If it snowed in Jaipur

Ghost in the room

After a while, Digvijay's eyes locked onto Yuvraj's cluttered desk, which stood in stark contrast to the rest of the neatly organized room. He sighed heavily, shaking his head in mild exasperation. "I see you still haven't cleaned your table," he remarked, his tone firm but not harsh. "It's all a mess, Yuvraj."

Yuvraj, who had been standing near the window, groaned in protest. "Oh, come on, Bhai! Not this again."

Roopanjan and Meera both turned to look at the desk, the disarray immediately catching their attention. Papers were strewn across the surface, a couple of books were teetering on the edge, and an empty ink bottle had rolled into a corner, forgotten. The sight of the chaotic desk against the backdrop of the otherwise immaculate room was almost jarring.

"You need to learn how to organize your stuff. It's important to maintain a clean space—it helps clear your mind," Digvijay responded, his voice laced with the concern of an older brother trying to instill good habits.

Yuvraj watched his brother fuss over for a moment before rolling his eyes dramatically. "Stop nagging!" he whined, running over to Roopanjan like a child seeking refuge. "He's becoming like Mom!" he complained, his voice filled with mock indignation.

Roopanjan chuckled, glancing at the desk. "That's a lot of papers. What have you been up to? A new project?" he asked, noticing some documents that had fallen to the floor.

Yuvraj quickly bent down to pick up the papers. "Ah, no. Just some work from the committee," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"What committee?" Meera jumped in, her curiosity piqued. "Is it the school parliament or something?"

"Yeah, something like that," Yuvraj said with a small smile. "I'm in the cultural committee, and the school festival is going on. You all should come and watch!"

"School festival?!" Meera's eyes lit up with excitement, and she instantly turned to Roopanjan, her expression hopeful. "We have to go! Please?"

Roopanjan couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Yes, we can stop by for some time today," he agreed, his tone warm.

As they spoke, Roopanjan's gaze shifted back to the messy desk. "The dame wouldn't like it if she sees you studying in a messy space."

Yuvraj flinched slightly at the mention of the dame. "Who's that?" Meera asked, sensing the shift in Yuvraj's demeanor.

Roopanjan explained, "The house dame is responsible for overseeing the students in each house. She's in charge of discipline and makes sure everything is in order. Regular room inspections are a big part of that."

"How often is that?" Meera asked, her concern evident.

"Pretty often, actually," Yuvraj replied, still tidying up his papers. "Maybe at least three times a week."

"That's a lot!" Meera exclaimed, her brows furrowing. "Isn't that a little too intrusive?"

"Well, the school trains us to be disciplined and organized," Digvijay explained, his tone measured. "And honestly, after living here for so long, you actually get pretty used to this way of life."

"Yeah, you just habitually start maintaining your environment," Roopanjan added, a nostalgic smile crossing his face.

The two of them chuckled, sharing a glance that spoke of shared memories—cleaning together, perhaps, or dealing with the same house dame's strict inspections. The momentary nostalgia brought a brief sense of camaraderie to the room, even as Yuvraj continued to grumble quietly about the unfairness of it all.