It was our final year in the college and we were a part of
the elite group of species called ”seniors”. It was time for ragging. And by
ragging I mean all we did was ask our juniors their names and that too
politely.
It was time for college elections. Compared to other
colleges our college elections were a low key affair. Class representatives
were elected and then those representatives would choose the college leader. I
was unanimously elected as the college leader. My college principal Rekha and
Nanaiah called me into their chamber and requested me to step down as college leader.
The reason was that a college leader would have lot of responsibilities and I
being a science student would find it difficult to manage it along with my
studies. I kept nodding in agreement thinking how mistaken these lecturers are
about me studying all the time. I agreed and a guy from commerce was elected
as the college leader.
But in return Rekha appointed me as the rotary club
president. That was a blessing in disguise as I got a chance to participate in
a 2 day camp organized by the rotary club of Mysore. The camp had students
participating from various colleges across Karnataka and I got a chance to
interact with them. We indulged in various activities like Para-sailing, rock
climbing, trekking, camping etc. That was undoubtedly my best experience till
then.
Post that the Rotary club of Madikeri arranged an evening
party in the town hall where I was supposed to brief the members about my experiences
in the camp. I prepared a very good speech explaining all of my experiences and
dedicating the last paragraph praising my college Principal. I delivered the
speech confidently and I could see a of lot Rotary club members appreciating my
speech with my Principal. She called me later to congratulate me and told that
she was very proud of me.
Mr. BAKRID
The first half of the year had gone by and mid-term exams
were staring at our face. It was Biology exam and I and Naresh while walking
towards the college saw a new adult movie was showing at the movie hall. The
posters looked titillating and we both planned to watch the movie once the
exams are over. We informed about the movie to Lijesh who decided that we bunk
the exam and go for the movie. Both I and Naresh didn’t agree to bunk the exam
but agreed for the movie if Lijesh could get up and submit his papers within the
first 15 minutes and leave the exam hall. Lijesh agreed while I thought it was
not possible at all. It was a government holiday due to Bakrid but our college
was functioning courtesy to the exams. The invigilator was from the arts
department and started distributing the question papers and the blank answer
sheets. The first 10 minutes went off with me trying to understand which
question paper was it. I was about to start scribbling down something when I
saw Lijesh getting up from his place. I looked at Naresh who was also equally
surprised. Lijesh went up to the invigilator and gave his papers. The invigilator
asked “what’s the matter? Why did you get up so soon?” Lijesh said”Sir, its
Bakrid today. I have to go home for Namaaz”. The invigilator asked ”What’s your
name?”. Lijesh said ”Mohammed”. Both I and Naresh started laughing whereas the
other students looked on confused.
Lijesh came near the window from outside and whispered to me
that he would go and buy the movie tickets and I and Naresh should be at the
movie hall in 10 minutes.
No sooner did Lijesh leave; both I and Naresh got up and
gave away our papers saying “sir, Bakrid”. Even before the invigilator could
ask our names we dashed out of the exam hall. We were laughing and running out
of the college building. For some reason I turned back and saw Devaraju and
Nanaiah looking at us with disgust and with their hands on their hips. I told
Naresh ”Shit, don’t look back. Nanaiah and Devaraju are looking at us”. Naresh said”
Don’t worry. There is nothing that Devraju can do. He can’t deduct any marks
since we have not written a single word in the answer sheet”.
THE ANONYMOUS LETTER
Meanwhile a love affair had bloomed between Nandini from our
class and a guy called Madhusudan from the commerce class. Both this Laila and
Majnu would sit and chit chat to eternity oblivious to all other students
staring at them. Slowly this guy started to come to our class during free hours
and sit in the last bench and talk with her. "This is heights" said Lijesh. "This
rat has started to enter the lion’s den". Naresh said”Ha ha ha .. you call
yourself a lion? Lion of the rat world!!!”. Lijesh immediately got into damage
control mode.”Hey I mean we all are lion’s here. Isn’t it? Now let’s
concentrate on them”. I said “somehow we should expose this love affair to
Kasturi and she will take care of the rest”. Lijesh asked ”How?”. I said ”May
be we can write an anonymous letter to her regarding these two”. I just said
that but I never meant it.
