't know. But he is smart." She replied.

"He is Ronit – Cheeky. Anjali didi's son you met when we went to their home last year." Satya said and smiled.

"O my god, no. He is Cheeky? You are Cheeky? Oh you have turned into such a Sona Munda. Totally different from the last time. I am jealous that you are looking smarter than my kids now. Really." She told to Ronit and he smiled.

"Aunty it's just a matter of chance that you saw me at my test time then. I had to take science and I had to transform myself like that." Ronit replied and they had a tea and some snacks. Satya called up the teachers in IIT and said that he will not be joining them but would come to pick them up when the seminar get over.

Satya told Kamal Bhahiya's wife, "Ronit told me such deadly jokes that I had to park my car on the roadside and then I laughed like mad sitting on the road. Although I can't share those jokes with you but he is seriously my types of a guy. Full Masti types."

"Mhmmm. I see." She raised her eyebrows as she replied

"You know Ronit, what we used to do when I was in St. Martins? We were three friends, me, Steven and Anirudh. There was a spiral staircase near the physics lab which anybody rarely used. I think its still there in the school. Right?" Satya asked Ronit.

"O ya, it's a dark and shady place. No one really goes there and the door it leads to on the roof and always remain locked." Ronit replied as he leaned on the bed.

Satya: Exactly. That one only. As nobody used it, we used to place crackers over there with long thread beads, so it would take a long time to blast. One day we made a plan to plant a bomb on the top of the staircase, near the roof door. Anirudh stood at the entrance of the staircase so as to warn us if somebody comes and we could become alert. As we climbed up the stairs, Father Principal was standing there facing the door. As he heard somebody coming, he turned and we got the shock of our lives. We did not take out the bomb and match box from our pocket yet. Father asked us, "What are you guys doing here." I and Steven got frozen and then he replied, "Father, we are playing hide and seek. We came here to hide."

Father saw a thick heap in Stevens' left pocket, which were actually bomb and match box. Those days, we used to wear bell bottom pants so it showed clearly that something was there in his pocket.

He said, "Father, it's my handkerchief."

"Show me." Father said and we almost fainted, but Steven, what he did was, he slid his hand into the left pocket, kept it there and immediately took out the hanky from the other pocket and showed it to Princi. Father got convinced and said, "Kids, you should not come here. It's a very dangerous place. Naughty students come and plant bombs here."

As father was talking, Steven took out the bomb from the pocket beneath the hanky he was holding and threw it downstairs. I and Steven coughed artificially in order to suppress the falling sound of the bomb. I explained to the father that we came to hide here as nobody comes here and its quiet a safe place to hide. Father and we walked down and he explained, "No kids. You could hurt yourself if you come here. What if somebody planted a bomb here?"

As father was saying this while walking downstairs, Steven pointed at the bomb which he threw from upstairs and said, "Look Father, a bomb!!!! Some naughty boy might have come here to plant it here."

"See what I told you." Father said and we almost reached the ground floor, where Anirudh was standing and making sure that no one goes up from here. It was a little while and he was pissed off so he was shouting at us, "Mother fuckers, do it fast na. You sister fuckers, did you plant it? Should I come upst........" He became a statue as he saw us and Father coming downstairs, with a bomb in Father's hand. I quickly controlled the situation and said, "See Father this guy was about to come and seek us. We were playing hide and seek no." Steven winked as a symbol of trust at Anirudh and he made him realize with his mute actions that we have controlled the situation and our asses are safe.

Ronit and Kamal Bhahiya's wife laughed aloud and Satya took a long sip of tea and started narrating another incidence.

Satya: One day we were sitting in the history class in class eleven and the teacher, Mr. Ramola, who was a very cunning teacher, told one of the boys, Amit to go and close the door as some noise was coming from outside. He was a decent chap and he went to close it. He did not see that the door was hinged with the door lock at the bottom while open. You know na, there is a hole on the ground just below the door when it is in open position and there is a metal doorlock which you can put in the hole on the floor to prevent the door from moving while air blows across? That one – the door was hinged and he did not notice it. So he pulled the door with a little force to close it. The hinge resisted his force and the door made the sound in Doppler Effect manner – DHUM DHUM Dhum Dhum dhum dhum dhum dhum...... It was not at all Amit's mistake as he did not notice the hinge but the class started laughing. Mr. Ramola went straight to Amit near the door and one after the other gave him fifteen slaps on his face. Amit literally cried there. We all got so pissed off that we decided, whatever happens, we will teach that motherfucker Ramola a lesson. Excuse me Didi, I used slang. Sorry.

As Satya said sorry, Ronit and Kamal Bhahiya's wife laughed like anything. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!. "Its okay Satya, continue please, you don't remember but you used slang in your spiral staircase event too." Kamal Bhahiya's wife said.

Satya: O, Did I? Ha ha. I am sorry for that one and the next one too which might come shortly. So, we all decided and planted a bomb there in the switch board, opening the screws and after placing it, we tightened the screws back on the switch board, just before his period, next day. We kept the match box and all stuff in the teacher's table's shelf along with another bomb so that he gets a clear idea that it's a boycott and the proof gets damaged there itself – the match box and stuff. As he entered, within five minutes the switch board exploded and the fan regulator went like a burning saucer and hit and broke a window glass pane. He came towards us and while he was shouting at us, the second one blew the teacher's table apart. Then we all gave him a 'screw you' look.

He ran and called the Principal and we knew that he would say to the Principal that these guys do not listen to me and they don't study and plant bombs in the class. We were ready for it and our speakers were ready. We chose 2 – 3 nice guys of the class to say this to father, "Father, we do not take the responsibility of the bomb planting and we want tell you one thing. Before Mr. Ramola says that he would not teach us until we tell the name of the legendary Bhagat Singh behind this, let us tell you that each one of us here in our class is that Bhagat Singh. When a decent nice boy goes to close the door and by mistake do not see the hinge. When he closes the door, it produces some noise and he gets fifteen slaps on his face right there? This boy here, Amit – you have given him certificates for sports and educational achievements in the assembly for the past many years got fifteen slaps. Imagine if it were you in his place, would you have tolerated such nuiscence, Father? And Mr. Ramola, he does not teach well. Take any intelligent boy's school copy and see what all class work or home work Mr. Ramola has given. Almost negligible. We won't study this subject from him. Please change the teacher. The Principal understood that Ramola was a nuiscence rather than us so he called Ramola in his office and changed the staff.

"Wow Mama. You were all Heros at school, ha?" Ronit said.

Satya: Listen Beta, the point is not about being Heros. The point is not about bombs but the point is 'why we planted bombs and did mischifs?' We had some good teachers too and we did not liked to bunk their classes and study sincerely in the class itself in their subjects. But.........Didi, I already asked you to excuse me for this, when these sister fuckers, unsuccessful creatures and parasites like Ramola become the teachers, they hamper everything. I have a principle of giving freedom and not going for a physical torture. Why do you hit someone? Just because you are elder and you want your subordinate or student to obey you by hook or by crook. The student do not hits back a teacher because he respects. But these fifteen slap types' teachers need a slap from the students only and that's what we did. I am proud today that we raped our History teacher Ramola in eleventh class. And the nice teachers, who taught me, are proud of me today as they see that I run a school in which I try to minimize the physical torture as much as possible. My way of dealing with the naughty students hits their naughtiness, not them. There was a naughty boy in my Modern Kids School named Nishant. Big notorious lad, fails in all subjects, he had brains but he won't put it in studies. Teachers scolded him a lot but he won't listen. I took him for a walk one day and said to him that Beta I am okay with your mischifs, but you have brains in you. Study, then I won't mind your mischifs too. No effect on him. I called his dad to office one day and called Nishant from his class. In front of Nishant I told his dad that there is no need for you to deposit school fees in future as we can't handle a boy like this. His dad said, "Sir he do not listens to us. He demanded for a bike and next month I will get it for him." I got pissed off and said to his father, that one day I tell you, your son will dishonor you. He will slap you on your face one day. You keep on fulfilling his demands and not give him any challenges to face, for sure one day you will cry when he will kick you. And I pity Nishant now that he do not realize what he is doing. Let's see if he passes in the final exams in this class. I bet you that he will fail whatever he do. He is gone.

I challenged Nishant badly in front of his dad. I saw in his eyes that he accepted my challenge and I am quiet happy to say he passed with really good marks that year. Next year he had board exams, he did wonders there too. I called him in my office one day and he said, "Sir you have brought me back to the correct path. That day when you scolded me, I took it as a challenge and there was a fire in my heart to do it." I told him that I challenged him only, that day. He cried and tears came from my eyes too. Hey, but why are you both crying? Ronit? Didi?

They wiped off their tears and Satya told Ronit, "Beta I told you na, that I trust you. I know that difficulties will come in your way, but one day, you will become a great man and show the way to the world." Ronit ran and hugged Satya.

#  Chapter 12 – Becoming Senior most Devils

Ronit and gang became the senior most guys in school. The gang was so habitual to the bunk principle that they just could not get rid of it. Tobacco, liquor and bunk were in their blood now – it can't be separated. There was an addition in the bunk principle though. As it would be board exams this year too, the gang has to study hard, but in their own fashion and kingdom, not just blindly following what the teachers taught in the class. So they would take the utmost risk in bunking the class, but they would escape from there with books. Then they would sit in the library and study or would go to Beach waali THADEE or Kishan Jee's THADEE and study there with a sutta and tea. When they would get pissed off with studies, during the last periods that is, they would go to the basket ball court and play basket ball or play hand tennis in the tennis court. The gang did not have an idea what is going on in the class because they were hardly there. But they all knew how to solve maths integration numerical or the result of organic chemistry complex equations as they would self – study while they bunked and they would go home and attend 4 tuitions of different subjects from noon till dusk.

The teachers were stricter now. Infact their class teacher, Mr. Ram Narayan Agrawal, who taught them Mathematics, was one of the terrors of the school. The first period used to be of the class teacher's subject every day. Another terror was Mr. P.K. Ayer. He was the vice principal of school and taught them biology. Mr. Agrawal and Mr. Ayer, both knew Anjali very well – Mr. Agrawal joined the school as a Maths teacher, when Ronit's Nanaji, Mr. M.M. Arora was a senior teacher in Saint Martin's school, Ram Narayan was casually introduced to the Arora family in some school function and Mr. Ayer got introduced to Anjali as a biology teacher from Saint Martin's in Saint Queen Merlin School's science exhibition.

Mr. Agrawal was a spare one time and slap next time types of a teacher. There was a typical character in the class named Rameshwaran – short name Rama. He was a fat ass guy who would sit and study in the games period too, but if you look him studying, you will keep looking for five minutes at him at least, guessing what he is donng. His eyes would be in books, he would suddenly broaden his eyes, raise his hands and clap or itch his head in a fast manner and his eyes would still be in books, as if his whole body moves here and there while he study, but his eyes get focused on the books only. He used to tie his pant up to his chest, as high he could. It looked like he really wanted to hide his 'breasts' beneath his pants but he was really not able to tie it that high. It was a Maths period and Rama went to Mr. Agrawal and asked him the solution to a Maths problem. As he kept his copy on the teacher's table, he bent a little and pointed at the steps he did in his copy, trying to explain it to Mr. Agrawal. As Mr. Agrawal looked at his copy raising his eyes from his tiny spectacles, Rama, in order to show him the steps bent and came closer to Mr. Agrawal, and then more closer. It looked as if he would soon kiss Mr. Agrawal in front of the whole class. Suddenly Mr. Agrawal raised his hand and slapped his face. "You stay away from me while you talk." He said to Rama while pointing a finger at Rama's face. The whole class laughed. Mr. Agrawal looked the class and shouted, "Hey, you shut up there." – His favorite dialog. His typical style was to come a little late in the class, quietly and then spotting the students who made noise and then giving them a slap. The students were also none the less. Whenever it's his period, they would make noise and one of the guys would stand at the door, looking for him. As Mr. Agrawal would be spotted, the guy at the door would say to the class, "AA GAYA." (English translation: He has come.) The whole class would sit in a pin drop science and as Mr. Agrawal would enter, he would screech his bald head and start the class.

The main aim of the gang was to mark their attendance in the first period, after which they would move out in any period. As Ram Narayan saw everyone's face while marking the attendance, proxy was not an option. One day, the gang went out to Kishan Jee's THADEE, and from there, they went to see a clothes exhibition cum sale nearby. All the others in the gang took their bags along with them, but Praneet kept his bag in Ronit's bag and they left it in the class only, as usual. They returned back to school in the last period, which was a maths period and found that the whole class was being punished by Mr. Agrawal and all boys kneeled down on the ground. The gang laughed at the class and quietly went to play basket ball. They finished the game as the school got over and every body went home. As Ronit went to pick up his bag from the class, it was not there and all the class was empty. The monitor came and told him that Ram Narayan took his bag with him and he was very angry. Ronit and Praneet got horrified. They thought they would be suspended. Ronit and Praneet convinced their moms saying that they were studying in library and the last period was maths period and they did not look at the watch or hear the bell as they were busy studying and Mr. Agrwal punished the class as he called them along with there bags to the ground. As there was no owner of their bag, Mr. Agrawal took it away thinking that the owners of the bags bunked he and might take some action on them tomorrow.

Next day, in the first period, as Mr. Agrawal took attendance, Praneet and Ronit thought he would ask them to stand up now. Mr. Agrawal started with some maths problems on the blackboard and he gave the class some problems to solve and walked in between the rows to look what the students were doing – in the usual way. It seemed that he forgot about yesterday's incident. He walked by the middle row and looked down while walking. "Ronit Sandhu. Stand up please." He said while looking down only and Ronit knew it would happen. The class giggled at him as he gradually stood up. Yesterday he was laughing on the class and today........ Irony.

"When I asked the class yesterday to come in the ground with their bags, there was one bag whose owner I did not find. Then when I opened that bag to find out whose bag it is, I found another bag inside this bag. So, whosoever owns that small bag, also stand up please." Praneet stood up as Mr. Agrawal asked for the second culprit and they got back their bags.

Ram Narayan called both the boys with their diaries and asked them to follow him out of the class. 'Now we are dead. We will be suspended and totaled soon', they thought. The class made faces at those two boys as they moved out from their seats towards the door. Ram Narayan took both their diaries and they both thought, shortly and suddenly, they will get a slap from him. He took their diaries, asked Ronit and Praneet to stand out side the class and he moved towards the Principal's office. Ronit's and Praneet's hearts were beating at their highest speeds and they constantly looked towards the Princi's office. After the minutes, Mr. Agrawal came out of the office and walked towards the class smiling and walking in easy go casual way. He returned the diaries back to Ronit and Praneet, smiled at them and said, "Don't repeat it again. This time I am sparing you." The school bell rang and the period got over. Ram Narayan left the class to take another period in another class, and the two lads remained frozen for a while. "What could be it? Why did he spare us? Sister Fucker, we are so lucky today. Ha ha" Ronit said to Praneet. The whole class came out to enquire about their case. "Well, Agrawal took our diaries and went to the Princi's office. There, some blond lady must have given him a smile, that's why he came back and returned our diaries saying that this time he spares us." Praneet calmed down the curiosity of the class and all laughed as the two Heros entered the class.

In twelfth class, one thing was never insured for sure, and that was the boys' tiffens. As Mr. Agrawal would leave the class after the first period, anybody would grab a tiffen and open it from anybody's bag and the nearby guys would all jump and loot the tiffen. It took three seconds for a tiffen to be emptied and then a next tiffen hunt until the next teacher comes in to take the class. Sometimes the boys would greet 'Good Morning' to the teacher with a great difficulty as their mouth and food canal would be full with food – bad timing of the teacher to enter the class. The teachers would also deliberately ignore this as after the first period, the strength of class used to reduce exponentially after every period. If they would ask the foodies go out of the class, it would further reduce the class strength, so they became okay with it. Ronit had never a chance to eat his tiffen. Not because the guys would loot his tiffen after the first period, but because whatever damm tasty food Anjali would pack in tiffen for him, the prefect – Romi Surendran would empty it during the assembly time only. During the assembly time in the morning, it was prefects' job not to attend the assemblies, but to roam around in each class and to make sure that nobody stays in class and all the students attend the assembly. Romi took full advantage of this and aimed at Ronit's tiffen every day. Ronit sometimes tried to hide his tiffen in somebody else's bag in the gang but Romi would search the whole class's bags to find Ronit's tiffen. He was so familiar with Ronit's food that he could recognize Ronit's tiffen with its smell, like a dog. He openly used to say to Ronit every time, "You do whatever; I will not leave the tastiest food your mom cooks everyday for you. I can't stop having it Ronit, but you can have my tiffen, the whole of it – everyday."

It was okay sometimes but Romi used to do it everyday. Now Ronit could not just go and complaint to the class teacher about it. After all they all were a united class and no one would complaint about anybody, but it was becoming unbearable day by day. One day Ronit made a plan. He opened his tiffen as they entered the class for keeping the bag. The Deadly Chole and Parathe, Anjali cooked for him attracted Praneet, Manish, Rajiv and Jax too and the tiffen was empty in five seconds, though everybody got mouthful of bites. Then Ronit asked Praneet to keep his empty tiffen in Praneet's bag as Ronit kept a paper slip in his empty tiffen. Ronit said that he has one more tiffen in his own bag today and he will let the gang know the further details after the assembly. Praneet kept the empty tiffen in his bag and they all moved to attend the assembly. After the assembly, as Ronit came back and saw Romi, his face was all red and he did not dare to match eyes with Ronit. "What Romi, enjoyed my tiffen today eh?" Ronit asked Romi.

"Enough yaar, please. You screwed me today, brutally." Romi replied and the gang sitting around asked Ronit curiously about the matter.

Ronit: Guys, as you all know that he used to say his typical dialog to me everyday and would eat away my tiffen during the assembly time, today I kept an empty tiffen in my bag with a slip in it. Here it is. Jax please read it to the gang.

Jax, unfolding the slip: It says, Motherfucker Romi. Bastard, you want to eat my tiffen. Here – have it and you will have a tiffen from me like this everyday you dog, you parasite, you son of a.......

The gang laughed at Romi and he tried to hide his face behind his hands.

Ronit: Guys, wait. You must also be aware that whenever I tried to hide my tiffen in any of yours bags, he would sniff search it from your bags and eat it. He did the same thing today as well because he knew that if I had an empty tiffen in my bag, my food filled tiffen would be in any of your bags. So he sniffed it out like a doggy from Praneet's bag and here is what he found.

Ronit opened his Chole wala tiffen and took out the slip and handed it over to Jax for reading aloud.

Jax: O motherfucker, so you succeeded in searching my original tiffen. Really a big sniffer dog you are. Just for your records, the food that you are looking for is in my and my gang's stomach right now. Whenever it gets digested and comes out from our asses, you can have the whole of it – everyday.

The gang laughed like mads at Romi and he almost cried. Praneet said to Ronit, "You raped Romi in a doggy style man. Ha ha ha ha." Romi never touched Ronit's tiffen again.

