LOHA Day (about 11 PM)
............The door of Shom's room is kicked open with a loud bang. It flies open and Mr Lal, with bloodshot eyes and a menacing expression, is standing outside. He looks around, finds me sitting across the room, points one finger and says "You. I want to kill you".
My LOHA Day has come to an abrupt end.
It doesn't take long to realize that this can get serious. I had told Rahul, Shom and Bong etc about my previous skirmish with Mr Lal so they had the background information.
Manoj, Shom, Rahul and Bong herd me deeper inside the room and rush out, shutting the door behind them. I am pretty much alone inside Shom's room, slightly curious and more than slightly afraid. Soon after Manoj comes back inside and tells me I need to go with him to Harvey House, the Post Grad Hostel where he currently resides. Also in that hostel is Sonal, his classmate and now a 1st year Resident in Surgery. Mr L is not outside. I run down with Manoj, get on his bike and we make a 2 minute dash to Harvey where Sonal has been briefed about the situation and is waiting. I am told to be there till I am called.
In the meantime, back outside Shom's room:
This is what happened while the door was shut and I was inside.
Mr L, instead of finding me, comes face to face with 4 other well built guys. So he says "You wait, I'll be back in 2 minutes". These are the 2 minutes which Manoj and I use to get to Harvey.
Lal comes back with a knife. This was an unexpected development. He finds Rahul, whose abdomen is an easy target. The knife is pointed straight at it and he says " I'm going to put this inside you". He turns to Shom and with the knife point inches fr4om his eye, says "I'm going to poke your eye out man unless you get me that guy (me)". His beef is with me not them apparently.
Some tense momemts later, Mr l decides that since he can't find me and no one else looked him in the eye, it's not worth a fight.
In Sonal's room, I fall asleep and dream of dosas.
While I am sleeping, things are not all quiet on campus. I am woken up at 4 by Rahul, Manoj and Shom and am told that we need to go to the Police Station opposite the campus to lodge a report. The Dean and the Director of the Institute have been woken up and briefed.
Rahul, Shom and I go across to the Police Station. This is a fairly large compound right across the road and the Police Station itself is a part of a much larger Police compound. When we reach and after a short wait are called into the Station House Officer ( yes, they also have House Officers, but they are usually Inspectors), it's obvious that while we are all excited and wide awake, the SHO in charge is far from being either.
I am put in charge of dictating the FIR.
We start with the mundane. Personal details. Father's details.
Me: My father is Secretary to the Governor of Punjab, in the IAS
Shom: My father is a Judge in the High Court.
Rahul: My father was the Chief Secretary of Pondicherry a year ago.
The SHO has now woken up. We are offered coffee, which we accept. He is all ears.
I narrate the whole incident starting from the 1st Mr L encounter, with PG's threat in the middle and finally a highly detailed account of the night. I was quite impressive, I was told later.
The FIR has been registered. It's a police case now.
The next morning, I call home and tell my parents of these developments. Dad says "Son, I'm speaking to a few people so don't worry, but in the meantime, do you have a glass bottle or two in the room"?
Me: "Ummm....Yes"
Dad: Then, break it and if he comes threatening to your room, smash it on his head" .
Simple, effective, but thankfully, not necessary.
I am also scared now, PG has backed off and has even tried telling me what good friends we are and that I should remove his name from the FIR. But now wherever I go, in campus and especially outside, it's always with company.
A few days later:
The matter has reached court. Mr Lal has got himself a defence lawyer and we have an appointed prosecutor. One morning, I get the message that we are supposed to meet with the prosecutor in the court, so off we go. The court area is a stone's throw from the beach and on a lovely sunny morning, we go to court. There's a fair crowd, so naturally, we kill some time eating pancakes and drinking coffee in Rendezvous.
Our meeting is essentially a briefing on what to expect in the hearing. There is a knife with a green blade which will be an exhibit, we will all testify and so on. It's exciting and very scary all at the same time. I am going up against my tormentor in court. But that is still a month away.
I am going home for Spandan.
September 1994
Spandan, as always starts on the last Monday of August and carries over into the 1st week of September. The middle, a Wednesday or sometimes a Thursday is reserved for the "Fashion Show", always a highlight. Vinay has been recruited for this and has spent the last 2 weeks in the company of seniors like Raju (a tall, fit, apparently a basketballer) and Manish (a tall, fit, definitely a basketballer, footballer and academic genius) among others. This time has been spent in scouting various clothes shops for sponsors and strutting around on makeshift ramps trying to look good and practicing 'attitudes'.
The girls have also been chosen carefully and will go up dressed in various outfits to match varying themes. Some colleges will dress more skimpily than the others and it is this antcipated occurence that will draw the huge stampede like crowds seen in the Fashion Show.
The last day is the Sports finals and the Rock Show. The latter marks the end of Spandan and can last till the late hours of the night or even early morning. Special equipment is brought by the professorial bands that are invited and the testing and practicing can be every bit as interesting as the main thing. Security for the Rock Show, in the hands of a "Security Committee" is tight and entry is by passes only. Most bands play the seriously hard version of rock and the alcohol that flows (usually in the rooms) serves to enhance the headbanging and air-guitaring experience.