After 2 days in the Kannada class Kasturi was explaining a
lesson about how a king desperately tries to woo a queen. And she said “We have
such people here in our college who are desperate for each other”. Saying so,
she asked both Nandini and Madhusudan to stand up and started to insult them.
Both I and Naresh looked at each other confused about how Kasturi got a wind
about their affair.
I looked at Lijesh and he gave me a wicked smile. After the
class when I asked Lijesh what he had done, he said “I took your idea seriously
and wrote a postcard to Kasturi explaining everything about these two lovers.
Now let me see him entering our class”. Naresh said that this guy is
impossible.
FIRST BLOOD
Some of our lecturers were in a meeting, so we had a half
day class and were free to go home. Since my mother would make me to study the
moment I reach home, I suggested to Naresh that we go and play cricket and
return home at our usual time. Lijesh was absent that day and so I, Naresh and
Nandish went to the ground and played for couple of hours and returned back to
our class. Since we still had another 2 hours to go we decided to finish lunch
box inside our classroom which was empty since others had left for home long
back and then leave around 4.
Now they say ”empty mind is a devil’s workshop”. We
ourselves being the devil, anything around us were our workshop. I took some of
the chalks and started writing some crap on the black board. Slowly the writing
got raunchy to outright dirty and before I knew, I had written a shit load of
crap on the board.
Naresh was laughing loudly appreciating my writing skills
like I had written some thesis on sex. It was 3 PM now and the adjoining class
had Kasturi’s class in the last hour. I had closed the door to make sure that
Kasturi doesn’t see us. But that proved to be a big mistake.
Kasturi upon seeing the closed door felt suspicious, came in
to check and saw that we 3 were having lunch. She screamed at us asking what we
were up to. We said that we were having lunch and about to leave for home. She
again screamed that we should close the door and should leave for home if we
don’t have any more classes. She just turned to leave when her eyes fell upon
the black board. She started reading what I had written all over it. I could
see her expressions changing with every sentence she read. She turned at us and
asked who wrote it. We out right denied writing it. I even went on further to
say that somebody had written it before we came into the class and we were
about to wipe it when she came in. She yelled at us to stop our lies. She went
near the door and asked some other teachers to come and see what we had
written.
Some of the teachers were laughing and saying that these
guys know biology better than the lecturers. Kasturi had caught a big fish in
the net and she was in no mood to let go of it. She marched us to the
Principal’s room and told the whole story to her. Principal asked us who wrote
it but we denied that we were involved in it. She asked the college peon to
lock up the classroom and asked us to write something in a register near her,
so that she can cross check our handwriting. I wrote in a very peculiar manner
to make sure my handwriting didn’t match with the one on the board. She said
she would call the forensic experts to the college to find our finger prints on
the chalk lying in the classroom.
She asked to leave for the day and come back tomorrow
prepared.
I and Naresh just didn’t know what to do and what to expect
tomorrow. We thought that we can go to the college in the night, break the lock
and wipe the board clean. But we were already in deep shit and we didn’t want
to screw it up further more.
I couldn’t sleep the whole night and kept wondering if
someone has cursed me. Ever since I came here I end up with trouble all around
me. I prayed to god to set things right and I would just study hard and stay
away from trouble. But I guess even God also was in a mood for entertainment.
Next day when I and Naresh entered the college campus lot of
students were staring at us, some giggling, some smiling at us. I realized the
issue had spread across the campus. We stepped inside the college building and
saw that our class was still locked and our classmates were standing outside. The
girls gave me such a disgusting look as if they had seen a jet black pig
drenched in the worst smelling shit. Many students would peak inside the
window, read my thesis on the board and tell me “Super, super writing”. It would
make me laugh but soon the smile would be replaced by a worried expression at
the thought of what’s going to happen next would haunt me.
