The Right Kind Of Wrong

Chapter 1

Best Friend (noun)

"The definition of a best friend is a person who you value above other friends in your life, someone you have fun with, someone you trust and someone in whom you confide."

DAKSH Arya was exactly that to me and so much more. I met him during the first week of 11th grade. My school didn't have after 10th grade and that made me and the thousands of other students in my school go on a school hunting trip as soon as our results were declared. But the result wasn't just any result. It would determine where we would be placed in the race called "life".

For Indian students, the percentage they received in 10th would be the first of many labels in their educational career (forget about considering the entire life), that would determine the kind of person you are and what you ought to study. No one gives a fuck about what we want. It's what the holy percentage decides.

Ninety percent and above, definitely good enough to be a doctor or engineer. Eighty and ninety, you are eligible for computer science and law. Seventy to eighty percent, definitely literature or other Arts subjects. And below seventy? God forbid you ever have a percentage below seventy because then not only are you a pathetic loser, have no friends and are a no good student, you also have to literally beg schools and colleges to accept you.

There is also another concept that will completely blow your mind. It's called "Which board are you from?" This decides what kind of friends you have and what social status you can be a part of.

There are three prevalent educational boards in India. The ICSE, the CBSE, and the State. If you are fortunate enough to be a part of the elite crowd of the ICSE, you are set for life. Attitude, advanced English and more knowledge on reproduction than the people who have actually reproduced. The world will be under your feet. If you are from the CBSE crowd, then you know how it feels to be a member of the parliament. Added perks, special treatment, you name it and you will have it. CBSE schools are very particular. They take care of each other. It doesn't matter if you have a friggin hundred percent in your mark sheet. They will first admit a seventy percenter, who is, for your information, from another CBSE school and then and only after that will they think of taking in the hundred percenter. And the rest, unfortunate students belong to the State crowd. They truly are unfortunate in every way. Not only they have harder exams, more content to study than any other board and also the shittiest infrastructure, they also have absolutely no respect among the CBSE and ICSE crowd. They're considered nobodies. 

Fortunately enough for me, I was from the ICSE crowd and as if that wasn't good enough, I had received a whopping eighty-three percent on my 10th boards. SO you see I wasn't in a very good or a very bad place. I could have the curd from both bowls and still be okay from all sides.

My first day in college, sorry Junior College, was an absolute disaster. It was raining and I hadn't gotten used to the fact that we didn't need to wear uniforms. For those of you curious enough, I went to Nowrosjee Wadia College of Arts and Science that is in the city of Pune. I was obviously in the Science department. Not because of the holy percentage though. It was because of my family.

My family, the most mind-blowingly amazing and irritating family in the world. It was made up of my father, my mother and my two-year junior brother, even though at times he didn't really feel junior. My father is what can be called a "self-made man". He has grown up in the toughest of situations and as a result, he owes his success to no one but his own self. He has many famous lines that my brother and I inwardly groan for every time it is directed at us. One of his absolute favorites is "You need to have that killer instinct. Without it, you can have nothing." Killer Instinct? Seriously? During the first two times, he said it to us, I thought of asking him to tell us about what kind of killing he has done with this instinct of his. My mother is the martyr of our family. She sacrificed her career for having me and then left it all together after my brother was born to take care of us because like every typical Indian middle-class household not only did she have to take care of us but also act like the sweeper, cook and washing machine till the time we were in our hometown Kolkata. My brother is by far the best and most interesting character in this book I'm about to write. He doesn't need to be physically present at a place to guide me whenever I have been at crossroads, his words are enough.  Although his presence is, was and always will be always more desired. An insanely genius baccha who uses his intelligence to make unique pranks and who is brilliantly amazing with a violin and piano are the words that can be used to describe him. A mama's boy, baba's mini version and my best friend and partner in crime. He was very shy and unsocial, but that never stopped people from trying to talk to him. And that brings us to the final member of this family, me. Born with the dancing gene, I went to more dance and skating classes than I remember going to school. Gold medal at every competition and a fast-rising professional dancer, I came second in the National Skating Championship when I was in the seventh grade. But everything changed when we shifted to Maharashtra, and from dancing seven days a week, I went to twice a month. When I left Kolkata, I had only two dreams - have enough money to be able to provide for my family (I was in seventh grade) and have a best friend that truly cared for me and was worth being called a best friend.

But inspite of all this, my family has been forever supportive of my brother and me and have never differentiated between us and those I think are two very very essential qualities every parent must have. But I will tell you about my amazing family sometime later.

Though I've faced enough bumps in the friendship department to keep my skin irritated and swollen for the rest of my life, I've finally achieved the second part of my dream. And that's what this story is all about.

Well initially at least.

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