Arts Room, Chatrapati Shivaji University:
"Sorry ma'am" The students apologized.
"Sab ne pehle se rehearse kiya tha kya? Sab ek saath bol rahe ho?" She enquired as she swirled a paper weight with practiced ease, and they started explaining altogether at once making it chaotic.
"Ok guys! Pehle wala hi better tha. Kuch samajh mein nahi aaya mujhe." She declared making them calm down.
She gave them all pointed looks and asked, "Ab bolo. Kya kiya jaye?" There was pin drop silence.
"Kaash itna silence class mein bhi hota kabhi kabhi jahan zarurat ho...toh phir mujhe gala phadke chillana nahi padta." She humored but got no reaction.
"Kuch bologe bhi?" She probed.
"We are sorry ma'am. Hum ne jab suna ki aap jaane ki baat kar rahe ho, hum panic kargaye aur jo soojha woh kardiya. Kuch zyada nahi socha." Vardhan explained and Manya nodded curtly.
"Aise nahi karte yaar. Itna emotional hoke nahi sochte har baar. Main hamesha toh yahan nahi rahungi na. Kal ko agar mein kahi aur shift hui, toh tum sab aise react karoge kya?" She questioned but the tone was softer.
"Isse bhi bura react karenge ma'am. Aap sochna bhi mat aisa." Dharani reacted.
"Aise nahi hota Dharani. Tumhari graduation ke baad tum sab bhi apne raaste chale jaoge na. Main rokungi kya tum sabko? Nahi na. Yeh life bahut unpredictable hain. It keeps moving. Kisi keliye nahi rukti. We need to be prepared for everything." She advised.
"Ma'am! We know that. Per aap phir bhi kahi nahi jaaoge." One of them said stubbornly.
"Kabhi jaana pad gaya toh? I mean aise nahi...genuinely mujhe kahi aur shift karna pad gaya toh?" Manya asked and they didn't like the question.
"Hamare pass out hone ke baad jao na ma'am. Ab nahi please." One of them requested.
"Phir baki jo mere students mujhse itna pyaar karte hain, unka kya?" She countered.
"Ma'am! Aap kyun discuss kar rahe ho yeh sab? Tab ka tab dekhlenge na. Abhi aap punish karo aur dafa karo humein." Vardhan voiced only to receive a glare in return, and he cowered back.
"I really appreciate all the love and going from here won't be easy for me too. But I want to prepare you guys for that and many more situations like this. Taki jab kabhi woh waqt asal mein aaye, toh main bina kisi tension ke move on kar paun." She announced.
If one thing she can vouch for from her personal experiences, it has to be the fact that change is the only constant in life. It was a tough lesson her father meant to teach her but ultimately, it was life that taught her this, in the harshest way possible. She wanted to make things easier for students, but their gloomy faces moved her. Their love really meant a lot to her.
YOU ARE READING
The Birlas' - SANGRAMA
General FictionThis is Part - 5 of a story that takes off from where it ended in The Birlas' - CHAKRAVYUH. This series however traces the life and journey of Dr.Abhimanyu Birla and his family through different situations that life forces on them. It's a story abou...
