Ashutosh Kale called me and announced, "You have been allotted the Dual Degree course in Civil Engineering". Nothing unusual in that, I thought. After all I had consciously filled in my preferences and Civil Engineering stood quite ahead in the list, preceded only by Aerospace. Structural Engineering quite appealed to me, though I was not the best in mechanics but I was always fascinated with tall gigantic structures.
And then Ashutosh added "It's at Kharagpur". Time froze at that moment. Perhaps my heat skipped a beat or three. I grew numb. Something similar to an explosion. It's just like those moments when sometimes you cease feeling life. Did I feel dead ? worse than dead I suppose. It's exactly like one of those times you would gladly like to retake. Neither could Ashutosh have anticipated the tenacity of the blow he had unknowingly inflicted. I hung up the phone soon.
People would have rightly thought me mad. Two years I had prepared for JEE, I got through thanks to my heroics in the Mathematics paper(The paper which maximum junta screwed up). Now when the prize was on offer, I was unhappy. I was amongst the lucky mavericks who got through in the first attempt. Papa saw me and understood my mind in a glance. He cooly offered me a deal, " Son, you can either do it all over again and try keeping yourself in Mumbai. OR Let me book the tickets now, We've got to leave in less than three weeks."I nodded. He had been brave to make me an offer to quit. But I accepted my destiny, it was more of a rhetoric affirmation. But I respect him especially for that day.
The tickets arrived that night, Papa and I were to leave on the 25th for Kharagpur. Papa was happy and content(or so he pretended to be). I being a pathetic actor put on the veil of the forlorn patient who sees death coming, for me 25th of July, 2004 was going to be death.
And I died on that day.
And then Ashutosh added "It's at Kharagpur". Time froze at that moment. Perhaps my heat skipped a beat or three. I grew numb. Something similar to an explosion. It's just like those moments when sometimes you cease feeling life. Did I feel dead ? worse than dead I suppose. It's exactly like one of those times you would gladly like to retake. Neither could Ashutosh have anticipated the tenacity of the blow he had unknowingly inflicted. I hung up the phone soon.
People would have rightly thought me mad. Two years I had prepared for JEE, I got through thanks to my heroics in the Mathematics paper(The paper which maximum junta screwed up). Now when the prize was on offer, I was unhappy. I was amongst the lucky mavericks who got through in the first attempt. Papa saw me and understood my mind in a glance. He cooly offered me a deal, " Son, you can either do it all over again and try keeping yourself in Mumbai. OR Let me book the tickets now, We've got to leave in less than three weeks."I nodded. He had been brave to make me an offer to quit. But I accepted my destiny, it was more of a rhetoric affirmation. But I respect him especially for that day.
The tickets arrived that night, Papa and I were to leave on the 25th for Kharagpur. Papa was happy and content(or so he pretended to be). I being a pathetic actor put on the veil of the forlorn patient who sees death coming, for me 25th of July, 2004 was going to be death.
And I died on that day.
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