MORNING BLUES
I PERSUADE HER TO HAVE BRUNCH
WITH ME AT THE MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANT IN IIT, ‘THE RBG!!!.’ SHE SMILES AND
THAT BREAKS MY HEART IN TWO. (OH! HOW I WISH QUARK WAS OPEN IN THE MORNING!)
SEVERAL MINUTES LATER……
I TAKE TE LAST SIP OF MY nth RBG COFFEE. MUSTERING UP ALL THE
COURAGE, I TAKE A DEEP LOOK INTO HER EYES AND SAY “AISHWARYA, MY LOVE, YOU ARE
MY SPECIAL RBG COFFEE AND I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU.” SHE COUGHS UP HER ONION
UTHAPPAM ON MY FACE AND IN AKKA DIL HAIN KI MANTA NAHIN STYLE, LICKS IT OFF MY
FACE. ASH GIVES ME ONE OF THOSE’ I KNEW IT COMING, WHY DID YOU TAKE SO LONG??’
TYPE OF LOOK. SHE PARTS HER LIPS TO SAY “TIM…”
“TRING……………
TRING…………… TRRRRRIIIIIIIING!!!!”
I LOOK AT THE RBG PHONE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RINGING TONE SOUNDS MORE POWERFUL THAN A SUPERSONIC JET. I LOOK AT ASH, I CAN’T HEAR HER TALK. “OH! SOMEONE PLEASE PICK UP THE PHONE.” I SUPPOSE IT MUST BE A LOCAL CALL FOR 363 OR SOME OTHER INTERNAL CALL FROM SARAYU. “GOD DAMMIT, SOMEONE PICK UP THE PHONE PLEEEEEZE……”
“TRRRING………
TRRRING……… TRR……. THUD.”
ONE LOOK AT THE CLOCK REVEALS MY
WORST FEAR, I AM LATE AGAIN! I WAKE UP SHEDDING THE AFTERMATHS OF MY DREAM.
“MERA NUMBER AAYEGA.” “ASH WILL MARRY ME TOMORROW.”
AT 7:50 AM, THE FIRST MAJOR DECISION I TAKE FOR THE DAY IS WHETHER
A) TO PUT A GRAND SLAM
B) TO
BUNK THE FIRST SLOT, OR
C) TO
GO TO CLASS.
THERE WERE DAYS WHEN I HAD CHOSEN EITHER A) OR
B), WHEN I WOULD CUDDLE MY PILLOW AGAIN AND GO TO THE WORLD OF
ETERNAL PEACE UNTIL SOME RG NEIGHBOUR WOKE ME UP BY THREATINING TO BREAK OPEN
THE DOOR. BUT NOT TODAY. CALCULATING MY ATTENDANCE FIGURES, I CONCLUDED THAT
ONE MORE BUNK WOULD BRING ME BELOW 75% MARK IN ALMOST ALL SUBJECTS. “SOME OTHER
DAY…” I SAY “SOME OTHER DAY.”
OPENING MY DOOR, I FIND
HALF MY WING RUNNING IN AND OUT OF THE BOGS, SOME SHAHRUKHS COMBING AND
RECOMBING THEIR HAIR AFTER BEING DRESSED UP, WHILE OTHERS CARRYING BUCKETS OF
WATER THAT THEY HAVE BEEN BLACK-MARKETING FROM THE BOGS. MAMA WAS PAINFULLY
CARRYING WARM WATER FROM HIS ROOM. LUCKILY I FOUND SOME LIKE ME ENTERING THE
BOGS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE MORNING.
“WHY ALL THIS STAMPEDE?” I ASK.
MAMA TELLS ME THE WORDS I LOVE TO HEAR “NO WATER RA BABU”
“OK! JUST WAKE ME UP FOR LUNCH.” I SAY AND HEAD TOWARDS MY ROOM. JUST
THEN SOME PITA CALLS OUT “TIM DON’T WORRY DA. THERE’S WATER IN THE TANK.”
FINALLY I GOT SOME AMOUNT OF WATER (3/4th OF A BUCKET
AND THAT TOO NOT BY GOING TO THE TANK MYSELF, INSTEAD SOME KIND SOUL BROUGHT A
BUCKET FULL OF WATER AND USED ONLY A MUG FOR SHAVING. I FELT FREE TO BORROW HIS
WATER.
ONCE BACK IN MY ROOM, I LOOK AT THE DREADFUL CLOCK ONCE AGAIN. I
LOOK AROUND FOR MY T-SHIRT WHICH I FIND LYING UNDER THE BED. I’M ALREADY IN MY
JEANS (NEVER BOTHERED TO GET OUT OF IT, LIVE-IN JEANS). IN BETWEEN ALL THIS, A
QUICK PRAYER LEAVES MY ROOM. WEIGHING MY BAG (WHICH I BELIEVE CONTAINS A NOVEL,
A CALCI, A FEW NOTEBOOKS OF MY FAV SLOTS AND OF COURSE SOME ROUGH PAPERS TO
DRAW PICTURES IN CLASS). I TAKE MY LEAVE.
MY FIRST VANDI NEIGHBOR IS
#230, I REGRETTED WAKING HIM UP. “WHAT DA TIM, NO E OR F, PACK……” (I CURSE
THESE JOBLESS BRANCHES). THE NEXT PROSPECT IS #228, ULLAS (HE’S IN ELEC. 7th SEM)……
“TIM…” HE’S DECIDED ON MY OPTION B). (JOBLESS AGAIN). I MOVE ON TO #226, SAJID… HE’S ALREADY LEFT.
“YESS!! YESS!! #218, IVIN’S FINALLY THERE. (AT TIMES OF EMERGENCY I CAN RELY ON
HIM).