The gang could not forget the bunk principal, whatever may happen. Although they learnt one thing – to stay in class in Ram Narayan's last period on Thursdays. One day, chemistry period was the last period and the gang's asses were aching, sitting in the class the whole day. They went out to the tennis court before the chemistry teacher came in. They started playing hand tennis with a tennis ball and Praneet hit a strong shot in the wrong direction and the ball went outside the school boundary across the wall. "Well you threw it out; you only have to bring it man." Jax said to Praneet. Praneet said, "Fine, but lets all go for a sutta now. The smoke is calling us all." The gang agreed and they all climbed the tennis court stairs and Manish jumped across the wall and landed on the floor. Praneet was crossing the wired fence over the wall and Ronit was on the stairs, taking a glimpse across the wall, waiting to climb the fence as Praneet gets down on the other side of the wall. Suddenly, Ram Narayan came on the road next to the school wall in his jeep. He saw Praneet on the fence and Ronit looking out across the fence. He went on the road pointing at them at least ten times with his index finger and moved away in his jeep, giving them an indication that he will see them tomorrow in the class. Praneet had one leg on this side of the wall and the other, on the other side of the wall and as he saw Ram Narayan pointing at them and he lost balance. God knows if he became impotent after he lost balance and the fence wire's sharp edges hit his balls, but they all got horrified.

Next day, again while roaming around and looking down, Mr. Agrawal said, "Ronit Sandhu. Stand up please." 'Why do he always take my name only when there are other members in the gang too?' Ronit thought while standing up from his chair. "And there were four other boys too. They also please stand up." Ram Narayan said and Praneet, Manish, Jax and Rajiv also stood up. "Now all of you get out of the class."

"O that's it? Out of the class? Enough? This is not a punishment guys, its enjoyment." Rajiv said as they went and stood out of the class and he suddenly got a slap from behind.

"Now I believe it looks like a punishment. Right?" Ram Narayan said and went back to the class. The gang laughed and Rajiv also started laughing in a while as he came out of the pain.

The last day of the school came – the last day for the whole twelfth class. Thank god the biology section of twelfth was of dare devils and not book worms like the other science section. They were even ahead of the commerce section in mischief – they would plant bombs in the class, they would read the dirty erotic stories in the class aloud when no teacher was there and they would sleep in the class on the first bench when the teacher was teaching and what not........ The last day in the school in class twelfth was considered one of the most remarkable and important day in everyone's life – It is the last day, and school life is over after it, no matter what. The entire twelfth class would not attend any period that day; they have the markers with them to give autographs on each others' white shirt and white pants – which was the school dress for senior boys. The day began with the photo shootings and the autograph sessions. The decent guys went for taking autograph in their slam books from teachers but Ronit's and other gangs, they would give it on each other's shirts and pants with the markers. On the arms area of gym types Ronit, somebody written, 'Work out more and make these biceps seventeen inches.' On Praneet's zip area, the gang made the comments, 'Control Room' and then the trend started. The zip areas of the pants of the gang members read, 'Do not forget the condoms', 'I am seven inch long', 'Babes, lick it like a lollypop' and what not. They caught hold of Rameshwaran and written on his chest area of the shirt, 'Milk – coming soon!!!!', on his zip area they wrote, 'Nothing Inside' and on the ass area of the pants, they wrote, 'Welcome boys, come in'. In the end, when Rameshwran made a face, all boys said sorry to him, told him that they were doing it just for the fun and hugged him. He smiled and enjoyed after that.

After the autographs session, the gangs went out on the roads........in a strength of around hundred, they ran on the roads outside the school and shouted in unity, 'Martinites are dynamites'. People from traffic looked at them and a gentleman stopped their car and told, "Don't do this. You have to take the burden of running this country tomorrow. This is not what the youth is supposed to do."

"Sir, today we won't listen to anybody. It's our last day when we all brothers are together. After the board exams, we would all move in different directions and we will keep your point in mind and will become nice citizens. But today, we just won't listen." He smiled as he got the reply and he raised his hand to the boys in 'thumbs up' fashion and the boys did thumbs up too, in return. He sat in his car and went on his way smiling. After this, bombs exploded at various places in the entire school, courtesy – class twelfth. In the end, they came back and touched the feet of all the teachers and promised that they would leave their mark on this world and the school got disbursed.

#  Chapter 13 – College, fort or jail?

After the exams, it was the rest and chest time. Ronit concentrated in the gym and worked out a lot. The Sandhu family decided that they would move on from Shastri Nagar into their newly bought flat in Tilak Nagar. They were all excited about their new flat as it was well furnished, Satya's home in Adarsh Nagar was near by, Anjali's school was nearby and Tilak Nagar was quiet a happening place. They got the flat on the third floor of Pearls and Shells apartment. It was a tough challenge to move up the piles of stuff – clothes, crockery, furniture and more while shifting. Ronit called Jax for a helping hand and Somesh called a couple of workers and laymen. Jax made a little face while lifting and moving up the stuff and he said, "Ronit I am doing it for you yaar, but it is a real tough task moving these heavy cartons of goods. Hmpf."

"I understand Jax and I appreciate it. We will go for a small party after we move the stuff up. You will be blessed somehow by helping the Sandhu family, you know." Ronit said.

"Ya ya, I know. Let's move it up fast." Jax replied as they took the last carton which contained Anjali's school stuff – thick books, notes, papers, files and stationary. They finally made it to the third floor through stairs as the lift was not yet installed and one of them slipped on the last stair and the carton fell down and some papers came out of it. They picked up the papers one by one and kept in the carton. At a glimpse, as they saw these papers, there were amoeba drawings and notes, paramecium and various other micro organisms drawn on these papers. As Ronit lifted up the last paper from the ground, he gave it a look and then his eyes widened; he kept on looking and covered his face with that paper.

"Well well Jaxy, we are in luck man...... wow...... look at this." Ronit said to Jax and he took the paper from him.

"O yessssss Ronit. You said it correct; I got blessed, serving the Sandhu Family. Infact we both got blessed. Ha ha ha" Jax replied

Ronit said, "I never dared to touch mom's stuff but I didn't know she used to take every minute detail of every girl of twelfth class – biology section. This list contains their names, phone numbers, addresses and dad's occupation of all the chicks of mom's class. Wow, we will try some of these numbers sometimes. I will get it zeroxed for us man. Sister Fucker. Wow." The abusing habit would never go from the gang's tongue.

Jax and Ronit tried a couple of numbers from their homes and they talked over the phone to the opposite sex for a few minutes, but didn't get much success initially. Ronit became busy in filling entrance exam forms and going places to give the exams – Karnataka, Delhi, Jaipur. Meanwhile Jax got a chic-pick; he talked for a while with a girl named Chandni, from the list and they became close friend – boyfriend – girlfriend. It went for a year while Ronit moved ahead in college and then one day Chandni broke it off.

For Ronit, after school life, it was now an entry to the college. Ronit gave the engineering and medical entrance exams but he did guess work majorly in circling the answers in the OMR answer sheets. Still he got selected in one of the medical colleges in the second merit list and got an offer for admission from a medical college in a remote village. He also went to Maharashtra for engineering college admissions, as he filled the form for the same too. There, it was no entrance exam, but one would get seats on the basis of their twelfth class percentages. He got okay percentage in twelfth – sixty five or sixty seven in the C.B.S.E. board. When his chance came, there was only civil engineering, left for an option; that too, in a far from Jaipur place – Kolhapur. He thought to take a chance and go have a look at the college, and if he finds it good, he would continue, otherwise he would go for the medical college. Civil Engineering was one stream of engineering, he didn't want to opt ever, but somebody in the counseling room told him and his dad that one can change his stream from civil to any other after clearing all the subjects of the first year and then applying for the branch change to computers or electrical or any other, if the seats are vacant in that same college in second year. He went to Kolhapur with his dad while his mom left for Jaipur as Amrita was alone there and was staying at Satya mama's place. They reached Kolhapur and it was all greenery around since it was the monsoon time. Somesh asked the address from a local shop near the hotel they boarded, "Hi, can you please tell me where is this Trilok Institute of Technology?"

"Ho Saheb, it is in Kasba Bawda. You can get a bus or an auto from here." The shopkeeper replied in Maharastrian accent.

Somesh thanked him and hired an auto to go there to Trilok Institute of Technology – T.I.T. As they left the city and auto reached the highway, Ronit asked the auto wala, "Is it on the highway?"

"No it's about to come, it's on the hilly area away from the city." They turned right on a road cut and it looked like a heaven. It was hills all around and full of greenery as the auto moved on the zig – zag snake style roads of that area. As the auto reached the top of a hill, an English fort like beautiful building showed up with the green hills and grey clouds surrounding it from all sides. "Wow. Look at this. What is this building?" Ronit asked the auto driver as he and dad looked and kept looking at the building.

"It's the Trilok Institute of Technology, Saheb." He replied.

"Dad, I am studying here only. This is amazing." Ronit said to dad and they reached the college entrance. They asked for the office and as they reached there to do the formalities of the admission, some college guys saw the fair and stud types Ronit and asked him, "Are you an F.E.?"

"F.E.? What do it means?" Ronit asked with a smile and one guy replied, "F.E. means First year of Engineering. So are you an F.E.?"

"Yes, me and my dad came here for my admission here. Hello. I am from Jaipur." Ronit replied as he shook hands and the guys greeted his father, "Namaste Uncle. We have some guys from Jaipur and the nearby place, Udaipur in the second year here. We will call them." One of the students replied and he went jumping to call the guys from Ronit's Place. In two minutes, Jitender Bhatia from Jaipur and Namit Bhatia from Udaipur came and greeted Ronit's dad and shook hands with Ronit. "Namaste Uncle, we will help you out in filling out the forms of admission and assist you in getting your ward's admission to the hostel." They said and smiled.

"Thank you Bhahiya." Ronit said to them and they both looked at each other and narrowed down their eyebrows.

"Uncle the boy's hostel is downstairs only. Come, we will show you from the corner." As they went out of the office in the open air area, the seniors showed Ronit and dad, a slope going in a zig zag way and leading to another beautiful building made in a 'Y' shape, if one looks the top view. "You see that grey and orange building there, that's the hostel."

It looked really beautiful and good but Ronit said, "Dad, there are no shops here – for eating, for stationary. I would rather stay in the city only na?"

"Well Uncle, the hostel has a stationary shop and hostel canteen where we get breakfast, lunch, supper and dinner at stipulated price. And we suggest you keep him here only as when boys go into city in the first year only, they flunk as they do not get proper guidance from seniors." Jitender said to his dad and dad asked, "What about ragging?"

"No. not at all. There is no ragging done in our hostels. The lecturers are very strict about it. They come on for a round in the evenings so as to make sure that there is no ragging in the hostels and the rector of the hostel is also very peculiar about it." Namit said.

"Ronit, I think you should stay here Beta. You will learn a lot in the hostel – about life and about challenges." He took Ronit to a side and said, "Well I am sure that you will be ragged here in the hostel. But don't worry Beta, part of life. Okay?"

"As you say dad. I am not scared of the ragging and I quiet like this place. I will stay here, no problem." Ronit replied to his dad and they got his admission in the hostel for staying and for food. Dad, Ronit and the two Bhatias did some shopping for Ronit from the city – bed mattress, umbrella, locks, buckets, mugs, drafter and scientific calculator.

"Bhahiya, why we need the drafter and the scientific calculator?" Ronit asked the Bhatias.

"Drafter you need for making the engineering drawings and scientific calculator for doing the numericals in class and in exams. In engineering, it is allowed and necessary to use the scientific calculator." Jitendar replied.

"Wow" Ronit said in excited voice. They went back to Kasba Bawda and dumped all the shopping stuff in Ronit's room. Dad invited the Bhatia's for the dinner and he asked them for a good non veg restaurant. They took Ronit and dad to a nice non vegetarian restaurant in the city where they had butter chicken. Dad said to the Bhatias, "Beta this butter chicken is good but it is little sweet in taste."

"Yes uncle, the restaurants in Maharashtra have a little different taste from the north, but Chinese dishes and 'Vada Pao' you get here in Kolhapur, are amazing." Namit replied. Ronit's dad and Ronit went to stay in their hotel room nearby and the Bhatias went to the T.I.T. hostel.

Next day Somesh had to leave for Jaipur. The Bhatia's came to see him off. As he left the city, the situation changed. "Bhaiya, can we go to a nice place to eat today too?" Ronit said to the Bhatias.

"Oey, you will talk to your seniors like this? Bhaiya? Sister Fucker. Look at him Namit. Do we look milkmen to you?" Jitendar said.

"Ha? Then what should I call you, Bhahiya?" Ronit asked curiously.

"Again Bhahiya? You will greet all your seniors in the hostel as Sir, but not in the college. And what is this shiny payjama of 'Tommy Hilfiger' you are wearing? In the hostel, until your ragging is going on, you will wear shirts and simple payjamas or formal trousers. No Jeans and T Shirt in college or hostel. Got it?" Jitendar said.

"Yes Bhahiya. I mean Sir." Ronit replied and they caught a local bus for Kasba Bawda. As they reached the hostel, Ronit turned towards his room, and Namit caught his collar from the back as he looked here and there for if anyone is noticing him. "Oey you F.E., when you leave for your room, aren't you suppose to thank your seniors? Should we thank you, idiot?" He said to Ronit.

"Thank you sir" Ronit said.

"We will come to your room soon again. You better change this t shirt and payjama of yours." Jitender said.

"Sir, one thing – I have only jeans and t shirts with me and only one shirt. I didn't know that I would have to wear formals. I would have got them otherwise." Ronit said to Jitender.

Jitender replied, "Okay then come over to my room and take one formal trouser from me."

The rector of the hostel came around and the Bhatias went straight to their room upstairs after seeing him. As Ronit entered his room, he got acquainted with his roommates – Raman Bijlaani from Jaipur, Chetan Jha from Calcutta and Sumit Vashisht from Delhi. They were telling each other about themselves after their parents left and suddenly somebody knocked the door. It was the Bhatias.

"Come in, Sir" Ronit said to the Bhatias and they looked inside the room carefully to check for the rector or anyone's parents. They entered and locked the room from inside immediately.

"Oey, speak only whenever you are asked something. And who will greet us? Let us tell you something. Whenever any senior comes, you will all stand up and greet them good morning sir or good evening sir and when they go, you will say thank you sir. Got It?" Namit said.

"Yes sir." All four of the F.E.'s replied.

"So come on do it?" Jitender said, staring at them.

"Good morning sir." All of them greeted the seniors.

"What? Its afternoon and you are greeting us good morning?" Namit said.

"Sir, it's eleven o clock in the morning" Sumit said.

"You mean your senior is wrong? Mother Fucker. You don't know the rules or what?"

"Sir we came yesterday only. We don't know." Sumit said.

"Okay we will teach you the rules here. There are two basic rules:

Rule 1: Seniors are always right.

Rule 2: If the seniors are wrong, then follow the rule number one.

So I say its noon. Come on. Greet us." Namit said.

"Good Afternoon sir." The F.E.'s greeted.

"Who will greet me?" Jitender said.

"Good afternoon sir." F.E.'s greeted him.

"Idiots, did I say its noon? Did I?" Jitender said and one of them laughed while saying good morning to him.

"Oey? You laughed? You think its fun ha? All F.E. Dons here – they will laugh at the seniors...." Jitender said.

"Sorry sir." They apologized.

"Do you know what's going on here?" Namit asked Raman.

"Our ragging, sir." He replied.

"Well. Don't you know that ragging is banned in T.I.T.? It's your personality development program going on. PDP that is. Alright?" Namit explained.

"Yes sir." Raman replied.

Do you know our names?" Jitender said.

"Sir I know. Jiten..." Ronit said and he called for trouble.

"Shut up right there. You will call your seniors by their names? Look at you, you little creature. I will slap you." Namit said with a ferocious look in his eyes.

"Sir, then?" Ronit asked.

"You will ask every senior's name if you do not know it for the first time. You will not forget their names ever in your life then. Otherwise you are dead. Now here is how you are supposed to ask, listen carefully. Sir, may I have the single pleasure, double desire and triple satisfaction in knowing your good, great and gracious, full name sir, please sir, please sir, please sir.......... You will keep on saying please sir until the senior tells you his name or asks you to stop. So come on, ask our names Ronit. Ask mine first." Jitender said.

"Sir, may I have the single pleasure, double desire and triple satisfaction in knowing your good, great and gracious, full name sir, please sir, please sir, please sir." Ronit asked.

"Juliet Beta Henry Alpha Tango India Alpha. Got it?" Jitender Said.

"No Sir, please tell once again no." Ronit Replied.

"Oey F.E., Listen. First you forgot my name the moment I told you and now you are asking me my name in an inappropriate manner? You want to pee on the heater or what? You know na, what will happen when we will make you pee on the electric heater when it's turned on? You will get the shock of life on your thingy. So you better ask me properly and remember, it would be the last time you will ask my name. And one more thing, you know my name that does not means that you will go and tell each of the F.E.'s in the hostel. We keep a track of whom we told our names. If we come to know that you leaked our names, you will be dead. Go ahead, ask my name now." Jitender said lying on the bed.

"Sir, may I have the single pleasure, double desire and triple satisfaction in knowing your good, great and gracious, full name sir, please sir, please sir, please sir." Ronit asked.

"Continue. I did not ask you to stop." Jitender said.

"Please sir, please sir, please sir."

"Okay stop and tell me how many times did you say please sir? Jitinder asked.

".........Mmmmmmmm seven times." Ronit replied.

"No, I am saying you said it eighteen times." Jitender said with attitude.

"Right sir, I said it for eighteen times." Ronit replied.

"Hmmm. You are learning quickly ha. I am impressed. My name is Juliet Beta Henry Alpha Tango India Alpha." Jitender replied.

"Thank you sir." Ronit replied with a tension on his face as he still could not remember the alias name of the J senior. Jitender also was aware of it from Ronit's face expression but he was happy that Ronit thanked him and was learning the PDP stuff quickly. He called Ronit aside and told him, "See, remembering my name is not difficult. Consider this – J Bhatia. Now see, Juliet Beta Henry Alpha Tango India Alpha. Each letter of my name, J Bhatia, I have expanded like this. Got it?"

"Yes sir." He smiled and Jitender took him back to the area near beds and he jumped in one of the beds.

"Who will ask my name?" Namit said and they asked his name in the T.I.T. hostel style.

"My name is Gold Flake Kings Size. Hey, do you guys smoke, by the way?"

Ronit and Sumit raised their hands and they were in the hit list now.

"Listen you rascals. Smoking is thoroughly banned for all the F.E.'s and we have given the authority of making the smoker dons list to one of your F.E. student named Ayer. You both better make him write your names in that list, otherwise, you know, we will bang your asses." Namit said, holding Sumit's collar.

Somebody knocked the door and the Bhatias got conscious – getting prepared to show that nothing was going on in the room if rector showed up. They said "Guys, cool. Chill. Sit down", as Jitender opened the door. It was a T.E. senior this time. "How are you big brother?" Jitender asked the Third year of Engineering student.

"I am doing good. How are you doing Jeetu?"

"Good Bhaai Sahab. Come in na."

He entered and Jitender locked the door from inside again. The moment the Third Year senior came towards them; all the four F.E. guys jumped stood up and greeted, "Good Morning Sir".

"O so you doing a good PDP Bhatias. Nice. But what about the shirt and the third button?"

"Bhaai Sahab, we just started it. Let's make them aware of the other trends now." Namit replied.