Classes for other sections resumed as we (including my
classmates) stood outside the classroom for 2 hours. I just went to answer
nature call when I saw a guy in formals and holding lot of files entered our
college. Thinking that he might be the guy from forensic department I rushed
back and immediately asked Lijesh to go and check. Lijesh came back saying “He
is no forensic porensic inspector. He is a courier guy”. My heart heaved a sigh
of relief.
After 2 hours the Principal came down near our classroom
with her battalion which included a lecturer from arts department, our physics
lecturer Siddaraju and some more staff along with Kasturi. It looked like
Hitler was coming down with his soldiers to throw us in to the gas chambers.
Siddaraju called me and Naresh to the center of the corridor
as other students looked on from their classrooms. He asked me “who wrote it?”.
Even before I could answer me he gave me a tight slap. I felt like a iron rod
fell on my face as I turned around 180 degrees. Even before I could realize
what happened he gave me another slap on my other cheek. My head was completely
dizzy as other students looked on in complete silence. I just leaned against
the wall until I regained my senses.
Next was Naresh turn as he got slapped twice just like me.
Nandish was spared as everybody knew he was just at the wrong place with the wrong
guys.
The Principal then ordered her peon to open the classroom as
I and Naresh were marched inside the classroom with the rest of the lecturers.
We both still denied that we had written it. The principal now fuming with
anger threatened that if we didn’t accept our mistake, she would inform the
police and make sure we are rusticated from the college. But I and Naresh still
kept saying that we didn’t do it.
Devaraju entered the class and without even looking at the
board even once started saying that he is 100% sure that it is my work. I was
thinking ”Hell man, at least look at the board once before you give me the
credit”.
At this point the arts department lecturer took me and
Naresh to a corner and said “Look, if you have done it, accept it. Else she will
blow this issue out of proportion. Just accept it, get punished and finish this
issue right here”. I looked at Naresh face and then accepted that we had done
it.
The principal took out a bamboo stick and started whacking
me and Naresh left and right. I didn’t know which was more painful, the bamboo
stick beatings or the embarrassment. The principal also hit Nandish saying that
in future he should never mingle with us.
The principal asked me to take out my hand kerchief and wipe
the board clean. They then left not before throwing some more curses and abuses
at me and Naresh. Finally our classmates were allowed to enter and our classes
began.
“Lucky for me that I didn’t make you the college leader” the
principal fumed as she left.
I remember I sat in my bench the whole day with my head bent
down. Many of my friends from other class came during the break to cheer me up
saying that all these incidents do happen and that now I am a college hero but
the embarrassment was so much that I just kept quite.
After we were done for the day I just walked back to home
quietly, kept my bag in my room, put up a smiling face in front of my mother
and wept profusely in the bathroom. I didn’t know why I was crying. Was it
because I was forced into this college, was it because of all the troubles I
got into in the last 2 years or was it because now I was scared that there were
more trouble to come. But all the time Kasturi’s face kept coming in my mind as
she kept laughing like Mogambo at me. My heart started to fill with vengeance.
I swore on the tap, mug and bucket in the bathroom that I would have my
vengeance in the worst possible way.
But still the embarrassment was so much that in the coming
weeks, I would just sit in the class and didn’t even go out for breaks. Kasturi
would give us a taunting smile at us in her classes indicating how she had
screwed us. We started going to the highpoint regularly every evening as Naresh
and others would keep cracking jokes there while I kept hatching multiple plans
in my mind to teach Kasturi a lesson for her life.
Once when we were seated at the highpoint and enjoying some
smokes, we saw Devaraju walking down the college road with some people. Lijesh
who was high now asked if we wanted him to throw a stone and break Devaraju’s
head. But Naresh kept looking “Those people with Devaraju look familiar”. I
looked at them but couldn’t recognize. Naresh all of a sudden ”That looks
like.. Oh my god.. That’s my father. When did he come down here from my native?
