The first meeting.. The first day..
The rows of cars moving on the road and the glimmering lights in of the numerous sky scrapers around shined brightly. They seemed like diamonds scattered in the air. Despite the glittering view from her apartment's window, the slight intoxication of vodka and the background music of her famous singer Jagjit Singh, she found herself unable to distract her from the thoughts that were running in her mind. Her head which was slightly heavy due to the intoxication and the lack of sleep, was now full of all those memories which she thought she had left far behind. But today her past was bothering her all over again. She could feel her pulse rate rising and continued telling herself one thing again and again "Relax! Madhu"
Her life was standing at a point where she had to make a choice. Though she had made choices in the past but today it seemed like her brain had stopped responding to the situation it was facing. She wanted to sleep, her eyes burned, but every time she decided to move towards the bed, her thoughts would not allow her to do so. She decided to finally keep everything aside, switched the lights off and with a determination that she would sleep, slid inside the soft blanket. Madhu closed her eyes and it seemed the thought aligned in the same sequence in her mind like they had occurred in her life.
It was college first day. Storms of students were entering through the main gate. Different people and different expressions was all she could make out. She walked into the 1st year classroom of engineering and she could hear her heart beat loud like drums.
Madhu was the eldest daughter in her family. Being the eldest she was bought up more like a son than a daughter. Her father groomed her to be responsible and someone who should except challenges in life and keep proving the world wrong. Studying science and choosing engineering was one those challenges she had chosen. Mr. Malik had always ambitious targets for her daughter. But Madhu wanted her life connected to works of arts. She had a flair for art and lately developed the passion for photography. She always wanted to join the premium art institute of India but was told strictly by her parents, "Arts, Music and Dance should always be chosen as a hobby but not as a profession". The constant persuasion and pressure forced her to appear for the engineering entrances. She was brainy and hence cleared.
The sound of the door opening drew her back into the class. She saw the lecturer standing right in front of her desk and staring at her. In past few months,Madhu had imagined lying in her bed, how the engineering college professors would look like. The only image that came then was similar to a typical old guy. Bald patch, big glasses, belly in the front, grey hair. The thought of it made her laugh then.
But the lecturer who stood in-front of her was the opposite she had thought. The man stood six feet tall, black hair, sharp features, dusky complexion, a light beard and a toned body. He looked quite attractive for the job of a lecturer.
The first question he asked, "The only girl! Hmm! So what made you choose this stream?? mechanical engineering?
The question hit Madhu like a punch. She had never thought of the answer to this question. But then something within her made her come with an answer leaving her startled as well
"It's the mother of all engineering streams, where you can physically see things moving and each time you create something you are proud of your invention. Mechanical Engineering is real engineering"
The lecturer looked at her face. All throughout he carryied a grim expression on his face. But then she saw the expression change and a faint smile coming on the face.
"I like your thought process and you sound confident. Good! If I see you continuing with this stream after the 1st year, I would be happy to teach an upcoming lady engineer. Good luck till then".
And she saw the professor drift away from her table and address the whole classroom
"Dear Class, Good afternoon! I am Rishabh Kundra and I will be taking your class on Elements of Mechanical Engineering. At present I teach the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year student's respective subjects in mechanical engineering. You would see me your entire engineering course, so if you mess up once anytime, assume you have messed up the entire journey. You be good, I'll be very good but if you are bad, I'll be the worst."
He was rude, blunt and sounded threatening but something about the teacher made Madhu like him. She felt a respect growing within for that man and she was happy. The class ended on a silent note because the class realized the man not only had confidence but had enormous knowledge and talent.
After a few classes the bell rang for the lunch break, she decided to move outside and take a little walk. The corridor was huge built with grey stones and surrounded by pillars painted in white. She chose one pillar and leaned against it. Someone patted on her shoulder. She turned and saw a girl standing with a smile from one eye to the other.
Hey! I am Maya. I am a student of 1st Year Computer Science Engineering".
Numerous images of Maya flashed in Madhu's mind, startled she opened her eyes. It had been almost two years and still she remembered Maya. She drew the curtains aside to let the sunlight enter her room. The sunlight was too strong that for a few seconds her eyes got blinded. Her head and eyes still felt heavy.
Maya was exactly like the fresh morning sunlight. She was bright, warm, and confident and always carried a 'I don't give a damn' attitude. She was always very protective for Madhu.'
When Madhu first saw Maya she was stunned. She was fair; doe shaped green eyes and had beautiful deep brown straight hair. She wore a simple pink kurta with flower printed salwar. Though she had no make up but yet looked absolutely dazzling.
Hi! I am Madhu!
U don't need to introduce yourself. I know a lot about you. You are the only girl in mechanical. I heard so much about you that I thought I should meet you.
'Are you staying in the hostel?' enquired Maya
Yes, I just came early in the morning. My room is 105. What's your room number?
Wow! I am staying in 106. Looks like we are already neighbors'!!
Yeah! That sounds good. Finally I know someone in the hostel. That makes me a little happy. The lunch break bell rang and Maya and Madhu both waved each other promising they would meet in the evening.
The following classes of basic chemistry, physics seemed normal but then came a subject that gave her a shock, Electrical Engineering. Prof. Rao who taught the subject was an old man with years of experience in teaching. But she faced two major problems, one she could not make out what Prof. Rao taught and the other she felt confused after the entire class about what she was being taught about. The two back to back lectures were tiring and confusing and she left for her hostel room feeling tired. After a two hour sleep she woke up in the evening feeling fresh and decided to study.
Half way through her study, there was a knock on the door. It was Maya at the door.
The sight of Maya seemed pleasant to Madhu. After the entire day, she found a girl who came voluntarily to her room. Maya was loud, cheerful and intelligent and somehow Madhu felt nice in her company. They decided to study together as the course in the first year was common for their branches.
Maya shared about her life. Maya's father was settled in USA. Her dad was a lawyer in USA. The only relatives she had in India were her elder brother and his wife who lived in Bangalore. So she was all alone in this city free to live the way she wanted to. Maya's choice to study here was against her brother's and parents wish. Her father wanted her to do engineering in USA while her brother said if she liked India he could manage the same in Bangalore. But Maya did not want to take up either of the places and chose this college as a place to study. She was ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of enjoying the freedom.
Madhu too told her about her family and how she ended up taking admission in engineering. Though their stories were different but they could understand the other side's situation.
'We bond so well, Maya said suddenly.
The statement took Madhu by surprise. She was always an introvert. Expressing her feelings was a next to impossible task for her. She too felt a sense of comfort around her but maybe bonding was a too big of a word as of now. But she could not express so much and could just manage to say "Yes we do, pretty well so far"
They packed up for the evening, had their dinner together and moved to their respective rooms. Madhu sat to write her diary:
First day of the college and so many events:
A class full of boys who behave more like monkeys. Their attitude towards me was very weird. I hardly remember a single face I saw today. Met a new girl 'Maya, found her extremely friendly, and a full of life character. She told me everything about herself and her family but surprisingly nothing about her mother. Maybe it skipped her mind.
New Subjects seem fine for now except the electrical engineering. I do not understand what Mr Rao taught. Also have a good lookinglecturer in the college. Very unlike the way I had imagined a lecturer would be. He is Rishabh Kundra.
Miss family very much.
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