"F.E.s, you are supposed to wear only formals in the college. Jeans and T shirt not allowed. In hostels, you will wear shirts and simple payjamas. Go change your clothes rite now. All of you." Jitender said and they started moving.

"Oey you rascals. Who will thank us when you are leaving ha?" Namit shouted.

"Thank you sir. Thank you sir." The F.E.s said and went to the bathrooms to change. They came back in their simple dresses and greeted good morning to the seniors.

"Now, whenever you will stand in front of your seniors, you will always look at your third button after you greet your seniors. Alright?" Namit said.

"Sir, third button?" One of the F.Es asked.

"Look man, here is your shirt's first button, right below the collar, then there is second and this is the third button." Jitender said pressing his finger on Raman's shirt's third button. "And if you forget looking at this third button for even just a second, then you will have to look at the second button, which is more painful. Got it?" He said and all the F.E.s started looking at their third buttons.

"Well good enough. Now look up. I want you all to become super heros. You know how super heros dress up na, wearing their underwears over their pants. So go in that corner of the room and become superman, batman and whatever. Ronit wore his underwear above the payjamas and took a red towel and went to the seniors and said, "Sir, I am superman."

Namit pulled, stretched his underwear and left it. "Idiot, superman comes like this? Come again flying and say with proud."

Ronit went and came doing a flying action, "Ha Ha. I am the Super Man."

Then Chetan came in a similar fashion and said "I am Batman."

Sumit came, wearing only his underwear and tying a groom on his back. Jitin asked him, "Oey, what are you?"

He took the groom in his hand and raised it, "By the power of grey skull. I have the power."

"O sister fucker. Look at this fourty kg. He – Man. Ha ha ha." Namit said.

"Oey you last one over there. Why are you not coming?" The T.E. senior asked.

"Sir I don't understand which hero I could play?" Raman replied.

"Okay, you become cat woman. Now come fast." Namit shouted.

"Sir I do not have any appropriate dress for that." Raman said.

"Well it's time for us to go. You better become some of those cartoon characters and come here fast." Jitender said and Raman came in a brown dress walking in a squeaky manner.

"What are you?" Namit asked.

"Sir I am Jerry Mouse. And I am hiding from Tom Cat." Raman said.

"Ha ha ha ha. Look at this; first a fourty kg. He Man and now a ninety five kg. Jerry mouse; pathetic. You didn't get any other character? Okay we are going for today. Be prepared tomorrow." They thanked the seniors and went for lunch in the hostel canteen. Some other seniors caught them after lunch and PDP went on till night.

#  Chapter 14 – The Mathur Conspiracy

Their life was hell now as the PDP program was going on. It went for days and nights – they were not allowed to go to city alone. If they have to go, some seniors will accompany them and will rag them on the way and back. Any senior would come to their room or call them to his room in at even two o clock in the night would start their PDP and make them dance. Life became tasteless for them – no smoke, no drinks, only simple and formal clothes to wear and lots of seniors' engineering assignments to copy.

Ronit had to cut his long and lengthy hair and his audio cassettes and walkman were taken by the seniors. Others also sacrificed some of their stuff. The seniors told that they would get it back after their fresher's party. Gradually, they were allowed to go to the city by themselves. Internet cafes were the new happening thing in those days. The F.E. boys would go to the cyber cafes and would write about their agony to their folks. Ronit would also go and write, but to his mama, who was computer savvy as his folks never used computers. One of the letters he wrote to his mama was:

<Begin of E mail to Satya mama>

To: Satya@abcxyzmail.com

From: RonitSandhu@abcxyzmail.com

Subject: Hi Mama.

  * Not to be read by anyone else other than Mr. Satya Arora.

  * Important: No one except Mr. Satya Arora should read this letter as it contains some RDX substance which other people can't handle.

  * This letter has no connection with correction of language.

  * Injurious if not read in free time.

Hi Mama,

How are you doing? I am all fucked up here and the life really sucks as my ragging is going on. Kolhapur is a nice place and you get very good Vada Pao and Chinese food here. In our hostel canteen, the food is pathetic though. The chapattis are like chewing gum and dal is all watery. Initially I found the college very attractive as it was full of greenery and it was mildly raining as I came here in June. After dad left, in a couple of days, the rain stopped and all the greenery disappeared and it's all yellow dry hay here now. I feel like running from here as the subjects are also not too interesting and I can't bunk the lectures too as the seniors would catch me for ragging then at that time. How are Maami and Naaniji?

Mama, please take a printout of the following message and show it to mom and dad. Please show them the printout of below written matter only and not the complete mail as they would get bugged up if they read the entire mail. Thank you.

Love,

Ronit

Hi mom and dad,

I am fine here and studies are going on good. We do a lot of numericals in the class with the scientific calculator and make couple of engineering drawing sheets with the drafter. My ragging is going on and sometimes tears also fall from my eyes when it exceeds my toleration level. But ya, part of life. I miss you all and I love you all,

Your son,

Ronit

<End of E mail>

The days went comparatively bad for Ronit as he was in the smokers list of F.E. Dons. This meant more ragging all the time. The smoker Dons almost forgot the taste of the cigarette. The time passed slowly and painfully. Some seniors used to tell how they mass bunked and all the outsiders went to their homes for couple of days when they were in first year. The F.E. boys made a plan to mass bunk too as guided by some nice seniors. The rector, the college and the bad seniors who wanted to make the F.E.s do their assignment written work were strongly against the mass bunk. The F.E.'s booked their train tickets quietly and did the packing in the night before the journey, after the rector took the night round and they got ready early morning, the next day. Ronit had an option to go via Delhi or via Mumbai. He chose Delhi as all his friends were going to Delhi in Goa express and if he chose the Mumbai option, he would be traveling alone. Goa express used to leave for Delhi from Miraj Station in the night around ten and Miraj was one hour journey from Kolhapur. They planned that quietly they would move early morning to Miraj and would stay in Miraj the entire day and would catch the Goa express for Delhi in the night. Otherwise, the rector may see them leaving for home and then it would be all a mess.

The seniors told them that they would also want to join for a mass bunk but it was not possible for them. In engineering, the first year is common for all – same subjects and same course. From second year, the students go into various streams they opted for at the time of joining. "From second year, the lecturers start recognizing your face. The same lecturers only would be teaching you different subjects in the coming three years of your engineering. So the lecturers would note it, if they find the outsiders' faces missing for a couple of days and during the orals they would tell the seniors to come next time and give the orals again." One of the seniors explained.

Almost all the outsiders F.E.'s quietly moved out of the hostel at five in the morning. They just reached around 200 meters from the hostel and the rector came running and shouting in his towel, which ultimately fell as he ran fast. This made the F.E.'s come in the action and run faster with their luggage and they took deep breaths and were all in sweat as they reached the bus stop to catch the bus for Kolhapur Bus Stand. They boarded a bus to Miraj and in an hour and a half, they were in Miraj. It was a small city but the freedom air, all the F.E.'s breathed was so amazing that they all started dancing and jumping on the road. One full day to spend there; what would they do until they board the Goa express at night? They all discussed it as they traveled to the Miraj Railway station on local transport, where they deposited their luggage in the cloak room. They decided that they would watch movies - one after the other until dusk, whatever they could get to see - Hindi, English, A rated movie, whatever. None of them watched a movie for quiet a long time because of PDP. They spent that day like idiots watching three movies in the theaters in Miraj, as there was nothing else to do. They didn't know the place well and moreover they did not want to spend any money on hiring a hotel room just till the evening.

In the evening, when they reached the railway station, they took their luggage from the cloak room and went to the platform, waiting for the Goa express to arrive. They heard an announcement in a soft, feminine voice, "Ting tong - Passengers please pay attention. The Goa express which is going from Miraj to Delhi, would be boarding 6 hours late from its scheduled time. Inconvenience is deeply regretted. Ting tong."

Some of the boys went out of the station and bought a wooden bat and a tennis ball. The whole night they played cricket on the platform when the entire platform was sleeping. Finally, they boarded the train. It took two days to reach Delhi, but the views across the windows were wonderful. Especially in the evenings, they used to sit at the train's exit gates resting their feet on the steps. Whenever any bridge used to come, it was a little shocking and rocking, seeing the land hundreds of feet below your feet, when you look down the moving train. They reached Delhi and everybody ran to their homes and Ronit boarded his bus for Jaipur. As he reached home, it was all heaven again. The king was back to his den - he smoked freely and wore jeans while sleeping too. Those were the good days and they passed by, real soooooon. Ronit called up his college friends in Delhi and confirmed when they would be going back. Every outsider got a letter from the college stating about his absence and all of them tore it while they enjoyed freedom. They went back and the bad feeling prevailed in every F.E.'s heart as they reached Kolhapur. The semester was about to end and Ronit went to the college one day later than all the other F.E.s. He rested in hostel and came to know from his colleagues that they got scolding from the lecturers on mass bunking – it was understood. He went in the next day and as the electrical engineering lecturer, Mr. Karnitkar heard a 'present sir' when he called Ronit's name, he did not look up. He simply paused, closed the register and said, "Ronit, please come here and follow me."

Ronit followed him outside the class where Mr. Karnitkar stood said, "Okay now stay here only and stop following me. I will tell you the reason of making you stand out of the class after I finish my lecture." and he went inside the class to take the lecturer. The class giggled on the way Ronit was thrown out of the class.

Days passed and all the students submitted their assignments. It was the PL time now – the Preparation Leaves which the engineering students get every semester to prepare for the exams. A totally different life style was seen in the hostel during the PLs. The hostel canteen used to be open 24 hours a day and one could get tea and snacks anytime during the night. Students used to sleep the entire day and study in the nights with cigarette and tea. Smoking was allowed for F.E.s during PLs so it was an ease studying in the night. The exams time passed and the entire hostel went home after that.

In the next semester, when the boys arrived at the hostel from their homes, it was decided by the seniors that soon the PDP would be over and the F.E.s would get a fresher party. All the seniors collected five hundred rupees from each amongst them for the same.

There was a two weeks time in the fresher's day and generally on Sunday nights, the students would go for a dinner at the restaurants on the highway. Two or three seniors would make all the F.E.'s form a 'train line' and would make them mimic train engine's and train whistle's voice while walking through the farms to the highway, where they would disburse the train and everybody would have dinner at Konduskar or Gazebo restaurants. If any F.E. would not mimic the train's sound properly while walking to the highway, he used to get a 'Phattak' on his ass there and then itself and then the sound used to come properly from his mouth. Generally everyday, in the night time at around two, some F.E.s and seniors used to walk up to the highway in a group to have tea and snacks.

One of the strange seniors in the hostel was 'Mr. Terry Jarvis' – real name Anand Mathur. He was in third year and used to stay alone in a hostel room – he had no roommates and he used to live in his own world. He would get scared by a watching a light horror movie and want somebody to accompany to the toilet during the night for a whole week after watching the horror film. One day he came in Ronit's room banging the door and said, "Boys. Stand up."

"Good evening Sir." The four lads stood up and greeted him.

"Good evening. One of you, smell my mouth. You know I smoked a cigarette for the first time in my life. My mom is about to call me on the phone and I want to make sure that she don't get the smell of the cigarette while I talk to her on the phone."

Ronit and roommates controlled their laughter with a great difficulty and as he went away getting a satisfactory reply. "No, the smell is not coming from your mouth" said Raman and all the four lads fell on the floor laughing after Mathur left.

That midnight, around twenty boys got ready to go to Konduskar – around fifteen F.E.s and four or five S.E.s. Mathur also jumped in and said he would also go for having a tea. The entire crowd made a plan that they would scare Mathur today. While walking down the farms, they threw stones on the leaves of the plants around the path to make noises and said to Mathur, "O god, someone is hiding behind the leaves. Probably a ghost. Let's run fast."

Some mimicked ghost's voices while walking the silent and dark path and wanted to scare Mathur. He got an idea that they were trying to scare him with some stupid noises and he walked quietly, without getting scared. They all reached Konduskar and had tea and snacks. The S.E.s told the F.E.s, "Yaar, today he is not getting scared at all. What to do man."

"Well, you scare a person like this? If you are walking beside him and mimicking ghost voices, obviously he would understand that it's you. He won't get scared this way." Ronit said.

"O ya. Then why don't you make him scared?" A senior said.

"Well, Sir. If I will scare him, he would get faint." Ronit replied.

"If you do it while we walk back to the hostel, you are the hero man. You are the hero." Senior said.

"Okay done. But you all would have to support me while I do this." Ronit said as he did not know that he was about to kill himself in a while.

They started heading back to the hostel and Ronit said to them, not to do any action, trying to scare Mathur and walk quietly for 2 – 3 minutes and then he would start. The entire place was black dark as it was three in the night and they moved quietly on the path. Mathur and one or two F.E.s were walking ahead of the entire group. Ronit was wearing a t shirt, which he moved up slightly and covered his face completely with it, without removing it. The t shirt's portion covering his stomach was on his face and his stomach was showing now. He asked one of the F.E.s to 'Push him hard' on to Mathur as he was not able to see anything after covering his face from his t shirt. As he fell on Mathur, he locked his arms around Mathur's neck and shouted to the full of his voice, "Woooooaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh." Mathur got damm scared, seeing a faceless man in the midnight and he started crying. The entire group hid in the farms beside the path and it was faceless Ronit and Mathur only on the dark and silent path.

"Ha ha ha. I got released today after two hundred years. I was buried in a tomb for so long and I am very thirsty. I will drink your blood. Ha ha ha." Ronit said in a terrorizing voice to Mathur and tears came out of his eyes as he prayed to Ghost Ronit for sparing him. The entire group was laughing madly, hiding in the farms. There was a tomb on one side of the path and Ronit snatched and pulled Mathur to that tomb as he managed to see the way by adjusting his t shirt on his face a little.

"Ho ho ho ha ha. Come with me to my home over that tomb. I will drink all your blood there." Ronit said to Mathur and Mathur resisted while going to that tomb. Ronit pulled him with a thunder force and Mathur came to realize that he can't resist the hundred elephant powerful ghost so he surrendered and went near the tomb with Ronit with a pale and death scared face. As Ronit reached near the tomb, he himself got little scared and didn't know what to do so he deliberately fell down and pretended to faint. Mathur thought that suddenly the ghost would become hundred times large and would swallow him so he cried and cried.

As the group saw Ronit deliberately fainting, all of them came near the tomb and asked Mathur, "Why have you brought Ronit here near this tomb? Don't you know that it's a quiet scary place?" One of the seniors asked.

"Noooo. I did not bring him; he brought me here saying that he will drink my blood." Mathur said wiping his tears.

"No. We all saw you pulling him to this tomb. We will complaint about this to the college lecturers." The S.E. senior replied and Mathur ran towards the hostel crying and screaming.

"Boy that was amazing. Ha ha ha." The seniors said to Ronit as they shook hands with him when he woke up.

"See what I told you?" Ronit said and they all went to the hostel. Next day was the remand day. Mathur told all the other seniors about the incidence and they got really angry. Ronit and all the others in the group got beaten up badly. Ronit got around one hundred and fifty slaps on his face from different seniors and the entire group also got beaten up by seniors. The S.E. seniors also got slaps from various seniors. For Ronit it was a death life now. Some senior would call him and rag and beat him. After that, some other senior would book him for ragging and beating. Same happened with the other F.E.s who went to Konduskar that night.

One night, after the ragging, Ronit was sitting in the hostel gallery crying, and a final year senior came. Ronit thought he would be getting some more slaps from him. The senior saw Ronit crying and he told him, "Ronit Beta, you know that tomb you went to, is haunted. That tomb is only doing this to you. I understand what you must be going through. What are you going to do now? Complaint to the lecturers about all this as others are thinking of doing it?" The Final Year student asked.

"Sir, I have never been a complaint guy in my life. I would prefer to die getting beaten up, but I would not complain about this or any other humiliation or mischief ever. That's not in my blood. If you want to beat me, I am ready for that too." Ronit replied.

The final year senior got surprised by Ronit's self confidence and his identity.

"Well that tomb, as I said is a haunted one. It would not spare you until you ask for forgiveness and show it that you respect it. For that you need to go alone to that tomb at twelve in the midnight and kneel down in front of it and ask for forgiveness. Only then it would get over. Would you be able to do it?"

"What time is it?" Ronit asked.

"Its eleven thirty." Senior replied as he saw the passion of going to the tomb alone in Ronit's eyes.

Ronit also got a hint that the senior was trying to make him feel Mathur's pain and he accepted it. He walked up to the tomb alone in the midnight and kneeled down and asked for forgiveness and came back. There was a little of fear and more of a pain and a sorry felling in Ronit's heart as he asked for forgiveness. He went back and touched Mathur's feet. The final year's senior who sent Ronit to the tomb told about the 'he would prefer to die but not to complaint' spirit in him to everybody in the hostel and they all forgave him, hugged him and accepted him back.

#  Chapter 15 – Life with Princess Tanya

The fresher's party went by, the second semester went by, the second semester exams went by and Ronit reached home for a long vacation to pass by.

As he reached home in Tilak Nagar, Jaipur, it was a fun time. Anjali bought a home theater stereo system, an A.C. and a computer for their home. But sister Amrita and Dad Somesh occupied Ronit's entire kingdom in the house – his amlira, his study and his shelves. So the first thing he did was he threw all their stuff from his shelves – according to Amrita and Somesh. But according to Ronit, he just kept Dad's and sister's belongings on the floor, which they, by mistake kept in Ronit's almira and shelves.

Anjali was quiet a popular personality in Jaipur according to Ronit – the whole city knew her. Whenever the Sandhus would go out to have dinner to any good restaurant in Jaipur, one or two ex – students of Anjali would come to their table and greet Anjali – Good evening Mam. How are you doing? I am your ex – student. And Anjali would always reply the same statement, "O, how are you my child? I forgot your name. Please remind it to me."

When the ex – student would go away, Ronit used to laugh and Anjali, without asking the reason would start explaining to him, "Beta, every year sixty students pass the twelfth class. How would I be able to remember the names of all the students I taught till now?"

One of her ex – students used to stay near their apartment. She came to meet Anjali one evening – a slim – trim and magnificent smile girl – Shefaali Sharma. She met Anjali and said 'hi' to Ronit too. They became casual friends and would pass a smile to each other and chit chatted for ten minutes, every time they passed each other. They exchanged phone numbers and one fine evening, Ronit was checking his mails on his computer and he got a call. When he picked it up, it was a girl.

Ronit: Helleoz

Phone Girl: Helloz. How are you?

Ronit: I am good. How are you?

Phone girl: Good. Am I talking to Ronit?

Ronit: Yes. How can I help you?

Phone Girl: Actually I wanted to make a friendship with you.

Ronit: O ya? Well how do you know me? And where did you get this number?

Phone Girl: mmmmm. Actually I am Shefaali's best friend. She was in your mom's class in twelfth and I was in commerce section. She only gave me your number.

Ronit: O okay. So what's your name?

Phone Girl: My name is Shilpa. And I must say one thing about your mom. She was a really good teacher in the school - one of the best.

Ronit: Hey Shilpa. Well your school teacher is sitting in the next room only. Would you like to say hi to her?

Shilpa: No no, it's okay.

Ronit: Ha ha. Okay hey listen, I gotta go out for a smoke. Call me tomorrow at the same time okay.

Shilpa: Well you take down my number too. If you call in the afternoon, I would be picking up the phone. Don't call me in the morning or night.

