When my mind got engaged!

Fall was in its full glory and the trees were sporting vibrant colors with the sun providing the icing on the cake. It was a beautiful day that was being cherished before the harsh winter knocked on the door again. One of my friends was having a few people over for lunch where I was also invited. Most of the people were already finishing their drinks when I reached her house. While hanging my coat I saw this girl standing outside the room next to the glass door with a cellphone in her hand. I hadn’t seen her before and realized a little later that she was my friend’s fiancé’s cousin. Half and hour later I still saw her outside the glass door with the cellphone. “Looks like she is missing her boyfriend from India a lot”, I commented to my friend. She said with a mischievous chuckle, “Maybe”. The chitchatting continued and all of us started with the food. Some fishy animation movie was playing on the TV, I think it was Finding Nemo and people were glancing at the screen every now and then while talking to others. It was towards the end of my meal that I noticed that she has come inside and is sitting on the couch concentrating on the movie.

Two weeks later on a Saturday afternoon I and my friend were hanging out in the suburb where my friend, who had treated me with lunch the other day, lived. We decide to meet with her and also invite ourselves to a cup of tea. Half-way through the cup of tea the cellphone-fanatic-nemo-finding-girl appeared from somewhere and sat on the couch adjacent to mine. The conversation was light and was floating between education, institutes and career. At this point she suddenly got worked up and, as if we owed her a million bucks and were refusing to pay her back, she authoritated, “IITians are a bunch of wannabes who think they have done something great just by securing an admission to that institute. I have met enough IITians who are good for nothing. They don’t even know how to talk, how to dress or express anything … … …” I and my friend looked at each other and decided that today was not the day to reveal our alma mater. I had met many girls who had a negative opinion of IITians, but she seemed to hate them with a passion.

I don’t remember any more words in that room after this as I was lost in her passion, which made words seem unnecessary. The command in her thought and conviction in her eyes slaughtered the IITians with the confidence that comes from real experience.

While driving back home I realized that a space had been created in my brain. The space was cemented when I met her the next time and she was remorseful about the outburst, while keeping her views intact about the uunche-daam-khote-kaam IITians.

(tagged by ~nm)