Ananya Premam

Prologue - the speech

hands clapping harder now, students now hooting and nudging each other to pay attention....and no sooner did Sri step up the platform and grabbed the podium and steadied herself infront of the glass slab ....pin drop silence. ..it was silence silences ,....eyes bulging out to hear the morale booster from her and inspirational life journey, the limelight now focusing on her completely , making her go complete numb in happiness, she shifted her glance to Hari and noticed him pressing a slight smile radiating confidence and gesturing her a Thumbs up assuring her to slay the st age, while her babies watching their mamma with utter awe and exhileration .

Sri's eyes misted with saline water seeing their innocent affection and after taking a deep breath she adjusted the microphone which was surrounded by white roses and and rajnigandha tucked with leaves and bows ,she commenced.

RUKMINI-  to begin with i would like to thank our esteemed Dean, directors and the agents of the institution for honouring and inviting me as the chief guest of this college about to complete its 100th anniversary today and also to letting me speak up here and the delightful welcome by these amazing students was something truly commendable. I would also like to thank or i must say grateful to my father , who persistently encouraged me to strive for knowledge but not running for success, he was there as a father , mother , grandparent everything to me when my mother passed away not a few days after my birth, my brother Rukmesh , oh thanks to him for letting me know i cant complete my higher studies with this agonizing and brutal temper (chuckles *) .... thanks to all of them who doubted me , which made me go restless to ameliorate and upgrade myself even more, i myself doubted my strategies ( the audience laughed heartily ) ah, those were the best critics that stepped into my way teaching the true definition of Incapability , whatever they spat on me regarding my disability , i decided to switch it to my ability that really matters here, my dear future leaders , whatever makes you feel low or insecure about yourself , take it as a special feature and gift within you , we all are differently able in different aspects, thats what makes us US , thats what will make you stand out of the crowd, instead of taking things negatively approach to them in a positive pattern , someone taught me this when i needed an advice like this the most. You know , we think too much of what people say and listen too less of what our heart desires .
                      You know what makes you Perfect ? When you make someone smile . When you feel someone's pain , that's what makes you perfect . Im in pain , that's what blessing in disguise for me . Every time  I in public , I smile. People ask me why do yo always smile , I reply that I have stopped worrying of what people think of me . That's my secret !

                         Last but not the least no matter how much i show my gratitude and thankfulness towards this person will never complete half of what he has done...nor in this birth neither in the upcoming 7 ones ....but still i would like to thank him.....my husband ....the love of my life... the one who taught me to stand up against any stroke of bad luck or disaster and who made me believe to be rather imperfect in doing great deeds than to be perfect in doing none...MR. JAGDI..( Rukmini was cut off...the audience howled and roared in excitement , tears of joy in everyone's eyes.... clapping harder than ever....the hall seemed to tremble at the commotion....no signs of stopping .... while amidst of these moments Jagdish softening his gaze looked up at the standing figure up on stage , while Rukmini out of happiness teared 2 to 3 warm drops while gently rubbing her eyelids with her tissue paper.....the audience kept on clapping for the divine couple showing tribute to their mutual support and love that cannot be compared .....while Rukmini chuckles and announces , "baccho shant ho ..." but again she was cut off and warmly smiled , the students clapped even harder this time making her blush intensely at all this, while CHARU was in deep slumber in her papa's arms and Pradyumna gasping seeing this fanbase and turns his head towards his mom :)

after 6 to 7 minutes of continuous clapping , the professors in charge warned them to now stop the clap and let our guest of honor deliver her speech , to which the students gradually stopped clapping and Rukmini began with an amused chuckle saying...

i can see why this institution still serves to build enthusiastic future leaders full of energy and   young blooded .....well well... you youngsters seriously made me dumbfounded and reminisce all those memories when i was one of you students and there was a time i used to listen to lectures in this same hall ....thank you once again sweethearts for bringing back those days in this glimpse... well my husband is surely amazed seeing this , isn't he ?? while JAGDISH gives a hearty gentle smile which graced his face to which all students screamed ," ma'am ..... sir please we wanna know about your young days in college " which was not audible to Rukmini as the sounds were mingling with each other and was ending up in a mess...to which Rukmini in her serene and sweet voice replied, "i cannot comprehend what you all trying to say , sweethearts".
To which a girl from the left corner stands up and grabs the mic and rushes towards the stage.... bowing to Rukmini in order to seek blessings to which Rukmini lifts her up and embraces her while the girl loosing her composure puts her hands on her face in incredulity and continues saying ,"good morn. mornining maam.....pants* .... you are my greatest idol ma'am in this whole wide world....and maaam we wanna know about your journey from school to lady sri Ram College to yours and sir's union and love story and your struggles , everything in detail ....please ma'am....please o please " to which Rukmini first asks the staffs to bring her a glass of water and the hall shouts YES MA'AM PLEASEEE ....PLEASEEE....to which Rukmini turns her gaze towards Hari gesturing her eyes for his views to which JAGDISH positively nodes ....his gaze softening at her sight....while the girl hands her her biography , the most awarded book of the decade , which was published by Mr Sudam , JAGDISH's bosom buddy .....a couple of years before until it got in the BOOKTOK...the girl continued ," ma'am this book was written by the journalist MR S. Roy... we all have read it...but still we wanna hear from the legendary woman herself...(the book had the cover 'the clipped wings'... to which Rukmini 's eyes shimmered and she flashed back all those days when she was in her teeens and early twenties)....to which she nodded while choking sweetly , " alright then "....she announced :-

RUKMINI- First of all.... sniffs* thank you my lovely stars for your inexplicable love and respect... i am really honoured and if you really want to know about my life journey uptill now .... you have to promise me to be calm and quiet , alright ? look at your staff members, professors how tiring they look just because they are losing their cool in order to maintain the decorum of the premises...right ? be good children and do not trouble them...sounds great ?

audience- yes maammm.

Rukmini - well then ...takes a deep sigh*.... it all begins back in the days when i was in standard 7, when i was insane and had this disease of becoming an I.A.S officer one day , my wings were clipped but .....

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finally , my first two prologues are completed now, and ill be shifting to ch 1 ....it is a delightful experience writing such chapters as if Krishna and Rukmini are sitting beside me and guiding me all along.....hope you love it my munchkins....as it is my first write , i hope you'll get along and will acknowledge my work as well....your views will be highly admired.....

signing off ,

Devashree