Shilpa gave Ronit her number and they ended the call. The next day, Shilpa called up Ronit in the afternoon and started the conversation.

Shilpa: Hi.

Ronit: Hi. How are you doing?

Shilpa: Good. How are you?

Ronit: O I am tired yaar. I was just....

Shilpa: Ha ha. You know when person becomes tired ha?

Ronit: When?

Shilpa: Ha ha. O come on. You are a grown up adult yaar. You must understand.

Ronit: Ha? What do you mean yaar?

Shilpa: Silly, a person becomes tired after having intercourse yaar.

Ronit: Wha? Ha ha..... Come on yaar. And what were you doing?

Shilpa: Nothing, just chilling out.

Ronit: O come on you were not. You know na, when a person really chills out?

Shilpa: When?

Ronit: Come on Shilpa. You are a grown up adult yaar. You must understand.

Shilpa: Ronit?

Ronit: Shilpa?

Shilpa: Okay tell me na.

Ronit: Well a person chills out when he or she meets a smart person of an opposite sex in person yaar.

Shilpa: A ha! Very smart ha Ronit.

Ronit: See what you said. Well I am opposite sex and I am smart – as you just said. So when you will meet and come in a chill out mode?

Shilpa: Ha ha. Okay. Well we will meet in the evening alrite.

Ronit: Well mom said you were a notorious person in the school.

Shilpa: What? You told mam about me? Shit yaar.

Ronit: Well so you were ha?

Shilpa: O I was. We all arts girls used to have fun yaar. But I never interacted with your mom much. Even if you told her, so what? We are just casual friends yaar.

Ronit: Ya we are casual friends only. And I was just checking weather you were my types in school or a studious one. Relax, I didn't tell her anything about you.

Shilpa: Okay cool. Let's meet up today evening in Jawahar Nagar.

Ronit: Okay.

She came in her brown Maruti Suzuki Esteem along with one of her friends. Girls never meet boys alone for the first time, thinking that the boy would eat them if they meet him alone. But later they start meeting alone, after finding that he is not a girl eater. Ronit said hi to Shilpa and her friend as she lowered the window glass. Shilpa was a little bubbly chubly girl, but extremely fair and had almost golden hair. They decided to go to an ice cream shop and Ronit asked them to lead while he followed them on his scooter. As Shilpa drove the car to the ice cream shop, she blew up an iron board hoarding kept on the side of the road and the ice cream shop keeper came running to lift it up. Ronit parked his scoter and said, "Wow Shilpa. What a blasting entry. Ha ha."

They went to their homes after having an ice cream and Ronit thought about Shilpa and the way she drove her car, sitting on his bed. He took a piece of paper and wrote a few rhyme lines for her. Next day, Shilpa called up.

Shilpa: Hi. What's up?

Ronit: Hi. Hey you know what? I wrote a small poem about you yaar.

Shilpa: Ha ha. What? We just met yaar.

Ronit: Arre yaar. Just casually only. I was sitting yesterday night and your thought came in my mind. I took a piece of paper and wrote it yaar. U wanna listen to it?

Shilpa: Okay.

Ronit:

##  The   rhyme 1

Your skin is extra white.

Your face is a dynamite..

As if, in you, stars and moon are dissolved.

But to me, you are so quiet, not too resolved..

Like an angel you are, eternal is your beauty.

Just treat me like a friend, don't abhor me, please don't be sooty.

Your hair are golden, your color is fair.

You became my friend. I couldn't believe, as if it were a negative of a nightmare..

Shilpa: O wow. Ronit that was so good yaar. Please e – mail it to me man.

Ronit: O ya? Dream on.

Shilpa: O come on yaar. I am not a poet to steal your work, but you wrote a real nice one.

Ronit: O thanks. Will send it to you yaar. Was just pulling your leg. And wat?

Shilpa: And wat?

Ronit: You say.

Shilpa: You say na.

Ronit: So what you generally prefer to wear?

Shilpa: Suits.

Ronit: what r u wearing now?

Shilpa: Suit only. Wat r u wearin?

Ronit: I am in home so I m wearin almost nothing. Just shots. You see, the advantage of being a guy. Ha ha.

Shilpa: O ya, even I sometimes wear just shots. Ya.....

Ronit: Ha ha ha. What?

Shilpa: I mean shots and t shirt yaar. What?

Ronit: Ha ha nothing. It's just that women become defensive every time. There are a few things they can't do and there are a few things men can't do. There is nothing to be defensive about the way god made us, ya?

Shilpa: Ya ya. Whatever. Huh I am tired yaar.

Ronit: O ya. Really? You remember na when a person becomes tired?

Shilpa: O gosh, I mean I am not tired yaar. I am a little sleepy today. I would be going to Mumbai for a professional course for three years. Have to leave tomorrow. Gotta do a lot of packing man.

Ronit: Okaies. So we will be meeting after a long time ha. Well I will also be going back to Kolhapur in two months. Mmmmm......

Shilpa: Ya man, I am also not happy, we met for a couple of days only and I don't find you to be a stranger yaar. But wat to do. Part of life.

Ronit: Ya Shilps, part of life. We will keep in touch through e – mails.

Ronit joined a computer course at an institute nearby, in order to gain back the programming skills and started making complexo – tromplex programs. He soon became quiet famous in the institute because of his attitude towards programming. One day, a girl named Vineeta was making a program for Fibonacci series. First of all it took ten minutes for the faculty to make her understand what is the Fibonacci series, exactly.

"First you take two initial numbers 0 and 1 and then add them into the third one. That is one. Next you add the second and third number, which is 1 + 1 meaning 2 then you add third and forth number i.e. 1 + 2 means 3. Hence the series." The faculty explained to Vineeta.

"O sir got it. So we have to make a program for the series 0 1 2 3 4 5...... Right?" Vineeta replied.

"No, let me write the series on the paper and then explain to you." The teacher slapped his own forehead and wrote on the paper:

0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21.............

Then he explained it to her. Finally she understood what the Fibonacci series is. Then she made a program for it – a twenty line program when Ronit passed by her seat.

"Hey, you are making a Fibonacci series program? Buddy, it can be done by just writing a three four line program and using just two variables." Ronit told Vineeta with a smile.

"Okay show me na then, please. I am Vineeta. Hi." Vineeta replied.

"Hey Vineeta. I am Ronit. Well I gave you a hint, try it out yaar. I will tell you in half an hour and during this time, you give it a shot please." Ronit replied to Vineeta and he did not notice that he was being noticed by another girl, a very beautiful one, sitting beside Vineeta. He went to his seat on the opposite side and started typing some codes.

"Ronit come and see yaar. I don't think it can be done in four lines and with two variables." Vineeta told Ronit in an excitement.

"Okay let me do it for you." Ronit replied and he typed the four line code for Fibonacci series which he read in a Java programming book in the morning only.

"Wow. You are a champion yaar." Vineeta replied jumping as she saw the output of that four line code.

"Nothing outstanding yaar. Start reading the computer books and you will become sharper than me one day." He replied.

"Well give me your e mail address and contact number. I might ask you some computer problems sometimes." Vineeta said.

"Okay you can have those details but I use my e mail id for fun mails and all – not for discussing coding solutions." Ronit replied.

"O good. Do send some good mails to me then." Vineeta replied and they exchanged the e mail addresses.

Vineeta received a couple of fun mails from Ronit after that because her e mail id was in Ronit's fun mail group now. One day while checking his mails, Ronit found a strange mail stating the following message.

'Hi,

I find your mails very interesting and want to make friendship with you. I am a decent girl who wants just your friendship. Please reply me back.'

Ronit was sitting in an angry mode as he got a little scolding from Anjali on not keeping the room clean. He checked whether that e mail address was in his e mail group. Nah, it was some new e mail address.

Ronit's reply to this mail:

'Hello stranger,

Well I know that you are one of ma MALE friends only, trying to play a prank on me - pretending to be a girl, but it's okay. I am aware of all these tricks. Made fool of the guys big time on chats pretending to be a girl and giving them bogus phone numbers and all. I don't wanna know your name but please, don't bother me much dude. Alrite

Bye

Ronit.'

Next evening, he again received a mail from the stranger:

'Hello Ronit,

I am a girl, seriously. Not a boy - I assure you. Today I saw you coming to the institute in your white Maruti. You were looking too cute in your stripped shirt. I am waiting for your reply and once again, I am a girl.'

Ronit got pissed off with this reply of the stranger. He immediately replied to this mail in a 'burnt toast' mood.

'Helloz,

Well don't you understand that I am not liking it you fucking idiot? Listen you ass hole, I know that you are a sister fucker male friend of mine and it's enough. Stop it now.

Ronit.'

Ronit thought that by now, this stranger must have understood, But then he received another mail; from the stranger....... probably the last mail.

'Hi Ronit,

This is disgusting. I never thought that you can use such bad words while talking to any person. I just wanted to be a friend of yours and I do care a lot about my friends. I am a girl only but let me tell you that now, I don't feel like talking to you. You are horrible.'

Ronit, after reading this mail, got a little shattered. He thought with a cool mind and realized what mess he has done. He could not sleep that night properly. Next day he replied to that mail of the stranger in the morning.

'Hello Stranger,

Hope you are fine. I really apologize about what I have done yesterday. I mean, it doesn't matters if you are a male or a female, but I should not have written to you like this. Really sorry yaar. Well, if you think its alrite to talk to me, my phone number is ****245. Do give me a call sometime.

Regards,

Ronit.'

Ronit's phone rang in the evening and he picked up the call. A mild hissing female voice was there on the other end, "Hello. Is it Ronit?"

Ronit: Yes. Who is this mam?

Female: I am your e mail stranger.

Ronit: O hi. Well I am so so so sorry about my misbehavior. I thought one of my school friends was playing a prank.

Female: So now you believe na that I am a female and you don't need any more proof for it?

Ronit: Well yes, of course. Can you please speak loudly?

Female: Well, I can't. I am in my office.

Ronit: O okay. So tell me, where did you come to know about me?

Female: Well, I saw you for the first time in your computer institute.

Ronit: O okay. But my e mail id and the chasing business?

Female: Well...... You know Vineeta na?

Ronit: Yes. So....... you took my id from her?

Female: mmmmmm ha ha. Yes.

Ronit: She gave it to you? That's surprising.

Female: Actually....... She comes to my home often and that day, she was checking the fun mails you forwarded to her on my computer, and she told me about you as the Fibonacci series guy. So I quietly jotted down your email address.

Ronit: Ha ha. Okay...... So what do you do?

Female: I work in an export house, early mornings, I teach computers in my mom's school and in the evenings, I go to the same computer institute in which you go.

Ronit: O okay. So what is your name?

Female: Mmmmmm.......You can give me any name you like.

Ronit: What? You must be havin a name. Tell me what it is no.

Female: Not so soon Ronit.

Ronit: O okay. As you say.

Female: So what will you call me?

Ronit: Well let me think.......

Female: I will accept any name you will give me with care.

Ronit: O okay....... I will call you.... Tanya!

Female: Wow, nice. Thanks for such a lovely name Ronit. I must hang up now. Boss is calling me.

Ronit: Okay, so will you see me in the institute tomorrow, Tanya?

Tanya: O ya? Well Ronit, why don't you come to the institute and recognize me? Vineeta would not be coming to the institute for a week as it's her sister's marriage and please, I request you, not to discuss anything about me with her. Please.

Ronit: Okay yaar. I won't ask her. And what if I recognize you? Let's put it as a bet. If I recognize you, you will give me a treat, else I will give you a treat.

Tanya: Okay. See you Ronit. Bye

Ronit: Bye.

The next day, Ronit went to the computer institute in the evening. He parked his scooter inside the institute premises. He talked to a few of his friends outside the institute gate and suddenly a monkey came and jumped on the two wheelers parked there. A scooty fell as the monkey jumped over it, which Ronit picked up and parked properly. After that, he went into the institute and in a study room, he went straight to a beautiful girl in suit and asked, "Hi. The blue colored scooty parked outside the institute gate is yours?"

She gave a wonderful smile with a hint of shyness and said "Yes."

"Well, a monkey jumped on it and it fell." Ronit said and she interrupted, getting up from her seat.

"Oh no....." She said and Ronit calmed her down saying, "Well its safe and parked now. I parked it near the gate. Couldn't move it in as it was locked."

"Oh. Thanks." She said and Ronit went into the computer lab for the daily dose of his program hunt. In the night, around eight, when the institute was about to be closed, he came out and as he reached his scooter, he found a bunch of flowers, tucked to his scooter's clutch. That sweet e mail stranger girl might have put them there. He came out to look for the scooty, but it was not there. He went home and waited for Tanya's call. The phone rang at around eight thirty.

Ronit: Hey Tanya.

Tanya: Hi. You have a caller id at your place or what? .....but I called you for the first time from my home.....

Ronit: Well, this is called intuition and sixth sense. So Whats up?

Tanya: I came to the institute today and nobody.....

Ronit: Well, I came to you and told you that I parked your scooty near the gate.

Tanya: hmmmmm...... what?

Ronit: And you kept some flowers on my scooter too......

Tanya: Well I put some flowers in your scooter but you did not come and talk to me.... I don't know to whom you talked to.

Ronit: O ya? Really?

Tanya: Ya Ronit.

Ronit: hmmm anyways.

Tanya: Well the time you left the institute, your skin was glowing too much in the dark. You are too fair.

Ronit: So you waited on your scooty for me ha?

Tanya: Yes.

Ronit: Ha? There was only one scooty there, Tanya. I won the bet; I recognized you.

Tanya: Well I waited there, but not on my scooty. I don't know whom you think to be Tanya.

Ronit: Huh anyways.....we won't be able to see each other for long now. My engineering classes would soon be starting in Kolhapur. I have to rush back shortly.

Tanya: Oh! Why didn't you tell me before Ronit?

Ronit: Well, we just started talking yaar, and I told you today.

Tanya: Well, yes you came and talked to me today. And Thanks for parking my scooty.

Ronit: Ha ha......See what I told ya.

Tanya: Yaar I know. You won. But why are you leaving so soon?

Ronit: I am doing my engineering from Kolhapur yaar. Came here for year end vacations only. Hey, I did my schooling from Saint Martin's. Where did you do your schooling from?

Tanya: I did it from Saint Queen Merlin's School.

Ronit: Really? Which stream?

Tanya: Biology.

Ronit: Ha? What??? Say that again.

Tanya: Biology stream. Our bio teacher - Anjali mam was one of the greatest teachers.

Ronit: Ya. I know mom is a real great teacher.

Tanya: Eeeeeks. What?????

Ronit: Yes. She is my mom. And I am proud to be her son.

Tanya: ...... O god yaar. Don't tell your mom about me please. I am feeling so embarrassed.

Ronit: Well why? Hey come on. We are not dating and all.....We are friends. So what is there to be afraid of?

Tanya: No Ronit. Please. Will you be able to digest it when you meet one of your cool friend's dad or mom and they come out to be your teacher?

Ronit: I would be glad if that happens. Ha ha.

Tanya: Ronit????

Ronit: Okay Tanya. Relax yaar. I won't tell. Hey, what's your daily schedule?

Tanya: Morning, I wake up at five, assist mom in preparing breakfast for mom dad and me, then I see off mom for her school – she is a school principle. Then I get ready, have breakfast and leave for taking computer classes in mom's school. At around eleven, I leave for my office - export house. There I work till evening and go to institute to chase for you. He he. What is your schedule?

Ronit: Nothing packed up like this. In the morning, I go jogging in Rajasthan university's sports ground, come home and have breakfast. Then I sit on my computer for some coding and institute work, lunch in the noon and in the evening, I go to the institute. After that I go to a gym in Jawahar Nagar and back home for dinner.

Tanya: Okay. So where do you stay?

Ronit: Well, I will let you know. You know my phone number. You want to know where I live, you don't wanna tell about your name - phone number, and location is outta question. What ha? I will let you know yaar, what's the hurry? First you say, what about the treat?

Tanya: What Ronit, I will give na. Okay tomorrow, we will meet at the ice cream shop near the computer institute.

Ronit: What time?

Tanya: 2 o clock noon.

Ronit: Noon? You wanna meet up in noon?

Tanya: Ronit, I have to go to office. Can't take leave too often yaar. I can come out for lunch in the noon. We will celebrate my lost bet with a lunch, okay?

Ronit: Okay, sounds good. But do come, okay. It should not happen that I go stand in the sun and you don't even come there.

Tanya: I will give you a call to confirm that I am leaving for lunch from office and then you take off from your home too. That way, even you also won't have to wait much.

Ronit: That's the first intelligent thing I heard from a girl. It's a deal.

Tanya: O ya? Only boys are smart, ha? They are so cheap.

Ronit: Okay yaar, girls are also intelligent. Let's not get into this boy vs. girl thing. I will wait for your call.

Tanya: Okay. Will call you. Bye.

Ronit went to bed after dinner and he was glad that his sixth sense was good enough. But at the same time, he was wondering why that sober, decent and 'Aishwarya Rai' like beautiful girl for whom he picked up the scooty, and the student of his mom, was falling for him. The next day he got a call from Tanya in the noon and he took off for the ice cream shop where he met the beautiful girl wearing a salwaar suit and leather 'Jooties' who parked her blue colored scooty on the road side and gave him a wonderful smile. She waved her hand and Ronit said hi to her.

Tanya: Hi Ronit.

Ronit: Hi Tanya. It's too hot yaar.

Tanya: Ya. In Jaipur, you can't expect it to be pleasant in this season.

Ronit: Yes. So? Just an ice cream? Well you were supposed to give a treat yaar.

Tanya: Yes dear. We will go for a lunch only. This shop was just our meeting point.

Ronit: Okay so jump into my car and tell me where to go.

Tanya: Well I don't have too much time to be very frank. We will go to a place nearby only.

Ronit: Okay. I can understand. You would have to return to your office na?

Tanya: Yes.

Ronit: hmmm. So let's go to this fast food place near by.

Tanya: As you say. You look so sweet Ronit.

Ronit: Thanks, well you were looking wonderful in the yellow salwar suit you wore yesterday in the institute.

Tanya: Ha ha. Thanks. How did you make out that it was me only?

Ronit: Vineeta has only a few female friends here yaar. And you had to come yesterday since you promised. I did not see any of her other friends yesterday, but still I felt lil awkward to talk to you directly. And the way you gave me a smile when I came telling for your scooty, I was 100% sure that you were Tanya.

Tanya: O ho. So you are damm intelligent ha?

Ronit: Well I am a simple person yaar. Not that intelligent.

Tanya: Let's order something.

Ronit: Ya sure. And we will go for an ice cream after this. You can check out my favorite flavor.

Tanya: O sure. So you would be leaving soon ha?

They placed the order and as it came, they started having the food.

Ronit: Ya. I would yaar.

Tanya: I will miss you friend.

Ronit: Oey...... Me too yaar. Achha, let's have breakfast together tomorrow. I will come to your home once your mom leaves for school. I mean, can I come?

Tanya: O sure.

Ronit: Well what about your dad? He would be still there, ya? Mmmmm but it doesn't make any difference yaar. We are friends. So what if I come and have breakfast at your place, Ya?

Tanya: Ha ha. No. Dad has gone to Delhi for a week. And I stay in Jawahar Nagar.

Ronit: O okay. That's near by.

