The coo of a new life

Silent footsteps,
Dark alley,
The flurry of rustling leaves.

Ticking of time,
Silence.
Quite.

Endless road,
Alone.
Solemn.
And Grim.

Suddenly,
A flap of wings,
And, flight to freedom of an Owl.

Meow of kittens playing around,
Snuggle of puppies sleeping.

The Moon shining: Brightly!
And
A faint smile.

1.06 Eelake-sons - Beats

Part 1.06 of a multipart fiction about college life.

Read the other parts by going to: http://sweetnpure.blogspot.com/search/label/Beats

 ~~~~

Elections at BITS Pilani are the most boring afffair ever.

No anti campaigning.

Duh!

Run by goons called members of the election commission (GEC: La Elakeson Commissien Goone) the only interesting thing is speculations on who will be sacrificed this time. As a tradition every year these GECs pick up a random candidate and cancel his (always) / her (the only motive of ‘her’ is to make this statement politically correct) nomination.

****

This year’s election was between two (for the lack of a better metaphor) tigers. Let’s call them Tiger A and Tiger B. Now Tiger A had always worked hard, he was a CBT (Tigris Beste Collegie... Eh?) and a GSA  winner. Tiger B on the other hand was a sincere tiger, keeping everyone happy.

As you can see it was going to be an interesting election.

Tiger A and B started a widespread and massive campaign. Roping in as much support as they could. Everyone had to choose sides. I did too.

Then came the much awaited audi-ragging.

In an audi-ragging the GEC choose a panel of chipmunks to rag (question the validity of the manifestoes) the Tigers.

It is still an unproven rumour that Tiger B ate one of the chipmunks. Tiger A was seen handing over bribe to head chipmunk.

Two days before the voting the GEC made the ceremonious decision to declare that Tiger A was in fact a Chihuahua. Read as, cancelled the nomination of Tiger B.
We (I and 2000 other BITSians) decided to not vote for the Chihuahua resulting in a victory where No One won and rest is history!

****

One day I got a call from Sashi.

Come to IPC, its urgent. Really urgent!

Wondering what could have gone wrong I rushed to IPC. As I entered I could see Sashi smiling. In a very cautious way he pointed his finger towards the corner seat.

There she was. Sitting in a white dress, the light of the world. Anamika.

I had to talk to her today.

Gathering my courage. I tiptoed along the aisle. Silently taking the seat beside her (yes, it was empty ). She had opened the new social social networking site, Facebook. I was on Facebook too. (Orkut was the way to go those days). While I was making my mind on the best words to strike a conversation, I noticed she was facing some difficulty with her computer.

I offered my two words, “Go to network settings and disable the proxy.”

Continuing, “Network settings will be under.....”

She cut me off, “Done that. There is some real problem with the DNS server here in resolving the local addresses. As long as you use the IP address for local sites you will be okay.”

She closed her session. Got up. Took her bag and left.

~~~~

In next part, the heat of Academics.

---

In real life:
If you are really interested in what happened in the SU elections, read my post http://sweetnpure.blogspot.com/2009/07/year-after-none-won-elections-at-bits.html

Why?

I do not understand why,
I need to know you,
Not as you?

*

Why can’t our friendship be,
Without,
Fear of knowing,
Without,
Fire of misunderstanding?

*

Why can’t I know you,
As you.
And not,
As someone
You,
Try to be.

*

Why do I have to wear a mask,
To
Have you,
To talk to you,
To be with you?

*

Why can’t you accept me,
As me?

*

Why do we have to,
Worry about
Others?
When all that matters to me,
Is
You!

*

What do you have to
Hide?
What do you
Fear?

*

Why can’t we be together,
As us?
Why do we have to,
Meet behind
Cloaks?

*

Why?

*

1.05 Crash! Bang! Boom! - Beats

This post was due long, long ago. Apologies to all who were following the series.

Part 1.05 of a multipart fiction about college life.

