Yours truly - 2

"Hi..err.can I borrow your SM notes please?" Vivek was totally taken aback. A first year electrical engineering student was asking some lecture notes from a second year mechanical student. This is something not only surprising but ridiculous as well. Vivek Basu was a second year student of Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College. The general saying goes he was one of the brightest students that JGEC had ever had. His strong point was not actually studies but his personality. And this never meant that he has flunked in exams. Actually he always used to find a respectable place within the top 20 students in the college. Although he never stood first in studies when it came to winning debates, extempore and creative writing he just never had a match. He started his flare for extra-curricular activities long way back when he was actually 10 years old. It all started with an essay that he wrote regarding street children in the children’s supplement called "VOICES" for the revered English daily The Statesman. He was commended highly by none other than the eminent figure of CR Irani - the editor of the newspaper. From then onwards he did not have to look back and never had to ask a pocket money from his parents. What started off as just a childish essay became a daily activity for Vivek. He used to cover all the major entertainment events in Kolkata right from the age of 15 and became known to most of the city’s glitterati pretty fast. And his good looks as well added to his popularity. So much so, when DD Chanel 2 was looking up for a newsreader for their much vaunted Bengali news event, he almost became an automatically choice for them. At the age of eighteen, when all others of his age were actually mugging up IIT or WB Joint "made easy"s he was actually spending his time in front of camera donning an immaculate suit a bit large for his size and reading Bengali news in front of him.
Vivek lost his mother at a very tender age. And his father was everything in his life. Being a mechanical engineer himself and a successful one at that, he wanted his son to carry on the legacy. Although Vivek was earning much more than he would have done after 4 years engineering, he knew that nothing will satisfy his father unless he at least becomes a MECH - as they call the mechanical engineers. He also knew that he can carry the vocation that he liked much in spite of giving 4 years of his life as well. Every one starting from Mani Ratnam to Anil Kumble came to his mind and provided him the much needed support. And lastly he loved his father so much that he can go till any limits to put a smile in his face. He started preparation for the West Bengal Joint Entrance late, just about 4 months before it actually happened. After the exam was over he continued with some of the assignments that he has already taken, but did not take any new ones. When the results came out he saw that as expected he had a rank of 1134. This did not leave any option to study mechanical any where else other than this JGEC. So on the August of 1996 he packed his hold-all and took the train called Teesta-Torsa from Sealdah to the Jalpaiguri Road Station, where his college was. His father showed false strength in the railway station knowing that now he would become lonelier and blessed his son to go and become a MECH.
They all say and rightly that it is impossible to hide a flare of talent be it anywhere. It was during the rigorous ragging period of one month Vivek became hot favorites of the seniors in the college because of his ready wit and personality in the face of several odds to slaps, kicks, doing odd jobs and still getting the slaps. He never lost his cool and once he really entertained a bunch of savages from the second year hostel with all the idiosyncrasies of the media people for about one hour and actually managed to save the skins of many of his batch mates instantly catapulting him to a hero status.
The ragging period ended with the ceremonial dip in the pond more to actually drive away the stench of the same clothes worn for about a month than anything else and the class of 1996 JGEC Mechs started their journey.
Vivek took a good look at the girl standing in front of him. Chandreyi Roy had caused a lot of heart burns among both her own batch mates as well as some of the senior students (all males off course). Most of their advances had been met with such a cold shoulder that there was not a single chance left for them. Debating on the girl’s motive he looked around himself. Not so far away he can see some girls both senior and juniors were actually peeping out of the vast balcony of the electrical department. The he looked behind and saw some of his own batch mates are grinning very sheepishly. A bit confused he asked her " But you have only EM ( engineering mechanics) in your course and not SM (Strength of Materials), SM is totally a waste for you! " he added hopefully, so that he can frighten the girl about the folly she is going to commit. Chandreyi was a bit red in face and sweating a little. She straightened the V of her palloo and removed the errant strand of hair from her face and flashed her best smile ( which she very well knew is capable of killing anything and anyone with a brain within a periphery of 100 feet) and nasally squeaked, " Vivek, Will you or Won’t you give your SM Notes to me pleaseee".
Vivek heard and saw everything and then just to end the conversation he said, "Please try and understand, I do not have any clue whether you will really need it or not, but then as you are asking for it, do one thing please. Take it from Smita, your senior from Mech second year, as she has already photo copied the same from me about a week back. Ok? And I am getting late for my class. Bye" With that he turned and went straight towards his class leaving behind a few giggles and a very distraught girl.
It was final year for Vivek and it was festival time for the college. The JGEC fest is counted among the best of the cultural events happening in the North Bengal region. And
Looking at his charisma he was made the cultural secretary. This was again a post which actually made him do a few more rounds of the girl’s hostel than he would have liked. From childhood he had been very shy of girls. As he grew up this shyness became almost like a shield for him. He knew that he likes to entertain people, do something creative. But in front of the fairer ones he became helplessly tongue tied.
