chapter 9
Sanyog - A Coincidence
Throughout all the lectures , I was daydreaming ⦠at the end of all lectures⦠I waited patiently that Sanyogita will tell me about the place where we can meet and exchange the notes ⦠I was observing her ⦠she was reading something with complete concentration though the whole class left⦠her friends called her but she didnât pay attention towards them⦠I was afraid , whether she has forgotten about the morning episode about exchange of notes⦠I waited for two or three minutes after all students left the class that she will at least notice me and remember something⦠but she didnât look back so I lost all hopes and I decided to leave ⦠as I was passing by her⦠She called Sameep ⦠where are your notes⦠these are mine ⦠she handed me a single page , my notes I had written in the diary so suddenly I handed her the diaryâ¦she said , âNotesâ¦â ⦠I responded ⦠with my eyes (that notes are written in the diaryâ¦) she laughed and said , â It will be better , Mr. Sharma , if you write your notes on loose page so we can exchange our notes easilyâ¦â Without knowing what to say , I just nodded⦠She further said , âOk, then , I will meet you under that Banyan tree near Vihangam lake, I go there in the evening about five oâ clock for reading⦠please come thereâ â¦. Again in the excitement , I just nodded ⦠she said , âMy notesâ¦â I couldnât understand what she was trying to say⦠She explained , please give back my notes also⦠in the evening , when you will give yours , I will give mine⦠I was shocked by her straight forwardness but at the same time I was on cloud nine ⦠as she has given open invitation to meet her in the evening⦠I was already dreaming , what I will speak to her , what should I wear , I had no new trousers or shirts for evening meet ⦠I was worried about all these things and this girl she was not talking anything beyond notes⦠âDid you say anythingâ¦â , she asked ⦠Hamm ⦠I replied ⦠âNothingâ¦â⦠I said , âI will copy my notes on the paper and will hand over it to youâ¦âBoys passing in front of our class were looking at us with full doubtâ¦Those were the days ⦠boys and girls sat in different rows⦠they rarely talked with each other ⦠and if they talked ⦠other had suspicion about them⦠their relationship⦠those were the days ⦠when boy and girl could be simple friends , this fact was not accepted rather digested by the society⦠Now a days everything has changed but in the decade of nineties ⦠it was something out of the context and that too in Indore⦠When she sensed , all passers by were observing us⦠she said , âByeâ and left immediatelyâ¦I also left the class and hurriedly went towards the library to copy the notes before lunchâ¦Somehow I completed the notes , throughout those fifteen minutes her charming , innocent face , I was unable to wipe out from my mindâs eyes⦠How much I convinced myself and my mind that she is very ambitious and studious girl , she is looking towards me as study partner and nothing else ⦠but the age , hormones also matter⦠I had completely fallen for her⦠which was something new for me also⦠this kind of thing never happened with me⦠back in my town also ⦠many beautiful girls were there ⦠but this kind of feeling ⦠it was never there⦠it was something else⦠I have heard such kind of stories from my friends and read in the novels and watched in few movies but now in reality this was happening to me⦠with these thoughts again my heart beats accelerated⦠now the main challenge in front of me was to keep this meeting secret from my hooligan friends ⦠if Sanyogita would come to know about them ⦠she will never talk with me , I was sure⦠so I went to the hostel as if nothing has happened ⦠after lunch ⦠I decided to rest till evening under the reason of headache ⦠immediately after lunch ⦠I disappeared so that no one should notice me⦠I couldnât sleep because I was so excited. In the excitement , I forgot about the clothes ⦠which I thought I will borrow from other friends ⦠To kill the time , I decided to read something ⦠I started reading the novel ⦠âPride and Prejudiceâ by Jane Austin ⦠and started again imagining myself and Sanyogita instead of the characters in the novel⦠when I heard the noise at the door, I took the quilt on my head and enacted as if I was asleep , my roommate entered with his friends but he left immediately when he saw me sleeping ⦠that was the good thing ⦠I came out of the quilt and started reading again⦠I donât know , how I slept ⦠was it the effect of the lunch or the novel or the two dayâs exertion⦠I slept till 5.30 pm⦠again I was awakened by some noise at the door⦠but I thanked them this time otherwise I would have proved myself a fool⦠I threw the quilt away and dashed towards the bathroom ⦠after washing my face clean , setting my hair ⦠I had no time even to change my clothes , it was twenty minutesâ walk from the boys hostel to the lake⦠so I took the paper, folded it carefully ⦠and kept in my shirtâs pocket so no one else should notice it⦠and I started running towards the hostel gate and then towards lake⦠during that run, I curse myself thousand times for falling asleep for no reasons at important time⦠when I reached near the lake ⦠she was there⦠I was tired and exhausted by the run⦠I stopped and took deep breathe ⦠then I approached her ⦠she said , âYou are lateâ¦â , I agreed and said âYesâ¦â nothing else to say⦠I handed her the piece of paper kept folded in my pocket and she handed her crisp , neat paper to me⦠after the formal exchange of thanks ⦠she added , if I like your note making , we can exchange our notes daily⦠I was unable to control my happiness but without showing it on my face ⦠I asked, why you will decide ?She said , âWhat?âI replied , âYou heard it right⦠I said ⦠how could you decide that my note making is right or wrongâ¦let the teachers decideâ¦ââGood ideaâ¦â , She replied ⦠I will show it to Bhandari mamâ¦I nodded â¦Dr. Archana Pandit