chapter 3

Due to the day’s exertion, I was completely exhausted as I entered my room, I fell on the bed. Throughout night I was dreaming about Sanyogita. The whole day’s episode repeated in front of my eyes, God know how many times. This was the first time in my life, such kind of thing was happening with me. I was baffled. In the morning also while getting ready, her face followed me, literally haunted me. I was wondering how this can happen in a day. And basically, I was not such type of guy who fell for any girl. What was special in her, I was thinking, while sipping the tea and unknowingly I burnt my tongue. I exclaimed, ‘Oh, My God, what’s happening with me! God, please save me. I am here to study. My parents have huge expectations from me. Please help me. Please help me.’ Somebody patted on my back and said, ‘Are you Ok?’ Why are you speaking with yourself? I uttered, ‘Nothing…’ and hurriedly stepped out of the hostel cafeteria. I was walking towards the college library where my punishment was eagerly waiting for me, I mused. And I imagined, how exciting it would be if that girl would be there waiting for me. I smiled. Mr. Majanu…. I heard … Hamm!... I was shocked… This is me … your friend, your conscience … what’s wrong if people are calling you Majanu? You have already become one. No wonder, you will become more famous my friend. Shup up! I shouted … Yes, her thoughts are haunting me… but excuse me, I am not that type of guy, you know very well… You are not … But you will become one, my friend spoke… It’s better if you use this library time positively, my friend advised, explore the library… you are voracious reader… read the best books instead of reading the girls faces… Don’t tease me, I whispered, let me go… I am a responsible boy… you know very well… Let’s see… my friend uttered… When I reached the first step of the library, I was overwhelmed by that huge building constructed in British style, with a huge clock tower on the top, the old stone structure almost fascinated me. I knew most of my college time, I will spend here. My friends in the village used to call me book worm… I read each and every book, newspaper, pamphlet, brochure almost everything that was printed, back in my village. The treasure was waiting for me. Enchanted, I entered the library. My joy knew no bound after observing those wooden tables, chairs, wooden shelfs, cupboards full of books, journals, magazines, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, M.Phil. dissertations, Ph.D. thesis etc. I was drawn towards the nearby table as if by magnetic force, love of books, I touched the cover of the book, that feeling of the first touch, I will never forget. When I read its title, it was some manuscript of a scripture in Prakrit language. Aye! Don’t touch it, I heard a loud voice… I turned back… It was a peon in the library… We have kept it outside for pest treatment, he shouted from his chair, don’t touch it… I nodded and went near him and told him about my punishment… He started laughing …. Ok … ok… he controlled himself… he pointed in the direction … start from there… your cleaning work… in that corner there is broom and duster… and after doing this room, downstairs there is reference section and upstairs there is reading room, clean the tables there also. I nodded humbly… because having good relationship with this person was going to prove beneficial for me later for borrowing books… I was doing my work sincerely… in between … I was reading the titles of the books spread on the tables and in the cupboards… also… The peon was observing me and my actions keenly… Librarian hasn’t arrived yet… I completed my work on that floor and stood with a question mark on my face in front of him… He called me near him… come here. Yes, I said… he said … actually I have really bad back ache today… Seriously, I asked him …. ‘What happened? ‘ He replied, ‘It’s none of your business.’ I kept mum, due to the experience of prior day. He added, I can’t clean girls reading room today as I have a backache, you can’t enter there but now there is only one girl in the reading hall… she won’t mind… so hurry up… and clean the reading hall of the girls… I denied the duty straight forwardly, I said, ‘No, I can’t enter over there, I am undergoing a punishment and you are telling me to do another mistake, no I won’t.’ He said, ‘Think twice before opening your mouth… I will report to Vice-Principal Sir.’ Are you threatening me, I was red with anger …? Whatever you feel, he replied coldly… go upstairs and clean the reading hall first before other girls arrive… I had no option but to follow his, dictator’s orders… I went upstairs… My heart beats were speeding for no reasons, I thought… When I pushed the wooden half door and entered the hall… I saw one girl … but her back was towards me… so I felt relieved and I decided to complete my cleaning work as soon as possible to avoid further complications… I had almost dusted half of the tables… when I heard the noise of falling something… I turned back… And for a second my heart beats stopped, I felt, she was there… She was bending under the table and was searching for something… Her long braids almost touched the ground, her anxious eyes … I noticed were so innocent and full of expressions … When she turned towards me, she was shocked to see me… I said, ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t be here, but that peon insisted me…otherwise I won’t dare’…. But I sensed, she ignored me and she was looking for something… And suddenly she said, ‘My Pen’, pointing in my direction… I looked downwards and saw a pen near my foot… I lifted it, she came towards me … she took the pen and she left… Again, she stared reading the book and writing something… She completely ignored me… How can someone, be so rude, I thought… But I sensed the alarm of fear also… She has seen me… It’s better to leave the room at the earliest… I finished my work hurriedly and stepped outside… without looking backwards… Why God, I said, why, you are doing this to me, why again and again, we are confronting… I wondered, ‘Is it just a coincidence or ….’ Dr. Archana Pandit