Homecoming

First day in college. Admissions day, really. Turned up, Dad and I, not late but definitely in the nick of time and there was Princess' dad, under the giant shamiana in front of the lobby where all the parents were sheltered (it was raining, or had rained), gesturing at his watch and looking rather disapproving. And, inside, on the coldmarble seats, among half a hundred complete unknowns, Princess herself, proceeding to scold me for being late and not listening to the fact that I really wasn't. She'd been worried, poor kid. And Somdev, somewhre in the periphery. Mandy walking in, a while afterwards, colourful and seemingly-confident while I tried very hard to conceal my nerves. Don't know why, already got in, but that day was scarier than the exams. Prolly because anonymity was lost. And then, inside the Anita Banerjee Hall, a little intimidated by Brinda, who had apparently written a poem in her paper, mechanically filling in an gathering the requisite papers. Pokinh Abhijan while standing in the long line winding from table to table ("How's Bhuto?" "You must be Jaya Mashi's daughter." "Yeah." "Yeah. Talk later."), filling in the fee-book, Princess thankfully within arm's reach. Explaining to Paromita-di, who prolly didn't recognise me, though we'd been introduced less than a month ago, that I didn't have change, would she please wait for a minute, rushing out, not finding Dad, rushing back in and being very grateful that she procrured the change.

Being shunted upstairs by a far-too-bouncy Sreemoyee, bundling in to sit with Sohini, trying to choose e.d's, she on the phone with her mum; shoving over to the other end of the class, where the sign-up sheet had migrated, introducing Sohini and Abhijan, being introduced to Arindam, Tintinda snatching away the sheet before the boys signed up and wandering off.

A. Lal warning us about slacking off; Rimidi, very very blue and larger than life; P.B. guarding his AquaGuard.


Insiya coming in to help break the ice, Anway being older than his contemporaries...

Don't knowhow much I'm leaving out, prolly a lot, but that was a perfect homecoming.

Let's see what happens this 9th July...

Criticism

The Misanthrope "made up" a music critic for his Lit and the Other Arts end sem. paper. The name of the man is Bill Wyman:)

Artists

I should be studying. I was trying to study. But this must be shared:

"Artists are a different sub-species of human."--A. Lal, on, well, what an artist is.

Misanthropy

The Misanthrope, before the Rhetoric & Composition test: Shon, tui jodi, by any chance amar pashe boshish.

RS: No way.

TM: Shon na. If you do, tahole mone rakhbi, you're my best friend.

RS: Fuck off.

TM: (to The Soliloquist) Tui jodi amar pashe boshish...

TS: Ami RS-er pashe boshchhi.

TM: Jodi teenjon pashapashi boshte dey...

TS: Tahole ami, RS ar rukmini boshbo.

TM: Tao, jodi boshish, mone rakhbi, tui amar best friend.

TS: Hain, hain.

TM (undaunted, to rukmini): Chiku, tui amar chhotobelar bondhu...

That's all folks.

Misanthropy

The Misanthrope, before the Rhetoric & Composition test: Shon, tui jodi, by any chance amar pashe boshish.

RS: No way.

TM: Shon na. If you do, tahole mone rakhbi, you're my best friend.

RS: Fuck off.

TM: (to The Soliloquist) Tui jodi amar pashe boshish...

TS: Ami RS-er pashe boshchhi.

TM: Jodi teenjon pashapashi boshte dey...

TS: Tahole ami, RS ar rukmini boshbo.

TM: Tao, jodi boshish, mone rakhbi, tui amar best friend.

TS: Hain, hain.

TM (undaunted, to rukmini): Chiku, tui amar chhotobelar bondhu...

That's all folks.

Of Lav

So, our beloved fifths have left. The farewell went off rather well, though a tray and probably a bigger knife would have helped. And getting the office door opened.

But I digress. As the fifths are gone *sigh* we shall no longer be getting long lists of professorial quotes and various mishaps from Rimi to giggle at. I think we should start a tradition of posting quotes. For now, though, I give you: The Antics of Lav Kanoi:

Lav Kanoi (on the phone):CCB marks came out.

Rhea Silvia (yes, I shall refer to myself in the third person): Yeah, Rukmini messaged me. These are the ones that were up in our class, right?

LK: Yes. They're up on the notice-board in the corridor now. *pauses* Guess what, there was no heading for the course. *lowers voice* Secret. * at normal volume* And there were two/three names heading the list that don't belong to our class.

RS: Uh. *mildly amused* You do know there are people from Comp. Lit. who have this as an E.D. right?

LK: *ominous silence* Oh, shit. Oh, crap.

RS: *beginning to panic* You didn't, by any chance, scratch them out, did you?

LK: Uh. Um.

RS: OMG. You're dead. You're so screwed.

LK: Uhm, well...How about we don't inform anybody?

RS: Go apologise to Amlanda immediately.

LK: I think I'll call Rukmini first. She was present at the scene of the crime.

The next day, I sms him, asking how the apology went.

LK: (again on the phone): I didn't call Amlanda. I wrote out a note, apologising and stuck it below the notice.

RS: Weren't you at home when you called me?

LK: Yes. I went back to Uni. afterwards.

RS: Oh. Well, your level of dead-ness is less then.

LK: Well, actually, Amlanda might be annoyed because I stuck it on the notice itself. It's not covering anything, but...Or Supriyadi might be annoyed and then Amlanda would be annoyed. Not that I'm saying Amlanda does everything Supriyadi tells him to...

******

All this, btw, a day after he flopped down on the field behind KMR at high noon and then gathered about half-a-dozen engineering boys in a circle around him, all asking him to first sit up, and then move into the shade. Which, being Lav Kanoi, he refused to do.