chapter 12
Sanyog - A Coincidence
The calls continued for some time and then there was silence â¦.
I felt better ⦠but her thoughts and my family background haunted me throughout the night ⦠the dream continued for whole nightâ¦
I met her in the library and handed her the letter in which I have written my feelings for her⦠she took the letter and went towards reading room ⦠while I waited for her in boyâs reading room ⦠till 8.25am ⦠after that she went directly towards the library door ⦠without looking at me⦠ignoring me , I thought ⦠my heart was throbbing loudly like a grinding machine⦠I comforted my mind ⦠may be she hasnât read the letter thatâs why she has ignored me⦠and she is sincere student ⦠she wonât miss single lecture⦠I followed her ⦠she wasnât going towards the class but she was walking towards the lake road⦠I thought , why she is moving in that direction ⦠I was walking fast ⦠I was panting due to speed ⦠and suddenly she disappeared in the trees ⦠I chased her there ⦠but there was nobody ⦠I was exhausted and sweating ⦠I sat on the ground and started shouting ⦠Sanyogita ⦠Sanyogita ⦠where are you? Suddenly my mother was calling ⦠Sameep ⦠why are you sitting on the ground⦠what are you doing⦠get up and go to your classes ⦠my father was also there ⦠but he wasnât talking at all⦠but his eyes ⦠they revealed everything⦠as if they were saying ⦠you are the only ray of hope in our life ⦠and why are you doing this? Think about your priorities in life ⦠and again I was shouting Sanyogita ⦠where are you? And at once ⦠I saw ⦠a white cloud ⦠which was like foam on the river back at my village ⦠and on that cloud ⦠Sanyogita and Sumangal were floating ⦠I shouted once again ⦠what are you doing there⦠we have to meet Bhandari mam⦠we are going to exchange our notes⦠we have to achieve our aims⦠come back⦠we are late ⦠already late for the classes⦠but my voice didnât reach them⦠and again they floated on the white cloud ⦠which went far away⦠I shrieked with my full energy⦠come back Sanyogita⦠come backâ¦
I got up; I was perspiring thoroughly⦠shaking ⦠I was unable to understand where I was â¦
Sumangal came running ⦠what happened ⦠he was asking ⦠drink some water ⦠take this ⦠he pushed a glass of water in my hand â¦
I gulped the water at once â¦
He was asking ⦠are you ok?
He was asking ⦠are you ok⦠Sir⦠open the door.
Why was he calling me Sir â¦
Whose Sir am I ?
Whether itâs dream or realityâ¦
Where am I â¦
Where I am â¦
Sanyogita, where is she? Has she left meâ¦
I pushed Sumangal away⦠and said, âDonât touch me⦠give me back my Sanyogitaâ¦ââ¦
I heard ⦠he was saying ⦠âwhy are you pushing me⦠whoâs that girl⦠I donât know⦠wake up⦠this is just a dream⦠come backâ¦â
I just said, âI am exhausted ⦠I need rest⦠May I sleep hereâ¦â
He uttered ⦠âWhy are you speaking like this ⦠this is your room and bed ⦠sleep well â¦â
And I donât remember anything further â¦
What happened?
Somebody lifted me up⦠are you ok Sir? He askedâ¦
Yes , I am ⦠I was sleeping ⦠why did you break into my room⦠my privacyâ¦
He hesitated and said , âNo Sir, I didnât wish to disturb you⦠but I heard you were shouting ⦠so I entered with the another key⦠Sir ⦠please have some water ⦠and this pill â¦â⦠He put the pill in my hand â¦
âWhatâs this? Who are you? Sumangal , right ⦠you are Sumangal â¦. â, I was uttering â¦
Sir , please sit down on the bed ⦠here ⦠take the pillow ⦠move that side ⦠he was instructing me⦠and I followed meekly after gulping the pill ⦠again I slept â¦.
Again ⦠I saw them ⦠on the same cloud ⦠but this time ⦠I was totally exhausted and I couldnât call her â¦
The alarm clock rang at 5.00 am
I woke up as usual ⦠and went to washroom to freshen upâ¦
When I came back⦠Sumangal ⦠I thought was observing me through his blanket â¦
But I continued with my studies ⦠I revised the poem which madam has taught yesterday and wrote a rough draft of the critical analysis of the poem â¦
At 7.00 am , I said good bye to Sumangal who was still asleep and moved towards library ⦠for my punishment ⦠but actually this punishment proved a reward for me ⦠as I got a chance to meet her there â¦
I entered the library with lot of enthusiasm, as today we were going to meet Bhandari madam regarding the preparation of notes ⦠and after that , I might get a chance to meet her every dayâ¦
Peon uncle instructed me with his eyes again ⦠broom and duster there ⦠I started daily cleaning and dusting work⦠he ordered ⦠âDo the cleaning of girls reading room today⦠â ⦠I wished to say no instead my legs started in that direction ⦠there is no co-ordination between your body and heart my mind said ⦠I just laughed⦠I entered the room with the hope to have a glance at her pretty face in the morning ⦠alas!... she was not there today⦠I cleaned the room silently , slowly and came back⦠My mind was crowded with thoughts , how could this happen ? Is she fine ? What happened ? She is so sincere ⦠and punctual ⦠I was cleaning the teacherâs room when I felt , she was there ⦠She was talking with peon uncle ⦠today bus was late ⦠so I came late ⦠Peon uncle asked her ⦠are you afraid of the bicycle after that dayâs incident ⦠when you fell ⦠she casually replied ⦠no, but , my uncleâs house is almost 8 kms. Away from here ⦠So, I used to get very much tired after cycling so my father told me to travel by bus ⦠and she went upstairs and I felt relieved ⦠all my stress was gone⦠I completed my work ⦠and took the Indian Express for note making â¦
Today I was reading the editorial and other headlines very carefully and jotting down important points in a sequence ⦠this is the day ⦠I thought ⦠I could impress her by my wits if not by my looks and background â¦
Dr. Archana Pandit