Read the other parts by going to: http://sweetnpure.blogspot.com/search/label/Beats

~~~~

It was as if someone had slowed down time. I saw her move a lock of hair from her face. She went to the first floor. I involuntarily followed her. I caught a familiar but irritating smell. I ignored.

I hid behind the shelves. What if she was a senior? I peeked through the gaps. She and her friends were leaving. I stepped back.

CRASH!

Something heavy hit my head. I had collided with someone standing on a stool behind me, ending with a thick bound volume on my head. I quickly muttered an apology, handed over the book and ran out.

She had disappeared. I could not find her.

****

Within a week on campus the walls of the Messes were full of notices of club/dept. interactions. My language is horrible. So, EPC, EDC, Symposiarch, HAS, HPC and HDC were ruled out. Didn’t even think about Music Club, DOT, Arbits or Jhankar as acting, singing or dancing was out of question.

Finally, I decided on ACM. I could always become a GBM. Their session in the LTC turned out to be more of a promotional affair than a recruitment session. Later, they asked the interested people to assemble in the LTC-QT. After the 2 hour session on Newsletters, Free Windows DVDs and confusing tech related stuff, I was feeling drowsy. Anyway, I stayed. Not because I was a techie kind, but because the girl from the library was also there.

Someone passed a paper for everyone to write our names. She was the first one to pen it down. Nice! When the paper came to me, I glanced at the top.

Anamika, 9772018000, 2008B5PS....

I couldn’t read more. It had started raining.

The halls had been locked. We sat on the stairs. Someone suggested a game of Mafia.

What?

It took some time for everyone to understand the rules. I was a mafia in the first round. I pointed my gun at Anamika.

BANG!

Two more mafias had joined me. Anamika was dead. We had won. She was the village leader. :)

****

I didn’t get in ACM.

So, I joined DOSA. The biggest department. Department of Spectators.

BOOM!

The SU elections arrived. There were loudspeakers everywhere. Jeeps. Pamphlets. We couldn’t even sleep at night.

Ok. Ok. Enough! Now the reality. The SU Elections at BITS turned out to be the most mundane of their type. Pamphlets, posters, promotional material of any kind were prohibited. No, campaigning at night. Huh!! Ever seen an election like this?

~~~~

In next part, the unusual SU elections.

---

In real life:

The first floor of the Library is the home of Journals. The old ones were archived and bound into thick volumes. The smell in the library was of old paper, which is an integral part of the archives section. And, 9772018000 is my number.

A Magical Drop of Water

Stage Settings:

A Park. Afternoon.
Rows of multi-coloured dahlia on the left (Red, yellow, orange, purple etc. Bright colours).
An empty park bench in the middle, with a tree on each of its two sides.
Green grass elsewhere.

Characters:

Poorva: A Girl,
Ishaan: A Boy,
An Old Woman: Of Course a Woman!

[Curtains Up. Enter Poorva and Ishaan. They are seen walking towards the bench. Both have a magical wand.]

Poorva: The way you put that hex on Avantika was awesome. She looked so funny with her hair all frizzy.

Ishaan: She had first tried to curse you behind your back. Then she tried to slip in a lizard in your bag. That was so not right.

Poorva: Oh! I thought you hexed her because you didn’t like her.

Ishaan: It’s true that I don’t like her. She has such a high air around her. But unlike you, I don’t go around cursing everyone I don’t like!

Poorva: What? I hex people for fun? How can you say such a thing?

Ishaan: That day in the café you gave Nishant a bleeding nose!

Poorva: That was because he took the last vanilla pastry I so much wanted. It was so mean.

Ishaan: [Chuckles] And what about Srishti in the library yesterday, the awful acne that you gave her?

Poorva: She had this week’s copy of Witch Vanity with her! I had to see the feature ‘Crelovera: More than magic for your hair’

Ishaan: And still you say that, you don’t hex anyone and everyone who crosses your way!

Poorva: I never hexed you!

Ishaan: That is because I have never pulled any tricks with you. I knew you were called the ‘Hex Queen’ before I met you.

Poorva: That’s crossing the line Mister!

[Poorva pulls out her wand and throws a spell at Ishaan. A red light is seen emerging from her wand. Ishaan blocks it with his wand, which produces a green light.]

Ishaan: Is that all you can muster?

[They have reached the bench. Poorva sits.]

Poorva: That was just a tickling charm. I do not hex friends.

Ishaan: I am honoured your Majesty. [Bows]

[Poorva again tries to put a spell on Ishaan. She points her wand at him. This time a blue light emerges from her wand. Ishaan effectively blocks it, this time with an orange light form his wand.]

Ishaan: Tch, tch…. A nail growth curse. You are losing your touch!

Poorva: [Giggles] Like I said. I do not curse friends.

[Ishaan sits beside her.]

Poorva: [Continues] Wasn’t I talking about Avantika? I thought you fancied her.

Ishaan: Uh? Didn’t you just say that I did not like her?

Poorva: I was just testing then. I know you fancy her, don’t you?

Ishaan: No…no! I have already told you, I find her too high headed. What does she think of herself? And, then she doesn’t like you.

Poorva: Now what does that mean?

Ishaan: Nothing… nothing…. Umm…. just that you are my friend and she is not your friend. So, effectively she cannot be my friend.

Poorva: Yes you are my friend. My best friend……

Ishaan: [Cuts in before Poorva can finish her sentence] Poorva, I wish to tell you something.

[Ishaan conjures a bunch of flowers with his wand. Not seen by Poorva.]

Poorva: Me too. Me too. I will say first!