I shall miss all of this, in the first Spandan I will really have a chance to see in full. Although I am going home, always a welcome thing to do, I do have slight misgivings.
At Home:
Home is the same. It's great to see parents and my sister and my dog but I find my thoughts wandering towards what might be happening in Spandan, the one week that the College lets it's collective hair down. I make a few calls daily (no cell phones, so it's cumbersome) to try to catch some news. One sad event is that someone from Maulana Azad Med College in Delhi drowned while tackling the sea on a beach near the town.
The undercurrents near the beach can be very strong and we were warned to be careful. It's a sad event in what otherwise seems to be a very successful Spandan. Everyone I manage to talk to, especially Bong and Vinay urse me for having gone home and tell me in great detail what a rocking time they're having.....
One morning, I overhear Dad muttering a very confused "Thank You" to someone on the phone. The call was from the Deputy Director, my Local Guardian, who had signed the Flight Concession form and had read the "My sister is getting married" letter I was using as an excuse to get the discount. So, one, he must have been a bit miffed that he didn't even get a card (and I didn't invite him either) and two, he did the next best thing and called up Dad to congratulate him.
My sister is 15 and very far from getting anywhere near married. Not having told Dad f my devious ways to get a flight discount, there is much confusion on the phone but he manages the situation. Now I have to go back and explain this to my well meaning Local Guardian......
A few days later, my holiday ends. Rahul and I are on the same flight back and I reach the airport well in time. After check in , I saunter around, browsing through some books and waiting for a boarding announcement. This doesn't happen and my flight time is 15 minutes away. I discover to my shock and horror that I am at the other end of the airport and I need to run (a tough ask in the best of situations) to make it.
I do.
On the plane, I find Rahul, occupying his reserved exit row seat not looking too pleased at my last second appearance. I get a chance at revenge when I note that he is rather queasy when the plane takes off and hits an air pocket.
They have run out of meals. Not good. But they still have a "Captain's meal" and a "Crew Meal" which is offered and is gladly accepted.
Note: It's far better to be a Captain or a Crew on an airline. The food is superb.
We touch down and take a taxi back to Pondy. It's night now and the highway, lit only by the headlights of passing vehicles is smooth and the journey quiet and cool. The sky above, which I've only seen corrupted ny the lights of the city is full of stars. It's beautiful. On the way, I tell Rahul of my grand plan to skip the Neuro Anatomy test (which is tomorrow) and I get a pat on the back. He's been there and done that.
The standard refrain from all seniors is "If I can pass, so can you". This is reassuring but as our journey progresses, from the highway to Tindivanam, to the small villages by the road and onwards to the Tamil Nadu-Pondy border and I see the Pondy arch, the TB Sanatorium and Le Cafe,a small feeling of dread and guilt is building up inside.
There is nothing now between today and University Exams and I am very underprepared.......I hope I pass somehow....Much reading to be done....
And the Court Case of Mr L awaits.
In the meantime, back outside Shom's room:
This is what happened while the door was shut and I was inside.
Mr L, instead of finding me, comes face to face with 4 other well built guys. So he says "You wait, I'll be back in 2 minutes". These are the 2 minutes which Manoj and I use to get to Harvey.
Lal comes back with a knife. This was an unexpected development. He finds Rahul, whose abdomen is an easy target. The knife is pointed straight at it and he says " I'm going to put this inside you". He turns to Shom and with the knife point inches fr4om his eye, says "I'm going to poke your eye out man unless you get me that guy (me)". His beef is with me not them apparently.
Some tense momemts later, Mr l decides that since he can't find me and no one else looked him in the eye, it's not worth a fight.
In Sonal's room, I fall asleep and dream of dosas.
While I am sleeping, things are not all quiet on campus. I am woken up at 4 by Rahul, Manoj and Shom and am told that we need to go to the Police Station opposite the campus to lodge a report. The Dean and the Director of the Institute have been woken up and briefed.
Rahul, Shom and I go across to the Police Station. This is a fairly large compound right across the road and the Police Station itself is a part of a much larger Police compound. When we reach and after a short wait are called into the Station House Officer ( yes, they also have House Officers, but they are usually Inspectors), it's obvious that while we are all excited and wide awake, the SHO in charge is far from being either.
I am put in charge of dictating the FIR.
We start with the mundane. Personal details. Father's details.
Me: My father is Secretary to the Governor of Punjab, in the IAS
Shom: My father is a Judge in the High Court.
Rahul: My father was the Chief Secretary of Pondicherry a year ago.
The SHO has now woken up. We are offered coffee, which we accept. He is all ears.
I narrate the whole incident starting from the 1st Mr L encounter, with PG's threat in the middle and finally a highly detailed account of the night. I was quite impressive, I was told later.
The FIR has been registered. It's a police case now.
The next morning, I call home and tell my parents of these developments. Dad says "Son, I'm speaking to a few people so don't worry, but in the meantime, do you have a glass bottle or two in the room"?
Me: "Ummm....Yes"
Dad: Then, break it and if he comes threatening to your room, smash it on his head" .
Simple, effective, but thankfully, not necessary.