And that’s my brother-in-law. Shit, I am dead. I am gone. I don’t want to go
home”. I consoled Naresh saying that he has to face this and there is no way he
can escape. With a heavy heart Naresh said bye to me as he entered his home.
Next morning I saw Naresh was waiting for me near his home.
As soon as he saw me told me to move and not wait for him and that he would
explain everything in the college. I was waiting eagerly for him to know what
had happened at his home. Naresh entered the classroom and sat next to me and
didn’t speak a word for an hour. After that slowly he started to narrate how
his father had actually cried in front of him saying that he is so sorry to
have a son like him. His father was also told by Kasturi that a guy called
Ponnappa had actually spoiled him. His father had asked him to stay away from
me. I was so shocked wondering that everything came on me now. I am the guy who
is spoiling everyone around here. This further fueled the fire inside my belly
for revenge.
Naresh said ”All this is because of that Kasturi. I will set
her house on her fire. I will stone her to death”. I asked Naresh to control
his volume as his voice could be heard by our classmates. I told him that we
have to wait for the right opportunity.
Kasturi had indeed drawn first blood.
VENGEANCE IS MINE
Our college was selected to host the annual district level
competitions which meant that students from different colleges across the
district would participate in various competitions like art, singing, mono
acting etc. Kasturi was made in-charge of the complete programme. Lijesh was
also participating in mono-acting competition.
The night before the competition I lay in my bed thinking
what I could do to spoil the competitions tomorrow and get a bad name for
Kasturi. My heart wished that I could throw a bomb at her. “Bomb!! Yeah bomb.
That’s exactly what I am going to do!!”. An idea had occurred to me.
I quietly tip toed out of my room to the pooja room making
sure I didn’t wake up my mother and got a packet full of Agarbathi’s (fragrance
sticks). I had lot of fire crackers in my room which were leftover of Diwali
festival. The plan was to make time-bombs. I spent half the night tying up
crackers to the bottom end of the agarbathi. The idea was to keep the agarbathi
wherever we want the fire cracker to explode and lit the agarbathi. The
agarbathi would take at least 5 minutes to burn and reach the bottom thereby
triggering the fire cracker. Thus I call it time-bomb.
I got up early in the morning like a man on a mission. There
was a smile on my face and a determination to do something today. I had a goal
to achieve today; I had to get my vengeance.
I carefully packed all those time bombs inside my bag and
left for the college. Upon reaching the college, I quickly explained my plan to
my band of boys. Surprisingly most of classmates offered their support to me
saying that Kasturi ought to be taught a lesson. Only I, Naresh, Lijesh would
place the bombs in different locations inside the college whereas the others
would mingle with other students here and there and keep their eyes and ears
open for any information if we had to abort our mission. We band of boys looked
like a bunch of brave Indians soldiers planning to sneak in to Pakistan and
kill Dawood Ibrahim.
The chief guests for the function were some dignitaries from
our town as well the district level educational officer. Kasturi was busy with
the arrangements ordering her followers of ass licking boys to run errands. The
stage for the function was set inside the Gokhale hall (Auditorium).
As we were surveying the college looking for suitable
locations to blast our time-bombs, there was a commotion near the Gokhale hall.
We ran near the hall and saw the educational officer himself slapping couple of
arts students. I enquired with some of my friends as to what had happened and
they told me that those arts students were playing WWF inside their classroom
breaking some benches. Upon hearing those noises the educational officer himself
ran near the class and caught then red hand and ended up slapping some of them
looking at the damage they had done.
I told my group that this was good for our mission as now
everybody will suspect the arts students behind the time-bombs.
Initially we placed some bombs near the college compound
with their blast sound echoing throughout the college. Then slowly we started
blasting around the buildings, inside empty classrooms, labs etc. I saw Kasturi
had a worried look on her face and so did the other lecturers. We continued
blasting the bombs till lunch. Then I told Lijesh and Naresh that we should
make an impact before going for lunch.
