Best Buddies - Does History repeat itself? - Part 16

TO ALL NEW READERS, PLEASE READ FROM
Part - 1
TO KNOW WHATS HAPPENING IN THIS STORY.




The night was over, but the after happenings or actually after shocks of the day had not actually even begun. The mom’s debate was somewhat just like the trailer.

Early morning I was totally blasted off by the accounts sir for this being the worst performance ever under his teaching of mine. It was so embarrassing that people expect so much from you and you fail so badly on their expectations.

If that was less, then came in Ishita.
“Remember your face when you didn’t rank first in class, when Ronak had just joined school. And what you upto dude? Have you gone nuts.” And when girls start speaking, all comma’s and full stops are jumped over and she continued for a while.

That was the morning session of the three-session day. Later in the school, the teachers started off criticizing every student after the other.
‘Such a poor performance.’
‘I have never seen such an academically poor class.’
‘You are the cream students of the school and this is how you perform.’

It was like a mental torture, worse than the third degree torture in Mumbai jails.

But one of the issues pending was my resignation from the school cricket team. Discussion on that was still pending. And I knew facing Mr.Sinhal, the sports in-charge will surely be a difficult task.

The talk did happen, but much before I expected it to happen. He called me in his cabin.

“Nikhil. I spoke to your teachers and some friends after I received your message. I know, being in 12th studies needs to be your priority but then I have seen the passion in you for cricket and it’s a sports you surely can pursue.”

I knew this would happen. I was spoilt for a choice. Studies or cricket? I stood their silent for a while.

“Its now or never. You have to decide now. Many tournaments are currently lined up. Its time to make it big. It will be the biggest mistake to quit, especially when you are leading in the chase towards the top. But then the decision is all yours. I can’t force anything upon you. You take a call. And I shall respect your decision.”

I had a fair idea of the events lined up and the chances of hitting it to the top if I continued with it. Just when I was ready to take in the chance, the events of the day before came flashing in to my mind and I had to continue into a longer thinking break. I was confused, but a decision was pending. I needed some time.

“Sir, I have a small request. I need some time.”

“In sports time is all important. I need your decision by the end of the day. No-one would be as happy as I would if you take back your resignation, and no-one would be as supportive as me if you stick to your decision. Rest I leave it to you. You are smart enough to decide what’s good and what’s not. Have a nice day.”

I left the room, in a weird state of mind, totally unaware of the people walking up and down the corridor around me. They might consider me to have gone crazy, but I myself didn’t know what exactly was I upto.

I tried to look out for Ranbir, but he was in midst of an inter-school football match, so that did not work out. The next option was Ishaan.

He was in the auditorium practicing for a play to be performed a few days from now, for some dignitaries coming down to school. But he wasn’t accessible either, as he was inside the hall, and for so-called security reasons, other students like me were not allowed inside. I tried hard to persuade the security guard to let me in, but he was too stubborn to let me go. My all attempts failed to convince him of the urgency of the situation. At one point of time, I felt like knocking him down and enter. He was just adding fuel to my frustration fire.

I quietly walked to the canteen and settled down for a cup of coffee, and was thinking of the decision I had to take. I wanted to continue with my passion, as without it, I would be half dead. But then, if I continued, the taunts at home of spoiling my so-called bright future and studies would begun to deteriorate would commence once again.

But then don’t we have a choice to decide, what we want to do? Why are we always governed my others dreams and aspirations? Do our dreams and aspirations have no value? Or do we also force them upon someone else in the future and live though them?

More than the decision-making thoughts, these questions began to haunt my mind. I was feeling irritated and even agitated to an extent.

And just when you are in a dilemma, in midst of a storm, you either face a survivor or you face the end. A guy, somewhat of my age only, was in the school uniform, so basically a fellow student came and sat next to me, and that’s not all, he even did kick of the conversation,

“Hey, how come Mr. Popular is alone today?”

“I am sorry, but I don’t know you.”

“I am Manish. Manish Singhania.”

I have indeed heard that name, but just couldn’t recollect where.

“I just met Mr. Sinhal, and he told me about your case. I had heard about you and your skills on field and was interested in meeting you since long, but never got the chance. Today was a lucky day indeed.”

“I am sorry, but I am actually finding it difficult to recollect your name.”

He was talking about something else, and I asked him something else, heights of confusion state, must say.

“It cannot be anyone other that Sinhal Sir, himself from whom you would have heard about me. Ex-cricket captain of the school, Best Player for three years in a row, Best Captain for two years in a row, National Player Award winner, Cricketer of the Year Award recipient. I am the same Manish Singhania.”

“Exactly. It’s an honour to meet you. You are like a living cricket legend in school. You were the first to bring the Under 19 Dubai Cup to an Indian school campus. I am so sorry for not recognizing you. Actually I am in a very bad state of mind and so such mistakes do happen.”