I am also scared now, PG has backed off and has even tried telling me what good friends we are and that I should remove his name from the FIR. But now wherever I go, in campus and especially outside, it's always with company.
A few days later:
The matter has reached court. Mr Lal has got himself a defence lawyer and we have an appointed prosecutor. One morning, I get the message that we are supposed to meet with the prosecutor in the court, so off we go. The court area is a stone's throw from the beach and on a lovely sunny morning, we go to court. There's a fair crowd, so naturally, we kill some time eating pancakes and drinking coffee in Rendezvous.
Our meeting is essentially a briefing on what to expect in the hearing. There is a knife with a green blade which will be an exhibit, we will all testify and so on. It's exciting and very scary all at the same time. I am going up against my tormentor in court. But that is still a month away.
I am going home for Spandan.
September 1994
Spandan, as always starts on the last Monday of August and carries over into the 1st week of September. The middle, a Wednesday or sometimes a Thursday is reserved for the "Fashion Show", always a highlight. Vinay has been recruited for this and has spent the last 2 weeks in the company of seniors like Raju (a tall, fit, apparently a basketballer) and Manish (a tall, fit, definitely a basketballer, footballer and academic genius) among others. This time has been spent in scouting various clothes shops for sponsors and strutting around on makeshift ramps trying to look good and practicing 'attitudes'.
The girls have also been chosen carefully and will go up dressed in various outfits to match varying themes. Some colleges will dress more skimpily than the others and it is this antcipated occurence that will draw the huge stampede like crowds seen in the Fashion Show.
The last day is the Sports finals and the Rock Show. The latter marks the end of Spandan and can last till the late hours of the night or even early morning. Special equipment is brought by the professorial bands that are invited and the testing and practicing can be every bit as interesting as the main thing. Security for the Rock Show, in the hands of a "Security Committee" is tight and entry is by passes only. Most bands play the seriously hard version of rock and the alcohol that flows (usually in the rooms) serves to enhance the headbanging and air-guitaring experience.
I shall miss all of this, in the first Spandan I will really have a chance to see in full. Although I am going home, always a welcome thing to do, I do have slight misgivings.
At Home:
Home is the same. It's great to see parents and my sister and my dog but I find my thoughts wandering towards what might be happening in Spandan, the one week that the College lets it's collective hair down. I make a few calls daily (no cell phones, so it's cumbersome) to try to catch some news. One sad event is that someone from Maulana Azad Med College in Delhi drowned while tackling the sea on a beach near the town.
The undercurrents near the beach can be very strong and we were warned to be careful. It's a sad event in what otherwise seems to be a very successful Spandan. Everyone I manage to talk to, especially Bong and Vinay urse me for having gone home and tell me in great detail what a rocking time they're having.....
One morning, I overhear Dad muttering a very confused "Thank You" to someone on the phone. The call was from the Deputy Director, my Local Guardian, who had signed the Flight Concession form and had read the "My sister is getting married" letter I was using as an excuse to get the discount. So, one, he must have been a bit miffed that he didn't even get a card (and I didn't invite him either) and two, he did the next best thing and called up Dad to congratulate him.
My sister is 15 and very far from getting anywhere near married. Not having told Dad f my devious ways to get a flight discount, there is much confusion on the phone but he manages the situation. Now I have to go back and explain this to my well meaning Local Guardian......
A few days later, my holiday ends. Rahul and I are on the same flight back and I reach the airport well in time. After check in , I saunter around, browsing through some books and waiting for a boarding announcement. This doesn't happen and my flight time is 15 minutes away. I discover to my shock and horror that I am at the other end of the airport and I need to run (a tough ask in the best of situations) to make it.
I do.
On the plane, I find Rahul, occupying his reserved exit row seat not looking too pleased at my last second appearance. I get a chance at revenge when I note that he is rather queasy when the plane takes off and hits an air pocket.
They have run out of meals. Not good. But they still have a "Captain's meal" and a "Crew Meal" which is offered and is gladly accepted.
Note: It's far better to be a Captain or a Crew on an airline. The food is superb.
We touch down and take a taxi back to Pondy. It's night now and the highway, lit only by the headlights of passing vehicles is smooth and the journey quiet and cool. The sky above, which I've only seen corrupted ny the lights of the city is full of stars. It's beautiful. On the way, I tell Rahul of my grand plan to skip the Neuro Anatomy test (which is tomorrow) and I get a pat on the back. He's been there and done that.
The standard refrain from all seniors is "If I can pass, so can you". This is reassuring but as our journey progresses, from the highway to Tindivanam, to the small villages by the road and onwards to the Tamil Nadu-Pondy border and I see the Pondy arch, the TB Sanatorium and Le Cafe,a small feeling of dread and guilt is building up inside.
There is nothing now between today and University Exams and I am very underprepared.......I hope I pass somehow....Much reading to be done....
And the Court Case of Mr L awaits.
mazzaa.
ReplyDeletei had the same experience with anat vs physio. i was so terrible at histology that i never used to get more than 20% of the slides right. records: the less you talk about them the better. me and another classmate forged PC's signatures and duly got caught too :(
ReplyDelete