Final exams were going on and it was the third time we were meeting each other on Dharam's tea stall that day. Of course preparing for exams asks for more tea than books. Not that we were worried much about the exams anyways. I knew I would pass, the way I always do. Mandal knew that he would fail, the way he did most of the times.
When the time of leaving one's engineering college comes, exams, grades and such things loose significance. Our talks were getting more sentimental day by day. While his sentiments were more related to our friendship and the life we had spent in the campus for last 4 years, my sentiments were more related to Esha - The girl I had chased haplessly for last four years.
There is something special about your first love. Something special that wakes you up at midnight and make you write a blog. You try to brush it aside 100 times, trying to console yourself that it was just a 'crush', but it comes back. And today, after experiencing many such first loves, I still realise that yes, She was the one!!
Chetan Bhagat has said, Geeks fall in love easily and way to often.Within 72 hours of joining my engineering college, I fell in love with her. Thanks to my small town background in which even talking to a girl made bigger news than India lifting the world cup! My first conversation with her in the smith shop was by far the maximum interaction that I ever had with a girl in my life. I was smiling ears to ears while returning to hostel. In retrospect, it was the only workshop session that I remember till date!
There is something more about your first love. It makes you do the most stupid things that one can imagine. We laugh at others when we see them doing the same. The truth is, we do it 10 times over, because, it is for her!
And Man, she was beautiful. She was not fair, she was pink. Her almond shaped eyes had a magnetic effect and her face was incredibly cute. Her voice sounded like the rhymes of a wind chime and her lips...well I should stop!
My vision was permanently focussed towards her in all the lectures. I think some teachers used to sympathise with me as if I have a squint. It didn't matter much to me. I used to sit strategically to have her clear view and leave the classroom in such a manner that I can walk as close to her as possible.
There was a considerable social risk involved in talking to her in public which forced me to opt for another tried and tested medium - the girl's hostel landline number. Though it created financial risk, it suited me because it gave me the much needed privacy and saved me from the trouble of facing and talking to her at the same time (there was a serious risk of me getting statued with her face in front)! I used to walk 2 kilometers in hottest of afternoons to a telephone booth which had a 'Private Cabin' strategically created for customers like me. With the market monopoly due to this niche product, I often used to wait in long queue in front of the booth and would keep trying the girls hostel number which was busier than the railway enquiry! The booth owner used to offer me a glass of water sometimes in the middle of conversation depending on my bill. I think he had seen such cases before.
In next three years I did many things for her about which I feel ashamed to write in my blog. And just when my confidence had reached the pick and I thought that the Jackpot was ready to be cracked, she said, "My boyfriend is an MBA".
Now, I was the only engineer from my village in the known history. I used to believe that I have achieved something greater than what Armstrong achieved by landing on the Moon. I had no idea what MBA is. I pretty much started hating the word! I cried, smoked, got drunk and did most of the things which are labelled as Pyar ke Side Effects. All this while, Mandal used to laugh and make fun of all my stupidities. Given his baldness, I think he had seen such phases long back!
I dont remember her anymore. I think thats the way it goes. However, whenever I talk to my college friends, they invariably mention her to tease me. It just brings a smile on my face and some fade memories. I guess thats the way it goes. :-)
When the time of leaving one's engineering college comes, exams, grades and such things loose significance. Our talks were getting more sentimental day by day. While his sentiments were more related to our friendship and the life we had spent in the campus for last 4 years, my sentiments were more related to Esha - The girl I had chased haplessly for last four years.
There is something special about your first love. Something special that wakes you up at midnight and make you write a blog. You try to brush it aside 100 times, trying to console yourself that it was just a 'crush', but it comes back. And today, after experiencing many such first loves, I still realise that yes, She was the one!!
Chetan Bhagat has said, Geeks fall in love easily and way to often.Within 72 hours of joining my engineering college, I fell in love with her. Thanks to my small town background in which even talking to a girl made bigger news than India lifting the world cup! My first conversation with her in the smith shop was by far the maximum interaction that I ever had with a girl in my life. I was smiling ears to ears while returning to hostel. In retrospect, it was the only workshop session that I remember till date!
There is something more about your first love. It makes you do the most stupid things that one can imagine. We laugh at others when we see them doing the same. The truth is, we do it 10 times over, because, it is for her!
And Man, she was beautiful. She was not fair, she was pink. Her almond shaped eyes had a magnetic effect and her face was incredibly cute. Her voice sounded like the rhymes of a wind chime and her lips...well I should stop!
My vision was permanently focussed towards her in all the lectures. I think some teachers used to sympathise with me as if I have a squint. It didn't matter much to me. I used to sit strategically to have her clear view and leave the classroom in such a manner that I can walk as close to her as possible.
There was a considerable social risk involved in talking to her in public which forced me to opt for another tried and tested medium - the girl's hostel landline number. Though it created financial risk, it suited me because it gave me the much needed privacy and saved me from the trouble of facing and talking to her at the same time (there was a serious risk of me getting statued with her face in front)! I used to walk 2 kilometers in hottest of afternoons to a telephone booth which had a 'Private Cabin' strategically created for customers like me. With the market monopoly due to this niche product, I often used to wait in long queue in front of the booth and would keep trying the girls hostel number which was busier than the railway enquiry! The booth owner used to offer me a glass of water sometimes in the middle of conversation depending on my bill. I think he had seen such cases before.
In next three years I did many things for her about which I feel ashamed to write in my blog. And just when my confidence had reached the pick and I thought that the Jackpot was ready to be cracked, she said, "My boyfriend is an MBA".
Now, I was the only engineer from my village in the known history. I used to believe that I have achieved something greater than what Armstrong achieved by landing on the Moon. I had no idea what MBA is. I pretty much started hating the word! I cried, smoked, got drunk and did most of the things which are labelled as Pyar ke Side Effects. All this while, Mandal used to laugh and make fun of all my stupidities. Given his baldness, I think he had seen such phases long back!
I dont remember her anymore. I think thats the way it goes. However, whenever I talk to my college friends, they invariably mention her to tease me. It just brings a smile on my face and some fade memories. I guess thats the way it goes. :-)