Tanya: Ya so see you tomorrow.

Ronit: Well Miss Jawahar Nagar, What's your name?

Tanya: First of all I really thank you for giving me such a sweet name.

Ronit: Well, it suits you. So what is your real name?

Tanya: I am Shalini. Shalini Chopra.

They had lunch and ice cream and Tanya went back to her office after sharing her home address with Ronit. He got busy in his computer programs and gym and late night, the Sandhus went for a movie in a theater. Ronit woke up late next morning and had brunch while he was browsing the net and doing some of his programming stuff. He made tea for Anjali and Amrita, as they came from school in the noon. In the evening, he received a call from Tanya.

Ronit: Hi Tanya.

Tanya: Hi Ronit.

Ronit: What's going on? Why are you sounding so weak?

Tanya: Because a friend promised me that he will have breakfast with me and I kept waiting.

Ronit: What? O shit! So sorry, it just slipped out of my mind. So you did not eat anything till now?

Tanya: Well, my friends are very important for me and I care for them very much. I can't have anything until you come over and have breakfast with me.

Ronit: Tanya??? Please. Have something. This way you would get faint yaar. You are going to office, working and not having anything since morning. Please have something.

Tanya: Don't worry, I will not die. Had a tea, but won't eat a single grain until I break my fast with you. A promise is a promise.

Ronit: Tanya, please. Stop being kiddish yaar. Okay tomorrow for sure, we will have breakfast together. Infact we will have breakfast together, daily - until I am here in Jaipur. Now please, have something.

Tanya: See you tomorrow Ronit. Don't worry about me, I won't die - at least till tomorrow morning. Bye.

Ronit got surprised with this kiddish yet sweet act of hers. He tied a rubber band in his wrist as a symbol to remember that he has to go for a breakfast, the next day at Tanya's place. Next day, as he woke up, he called up at Tanya's place and informed her that he would be coming in half an hour. He went for a jog and then he parked his scooter in front of Tanya's house. She welcomed him in her house and they chatted for a while and started having breakfast.

Ronit: Wow, this is tasty. Who made it? Your mom?

Tanya: No, I made it.

Ronit: Well, then its okay okay, not so tasty. Ha ha

Tanya: Achha?

Ronit: No yaar, it's very tasty. Was just pulling your leg.

Tanya: O is it? It's tasty, so where is my prize? Come on. Give me one.

Ronit: What do you want sweeto?

Tanya: Well I want a big prize. I want you to put a bite of this food in my mouth with your hands. Will you be able to do it?

Ronit: It's a big gift? Here you go yaar. Come on, open your mouth.

Ronit put some vegetable she cooked, in a spoon and put it in her mouth.

Tanya: mmmmmm no. I said with hands, not with spoon. Take a piece of paratha, put some vegetable on it and then, with your hands, put it in my mouth. Let me show you.

She took a piece of paratha and little vegetable and put it in Ronit's mouth and asked Ronit to do the same. He did as she told and she closed her eyes.......

Tanya: Mmmmmmmmmm. That bite was tastier.

Ronit: O ya? Stop being kiddish yaar.

Tanya: No seriously.

Ronit: Tanya???

Tanya: Ya? Well it was so wonderful to have a breakfast with you. Now its school time. I would have loved to wait and spend more time with you, but I have to take a computer class in mom's school.

Ronit: O sure, no problem.

Tanya: But we are meeting tomorrow na, for a breakfast? You said it.

Ronit: Of course, we are meeting.

Ronit and Tanya left her house as she locked the door and Ronit went to a cigarette shop nearby. He thought what she wanted and why she was giving him so much attention.

He received a call from Tanya in the evening and she asked, "What will you have in breakfast, Ronit?"

'O I am that much important, that she is asking what should she cook for me? What should I say?' he thought in his mind and replied, "Cook anything Tanya, anything that's easy for you. I will see you tomorrow morning at the same time."

The next day was quiet sunny and the sunny boy Ronit was all in sweat after his jog. He felt like he should call her up and say that he won't come today as he is too sweaty so he would prefer taking a bath and relaxing at home. But then he thought that she especially asked what to cook for him and it would not be a good idea to disappoint her. He quickly rushed to his home, had a bath and vroomed to Tanya's house.

Tanya: Haanji, Good morning.

Ronit: Good morning ji.

Tanya: Yaar what is this? Why are you so late?

Ronit: Sorry yaar. Woke up a little late and quickly came to your house. Did not even go for a jog. See, just took a bath and came here.

Tanya: Okay, so let's have the breakfast.

Ronit: I feel like having tea yaar. You know, tea is my mom's fuel - that's how she puts it. She has ten cups daily - at least.

Tanya: So her tea genes are dominating in you right now?

Ronit: Ha ha. Yes miss bio scholar.

Tanya: Hey.....I am no scholar. I am just a lame low profile person.

Ronit: You know what? That's what I like about you Tanya. Let me accompany you in the kitchen while you prepare my fuel.

Tanya: Fuel????

Ronit: Tea yaar.

Tanya: You sit here in the drawing room. I will make and bring it in five minutes.

Ronit: Tanya? Do you consider it okay if I behave so formally with you? Sit in drawing room and formally accept the tea and say thank you Tanya Madam?

Tanya: Nooooooo. Come in the kitchen.

Ronit: Now that's like a good girl.

They both went in the kitchen and Ronit sat on the kitchen slab while Tanya kept the utensil on the gas with two cups of water in it. She made an okay okay tea and closed the gas.

"Noooooo. No Tanya, Don't turn off the knob so soon. I would say, if you close it now, that it's a 'c' grade tea. You boil the tea on sim for a while and shake the utensil until all the white fog like bubbles disappear and they turn brown. Got it sweeto?" Ronit told Tanya and she shook her head up and down three times too fast - just like a small baby moves its head for a chocolate. While they had tea in the drawing room, Ronit started browsing T.V. channels and Tanya snatched the remote from him and turned off the T.V.

Tanya: Ronit!!

Ronit: What?

Tanya: Am I a stupid sitting here?

Ronit: O no baby. You are one of the sweetest persons I have ever met.

Tanya: Then why did you turn this T.V. on? You know na that I already have less time to spend with you.

Ronit: I did it because..... I wanted you to give me more attention.

Tanya: Really.

Ronit: Ha ha..... Arre yaar switched it just like that. I saw the remote so I started fiddling with it. I am not a T.V. geek. I don't even sit in the drawing room when mom leads there with the remote and all other family members have to forcefully watch the serials she has to watch as the drawing room is her kingdom. Infact whole of our house is her kingdom only.

Tanya: Ha ha. Shut up. Don't say anything about my teacher like this.

Ronit: O ya. I was telling about my mom. Hey Tanya, your left hand is so thin. I asked you some other day as well, while you were changing gears of your car using both your hands. What is it? Tell me no.

Tanya: Ronit, I am getting late. Let's go now. We will talk later.

They had tea and it was almost time for Tanya to leave for school. She took the empty tea cups to put in the kitchen sink and closed all the lights and then she turned the night lamp on. She summoned Ronit to come near to her and she said taking a deep breath and swallowing some fear down her throat, "Ronit, I want to give you something."

"What? Give me." Ronit replied with a smile.

"First you close your eyes." Tanya requested.

"Why close eyes yaar?" Ronit asked.

"Please close them na." Tanya replied

"Okay" Ronit said and he closed his eyes. Tanya came more close to him and kissed his cheek and Ronit opened his eyes with a 'what is this' look in his eyes. Tanya stepped back and said "I am sorry, but you are so sweet."

"That's okay yaar, but we are friends......I donno why this kiss?" Ronit asked Tanya with a smile.

"Well I will keep a control on my emotions in future. I am sorry." Tanya said feeling a bit defensive.

"It's okay Tanya. Relax, its okay yaar." Ronit tried to calm her down and he could not digest that a lovely girl would kiss him like this suddenly. 'O boy, I wish she kisses me again', he thought.

"Come Ronit, let's go. Its almost time for me to go for my class." Tanya said, being a little affirmative.

#  Chapter 16 – Let me simply kiss you!!!

"Tanya? Do you really want to go to school now?" Ronit asked as he came back into his conscious after jumping, taking off from earth, taking two rounds of mars and then coming back. While he was in mars, he had been asking Tanya "Why did you do this?" in his absentmindedness, but now he really didn't want her to go away.

"Ronit, I would like to tell you something about me today, before you think or say anything." Tanya said.

"Okay, tell na." Ronit asked curiously.

"Not now, I can't speak in front of you. I will send you a mail. I will describe it all. Then you decide." She replied as she hinged the lock on the main gate of her house.

Ronit went to a cigarette shop and smoked two cigarettes one after the other. He walked to and fro in a mixture mood of tension and excitement. 'She wants to get along with me, but what is it that she could not say in front of me? Rather she wants to write a mail to me about that. What probably she wants to tell me? Do she already have a boyfriend and........ Nah.' He thought in his mind. He waited for the evening desperately and as he received the mail from Tanya, he clicked open it ASAP.

'Hello Ronit,

What I did today was kiddishness and I am sorry for it. I found you to be so sweet that I just couldn't control. You had been asking me about my left hand again and again. In my childhood days, I had a severe fever for a couple of days and my left hand became very weak that the shoulder joint became very loose and my hand was almost gone. Doctor did some grafting and he somehow saved my hand but it went thin and strength less. I face problems while using my left hand for heavy work. In one way, you can say that I am handicapped. Anjali Mam also knows about it. One day I was writing an examination and she noticed that I was facing difficulty in making diagrams - my left hand was shivering and she, after knowing about my physical problem, gave me couple of extra minutes to finish the exam paper.

I don't have any complaints about it and it's totally okay if you don't accept me after this. I know that suddenly I did an unexpected thing today and I would make sure that we remain good friends. But please, don't take away your friendship from me.

Yours,

Tanya.'

Ronit fell for her that particular moment he finished reading this mail. That hand thing was not important for him, but her sweetness and innocence were. He thought, 'if I say yes to her right now, she would think that I am saying it for sympathy. I should talk to her about this.' He called up her office number, which she gave him 2 - 3 days back and he asked the operator for her. As she came on the phone, he started.

Ronit: Hi Tanya.

Tanya: Hi Ronit. Thanks for calling.

Ronit: Hey don't be so formal yaar. And what is this Tanya? Such a long mail. So many explanations. Why? We were friends and we will be friends always. Don't you worry about loosing my friendship or anything like that.

Tanya: Thanks Ronit. I explained it all as you asked me twice about this.

Ronit: My mistake sweeto. Sorry.

Tanya: No. One day I had to tell you about it and that day is today.

Ronit: Okay yaar. Hey listen, you wanna come to my place tomorrow? Its Saturday - you have an off, mom will go to school for a half day and I will be home only. Come over, I will make some chilly chicken for you.

Tanya: You know how to cook 'CHILLY CHICKEN'?

Ronit: Ha ha. Yes. I learnt it from a cooking expert friend of mine in my hostel. I will cook for you. Wat say?

Tanya: I will come with my friend Manisha. May be she and I can learn some computer coding from you.

Ronit: Okay. As you wish. But come around eleven please. By that time, dad would have left for office and mom n sis would be coming back from school by one o clock.

Tanya: Okay. We will come by eleven.

'These girls would never change. They would call you to their home and kiss you, but when you invite them to your home, they will think that you will become a monster and eat them, so they will bring a friend along with them every time', Ronit thought as he kept the phone. Tanya came along with Manisha and the three of them chatted for a while. Then Ronit made a 'Class A' tea and then he served the chilly chicken he had been preparing since morning. He got praises and appreciations on the chilly chicken from both the girls and Manisha told him, "Ronit, your wife would be a very lucky one. When, on Sundays, you will make her a deadly tasty chilly chicken and a perfect tea, she would feel as if she is in heaven."

"Ya and I will also give her a nice and cozy foot massage too. Ha ha." Ronit replied and Manisha held his hand and said, "Ooooh Ronit I am flattered yaar."

Ronit said, pulling back his hand gently, "Hey I was just kidding. I won't give her these massages shassages and all. And moreover, I have a girlfriend Manisha. You are nice but...... there may be an as nice person for you."

Tanya's face turned almost red when Manisha held Ronit's hand. She realized she did a mistake in bringing her. Ronit noticed her red face and gave her a smile and winked both his eyes as a symbol of trust, which soothed her anger. Ronit took the plates from the girls as they finished having their meal and he went to the kitchen.

"Hey, would you girls like to have an ice cream before leaving?" Ronit asked the two beauties from the kitchen.

"No." Tanya replied and Manisha said, "What? You would straight away tell us to go? That's bad manners Ronit."

Ronit replied with a smile as he came back from the kitchen, "No darling, its time for my mom and sis to come and if she sees you two here, then she won't say anything to me."

Manisha asked, "So? What's the problem then?"

"Nothing. If my mom sees you two here, she won't say anything to me for weeks and I can't tolerate so much happiness you know." Ronit replied.

"Ha ha. You are an interesting personality Ronit." Manisha said.

"Thanks Manisha, I will come downstairs to drop you." Ronit said and they got up to go downstairs.

"Thanks for the lovely meal Ronit." Tanya said to Ronit in the lift.

"You are welcome madam. I am highly obliged that you came." Ronit said and winked at the two girls with a little laughter. The girls giggled at his informally formal behavior. They reached down and the girls got on their mopeds. Tanya told Manisha that she has to move on to office now and she would meet her in the evening. Manisha left on her bike and Tanya deliberately didn't start her scooty as she wanted Ronit to say something to her.

"I will see you tomorrow Tanya. We will have the breakfast together" Ronit said what she wished. She got scared after writing that mail and wondered whether Ronit would accept her with her handicapped hand.

She gave him a smile and started her scooty and Ronit stood on the entrance seeing her off. She just went two meters ahead and she fell on the floor with her scooty. The apartment's parking floor was wet and she could not balance. Ronit ran to lift her up and as she stood up, she held her head tightly - she got hurt on the head a bit. Ronit held her in his arms as he lifted her up and he pressed her head in order to prevent it from swelling. Just then, at that moment it started raining heavily and they both came a bit closer.

"I love you Tanya." Ronit said and Tanya hugged him. Both of them realized that they were standing in the open parking area and anyone might come and see them. She gave a smile to Ronit and took off for her office.

Next day Ronit went to Tanya's place and as he entered, he hugged her. She held him tightly after finding herself in his arms.

Tanya: Well, have you thought? It would matter.....

Ronit: Tanya, I love you. I just love you. It doesn't matter to me if you have some little hand problem. It just doesn't matter at all to me. I accept you as you are.

Tanya: O Jaanu. I love you too. I love you very much.

Ronit: I really don't want to go from Jaipur now.

Tanya: What you will have in breakfast?

Ronit: You. I want to have you for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner all the time.

Tanya: As you say.

They came closer and closer and gradually the distance and displacement between their lips became zero. They both closed their eyes and swallowed each other's lips for more than two minutes. Then they moved away a little bit from each other and again kissed each other's lips.

Tanya: So you had me enough or you want more.

Ronit: More.

Tanya: And what about your two girlfriends?

Ronit: What?

Tanya pushed him away as she remembered the chilly chicken meet.

Tanya: Ya. Your recently made girlfriend - Manisha. And you told her that you already had a girlfriend. If my face didn't turn red, she would have married you there itself.

Ronit: Ha ha my Bachha. My Shonu. Do you know, when I told her I already have a girlfriend, who actually I referred to? It was you my sweeto. It was you.

Tanya: Really?

Ronit: Yes Tanya.

Tanya ran into Ronit and hugged him hard. And she bite kissed his lips so hard, as if there would be no tomorrow. "Ouch mmmmm" Ronit said and Tanya let loose her grip on him, but she still held him in her arms and put her ears on his chest.

Ronit: Will you rape me or what?

Tanya: Of course. I will.

Ronit: What?

Tanya: You heard it right. I will rape you.

Ronit: Hey come on. Make tea for me please.

Tanya: You following me to the kitchen na, Jaanu?

Ronit: Wha.... Say that again.

Tanya: You following me to the kitchen na.

Ronit: No the lovely word you said after that.

Tanya: Jaanu.

Ronit: Wow. Say it one more time please.

Tanya: My Jaanu, will you come along with me to the kitchen?

Ronit: Yes dear.

As Tanya was making tea, Ronit held her from behind, with his hand on her stomach and his face, facing her back. She closed her eyes while making tea and Ronit - sometimes he kissed her neck, sometimes her ears and sometimes her cheeks. She felt as if she was in heaven. After this day, everyday was a kissing day. They kissed each other at all the places possible without removing clothes. Every time Ronit's hand tried to reach her back for unhooking her bra, she would take a deep breath and say, "Nohhhhhhh. Nohhhhhh Ronit."

One day they were having breakfast and she was sitting on Ronit's lap.

Tanya: Jannu you know these days I am not talking to my twelfth class students. I won't teach them anything, that's what I told them.

Ronit: What happened?

Suddenly the phone rang. Tanya picked it up and it was the cable T.V. guy asking for the complaint which Tanya laudged yesterday. As she talked to the cable guy on the phone, she kept her feet on the center table, while she sat beside Ronit on the sofa. As she was discussing with cable T.V. wala, she was moving her feet to and fro on the table. Ronit got up and kissed Tanya's feet - both of them. It made her pause the to and fro movement and she tried to resist but as she was on the phone, she did not move much. Moreover Ronit opposed her resistance and kissed her all over her feet. As she disconnected the call, she looked into Ronit's eyes while he was sitting on the floor beside her feet. He closed his eyes in passion and again kissed her feet. "Jaanu, you made me feel like a princess" Tanya said.

"You are my princess, Tanya. And I love you from head to toe. Your feet are too sweet Tanya." Ronit replied.

"Thanks Jaanu." Tanya replied and she hugged Ronit and they both got back on the sofa and kissed.

Ronit: Jaanu, you were saying something about your students.

Tanya: O ya. I used to give them liberty and make them enjoy the class and sometimes when they said, we want to watch a movie, I used to take them to the video room of the school and show them some movie or the other.

Ronit: So?

Tanya: Well, one day they said we want to watch a special movie. I asked which one and they said a bf. What is bf as I asked them, they said we want to watch a blue film. I slapped the two guys who said the words bf and blue film in front of me and came out of the class.

Ronit: O my sweeto computer teacher. You did the right thing.

Tanya: Jaanu they don't deserve any freedom.

Ronit: Teacher Tanya...... Tanya Madam, will you show me a blue film.

Tanya: Well....... I don't have any and I never seen any.

Ronit: Okay I have. I will show you. Will you watch?

Tanya: Yesssssssssssssssssssss. I will Jaanu.

Ronit: What????

Tanya: Ronit please show me a bf na. Please.

Ronit: Hey Tanya, I was just kidding yaar. Please.

Tanya: O that means I would never be able to see a bf. Okay, no probs.

Ronit: Let's go. It's time for your office now.

Tanya: Hmmmmmmmm let's go.

Ronit: Today noon, come to my place before mom arrives and I will see what I have in stores for you.

Tanya: Cool. Okay Jaanu.

