Harkrishan.M.A.,
Outside the city limits where no serious activity ever happens, is an arts college. Its afternoon first hour. Students had their lunch and are ready to doze off. Heat waves sweeps the classroom and fan helps it any way. Some students are grouped under the fan, some have already started to sleep with head hidden inside their folded hands on the bench. This is the situation when lecturer Harkrishan M.A., enters the class. Front benchers get up to show some respect and back benchers continue with their work. With just a year experience, he takes a look at the class. Every face is motionless, dead and without any expression. He gets on to the Dias and thinks what to speak. Nothing is in his mind. As usual, he questions the frontbenchers about the previous days lecture. Ready to take an unprepared class, he flips around his non-detail. And finally gets a new story to read aloud.
As he reaches second page, all the students were exhausted, with Harkrishan's monotonous reading to himself. Surprisingly, he raises his voice which results in complete silence. Then a student puts a doubt. Harkrishnan never knew any answer. The student has completed his question. Now its his turn to speak something thats relevant to that. And gives an answer which if by-chance is understood will not be understandable. Yes. Satisfied. The student thinks that their sir has given the correct answer. He takes his seat. Then another student gets up. Thank god, this time its an easy one.
As he proceeds, he hears a giggling sound. Irritated. He takes a serious look at the class and goes through the class in order to avoid the center stage. Eagerly awaiting for the bell to ring, he any how manages with his non-detail. After the bell, runs straight to the library. Because library is the place whrere no one will question him. He takes some three magazines, occupies a corner chair and flips around the colourful advertisements. Finally gets an interesting topic to read. As he continues, his eyes start drooping. Before falling a sleep completely, he heads straight to his department. Arranges his things on the table and keeps his shoulder bag ready for the clock to struck five.
And finally at five, he leaves to his room. Its just 10 mins walk from his college. He walks alone daily, looking around the trees and setting sun. he enjoys walking around this road. Autumn is his favourite month because of falling leaves which gets crushed under his feet as he does it enthusiastically.
As he enters his room, throws his bag away and falls on the bed. Looking at the roof, he thinks something. After few minutes, gets up to change his dress, hangs it properly, washes his face and have tea in the nearby tea stall. Again returns back to his room, takes his chair and rests his legs on the table. This is his evening position. till supper, he will sit in this position, thinking about something. After taking food, he came to his room and again continued with the same position. Then he takes a look at the neatly covered bedspread and pillow. Now he changes his position from the chair to bed and starts to think again about something. Within few minutes he has slept without closing the door or switching off the lights. Chilling wind at midnight wakes him up. Then he closes the door and switches the lights off.
The next day he gets up around 6:30 and is ready to leave his room by 8, half-an hour before the college time. Again the same college, same students and same non-detail. While he is slowly on his way, he thinks how his life would have been if he was working for a newspaper as a journalist, reporting from the close encounter of curfew hit areas as tv journalist used to do. Good. He has reached his college.
The following weekend, he leaves to his home which is around three hours journey. Son of a middle class father and household mother with an elder brother who is working as a manager in a bank. Darkness sets in and mother is alone when he reaches his home. Finally a smile on his mothers face bring a bit of happiness. His father was away, busy with the marriage work for his brother. After few words with his mother, he gets glued to the tv.
The next day he gets up to find his father has woken up before him and left the house. He brushes his teeth and is ready for his coffee. He takes the chair to backside of their house places it on the veranda which is the usual place in their family for coffee in the morining and evening. This place has a neem tree which harkirshan and his brother with their friends used to climb after their school when they were kids. There is also a tulsi plant, which his mother waters daily during her puja. There is also a jasmine plant which has filled the entire place with such a beautiful smell during early mornings, that the entire family enjoyed it daily with their coffee. Sometimes his father will pluck the flowers and give it to his mother. He will not leave her untill she ties it in to a garland and pins it to her combed and braided hair. Whether she is busy or not, she has to ask her husband how she is looking and he will give a smile.
So, finally he starts to think something with coffee in his hand. All his friends are working in nearby towns and he was left alone that weekend. The least thing he can do is to take a walk around his old antique like house. Almost all the items are inherited from his grandfather - the huge clock, table, chair, furniture, etc.
After breakfast, he takes bath and power goes off, shattering his dream of watching tv. As it was hot, he decides to stay inside. Roams around the house in his white lungi and bare chest and explores the things brought during his absence. Without having anything to do he arranges his old books in order. Lunch was ready by noon and after that he takes a long nap.
Wakes up in the evening to find his father in the veranda with a newspaper. Finally enquires how the marriage work was going on. His father asks him how his work was going on. That’s it. No expression on his face. then his father hands him a recruitment test for lecturer in govt. college in their hometown. Somewhat excited, he fills the application, thinking that atleat he can stay in his home town.
Its Sunday evening and he has to leave. Even though he will be retuning back the next weekend, he leaves as if months together he has to stay in desert without food and water. And he finally prepares for his test during the free hours in the library. Very enthusiastically he will start with the book open from the first page with a fresh foolscap paper to work out problems and within minutes he starts to think something.
Finally he takes the test and does the maximum he can and the results are out within a week. His father calls in to the staff room in the college to say that his number was not in the selected list of candidates. Upset. Heart broken. He prepares to leave at the end of the day. He walks to his room, thinking something. Dry leaves are crushed under his feet. He walks slowly to his room.
Originally written on 14th july’ 2005.
posted by Vinod @ 8:49 AM
1 Comments:
Nicely Narrated,
" The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and and bad together"
the above holds good for Harkrishan M.A.
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