Ishaan: [Hides the flowers] Ok, ladies first.

Poorva: Actually, Siddharth asked me to be his date for the President’s ball tonight. Do you think I should go?

Ishaan: [Hides the flowers further] Go if you want.

Poorva: You don’t mind right?

Ishaan: No… No. Why will I mind?

Poorva: Yes, why will you mind? [Fumbles] Actually I just remembered something. I have to take back my book from Naina. I will be back in a minute.

[Poorva hurriedly walks away. Exit Poorva]

Ishaan: [To himself] Why will I mind? I am just a friend…. Best friend but still a friend. [Throws the flowers on the ground. Lowers his head and hides it in his hands.]

[Enter an old woman. She is seen carrying a handbag and knitting. She walks to the bench and sits beside Ishaan.]

Old Woman: [To Ishaan] You like her?

Ishaan: [Surprised] Like whom?

Old Woman: [Slowly] The girl… The girl who was sitting here. You love her don’t you?

Ishaan: Yes. So what? She doesn’t love me. I am just a friend for her.

Old Woman: How do you know, that she doesn’t love you? Did you ask her?

Ishaan: She is going to the President’s ball with someone else. She hates politics!

Old Woman: You are just making excuses. Have you ever told her about your feelings?

Ishaan: I was just going to, and she asks me if she should go to this ball.

Old Woman: Did you try to stop her?

Ishaan: How could I? Who am I to stop her?

Old Woman: If you are no one, then why did she ask you about the ball in the first place?

Ishaan: I don’t know. I am sure she doesn’t love me. I should just try to be friends with her.

Old Woman: How can you be so sure without asking her? You should first express your feelings to her. Here take this potion. [Pulls out a blue bottle from her bag and gives it to Ishaan.] Drink it before you tell her about your love, it will help.

[Ishaan takes the bottle and eyes it suspiciously.]

Old Woman: [Continues] I must take leave now.

[Exit Old Woman]

[Enter Poorva]

[Poorva walks towards Ishaan. Ishaan stands, waves his wand and the flowers disappear. He turns back and takes a sip from the bottle.]

[Poorva reaches the bench]

Poorva: There was an Old Lady walking away. Never seen her here before. Do you know her?

[Poorva sits]

Ishaan: Errr…. Where is your book?

Poorva: Which book?

Ishaan: Your book! You had gone to take your book from Naina!

Poorva: Oh! I couldn’t find her.

Ishaan: Is it important? You can borrow mine.

Poorva: No... No, it’s not urgent.

Ishaan: Poorva, you remember I wanted to tell you something.

Poorva: Yes.

Ishaan: I want to tell you how special you are to me. The night the poison dart hit you, was the longest night of my life. For the three hours that I waited before the Operation Theatre I thought that I had lost everything. It was then that I realised what you meant to me.

[Ishaan takes Poorva’s hand in his hands]

Ishaan: [Continues] Every morning the glimpse of your face makes my day. If I don’t see you I feel a part of mine is missing. You complete me.

[Ishaan stands]

Ishaan: [Continues] I wanted to tell this to you earlier. But, I could never gather the courage for the fear of losing you. Then I realised, that if I didn’t tell you at all, then someday I will surely lose you.

[Ishaan kneels on one foot, conjures a bunch of roses with his wand and gives it to Poorva]

Ishaan: [Continues] Poorva, I love you. I love you day and night. I love you more than anything in the world.

Ishaan: [Continues] Poorva, I don’t want to force anything on you so you can answer no. Do you love me?

Poorva: No….

[Poorva stands]

Poorva: [Continues] No….No…No…No… That’s not the answer. [Giggles] I just wanted to try saying it.

[Ishaan stands up shocked]

Poorva: [Continues] Yes…. Yes…. Yes, of course I love you. Couldn’t you say this earlier? You idiot! [Softly] Of course I love you! Of course I do!

[They embrace]

Poorva: I am so excited! I want to tell everyone! I have to tell this to Naina! Now!

Ishaan: What?

Poorva: I will meet you at the aviary in the evening.

Ishaan: Aren’t you going to the ball?

Poorva: You seriously thought that I would go?

[Poorva winks. Leaves hurriedly. Exit Poorva.]

[Ishaan jumps and conjures fireworks from his wand in excitement.]

[Enter Old Woman. She walks towards Ishaan.]

Ishaan: It worked! It worked! She loves me! She loves me!

Old Woman: What worked?

Ishaan: The potion you gave me worked. Poorva said yes!

Old Woman: That bottle? [Points at the blue bottle on the bench] It has mineral water for my troublesome stomach. [Smiles]

[Curtains down.]

****

My submission for a creative writing assignment. The original pdf submitted is attached below.

****

A Magical Drop Of Water

Download