Junak Baruah wants to win the prestigious short film competition in his university. But with hundreds of participants and a stellar jury on board, winning means making a film that's never been made before.
And that means breaking the rules and taki...
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Junak kept sitting on the sand bed. He wasn't sure why or for how long but he just stayed there after Dikhou left. Unmoving. Staring at the flowing water. Whatever thoughts passed through his numbed mind left as soon as they came.
He felt tired. His body felt heavy.
At thirty minutes past one, Jatin came looking for him. "Junak-da, you didn't come for lunch so kokaasked me to fetch you."
Junak looked up at him. Almost as tall as Junak, he was big and looked more mature than his age. "Jatin, I-I'm so s-sorry about what happened this morning," he said, his voice low and coarse.
Jatin's eyebrows shot up in surprise, before settling on a bright expression. "Aiyo, Junak-da, why are you apologising? It's no problem, really."
Junak wanted to argue, tell him no, it was wrong, but he had no energy left. He got to his feet and followed Jatin back to the house.
Everyone, barring Dikhou who did not show up, was waiting for him. The guilt of it further squeezed at his heart and his throat. He felt numbed with exhaustion.
He ate in silence with his head downcast.
Is everything okay, Junak? They asked.
He nodded.
Weren't you with Dikhou? Where is he?
I don't know.
Did something happen?
No.
Are you feeling ill?
No.
Do you want anything?
No.
His grandparents retired to rest after the meal and Junak dragged his feet to his room. Well, to his father's room. On his second day, while he was arranging his things in the wardrobe, he had found a whole chest of photographs tucked away in a corner. He glanced at one – it was when his father was a teenager and he was standing next to a boy with a mess of curly hair. Both of them were smiling, their arms around each other. It annoyed Junak, though he wasn't sure why. So he shoved the pictures away and vowed to not think about his father for the rest of his stay there.
It was difficult, but he managed.
And now, he was just too exhausted to be bothered by it.
Niribili came to him first. Then Banhi. Both with the same questions – What happened? Did Dikhou do something? Is it something regarding the Diamond Jury? Is it your parents?
Junak, talk to me.
He muttered small one-word answers and then asked to be left alone.
He curled up on the bed, under the blanket, and mindlessly scrolled through his Instagram feed. Sometime in the middle of it, he fell asleep.