It was a cold November evening when he needed to go to the LH or Ladies’ Hostel in short to distribute some of the advertisement forms. It was around 7 PM and he found that there is almost no light at all in the place. "WBSEB has again done it", he thought. He saw light coming out of the waiting room cum common room and went towards it. It was the first time he was entering LH. On getting into the common room he got a very sweet smell unlike the smell of sweat and rustic that comes out of the common room of the men’s hostels. Everything starting from the carom board to the settee was decorated in a very tasteful but frugal way. The he had a look towards light source and gasped inwardly. It was Chandreyi sitting on the paper room’s chair and table. She wore a velvety kind of a night dress and was actually reading something. Listening to his footsteps she looked up. "Where is the supervisor?" He muttered, and then remembering that he should speak up and well with a lady as taught by his father, he said "Hi Chandreyi, I actually came to distribute some of these advertising pamphlets". Chandreyi was still looking at him. Finding no response he said impatiently, "I am going away and will come back some other time" and turned. "Hold on please and give them to me" he heard. She has stood up and for the first time Vivek smiled effortlessly in front of a girl. She came to Vivek and stretched her hand. Noticing her fair complexion, Vivek gave the ad-cards to her. Instead of taking the cards Chandreyi took Vivek’s Hand and in a flash almost threw herself to Vivek’s chest. Vivek was caught unaware and his first reaction was actually to hold Chandreyi with two hands lest he should fall. Losing no pace Chandreyi planted a kiss on Vivek’s lips. The sweet fragrance coming out of her hair, the wamth of her body and the beating of his own heart almost took Vivek in a trance like state. He did not notice whether it was 2 seconds or minutes or hours, but it felt like heaven almost. When Vivek tried to look into Chandreyi’s eyes she will not look up. So Vivek almost forcefully took her chin up just to find that she was smiling with tears. Cupid had made the first strike. Vivek took Chandreyi’s hand and came out of the LH. It was still dark. And then they started walking hand in hand through a solitary lane within the college campus. Not finding any words Vivek said "where are the other people in the LH?" "They have gone for a small party to celebrate the hostel’s 10th year in existence". "You stayed behind?" "Yes, I am still running a bit of fever". Vivek was worried and said that "Then I should not have brought you outside in this cold. " Let us get back". "NOOO", she said and embraced Vivek sideways.
When it was time for Vivek to leave the campus, Vivek was totally sure that his love for Chandreyi was strong enough to be carried over to the next level which is the commitment to stay together for a lifetime. She had still one year to complete her engineering and he had got through one of the premier B-Schools in Kolkata. Although he was pained by the distance separating both of them he was sure that when they will meet they will be for each other. Chandreyi was always the stronger willed partner of the two and she told Vivek in very clear words that Vivek should go and concentrate only on his post graduation while she completes her course. They will be in touch with each other through mails, chat and phone. And also when Chandreyi will go to Kolkata they can always find a quiet place together to share everything. So off went Vivek to get into the world of business management. It was July 2000.
They were keeping in touch with each other for about 2 months when suddenly Chandreyi totally went of the radar. Vivek took it as a simple case of giving the studies the first priority. About 4 months went by. Vivek was completing the grueling first semester. Like in engineering college, he gained popularity in the b-school as well through his winning personality and bagged a lot of intra-college management event prizes as well. He was almost a natural in the skills of marketing and convincing. And he actually now loved what he was studying. His worries about his love started when he came to know from his juniors that although Chandreyi had visited Kolkata as many as two times she did not even thought of giving him a call. He sent mails, tried to call up the ladies’ hostel. But nothing came to his avail. Chandreyi it seems that, have severed all links. He was worried and by the end of the second semester his grade took a bit of hit as well. Although he never knew what went wrong, he had his doubts that her feelings about him were actually a kind of hero-worshipping and not love. In his batch of management students there was a girl called Sejal Shah. Although Sejal was gunning for a specialization in HR in the first semester itself they were together for different group activities because of the proximity of their role numbers. Although the girl was not as sweet as Chandreyi, she had an air of sobriety and truthfulness around her which made many a people to share many of their personal thoughts. Vivek knew that Sejal liked him but was lady enough never to let her wish known to him. But his mind was full of Chandreyi - her laughter, her frowning, her touch everything. It was Sejal only who found Vivek hidden and with tears rolling down his cheeks behind the canteen. It was to Sejal then Vivek shared the truth that the final nail in coffin of his love had been driven. He had received the communication that Chandreyi was getting married to an NRI that November of 2001. And what pained Vivek’s conscience more so that Chandreyi had known her husband to-be from her childhood. Sejal had no words of consolation, none at all.