Lijesh said that he knows the exact place and asked us to be
the near the gate while he completes his mission.
After 5 minutes he met us near the gate and asked us to just
wait for 5 more minutes. Lo and behold within 5 minutes the time-bomb went off
with a thundering sound and lots of girls screaming near the ladies rest room.
I looked at Lijesh and he said “Yes, I put it in the girl’s rest room”. I saw
Nanaiah, Kasturi and a host of other lecturers running to console the girls.
The word had spread that the educational officer was very upset with what was
happening in our college. Our mission till now was successful but I was not
done yet.
We returned from lunch and continued with the bombs here and
there. Pretty soon the lecturers gave up since they couldn’t find who was
behind this and quietly continued with their competitions.
There was one hour left for the competitions to come to an
end. I gathered my band of boys and said that now we will do the impossible.
“And what is that?” asked Lijesh.
“I will place the last time-bomb inside the Gokhale hall” I
said.
“What!!!!” Everyone said in chorus.
“Yes, that’s what I am going to do and I need you guys to
help me.” I said.
To my surprise everyone was up for the challenge.
I asked Lijesh to take everyone along with him and stand
around the lecturers pretending to enquire about the competitions thereby
blocking their view. At the same time both I and Pradeep will place the bomb in
the last bench in the hall.
As planned Lijesh and the rest of the guys went and stood
around the lecturers enquiring about the mono-acting finals timing and I and
Pradeep went and sat quietly in the last bench. After 1 or 2 minutes I slowly
took out the time-bomb and fixed it at one end of the bench and lit it. Slowly
we both got up and were walking out of the hall when I saw some girls occupy
the same bench.
“What now?” asked Pradeep.
“When the mission is big, some sacrifices have to be
made!!!” I said.
We signaled the others to come out and all of us sat outside
the hall in full view of lecturers as innocent bunch of children.
BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A deafening sound came out of the Gokhale hall. Most of the
students ran towards the hall. I saw the girls who sat on that bench shivering
and shit scared while smoke came from one end of the bench. Lecturers looked on
stunned as they couldn’t believe that somebody had the guts to blast a fire
cracker inside the hall. And as for Kasturi, she was almost in tears.
The educational officer got up from his seat and gave an
earful to Kasturi and other lecturers, saying that the students are behaving in
such a manner because their lecturers are weak and clueless.
That was one moment I was waiting for. I wanted to see
somebody humiliate Kasturi in front of the whole college like she had done to
me. I had my vengeance.
Nanaiah came and ordered all the boys to get out of the
campus and the rest of the function would go on with just the girls inside.
We walked towards our highpoint with some bakery stuff to
enjoy. We sat there like kings overlooking our Madikeri town as our kingdom.
Madikeri looked very beautiful that day to me.
Later we came to know that due to the fire cracker incident,
the district level competitions for the next year would be held at a different
location.
We had our exams in the month of March and apart from me and
Rohit, rest of the guys had flunked.
And out of 24 girls only 11 managed to clear the exams.
Our college got the lowest pass percentage for that year in the
whole of the district.
2013 – At present
Lijesh is happily married, has a child and runs his own
furniture showroom in Bangalore.
Naresh got married recently and works as a software
engineer in I-GATE.
Prasanna is also married and works as an engineer.
Ashfan is happily married and works as a break inspector in RTO
of state government of Karnataka.
Pradeep is also married and works as a technical trainer in
Chevrolet.
Raghavendra is married and works in a bank
.
Naresh still doesn’t like to talk about his brother Nandish.
Even though it’s been more than a decade now, every incident
is still fresh in my mind bringing a smile on my face every now and then.
Pic from 2007
From Left - Naresh, Raghavendra, Ponnappa, Ashfan, Lijesh & Prasanna.