Tanya arrived at Ronit's place in the afternoon and he turned on his computer with his left hand, which was free. All other body parts of Ronit were occupied as Tanya was sitting on his lap and was kissing him all over his face. She held his right hand and brought it on her breasts and the Windows 98 start up sound broke the climax. "O jaanu. I love you so much." Ronit said to Tanya. "I love you too. Do you believe in playing safe?" Tanya asked and gave a smile. "I do Tanya; I have the rubbery thing you are asking for." Ronit replied as he started the blue film.

"Jaanu let's kiss how they are doing in the video." Tanya said and kissed Ronit. He gradually unhooked her bra and said, "Let's proceed as they are proceeding in the video." She protested, but hers was the kind of protest that admitted surrender. Ronit opened the condom packet and Tanya snapped one hurriedly and said "I will put it on your thingy Jaanu" and they started the bed exercise. Tanya cried as if it were paining her a lot, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh." Ronit slowed it down and asked, "Jaanu is it hurting you."

"A bit, but carry on Jaanu. I like it." She said as she closed her eyes tightly and it was an expression of pleasure and pain on her face.

Suddenly the door bell rang. Ronit and Tanya jumped from the bed and Ronit told Tanya to rush in the bathroom as he dressed up. As he zipped up his pants, the bell rang second time. "Coming", Ronit said.

"It must be mom Tanya, please rush to the bathroom and dress up there Jaanu." Ronit told Tanya as he went to the entrance door. She went in and he opened the entrance door. It was Anjali.

"O hi mom." Ronit said and smiled.

"Why you opened it so late? Is there anybody else with you?" Anjali asked as she entered the house.

"Yups mom. Shalini – your student. She is my computer class student and she came here to share some programs. See here she is...... Oh?" Ronit said with a surprise on his face pointing at the vacant chair in the room.

"What?" Anjali said.

"O she must've gone to the wash room. Shalini, are you there? Mom she is in the bathroom only." Ronit said.

"Okay when she goes, come and talk to me." Anjali replied and went to her room.

Tanya came out of the bathroom after fifteen minutes and asked weather everything is fine. Ronit replied with a yes and she said she should leave now. "Wait. Say hi to mom at least." Ronit replied and he called Anjali. Tanya greeted her good afternoon and told that she was getting late for the office. Ronit went downstairs in the lift to see her off. In the lift, they kissed each other madly. As he came up after seeing off Tanya, he came to Anjali and asked, "Ya mom, tell me. You wanted to talk?"

Anjali: Ronit, no female friend of yours should come into my home in my absence. Okay?

Ronit: Okay mom, but I only called her today as the institute's all computers were occupied. So I thought that we can practice here.

Anjali: I see. She is a nice girl, she has some problem in her hand na? She told me once while she was giving an exam.

Ronit: Ya mom.

Anjali: Hmmmmmm. But make one thing clear that no girl should come in my house in my absence. Okay.

Ronit: Okay mom.

The next day morning, at Tanya's place they again played the 'bedroom golf' and it was a habit after that – the day to day challenges were becoming too great. Ronit would go to Tanya's place and they would make love and as Shilpa used to say, both went tired. Tanya had to go to Agra for giving an interview and it was whole two days when they would not see each other. As she left, Ronit told her not to make it more than two days. He became restless and just could not think of anything else other than Tanya. It was again a poetry time - he took a pen and paper and wrote some rhyme, thinking about Tanya. When Tanya came back he hugged her when they met and showed her the small poem he wrote for her.

##  The   rhyme 2

Your feet,

Are so sweet.

Your face,

Is full of grace.

Your body, full of charms.

And I always want you in my arms..

Tanya: O Jaanu. It is so sweet. I am feeling like I am in heaven.

Ronit: Well I am a novice writer, could not write pages, it is a simple one yaar. But I missed you very much.

Tanya: Then let me simply kiss you.

Ronit: O Jaanu, lemme take me in your arms. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

#  Chapter 17: The relationship demands!!!

Days passed by happily as they both realized daily, what the other one was like in bed but.......the time had never stopped for anybody and Ronit and Tanya were no exception. They were too sad when two days were left for Ronit to go back to Kolhapur. They decided that they would spend the evenings at Tanya's place only. Her computer room was upstairs and her family lived on the ground floor. As Ronit entered her house in the evening, he met Tanya's mom.

Tanya's mom: Hello Ronit. Shalini told me that you are Anjali's son. If I am not mistaken, your mama has a school – Modern Kids School, Right?

Ronit: Yes Aunty. How do you know?

Tanya's mom: Well, when your Naaniji was the principal of that school, I taught there for 2 - 3 years as I started my teaching career. It was a nice experience working in that school.

Ronit: okay, I see.

Tanya's mom: How is your mom doing?

Ronit: She is doing good Aunty. You know, wherever I go in Jaipur, my mom's popularity follows me. I go to any teacher; he or she says that they know my mom, any friend's place I go, his or her parents say, we know your mom. Whenever we go out for a dinner, every time her students come out of no where to greet her.

Tanya's mom: Well, that is a nice thing na?

Ronit: Ya aunty, but as they say – excess of everything is bad.

Tanya's mom: Ok. Will you have some tea?

Ronit: Yes aunty. Thanks.

After tea, Tanya took Ronit upstairs telling her mom that they had to practice some important computer programs and they would require around two hours for it. As they climbed the stairs, Tanya held Ronit tightly and kissed him madly, half way on the stairs. They went upstairs and it seemed that Tanya would literally rape Ronit today. She wanted to have him as much as she can, because these love moments would probably come after another six months. Ronit told her that he would try to maximize his semester leaves next time as well and they opened a program on the computer screen and kept it opened, just in case any body comes from downstairs. After half hour of violent romance, that 'any body' came upstairs. Tanya's mom came with some snacks and the R and T couple immediately sat on separate seats as they heard somebody's foot steps on the stairs, but still she got the vibes that something was going on between Ronit and her daughter. She offered snacks to Ronit, but in a firm and formal manner. As she went downstairs, she left an environment of tension for Ronit and Tanya.

Ronit: Tanya, she must have seen my hand on your lap. She made it out that we were not working on our computer problems.

Tanya: Ya. I think so. She will take my class once you leave.

Ronit: So tell her about me na.

Tanya: Should I tell her?

Ronit: Of course.

Tanya: Let's see what happens, yaar.

Ronit: I feel like I should go now.

Tanya: Well?

Ronit: Tanya, please. Do you realize that she just saw a guy romancing in her house with her daughter in her presence? I gotta go please. And you said that you will have your periods tomorrow na. Call me and let me know when it starts. I don't trust today's world's condoms yaar.

Tanya: Ya Ronit. I will.

Ronit: See ya Tanya. I love you.

As they shut down Tanya's computer and went downstairs and the computer screen showed 'Its now safe to turn off your computer' in cyan on black background, Tanya bent down to switch off the UPS, Ronit wished that the time could pause and they could get locked up in that room forever. But as she got up and looked in his eyes and smiled, his mind, his heart, his eyes and his soul realized that they have returned back from the dreamland to the real land; they started descending down and they kissed on every alternate stair. Ronit went home saying good bye to Tanya and her mom. Next morning he got a call from Tanya.

Tanya: Hi Jaanu.

Ronit: Hi Tanya. I missed you very badly, whole night.

Tanya: Me too.

Ronit: So, today is the last day. I have my bus in the night to Delhi, from where I will catch the train to Kolhapur - Goa Express. So, what's the plan for today? And what did your mom say?

Tanya: Ronit, I know my mom. She would not tell me anything but her actions would. She did not talk to me at all yesterday after you left.

Ronit: O Jaanu, why don't you tell your mom about me?

Tanya: Yes I will; at the right time. But today I really wanna meet you. Jaanu, can we go for a long drive today? If you can bring your car, it's good. Otherwise I will bring mine.

Ronit: Well, I can bring my car; after all it's my last day in Jaipur. Mom won't say no to me today. But we are not meeting now? There is still time for class, Right?

Tanya: No Jaanu. Mom took me to the school along with her today. I am calling you from my mobile.

Ronit: O man. I told you na that she had a hint. And what about your periods?

Tanya: It's a no go till now Jaanu.

Ronit: Oh. What is happening yaar? I am getting tensed.

Tanya: Relax Ronit. I am sure I would have them by tomorrow max.

Ronit: Well you know better. It's not the topic of my expertise.

Tanya: Well, you said you were too good in biology?

Ronit: Stupid, that was all theory. I am talking about practical experience.

Tanya: O I see. Okay so see you at the institute at five. We will go on a drive to some nice place there.

Ronit: O ya. We can go to Gaurav Towers in Malviya Nagar. That's a nice drive from the institute.

Tanya: Yes. So see you at five. Love you.

Ronit: See ya. I love you Jaanu.

Tanya: Me too. Bye.

Ronit: Bye.

Ronit took his mom's car to the institute and as he reached, Tanya came on her scooty and waved her hand to say hi to Ronit.

Tanya: Ronit let me park my Mercedes and then we would go for a ride.

Ronit: Mercedes?

Tanya: My scooty is not less than a Mercedes Jaanu.

Ronit: Ha ha. O yes. Please.

She parked her vehicle and joined Ronit in his car. She was offered to drive the car but she said she wanted to see him as much as possible today.

Tanya: You drive, Jaanu. I will see you while you drive. It's the last day today.

Ronit: As you say princess. But by the way, it's my last day too. I would also not be able to see you after today.

Tanya: Please drive na Jaanu.

Ronit: Okay Tanya, as you say.

Tanya: I love you Jaanu.

Ronit looked at her while driving on the main road, turning his face towards left and he did not want to look in front after that. Tanya warned him that he would hit a vehicle if he drives like this. He looked in front and controlled the steering wheel with right hand. He put his left palm in front of Tanya and asked for her hand. She smiled and gladly gave it to Ronit. He held her hand so passionately while driving that Tanya closed her eyes and felt that she was being kissed. He looked in front, but his attention was sitting on his left side holding his left hand.

Ronit: I love you Jaanu.

Tanya: Me too.

Ronit: I love you Tanya.

Tanya: I love you very much Ronit.

The same dialogues were repeated n number of times and they reached Malviya Nagar.

Tanya: Let's go back Jaanu. Time is passing so fast today.

Ronit: Yes dear. But I don't want to go back.

Again the 'I love you' and 'I love you too' dialogues were repeated and they reached the institute. As Ronit was about to park his car, he saw Vineeta standing in the institute with a couple of friends. He told Tanya that Vineeta was standing and she took a look and got scared and excited.

Tanya: Ronit, drive away from here, please. Fast.

Ronit: Arre but why? Let's go and meet Vineeta yaar. It's my last day today.

Tanya: Please yaar. Dinesh is also standing there. He don't likes it when I mingle with any guy. Please.

Ronit: Who is he?

Tanya: He is a friend of mine and Vineeta since eighth class.

Ronit: Then I would like to say hi to him. Come on no. Let's go and meet them.

Tanya: Jaanu please. I will tell about this to you later. Please I beg you. Move your car from here or it will be quiet a trouble for me.

Ronit: Okay Tanya. I am moving the vehicle. Relax.

He moved his car away from the institute while Tanya closed the window glasses of the car. She thanked god that the car had dark tinted glasses. Ronit was surprised with her strange behavior. As he drove around 3 - 4 hundred meters from the institute, she asked him to take a left turn and stop the car there. Ronit stopped the car but had a few unanswered questions in his mind.

Ronit: Well, what is all this? And why are you so scared?

Tanya: Dinesh is a childhood friend of mine and he kind of overreacts whenever I talk to any guy. I don't know why he do this but he is like that only.

Ronit: Are you sure? He is your boyfriend or what?

Tanya: No yaar. He is a casual friend, but from childhood. So he is overprotective towards me.

Ronit: Okay. So what now?

Tanya: I would go back to the office and take my stuff from there and leave for home. And I am going to miss you very much Jaanu.

Ronit: Me too Tanya. Goodbye. See you soon.

Tanya: Goodbye Jaanu. Come back soon.

Ronit left for home and in the night he boarded the bus to Delhi though he didn't want to go at all. He reached Kolhapur and it was a burst of feelings in him - He missed Tanya, he missed Jaipur, he missed home and he missed everything which made him happy - he felt homesick. The exam result came and he could not change his branch from civil to any other as he had a back in two subjects. For changing your branch, it was required to clear all subjects of first year. So Ronit opted to continue with civil engineering only rather than wasting an year over it. He decided not to stay in the hostel from now on and decided to take a flat with 2 - 3 other guys, in the city. Time was so still and he was missing her badly. Some day if Tanya would write a mail to him, he would have a hint of smile on his face otherwise it would be always sad and smile less. He changed - now, he would not even smile on any non veg joke told by a friend and before, he used to 'roar laugh' at the same. He concentrated a bit in studies and many days, he would sit on a hillside wall near the college in the evening and write a rhyme and tear the paper after that. One day, he was very sad and he thought to write on an imaginary situation - A man goes abroad to earn money leaving behind his girlfriend and he promise her to come back and settle down once he earns enough for them. After he becomes rich, he returns back to take his beloved girlfriend with him. As he reaches her home, he finds her with somebody and it makes him feel like killing himself.

##  The   rhyme 3

When I opened the door.

I found her with somebody, lying on the floor..

I thought, for her I was too bore.

I guess what she wanted from me was much much more..

A cold breeze was blowing when I saw her for the first time in town.

After seeing her, I felt that by mistake, god has sent her best angel down..

When I met her, I asked her to stay.

But she said sorry, I should go away..

When she left the town, I spent those days of sorrow, sitting on a hill.

Each minute had become a year, Time was just still..

When she came back, her eyes were ocean.

My heart again flooded with hope and devotion..

I asked her, 'Let's go for a ride. What do you say?'

She told me that her dad scolded her just yesterday..

She asked me, when we will gonna marry?

I said, after one year, coz I am going abroad to earn some money for my fairy..

I told her, "Wait for one year, try to be bold."

Tears came from her eyes. "Come back soon." was what she told..

When I came back, my life style was different.

In my hands, I had hard cash, owned five apartments where I were the government..

I felt that only HER is all what I need.

I reached her home, I found her with somebody in her bedroom, doing the deed..

She broke my heart, She choked my brain.

I am gonna kill myself, gonna come in front of a train..

Ronit used to call up Tanya from Kolhapur twice in a week and a new personality was the topic of discussion now - Dinesh.

Tanya: Hello Jaanu.

Ronit: Hi Shona.

Tanya: How is it going? I got my periods the day you left.

Ronit: Okay. I am missing you very badly.

Tanya: You know something. That Dinesh is becoming over possessive for me now. He says he is very serious about me.

Ronit: What? He is your casual friend, right?

Tanya: Right. I don't know what is in his mind. He takes the five year old friendship as something like a relationship now. He even came to my house and mom was also there. He behaved casually then, but I don't know - I feel little weird now.

Ronit: Well? It is really yuck strange yaar.

Tanya: I really wish you were here Jaanu.

Ronit: I will come soon and will take care of all this, but jaan, please take care of yourself.

Tanya: Yes Jaanu.

Day by day, the tension was increasing and his mind was half occupied with engineering study n work and half with Dinesh's strange behavior. 'Who is this Dinesh? Why is he over possessive? A guy don't becomes possessive until there is a hint from the opposite side, but Tanya said he is a casual friend?'; these thoughts were prevailing inside Ronit's mind and rotating around his head all the time. Someday he was told by Tanya that he was spying on her when Ronit was around. When Ronit used to come to her house in the vacations, the neighborhood girl used to give all this information to him and he said to Tanya that he do not like all this. Despite of her telling him again and again, Dinesh took the wrong meaning of friendship. He desperately wanted to go back to Jaipur and have a one to one – up and down, left and right with Dinesh, but at times he felt that no guy could take a friendship for a relationship until he is given a hint by the girl. Did Tanya give him hints to fall for her?...... Nah, she is a nice n genuine person and would have definitely told him if that was the case. One day, Ronit even asked her, "Shonu, do you by any chance had a relationship like thing with any guy before - Dinesh or anybody else? It seriously does not matter to me now, but you should tell me the truth. Please, I can't tolerate a lier - so if there is anything, let me know and I won't mind." asked Ronit.

"No Jaanu, if I had a relationship, I would have told you. You are the first person who took my heart and you are the last one. I love you very much." She replied and Ronit got a feeling that she was never interested in Dinesh or anybody else; that's how god made men – when a beautiful girl says something firmly, believe her as she is speaking nothing but the truth.

Days passed by and the submissions and exam time came. There were lots of engineering drawing sheets which Ronit had to make in too less time. Most of his time used to be spent thinking about Tanya and sometimes with friends, so hardly any time left for submissions. His bunk principle was always there and this made some of the strict type lecturers think of him as their victim. There was this subject 'Survey and Leveling' in which they used to study about roads - taking use of various instruments like dumpy levels and theodolites. The course included a survey practical - a road survey in which, a whole day they would taking readings on the open hill area using the dumpy level, theodolite and large vertical scales. Then they had to make the contour sheets and design best possible road. Contours are graphical lines on the sheet which represent same elevation of the ground w.r.t. a bench mark point, whose elevation w.r.t. sea level is known. The idea about the practical was to design the path of the road so there is almost equal amount of earth cutting and filling so as to save 3 m's – man, machine and material. Basically, it was a 'one day in sun - working like labors' for Ronit and he made a plan to stay out or do less work in it. The survey lecturer, Mr. Vinod Tamboli called Ronit's name in class one day before the survey practical along with some other notorious and bunk principal believers and told them, "Listen boys, tomorrow, in the survey practical, I especially want to see you all on the field and doing the work. You better make sure that you are present tomorrow otherwise you will be giving the Survey oral exam twice."

All of the boys became serious about the Survey road project as they did not want to give the oral exam twice.......but one. 'Such an open challenge you just gave to the bunker king??? Well sir, I accept your challenge and will be there in the field, but you will not be able to make me work - I will be enjoying it as a picnic. I bet ya.' Ronit thought in his mind and assured Mr. Tamboli that he would be there in the field all the time. In the evening, he went to a medical shop and bought some bandage and turmeric. The next day, he reached college on time and went straight to the survey lab.

"Hey what happened to your head? You are badly hurt Ronit." Professor Tamboli asked.

"Sir I got hurt in the gym by a rod. It got misbalanced on the bench press and went straight into my head." Ronit replied with a pain expression on his face.

"Okay Ronit, you please take care of yourself. If it was so serious, you should have not come to college today. Take proper rest in the hostel and don't involve yourself into the field work." Prof. Tamboli replied.

"Sir, I didn't want you to feel that I deliberately took a leave. I would not like to rest sir, but would involve myself in the practical as much as my body would allow me today." Ronit replied.

"Okay Ronit, I like your attitude. But take rest whenever you feel dizzy." Prof. Tamboli replied and while Ronit was walking towards the field from the survey lab, there was a cunning smile on his face which nobody noticed.

He took special care not to reveal the secret that there was no injury on his head. He simply put a bandage on his head and put some turmeric paste on it from above, so it looks like a wound bandaged and medicated properly. The practical got completed in the evening at around six and everybody was tired, though Ronit had enjoyed a couple of 'vada paos' and cold drinks in the cafiteria. The college would be off for next two days as it would be a weekend so he don't have to make a sympathy face during that period. On Monday, the bandage would get removed and a band-aid or hansaplast would be on his head as there would be improvement in his artificial wound. Everything went fine and in two days, the band-aid also got removed.