“Relax dude. Its fine. An its your mental dilemma that brings me here.”

“But wait a minute, can you please tell me, what prompted you to quit cricket at the peak of your career?”

“I was in the same boat in which you are sailing right now. Under parental pressure I quit cricket to improve upon my academics. And that’s the question you are facing right now, whose answer is still unknown to you, am I right?”

“Yeah. But the news that came out was you had to quit because of an injury. So was that a false rumour?”

“Very much. It was fabricated to be presentable to the outside world, as it wouldn’t have been accepted in the orignal state. Very few people know the truth, the truth which even I find it difficult to face at times.”

“But then, couldn’t you have had continued cricket, since the entire city knew you and your strength.”

“The inside reality is known to just a couple, and I tell you, so as you can take the right decision. My mom had died and for the sake of my younger sister, and me, dad got married once again. And came in the typical step-mother. Though she was very caring about my sister, she somewhat had some issues with me. She would emotionally blackmail me saying that, ‘Just because I am your stepmother you don’t listen to me and don’t study. The world will think that I have been a bad mother’, and on. So, I had to finally call it quits in 10th when I reached my saturation point at home. It was a forced decision, and not my personal one.”

“So, basically haven’t you thought of a comeback?”

“That’s not possible dude. After quitting cricket, things got worse with studies. Zero concentration as I was always deviated towards the game. At the end of the year, all this drama made me really weak, mentally and emotionally. I still feel for the game, but the passion is hidden at a place, difficult to find it back.”
I could see water droplets accumulating in his eyes. But he was strong enough a sportsman to control them.

“So, what do you expect from me?”

“Don’t quit the sport. It’s your life. If no cricket, you will have no value buddy. Studies will be affected more that what it currently is.”

“But the family pressures.”

“Reassure them. Get their confidence in your favour, that you will not neglect your studies. They will understand. I failed at that point. I just don’t want history to repeat itself. That’s the reason I am here, sitting next to you. I don’t want you to repeat the mistake I had made.”

“You have made my day, buddy. Thanks a lot.”

The day was over, so after giving him a quick hug, I left to meet Mr. Sinhal.

“Sir, just wanted to tell you, that I continue and take my resignation back. Thanks sir, bye good night.”


Just when I was running out of the building, I bumped into Ranbir.

“Nikhil, Mr. Shukla told me that you were looking for me, anything urgent.”

And then comes in Ishaan from behind.

“Nikhil, the security guard was like you wanted to see me urgently, anything wrong.”

I started laughing like crazy, and they stood there puzzled.
“Guys I have taken a decision, will tell you people in the bus, lets go.”

...to be continued...

Best Buddies - Life Car - Part 15

TO ALL NEW READERS, PLEASE READ FROM
Part - 1
TO KNOW WHATS HAPPENING IN THIS STORY.






Well, who would ever think that shocks and surprises are meant to be continued for at least a day after they start. Confused?

Well after that awesome party last night and the feeling of not being single anymore had just begin to get below my throat when some other news was just ready to push all that out with a huge gush. It was time for results.

Results of what? Well, of the exam I had written a month before the cricket tournament. Wasn’t that supposed to be ages back? For we students yes, but for teachers & parents it was just a month or two back.

On top of that they even expect us to remember what mistakes we had made and where had we gone wrong. Who will make them understand that we cannot use more than 2% of our brain. It’s illegal to use more than that. That’s why Einstein was very often considered an idiot.

And yes these are just tactics to defend the blunder in exams I had committed a few ages or actually months ago. 63% on the report card. It was touted to be the next breaking news on television, beating the Sensex lows. The lowest in the history of Nikhil’s life. ‘Drops below 80% for the first time ever.’

And then I surely had some company. Ranbir was no better at 60%, well but Ishaan was the best of us three at 75%. How the heck did he manage that? Was the paper leaked to him? Naah, not possible, before he would read a question, I would have had a copy of it. So that option was invalid.

And just I was trying to look out for the viable options, Abhisek came running from behind to the proffesor. Sir, you gave me one mark less here, sir half mark here, sir some more here please, sir this is right, sir this answer is in the text book, sir the other sir gave this right. What the heck? Is he gone crazy? Actually he was smart, he increased almost seven marks after that bargaining session.

I was stunned. I had never seen something like this in my earlier school. How can you even ask the teacher to increase marks at random?

Once one of my friends had tried to request the teacher to increase two marks not given in a question, genuinely, and she threw the paper right on her face.

And then began the discussion on who was first and second and so on. Who leads whom and who’s trailing. I was totally out of the race. Well I did stop caring and bothering about it. I overheard that Sajith and Abhishek were joint first.

Sajith was absent and Abhishek wasn’t looking so happy though he was first. The last was English lecture. We had asked the teacher to give us a free period and she willingly agreed. And then Abhishek goes to mam and is like, there is a mistake in correction of Sajith’s paper, he deserves a mark less. I was stunned, like how could he do this.

