Ultimate Reunion

The Difficult Teacher

Piyali's jubilation had vanished the next day.

"What happened?"

"He turned me away."

"Why?"

"I was late."

"Late?"

"By two minutes!"

"For two minutes? At five in the morning..."

"I said the same thing and he had a reply ready."

"Which was?"

"In music, if you are late by two seconds, you have missed the right time for the right note... and everything is spoiled."

"What the... Even for all his reputation, this is..."

"But he is right, Sonali..."

"Come on. This is ridiculous..."

"This is discipline. And not only music, everything in life needs discipline..."

"What now?"

"I have one more chance. If I get late again, he won't teach me."

"And you are going to go back, of course?"

"Of course."

--

"How was your new student?" Mohima Thakur asked her son during dinner.

"Not disciplined for sure. I had to turn her away today."

"She was late?"

"Yeah."

"By two minutes, Ma," Aporna, Mukundo's wife, interjected. "And he turned the poor girl away. I don't know about music, but Baba has definitely passed on his fanaticism to him."

"Aporna! If you can't be respectful towards your father, at least be respectful towards my Guru," Mukundo glared at her. Aporna just shrugged.

Mohima ignored their little spat. Her thoughts were for Piyali. May God be with the girl, she prayed. Mohima didn't know Piyali herself, but Gayatri Devi was fond of her. She had known her father and after his death and taken over as her music guru. But her own health was failing her now. "I don't care so much about others, Mohima. But this girl deserves the best. She still has a lot to learn and she is as keen a student a one can hope for. Pandit ji, may his soul rest in peace, is not with us now. So, I can only look to Mukundo. He should hear her sing once. And then he can decide whether or not he wants to teach her," she had said.

"But Ma. You know that all my students start early..."

"She hasn't been sitting around, Mukundo. She has been training since she was a child. First under her father, then under Gayatri Devi."

"So what?"

"Don't be so arrogant, my son. Gayantri Devi and Pandit ji were good friends. They respected each other. If she is recommending her, you should give her one chance. Out of respect towards Gayatri Devi. She deserves that much."

Mohima had a point and Mukundo had to agree to her.

"She won't be able to pay though."

"You know I don't care about that."