The preparation leave and the exam time was the time for 'glue your ass on the chair and study'. Ronit used to give long and continuous sittings for studies and would not get up from the chair until it would severely pains in his ass. The exams went fine and he came back to Jaipur. This time Goa express was running fully packed. So Ronit and Raman went home via Mumbai - they took Mahalaxmi express in the night from Kolhapur and reached Mumbai in the morning. From there, they boarded the Mumbai express for Jaipur in the night. They had a whole day to spend in Mumbai - the city where everything was so economically available - clothes, food, household items, pens and what not. Of course there were only two things that were expensive like gold in Mumbai – roof and floor. The flats and houses in Mumbai were not only expensive but also difficult to get.

Ronit and Raman roamed around in Church gate and in Fashion Street where Ronit got unique and cool stuff to wear in the college. Ronit's t - shirts used to be one of the rocking things in the college. They would have a shiny red, green, brown or black color and the messages printed on these t shirts would be totally outstanding. They would say:

"I have no answers!!!"

"All you need in life is a tremendous sex drive – Brains don't mean a shit."

A drawing of a couple lying under a blanket and the message written below saying, "Over the hill but under a blanket."

"Hell was full, so I came back."

"Come back when you are hot."

"Work for today, plan for tomorrow, party tonight."

"I need only two girls for a threesome."

Everybody used to ask him, from where he bought these t - shirts. His reply would be, "Well, if you want, I would get one for you, but don't ask me from where I get them."

The journey till Jaipur was not that exciting as they were only two and Raman was a little serious types – he would talk about electronics, about automation of rail system and about robots. So Ronit would rather ignore his topics as they were of least interest for him. They reached Jaipur and he met Tanya. The time was less this time as the next semester would be starting really soon for Ronit. They went for movies, spent time together, made love sometimes and Dinesh's thought did not come into their minds even once. The time passed so soon and then the last day came again. Ronit would be leaving for Kolhapur tomorrow. Tanya told Ronit about Dinesh the last day.

Tanya: He knows about you now. And he says he would marry me. Whatever happens - he would tell you that he and I are in love and if you do not understand, he would spoil my life and he would go to your home and talk to your parents too. Mom talked to his parents asking them to control their son and they said, he never listens to us. If you want to do a police case and send him to jail, please do. We are not able to control him and he never listens.

Ronit: What???? And you are telling this to me now?

Tanya: Jaanu, I wanted to spend good time with you and there was already less time na. I did not want you to be involved in this stupid Dinesh business and get unnecessary tension.

Ronit: Well? It was more important that the time we spent Tanya. Once and for all it would be clear.

Tanya: Don't worry. I would figure out somehow to get rid of him. He made a friendship of five years go bad.

Ronit left for Kolhapur and now it seriously made him think that there might be something between Tanya and Dinesh. Even no cheapest guy would ask so forcefully to a 'friend' for marriage. She must have been involved some way or the other with him before, otherwise he would not be after her with such an impact.

The third and the final years of engineering were more critical career wise. The 'would be engineers' got time for themselves rarely. There was a lot of pressure and they hardly got times to even watch movies. But when the movie 'Spider man' got released, the whole college went to see it. Ronit's friend Sumit brought his bike from Delhi. Now they both lived in city but in separate flats because Sumit had been flunking in exams every year and had been going from and coming to Kolhapur often. He was not made for engineering. Ronit and Sumit met after the movie on a cigarette shop and Sumit told Ronit that he reached to the cigarette shop using his cob webs. "What?" When Ronit asked, he said he got so inspired by spider man movie so much that while riding his bike from the theater to the cigarette shop, he almost became spider - man as an imaginary radio active spider had bit him as soon as he came out of the movie theater and went to the parking section. He immediately had a reaction in his body and became spider man and had been spreading cob webs, leaving the bike's handle and reached till the cigarette shop like a spider man, swinging on the imaginary cob webs while roadside crowd watched him with a 'what is he up to' look. He even dummy - attacked Ronit with his artificial cob webs.

The time was passing too fast and Ronit rarely got time to call Tanya. One day Tanya called up and told Ronit that she told her mom about him and she wants him to marry her as early as possible.

Tanya: Ronit, how are you?

Ronit: Hi Tanya.

Tanya: Ronit I told mom about us and she wants us to get married as early as possible or.....

Ronit: Or what Tanya? Yaar I am completing my engineering and it will take me at least an year or so to get a job and settle a bit. Then, I can go for a marriage.

Tanya: Well, if you gotta marry me, you gotta marry me now otherwise mom will get my marriage fixed somewhere else. What is the problem in marring me now?

Ronit: My Shonu, if you have a thought in your mind that I am not going to marry you, please take it out of your mind. But Tanya, marriage is a responsibility. I am still completing my engineering and until I get a job to sustain both of us, how can I just get married to you? I would have no hastles in even going against my parents' will. You know na that my mom gets bugged up when I talk to her about you. She thinks that if I have to marry a girl of my choice, I should get along with a girl better than she can get for me. I know jaan, that it hurts you when I tell this to you but I am just acquainting you with the truth. But the bigger truth is that you are the one that I have chosen for myself. Now even if I have to go against mom, I will go for it for sure.

Tanya: If you care for me so much, why don't you marry me now?

Ronit: Tanya. Please, understand this. If I have to go against my folks, I should be in a position to leave my house and be able to earn a comfortable living for you and for me. And I am not in that position currently. Please understand. Please.

Tanya: Ronit?

Ronit: Don't say anything Tanya. Just don't say any thing. Please, I have told you once and for all - that we would have to wait. But not for too long. Just one year - just one year Jaanu. Did Dinesh say or do anything?

Tanya: Good bye Ronit.

After that, it was a mum period for a month or so and neither Tanya, nor Ronit called each other. Then one day, Ronit wrote am e-mail to Tanya. What else - a poem again.

##  The   rhyme 4

Don't be away from me. Give me a chance to meet you again.

Remember the e mail you sent, that's how it all began..

First time we met, you were wearing a yellow suit.

You were so silk, I am not telling a JHOOT..

You came in my life, TO CHODD KE MAT JAANA.

Otherwise MUJHE BHEE PADEGA KOI SAD SONG GAANA..

(English translation: you came in my life, so don't leave me ever, otherwise I would have to sing a sad song)

On my calculator, I usually write your phone number - ****05.

If you leave me, in sea I will dive..

Tanya replied very formally to that mail saying 'Thank you for this nice poem'.

#  Chapter 18: The busted one!!!!!

Their relationship was going for a toss.......The silence period increased the thought of not calling first from both the sides and this started to worsen the situation. Ronit did not call her and neither had he got a call from her. His brain got totally occupied by the studies and Tanya was in his heart which was in the dormant state as it was exam time, and moreover it was the first semester of the final year. One more semester and Ronit would be a civil engineer. After the exams as he reached Jaipur, he thought of calling her and getting things sorted out. He told his parents about her and as expected, it was a ' N O ' from Anjali. Somesh still was fine with Ronit's happiness and said that he should first talk to Tanya and see what she says. He tried to convince Anjali again and again but she was a hard rock and would not at all go for a yes. Ronit told her that she should get habitual to forget him because one day he will leave her forever. Anjali had gained back the strict and stubborn attitude again, which she used to carry when Ronit was a child. Ronit's statement about Anjali forgetting him did not make an effect on her at all. She said with an emotionless face, "I don't care if you leave me or do whatever. You are not marrying and bringing that girl to this house. You want to marry her, fine. Get lost from my house then."

Ronit tried to contact Tanya but she was unreachable now. She did not pick up the phone in her house; she would cancel Ronit's call on her cell. One day Ronit went to see her in her office and she met him very formally.

Ronit: Tanya, why are you doing this? I just need some more time and that's it.

Tanya: I do not want to discuss anything about us and I am very busy. Anything else?

Ronit: Do you remember this letter that you written to me when I went to Kolhapur, first time after we met and came close. And you sent this picture of yours too, so that I can see it whenever I miss you. Do you remember anything? Tanya? This name I gave you?

Ronit handed over the letter she wrote to him and her snap. She took them, gave a smile to Ronit and tore the letter and the snap into pieces.

Tanya: Okay Ronit. Now there is nothing na, that would make you remember me. I gotta go now. Bye.

Ronit: sssssss God!!!!.

He left the place with tears in his eyes. 'Why did she become so heartless? Why did she behave like this? Was she playing with me? Nah....... why would she? Something is wrong.' He thought in his mind while coming back home on his scooter. He reached home and was not in a mood to do anything so he went to his computer institute to meet the staff and any friends present there. He found an old friend there - Ankit, who knew Shalini (Tanya). Ankit was a solid body builder types and as far as Shalini was concerned, he knew that Ronit just knew her and said a 'hi' to her once when he got introduced to all of Vineeta's friends. But today, Ankit wanted to discuss about Shalini with Ronit, as she had recently undergone a tough time. The chit chat started when they went to a cigarette shop in front of Tilak Park. Ronit and Ankit took a stroll in Tilak Park after Ronit had a cigarette.

Ankit: Ronit, you remember that girl Shalini Chopra? You met her in the institute once when Vineeta introduced you to all of us.

Ronit: O ya. I remember. What happened? What she doing these days?

Ankit: I don't know. I think she has a boyfriend, but recently she had been through a rough time.

Ronit: What happened? Tell me.

Ankit: Dinesh you now na. He is into all the university fights and is a dada types guy. He was after Shalini and I had to come in between to stop him from doing all this. He used to tell me about various boxers who practice in the Rajasthan University when I told him to stop bothering her. Then I had to make him realize that whatever names he was taking and claiming them to be his friends, practice boxing with me daily in the University sports complex.

Ronit: O man. But why is he after her so much.

Ankit: Well he was. Because she and Dinesh were casual friends and he took the friendship in a wrong direction. That's what Shalini told me and I had to interfere and then I made Dinesh aware - not to bother her anymore.

Ronit: Okay.

Ankit: But I sometimes feel that she has a boyfriend who stays out of Jaipur. I noticed her making us quiet and running away to attend the STD call on her cell phone. I heard her saying words like Jaanu and all while talking on the phone.

Ronit: You hear her conversations ha?

Ankit: Well one day, when I was crossing by. Not deliberately.

Ronit: Okay. And you said, she is tensed these days?

Ankit: Ya. Her mom shouts on her a lot these days. She wants her to get married to anybody ASAP.

Ronit: I can understand man.

Ankit: She is actually little handicapped from her left hand and it becomes a problem with any proposal every time.

Ronit: O is it?

Ankit: Her boyfriend accepts her as she is but I don't know who he is, but he is studying currently. Shalini told me all this one day. I wish I knew who he is so I can make both parties understand and do something so as to not spoil both people's life.

Ronit: O ya.

Ankit: Well whenever her mom scolds her na, about getting married, she becomes hopeless and....... many things she do not share with us. She has a lot of secrets in her heart.

Ronit: Ya man. A woman's heart can store an ocean of feelings and secrets. Let's go home. It's almost dinner time.

They went to their homes and gradually they became pals. Ronit and Ankit would go and discuss about various things - movies, careers, computers, food, drinks and - Shalini. One fine day, Ronit told Ankit that he is the one - he is Shalini's boyfriend – the one Ankit was looking for. Ankit told Ronit that he had a hint about this and they discussed Shalini's and Ronit's perspective about this relationship and Ankit also realized that Ronit was doing a right thing going against his parents and marrying her. And it would be right if they both give each other time for a year so Ronit can settle down. Ankit told Ronit about his love challenge too.

Ankit: Ronit, you know na that my dad was a politician and he died in a car accident. We were initially from a poor family. My family's condition started improving as my dad became politician and then in just a few months only, while coming from Kota by car, with few of his colleagues, the most tragic event I could ever face, happened. His car met with a severe accident and all the passengers died.

Ronit: O god.

Ankit: I got mingled with a girl staying nearby our house named Ayesha when my dad was alive. That time, Ayesha's and my family had similar financial conditions. Then my dad became politician and our family's conditions started getting improved and Ayesha's dad, Mr. Pande was quiet okay with me getting along with Ayesha.

Ronit: I see. Then? He became lil rich and now he wants to get her married somewhere else?

Ankit: Well, mine and her families had informal talks about me and her and it was almost decided that we will gonna marry each other. His dad used to run after my dad for getting things done as my dad became a politician and came into power. Pande used to treat me like a very special person those days. Then as my dad passed away, our family was helpless as dad was the only one earning. My mom joined politics but she was new and inexperienced. Meanwhile, Pande earned money and became rich and now he do not want to marry her daughter with me. Me and Ayesha got totally shattered and cried a lot for months. We tried to convince our families but my mom told me one thing. She would accept Ayesha if Pande agrees for this marriage. If I take Ayesha and run away, Mom said that she will kill herself. She said she understood what I was going through but she had to show face in the society too. So here I am all shattered and missing her every day and am able to feel the pain you are going through, too.

Ronit: Buddy, your story has a situation, but mine has none. She is just running away – not responding at all. I need time, that's it.

Ankit: Your story has situations. The biggest ones are your mom not accepting her and her mom hurrying for marriage. She is her mother, so she would want that her daughter should get married ASAP after knowing that she has a relationship.

Ronit: I got what you are trying to say. You are right. If tomorrow, I find that my daughter has a relationship with a guy, I would also want her to get married ASAP to that guy or any other one, but ASAP.

Ankit: Yes. But you can't take this decision right now. Ya?

Ronit: I have no problems in going against my parents for this marriage just because she is so called handicapped. After all, when she will get angry with me, I would be lucky na that I would be getting beaten up with one hand of hers only. Ha ha. Now the thing is that we would be able to sustain if I get a job. And it would take time, seriously.

Ankit: I understand. Let's see, you keep trying. Lemme call her and talk to her about you, it might help at this point of time when she is not talking to you at all. Wish you luck buddy.

Ronit: Wish you luck too, pal. I wish that you get your Ayesha.

Ankit: And I wish you get your Tanya.

Ronit: What???? You know this?

Ankit: What? This name you gave to Shalini? Ya. Ha ha. I told you na I knew she had a boyfriend but who it was, I had no idea. I used to check out her cell and sometimes when she talked to you, I crossed her by. She never used to take your name, just Jaanu. And one day, her cell was on speaker phone when she talked to you taking a stroll in the institute verandah. From your side, Shalini never came up. It was always Tanya.

Ronit: So you spayed on her? Man?

Ankit: Well I am her friend yaar. A good friend. If she would get married to you, I would be very happy for you and her.

Ronit: Thanks. I will be very happy if you and Ayesha mingle and settle down.

Ankit: Hmmmmm. Doesn't seem possible now.

Ankit tried to patch up Ronit and Tanya; Ronit tried to talk to her many times; but she would just not answer, or would run away if they go and catch her in her office. Ronit tried and tried and it was nothing but failure. Time had come for him to go back to Kolhapur again. He had been in the saddest of his moods and could not eat or sleep properly during the entire vacation. Moreover Anjali and Ronit have boycotted each other to the maximum limit they can. Ronit felt really bad about his mom's thinking about Tanya. But maybe she was right.

Ronit went back to Kolhapur and made failure attempts to contact Tanya from there too. It was getting intolerable for him and he sent an e – mail to her – maybe the last one:

##  The   rhyme 5

The talent to accost the most beautiful one,

To tell you that you are the one,

Was not there in me.

But when you actuated me with that kiss,

I became adamant – wasn't ready to miss,

So it went One Two Three.

Acerbity was there in Ronit Sandhu

I was actuarial, spent my life mechanically like wee-boo (a small Robot in movie Flubbers)

That way.........

You are the most aesthetic addendum in my life.

I can give you an affidavit that you'll be my only wife.

What do you say?

If you are ever angry, I am there to allay,

If sometimes you don't want to cook – I can do that or even survive on cold drinks, snacks and jelly

It keeps one fit.

I love when you dress up in your suit ajar.

Even your cleavage is different from the whole bazaar.

I mean it.

Nothing happened; It went all in vain; then, after so many tears and pains, he thought to let go. If she do not care to come together and make it happen, it was all useless. Ronit thought to take the last semester seriously and made a promise to himself, that no matter what happens – he won't remember her again until she contacts him and he won't ever shed another tear from his eye for her ever, if she do not turn and come back. Ronit made the choice to let go of his past, engage the future and give birth to the great new idea of his life. He was very fast in calculations in SOM and DSS. These two subjects – Strength Of Materials and Design of Steel Structures had been his topic of interest. He used to do the calculations so fast and accurate, that the moment the teacher used to dictate a numerical to the class, in a minute or two, Ronit would draw the cantilever diagram and come up with the solution – the perfect precise and fastest solution humanly possible. The students used to keep open their mouth in astonishment on the speed and correctness of Ronit's answer to the numericals. The lecturers sometimes used to give two problems to Ronit in one go, while the entire class would be given only one problem to solve in a particular period of time. He sometimes used to teach these two subjects to the seniors too – those who did not get through the B.E. (Bachelor of Engineering) and did not get their degree since either their SOM or DSS papers were not clear. Those senior outsiders used to come from various places – Delhi, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Chandhigarh and Kashmir.

There was one Kashmiri senior girl named Kamini Tikoo. She also used to come to Ronit's place as she had a DSS back. These all 'one or two paper back' types guys used to come to Kolhapur during the end of the semester when the exams were about to come. Ronit was not like a tutor to all these seniors but rather a solution guide. Any numerical you do not understand and there is no one to explain, what will you do? Run to Ronit, you will get the appropriate solution. Kamini was an extremely fair, athletic type Kashmiri girl whose appearance was like that of a video game female action hero. Almost every guy, whether senior or junior used to fanaticize about her without letting others know. God only know how many liters of sperms were wasted on her when it came to guys fantasizing for anyone hot; the entire college males would have masturbated fantasizing about her at least once; god only had the actual records. Kamini knew that Ronit was a small poet and she requested him to write something about her. He said he will see to it and he thought she was telling it just like that and he forgot about it. She reminded him two times and then, one day, Ronit handed over a small piece of paper to her. On that paper was written:

##  The   rhyme 6

You got long hair. You got moony eyes.

You have such a glooming face, which attracts a hundreds of guys..

You have such a thunder legs, for which any guy could die or fight.

But don't forget you also have those punishing sandals,

Which can set off all the bad boys right..

Take care

– Ronit

She gave him a sweet smile and said thank you. The final year, final semester exams passed by and Ronit made sure not to have any paper back this time so he do not have to come back to Kolhapur next year during exam time. All went fine and Ronit finally came back to Jaipur; he met Ankit but he did not enquire about Tanya as he made a promise to himself. But Ankit started by himself.

Ankit: Shalini has separated her from all her friends. She do not talk to anybody now, not even Vineeta.

Ronit: Well. I do not understand her at all yaar.

Ankit: Ronit I also have a bad news for you my friend.

Ronit: What? She is getting married?

Ankit: Na man. Another guy – named Vinod in her life. He stays in Delhi. She had been going to Delhi for interviews these days frequently.

Ronit: Well Ankit, I don't believe you. I just don't believe you, okay.

Ankit: Buddy, I read her sms messages on her cell from Vinod. They were romantic and their reply from her was also equally romantic. So, you know......

Ronit: Alright. Lemme make one thing clear, very clear and crystal clear. I do not believe you.

Ankit: Okay, as you say.