That’s when someone shouted from behind,
“Just because he did not want to share the top position with anyone.”

Was he being selfish and mean? Now that was surely questionable and debatable. Maybe what he did was morally wrong but then he wasn’t wrong when you look at the situation from his point of view. Now who wouldn’t want to stand first in the class, and that also sole holder of that position.

Well, what’s the use of thinking about this, anyways things will not change and will remain the same, ‘Nerds will be nerds.’

But loads more verbal attacks awaited me at home. Mom was at her best.
“63%. I would always tell everyone that you have the potential to top in boards this time. With 63% you think you will even come in top rankers list.”

And this was just the start. She literally made me recollect my marks of mast 5-6 years and none of them below 80%. And then she was like, stop this and that, study for so many hours, you have stopped taking studies seriously, you have become careless, you just don’t care for me and the list was just going on.

At the end of it I was so frustrated and angered by the entire lecture, that I announced,
“Since past 3years you have got problem with cricket. I will leave it. Happy?”

Said that I ran to my room and bang, jumped on my bed, head down. I was already shocked with my result and Mom had already forced me to cross my saturation point. Thinking about studies and some other random stuff, I just didn’t realize when did I fall asleep.




I woke up a couple of hours later. By then Ishaan and Ranbir had invaded into my room.
My anger with the morning debate was far from over,

“What are you two doing here?”

Ishaan signaling Ranbir not to speak, himself spoke,
“Get ready in 10minutes and we are off for dinner.”

“I am in no mood guys, some other day.”

“Stop acting like a spoil sport and change quickly. We are getting late.” added in Ranbir.

“So why don’t you both leave. I am not interested in coming with you guys.”

And then Di steps in,
“Stop being rude to them. Don’t vent out Mom’s anger on them. They have been waiting for more than an hour.”
“Di, you please stay out. I am not in a mood to speak to anyone. Just leave me alone.”

Ishaan quietly pulled Ranbir out of the room and even Di left.

I was not going to calm down soon. In Di’s words, I was fuming in anger.


And then people generally take hasty decisions in a hurry and anger and I did the same.
I messaged Ansh, the cricket team captain and my sports sir, that ‘I quit cricket and would not represent the school in any future matches. Strictly no negotiations.’

In that same mood, I went to Mom, and boasted of the message to her,

“That’s it. Now I have quit cricket. You want me to leave anything now.”
She didn’t reply and so I just banged out of the room, and this time around not to my room, but to my favorite corner of the creek.



My eyes were dry post the crying session and I was sitting there alone, with not a living soul around, but just me, myself and the sky and water.


Staring at the sky, for the first time ever, I wasn’t speaking to myself. I just did not understand what to do. I wasn’t mentally stable to even face myself.


And just when you stop thinking and expecting anything from yourself in life, surprises prop up.

“Want some french fries dude?”

“Ishaan. You will never improve.”

“I am your friend after all.”

And then even Ranbir jumped in,
“Even I am their.”

“Anyone left?”, I added in.

And then Ishita, Sneha, Bhavika and Sania came out of nowhere.

I was just wondering where was Miloni, and came in a message from her,
“FAITH Makes all things possible, hope makes all things work & love makes all things beautiful. May you have all of them. Love you Jaan.”

Ishita started off,
“We are friends, we need to keep it. How could you even think that we will leave you alone when you need us.”

This line took me back to the times when I was leaving Mumbai for Dubai, and she was in hospital.

“Arey… eat those fries or pass it on to me.”, Bhavika spoke in.
And everyone broke into a laughter.

When the happiness surrounds you, who says sadness creeps in. Happiness has no bounds and ends, it just keep rising.

The Pizza Hut guy came in and delivered oven fresh pizza’s.

My mouth was watering. I just love pizza’s, and these people just made my day.

“Margarita pizza. Awesome guys, whose selection was this?”

Ishaan replied,
“Any doubt.”

“Well, apart from Ishita no-one really knows my taste, so it got to be her.”

Ishita in an acting angry tone, “Then why did you ask?”

With pizza in my mouth, I went and hugged her.

This night was memorable. These people literally made me forget everything that happened earlier in the day. It lay there in the backburner of my mind, though the consequences of it were yet to be faced by me in the near future.

The night wasn’t over yet. It had just begun. After having a feast, we went on a walk. We walked as if there was no end to the road. Over the bridge to the other side of the creek. The night view of the creek and buildings sidelining it made it a not to be missed scene.

Life wasn’t so dull if I actually think about it, though it wasn’t in the best shape also. After the awesome India trip, came in the tragedy as a speed breaker and the results as the police officer. Gradually my life car moved from the fast lane to the slow line, but luckily the red signal was yet to come. But with friends like these, I am sure there is nothing called red signal in my life. They pep up your mood whenever and wherever it is needed.



... to be continued...