Some days passed by and Ronit once saw Tanya going somewhere on her scooty and she also noticed Ronit. She gave a call to him at his LAN line lumber in the evening.

Tanya: Hi Ronit.

Ronit: Hi Jaanu. Where have you been yaar? What was all this?

Tanya: You wanna meet up?

Ronit: Ya okay. But why there was a long silence from your side Tanya?

Tanya: Let's meet up at the restaurant of Jawahar Kala Kendra. I will be there at seven. See you.

Ronit: Okay Jaanu. See y.......

Ronit could not even say 'See you' properly; she hung up on him before that. He was surprised and thought, 'she has been a stone and suddenly she wants to meet up. Why? Is there anything or everything wrong? Or is everything falling right on its place and something good will happen now?' He took off for Jawahar Kala Kendra which was a fifteen minutes drive from his place and he reached there at 6:50. He was excited to see Tanya and to talk to her after a long time and he eagerly waited. The time passed and it was 7:10. Ronit started getting restless and he walked to and fro, waiting for her looking at the road for a blue scooty. At seven fifteen she came, sitting on the backseat of a bike, behind a man, roughly 32 years of age. Ronit thought he was some uncle of hers and acquainted them with a smile. She got down from the bike and told Ronit, "Hi, Meet my fiancé, Pratap. Pratap, this is Ronit – my friend from the institute." Ronit got the biggest shock of his life – his chest started paining, butterflies in the stomach and his head got all blown up. So much pain arouse in his heart that for two minutes, he could not speak anything. Then after being summoned by Shalini twice, he replied.

Shalini: Ronit. Ronit!

Ronit: Ya Shalini.

Shalini: Let's go inside for a supper.

Ronit: Shalini, I should go now. I got some stuff to do at home.

Shalini: Well Ronit, come na please. It will take only ten minutes. Otherwise we will think that you are not happy about me getting engaged to Pratap.

Ronit felt like killing her and then killing himself. Even he didn't know how he was stopping his tears. They had supper and Shalini asked him what his plans were now? He told that he would not stay in Jaipur but would be moving on to Delhi and then probably abroad. When he asked, she told that she met Pratap in her export house office only. Ronit quickly finished his supper and waited for them to finish. As they left the place, his head was all stone – all cold – all dark. He did not understand what to do. As Pratap started his bike and Shalini sat behind him, she looked at Ronit and kept looking with an 'I am sorry' expression until their bike reached an infinite distance from the point where Ronit was standing. He somehow reached home, closed his room from inside and sat on the bed thinking about the misery that she had put him into. While he was in his deep thoughts, the phone rang.

Ronit (in a low voice): Hello.

Female: Hi Ronit. This is Tanya.

Ronit: You are Shalini. Tanya is dead, you killed her.

Shalini: Ronit, I am so sorry. Please understand my situation.

Ronit: No need to say anything. I do not want to talk to you okay.

Shalini: Ronit, I will call you tomorrow and will tell you something and then you only will decide, whether what I am doing is right or wrong.

Ronit: No need to call Shalini. Good bye.

He hung up the phone and cried – madly. He could not take this much pain and he slept after taking two sleeping pills. Next day, he called up Ankit and said he wanted to meet him. Ankit and Ronit met at a common place and Ronit told all that happened with him yesterday.

Ankit: See Ronit, I understand your pain. But now, after knowing a lot about her, I tell you, she is not good for you. Just forget her.

Ronit: O ya. It's that easy na? Listen, I do not believe your Vinod stuff okay.

Ankit: It's not Vinod only. I swear to god that her cell had those romantic messages from him and her replies. But more important is that when I came to know about you and her, I could not stop myself and did some research. I talked to Vineeta and she told me that Shalini has ditched Dinesh after four years of relationship suddenly, that's why he was getting mad at her.

Ronit: What?

Ankit: Yes, if you do not believe in me, better talk to her.

Ronit: Okay I have her cell number. I'll call her right now.

He dialed Vineeta's number from Ankit's cell and told to Vineeta that he wanted to meet her ASAP. She said she is in a hospital, sitting beside her brother, who had been admitted as he met with a head injury accident. If he wanted to meet her, he can come over to that hospital. Ronit and Ankit reached the hospital on Ankit's bike and Ronit started asking her about Shalini.

Ronit: I am sorry Vineeta, I am asking all this to you at this place and at this time, but tell me, what was there between Dinesh and Shalini?

Vineeta: It's okay Ronit. It was love – for past four years. When Dinesh got transferred to Ajmer, he used to come to Jaipur and stay at my place on weekends and he n Shalini, both used to date in my home only.

Ronit: Are you sure?

Vineeta: I am sure Ronit. I had been witnessing their love for a long time now. But Ankit told me that there were some friendship things going on between you and her?

Ronit: Well, it is so called Love.

Vineeta: What? Since when?

Ronit: Since past three years.

Vineeta: My goodness. I don't believe you. She is so sharp at all this that I feel ashamed being her best friend. She did not even let me know about it.

Ronit: I don't believe you about hers and Dinesh's connection.

Vineeta: Ronit. Wake up. You don't believe me? I swear on my injured brother that they had a relationship for four years. If l lie, my brother will die at this moment only and......

Ronit looked into her eyes and all he could find was immense pure and hard truth. She could not lie when her beloved brother was lying on the bed inside the hospital. Tears came out from his eyes and he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

Ronit: Here Vineeta, This is the xerox copy of the letter which she wrote to me. I request you to hand over it to her without reading it please.

Vineeta: Okay Ronit. I am so shocked that you were going along with her. I have some of letters which she wrote to Dinesh. I will show them to you in a day or two.

Ronit: There is no need Vineeta, I believe you.

Ronit thanked her and Ankit dropped him at his house. In the evening, Shalini called up, unaware about what Ronit heard about her from her best friend.

Shalini: Hi Ronit. Please don't hang up.

Ronit: Shalini, just don't start okay. Enough of your bull shit lies. I told you one thing na, that I can withstand anything but not a lie, and........you gave me a big one – bigger than I can Imagine.

Shalini: What are you talking about?

Ronit: About your past Shalini, about Dinesh – about the four year relationship you had with him. I didn't expect this much lie from you.

Shalini: Who told you about all this?

Ronit: Well a lot of people, but in the beginning, I just didn't believe them. But today when Vineeta told me that she had always been seeing Dinesh in your life and she talked about the letters you wrote to her, I had to believe that my Tanya just do not exists in this world. Is it not, Shalini?

Shalini: Ronit, I am sorry, but I liked you very much.

Ronit: Shut up. Just Shut up and do not call me again, ever.

Ronit banged the phone on her and for two days, he could not come out of the double decker shock of Pratap and Dinesh. After a while, Ankit called up Ronit and shouted on him like anything.

Ankit: Ronit, do you realize what you just did?

Ronit: What?

Ankit: Dude, you created so much tension between Shalini and Vineeta. What did you say to Shalini? I am sure you must've called her a while ago. What did you say?

Ronit: Well what could I say? She called up to empathize but when I asked her about her four year relationship with Dinesh, she could not say a word.

Ankit: And when she asked you, who told this to you, you took the name of Vineeta, Right?

Ronit: Yes..... I did. Shit.

Ankit: You know what? You made these two girls fight like mad cows. Shalini called up Vineeta and shouted on her like anything. She said what not to her. Vineeta gave me a call and she cried on the phone.

Ronit: Oh no. Man I am sorry, I didn't realize this part of it. I did a quiet wrong thing. Let's meet Vineeta tomorrow.

Ankit: I am going to the hospital to see her right now. And I want you to come along with me.

Ronit: Okay, yes. Come over and pick me up.

They went to the hospital where Vineeta's brother was admitted and met Vineeta. Ronit apologized like ten times, holding his ears to her and she said its okay.

Ronit: Vineeta I am so so so sorry. I did not realize this that she would call you up and shout on you. Please forgive me Vineeta. I apologize.

Vineeta: It's okay Ronit. No need to hold your ears.

Ronit: I don't know but is there anything I can do to soothe it all?

Vineeta: No. Please stay out of it now. Time will soothe it between me and Shalini now, nothing else.

Ronit: Hmmm. Okay Vineeta. As you say. I don't have any words to describe how I feel about you and her.

Ankit and Ronit went back home and this 'calling Vineeta' act of Shalini confirmed it once more that she had a relation with Dinesh and maybe with Vinod too. Ronit only knows what he went through, when his dad asked him, "What happened about that girl, you were saying you wanted to marry?"

#  Chapter 19: Mom Its okay.

Ronit told dad that she was getting married to somebody else and he had been in this heartbreak phase for around two weeks. After which, he realized that he was not getting anything of this. 'I am only crying and loosing. I would have to gather myself for life. It won't be good if I kill myself this way. It's a lesson learnt from life and life probably is making me stronger for more challenges to come. Maybe I do not have the guts to believe in any girl forever now – so easily. But I don't abuse the female sex for what she did to me. It was her who betrayed and taught me that anyone can betray anytime if one wish to. Anyone can cheat – all one needs is being little determined, little confident, little selfish and little careful at times. Life might show me more faces like this and I gotta learn to see their real face behind their mask and act accordingly.' He thought in his mind.

Ronit got his degree of B.E. Civil from the college and started looking out for jobs. Jaipur started to suck these days. Everything in Jaipur used to remind him of Tanya and he decided to go and hunt for a job outside Jaipur. He went to Delhi and joined there as a trainee engineer in a construction company, where he used to smile every time trying desperately to hide his wounds. He stopped crying and became inert to the world – lot of work, less sleep and nothing less were his life. Then gradually he maintained his poise and it all became normal.

In Jaipur, when Ronit came for weekends, Anjali became little concerned as she also realized his pain and agony. She took some tuitions of a girl for medical entrance exams and next day, result would be out. Somebody rang the bell and Ronit opened the door, next day. The guests asked, "Is Anjali mam there?"

"Yes. Please come in." Ronit replied and summoned Anjali. It was the tuition student and her father who came with a lot of gifts.

"Mam, I cleared the medical entrance exam, just because of you. Meet my dad." The tuition student said and her dad greeted Anjali.

"Hello teacher. It is all because of you that my child would become a doctor soon. Here are some small gifts I got for you and a blank check – you can fill any amount in this." He said and Anjali raised her hand.

"Please stop it right there. I took your daughter's tuitions because I thought she is capable and needs right guidance. I am not at all interested in money, sir. Please take all your gifts and checks. I don't need them. I took a nominal fees and it is more than enough for these tuitions." Anjali replied and there was a complete silence for two minutes.

The tuition girl and her dad thanked Anjali and took off. Ronit was surprised about Anjali's talents and her principals. Somehow she was right in going against him for Tanya and he was so stupid enough to go against his parents.

He came home for holidays and wanted to relax and Satya mama knew that Ronit was very fond of swimming and parties. He called up Ronit and said that he is a member of a club and they have a pool side party arranged at a resort in the outskirts of the city. Ronit instantly agreed and got ready for the party in the evening. Satya's family and Ronit took off for the resort in his car. They enjoyed a lot over there and it was a little late while coming back. When they were coming back home, a traffic police person stopped their car for general routine checking.

Traffic police: Stop the car and park it aside please.

Satya: What happened?

Traffic police: Nothing, just general checking. Where are you going?

Satya: Home. We are coming from a party.

Traffic police: Please show me your driving license.

Satya: Here it is.

Traffic police: Well what is this? It is an international license or what? All the letters are in some foreign alphabets. No English, no Hindi. It won't work here.

Satya: What? My license is international? Let me see.

Traffic police: Here.

Satya: Ohhhhh. Listen mister. The liscence is not international. You held it inverted okay. When you will hold it inverted, then every language will look forign language to you.

Traffic police: Oh..... ha ha. Sorry. You may go.

The bonding between Anjali and Ronit became strong again, day by day and now, she used to call Ronit in Delhi and they used to talk like friends. She called him on 5th September and reminded him that it was teacher's day and he used to wish her every year on this day.

Anjali: Cheeky how are you?

Ronit: Namste mom. How are you doing?

Anjali: Today is teachers' day, happy teachers' day.

Ronit: Thank you.

Anjali: Thank you? You will not wish me happy teacher's day?

Ronit: Well you are quiet a good student. You are learning with a good pace. Ha ha.

Anjali: What? Come on wish me teacher's day

Ronit: Happy teacher's day mom.

Anjali: Thank you Bhahiya (Meaning – brother).

Ronit: O.K. Bahena (meaning – sister)

Anjali: Oey what is this?

Ronit: Well logically i am speaking correct na.

Anjali: Ok it's enough mere baap. (Meaning – father).

Ronit: Shut up and beware jo ye ilzaam mujh par lagaaya to. (Meaning – don't put the blame of becoming your father on me). Okay baby mummy.

Anjali: Alrite papa boy.

Four years passed by and Ronit almost forgot Tanya. She had become a mother and was in Jaipur only. One day, he received a mail on his yahoo account from an unknown e mail address, tanyasingh12345@xyzmail.com

Hi,

Can we become friends? Please reply.

Tanya.

Ronit did not give a response as he was not much into using yahoo account and another mail came from the same address:

Hi,

At least reply once, please. I want to become your friend.

Tanya.

Ronit replied to this mail.

Hi,

Hope you are doing good. Tell me how I can help you. I do not use this yahoo account of mine frequently now. I will give you my g mail address and you can write to me on that e mail address. Maybe, if you have a gmail account, we can even chat while I am in the office.

Regards,

Ronit.

Next day he got a mail on his gmail account from tanyasingh12345's g mail account.

Hi,

This is my gmail account.

Hope now we can converse regularly. Please come online at 8 in the evening if u can.

Bye

Tanya

Ronit's reply to the mail:

O Yes we can..... Good to hear from you. It's actually elevenish now........I think I m late ha????

Well Yahoo messenger is disabled in my office but g mail is not ........Lets see if we catch each other tomorrow in here.

Good bye....

Ronit.

Tanya Singh replied back:

u seem to be quite rude .

Anyways whenever u get time do revert.

Actually I don't even know u r same Ronit for whom I am searching.

I had a friend Ronit Sandhu. Due to some adverse conditions somehow I missed him in the gathering of world.

I had been searching for him since a long time. Just few days back I was searching on Yahoo when i got your ID. He used to have the same ID long way back when we used to be together.

So i thought u might be the same.

But he was very sweet and kind and u seem to be quite rude.

Anyways I got to search him so lets see if u end up my search.

I hope so u r the same.

Ronit discussed this issue with his female colleagues in office and wanted to know their opinion about it. He figured out that it was his Tanya, and she was again trying to come back to him. He discussed it with his colleague, Preetima.

Ronit: Preetima, I wanted to discuss something with you. Its little personal but I wanted to take a female's advice on it.

Preetima: Oh anything for you Ronit. Tell me.

Ronit: You know I had a girlfriend two years back and due to misunderstandings and cheatings, this relationship went sour. She got married and she even have a kid and she is now trying to come back to me, maybe as a friend or maybe, you know. I am unable to decide what to do. Is she in pain and touble or is she trying to come back. I know, if she will, she will make my life heaven for a while and then she will run away, making me cry till death. See this mail of hers and tell me from a woman's perspective, what is she up to.

Preetima: Hmmmmm. Ronit, she is definitely trying to come back to you. It seems she is not happy with her married life and she is in need of love and care.

Ronit: I got it. I know what to do. I will politely ignore her in my mail and if she tries to write back again, I would be abusive. But I would not let her come back.

Preetima: Why? She might be in need of a friend.

Ronit: She is not in need of a friend coz there are a lot of people in Jaipur whom she can look up to if that is the case. Moreover, she would be spoiling two lives apart from mine – her husband's and her kid's.

Preetima: Oh. You are right Ronit. So go for a no dude.

Ronit: Thanks Preetima.

Ronit's reply to Tanya's mail:

Rude????

What make you say that I am rude? And as far as I m concerned... I never met 'Tanya Singh'. So it might be somebody else that you are searching for.........

All the best for your search.

Good bye

Tanya replied:

Hello,

Tanya is not my real name. This name was given to me by my Ronit only. He used to love me so much and I did the biggest mistake of loosing him. I don't know if you are the same Ronit.

Tanya.

Ronit showed this mail to Preetima and she told to just ignore this mail.

Preetima: She is ignoring what she is doing with her family and with you. She is just concerned about herself right now. Acting selfish – and trust me, being a woman I can clearly understand this.

Ronit: I see. Well I will ignore her mail and if she mails me back again, she will get good abusive and real rude mail from me.

Many mails came from Tanya after that. Ronit could not reply to even one of them; even after all he went through, he couldn't reply to her in an abusive way and if he talked normal, a girl like her would ditch a guy like him again. Maybe she also understood that she can't play with somebody's emotions again and again – after five mails, she also stopped sending any more e mails.

#  The  Gathering

The party at Bhaanu's place in London was getting mature. Two full bottles of Chivas Regal were down and these three guys –  onit,  bhay and  haanu were smoking their favorite brand of cigarette 'Gold Flake King Size'. Thanks to Ronit, who saved his packets from India till now.

"You can always depend on me for Gold Flake. These firangi cigarettes don't suite our Indian throats guys, so you dudes can ask Ronit Sandhu for our Desi brand always." said Ronit and smiled.

"........The bugger has people coming and going to India frequently. They keep his 'Tijori' full every time. Hey man, beware coz Bhaanu is robbing your entire Tijori soon" Bhaanu said.

"You are most welcome man." Said Ronit.

All three of them had eyes turned little red. They had been drinking since noon and it was midnight now. The sky outside was still little shiny as it was spring season in London.  ,  and   had been sharing the stories of their life since noon. As and when these three talked about their girls – Tanya, Rehana and Maansi respectively, all three had tears in their eyes as each story finished, Ronit's being told first.

The three dudes met at a place which was a favorite of all three of them, RAB gym in London – where they used to come alternate days in the evenings after work.

Bhaanu was doing Bench Press and in his third set he had put 3 plates of fifteen ponds each on both sides of the rod. Ronit and Abhay came and stood nearby for giving a support – the Indian brotherhood habit. Bhaanu smiled at them and said, "Thanks but I just need a finger touch support – very light."

Just three four humpfs, very little support and the guy did twelve repetitions.

These three guys became pally very soon and believed in enjoying together with their better half's. Ronit introduced his wife 'Tanya Sandhu' to everybody and both the guys asked, "You told that you have not responded to her mail and even she did not write back. Then?"

Ronit: I knew that deep inside I loved her very much, even though she betrayed me badly. I wanted to check if she was in some trouble when she wrote to me after so long time. I went to her mom's house and discussed general things to hide my main purpose of coming to her place. As I asked about Tanya, she said that she and her family are doing fine but her face and eyes expressions told me that Tanya's family life is so ruined and it can be 'the end' of it any time. I took Tanya's address from her mom, saying that I would like to check out some stuff at her boutique. And then, when I saw her in misery, I just could not stop myself. She had been punished by god so badly. She just paused for minutes as she saw me. And after that, she cried and hugged me like a small baby girl. I just could not stop after that. I made her file a divorce and accepted her baby to be mine. As I married her, my family did not accept her initially, but later they also understood that I can't be happier than this. We were married happily and I progressed in my work and my career made me reach here and tell you guys that I am the proudest husband of my Tanya.

Ronit took Tanya in his arms and she cried for the love and acceptance she got from him.

