Some eight years before (b)

We returned home and my father started narrating almost everything he could recollect to my mom and sister.

“The college looks fine. We even got a very cooperative boy of 3rd year. He seemed to be a very modest guy. He answered all our queries. We even asked him about the placements. He said that’s not a thing to worry if your son is studying at NIFFT. I think we have finally got a good college for him to take admission. And you know the main building……”. He didn’t stop.

My mind was running somewhere else. In the midst of which Dad got a bit louder and I heard him saying again about Bhaiya, the modest guy. I thought to say, Dad wait, the modest guy of yours did a very terrorizing thing to your only son. And Placements. That will only happen if your son is able to survive the ragging from Bhaiya. And ya lastly he is not Bhaiya anymore.

Mom somehow noticed my silence. Taking her away from Dad’s narration she asked me, “what happened? You are so silent”

I said “Nothing. Just a bit tired”

The next few days were good for my dad and mom as they had a lot to discuss; within themselves and with others. In the evening Dad used to return from his work and talk about the things people said when he shared the good news about his son. “Today I told my boss about it. He said yes NIFFT is off-course a good college”, dad continued.

I wondered what it could have been if I had cracked IIT-JEE.

The day of counseling came very quickly and I and my Dad reached the institute on the day, well before time. A banner put up on the gate said, “First among equals, second to none”.  Dad explained me the meaning and praised the institute once again.

Other similar faces had turned up with their parents. They all looked relaxed, more the parents, not like the ones I used to see during the exam days, troubled and petrified. The same face changes when it is standing on the other side of the crowd; very ironic, I thought.

However among the faces I couldn’t see the type of face which generally an 18 year old boy gets interested in. c’mmon now that I am already an engineer got to think about future settlement also. Won’t it be better if someone of the very same profession becomes your partner? Well, but where are they? I thought and kept waiting. Some half an hour passed and the number had multiplied by times. But still there was no sign of civilization. With a heavy sigh I concluded that I need to work for it outside NIFFT. No easy takeaway’s here.

We were said to assemble in the auditorium where one by one our certificate verification was done. Verification was over and a 2nd year senior announced that we will be given lunch in the mess of Btech hostel. The name sounded familiar. Yes that was the place Bhaiya was taking me. Btech hostel was quite confusing and we almost lost while finding our way to the mess.

Lunch was good, in fact way above standards of a hostel food. Well, I had never been to a hostel and this information we gathered from a guy who came with his father and said he had been to hostel for many years and he knows the quality of food that is served in hostels. I didn’t believe him completely and neither my dad did. Anything that could go against NIFFT now was not taken; except a fact which I had already taken.

The counseling started thereafter. We were called for interaction with the Chairman of Academic Affairs and the Course Coordinator. We entered the room and found two old persons sitting on the other side of the table. We were called in a group of five and were made to sit as per the rank. It was a sort of reverse interview where we had to ask them questions regarding the institute. The real meaning of counseling I got to know then and there.

They started from the other side and the question the first guy did was, “How is the placement here?” The two oldies smiled and looked at each other and then the Course cordi gave him the last year’s salary figures.

The next guy asked, “What are the companies coming here for placement?” The two of them again looked at each other but this time they didn’t smile. Again the cordi replied with some names which I heard for the first time.

The next guy asked, “Any international placements?” This time they seem to get a bit offended and didn’t look at each other at all. The Chairman answered him in just one word, “No”.

Now it was the turn of the guy sitting next to me. He seemed a bit nervous from the time he heard that he has to ask a question. He was getting uncomfortable with each question getting answered as his turn kept nearing. In the mean time when the cordi and the chairman were busy answering questions, he was rehearsing something to himself; maybe he was preparing the question itself.

“Yes, your question?” the chairman said to him.

“Yes Sir”, he said squirming a bit, “Sir, I…” he stammered.

“Yes. Yes, go ahead. Ask your question”, the cordi said.

He stayed silent for some seconds and looked at us. The other three guys were sitting on the right of him and I was on his left. He thought it was better to face one than to face three. He kept his head tilted towards me.

“What happened?” the cordi asked a bit sternly.

This time he tried again but couldn’t utter a single word.

“What’s the matter boy?” the chairman asked. The rest four of us exchanged strange glances.

“Sir. No English sir”, he said faintly in a colloquial tone and then hanged his head in shame.

The corner guy giggled. The chairman gave him a stare. He stopped. The rest of us remained silent.

“So what if you don’t know English son. You will learn it here right? You have four years”, the chairman said in a consoling manner.

He looked up and this time he said with a quivering voice, “Sir. Higher degree. Mtech sir”. There was a silence in the room. The cordi and the chairman looked at each other for some time and then the cordi turned to the guy and said, “This is the place son. You are in the best place. Don’t worry. Just work hard and study honestly”.

The Chairman extended his hand and tapped him. The guy looked up and this time he didn’t hang his head.

Now it was my turn. The cordi said, “Yes your question?”

By this time I was so busy observing the rest of them particularly the guy next to me that I completely forgot what I had to ask. I saw them getting annoyed on placement question. So what should I ask? Should I ask them about NIFFT, but then those questions bhaiya had already answered.

Unable to make out anything, I asked “where should I submit the admission fee?”

Both of them again looked at each other and then after a short pause broke to laughter. Seeing them laugh the guys started laughing too. The guy next to me just smiled. Seeing him smile I smiled too.

“Good. Yes that’s the most important question”, the cordi said after his amusement was over.

We returned home late that night after completing the hostel allocations too. A week more in home and then I will be leaving for the hostels. At night in my bed I couldn’t sleep till late. The past one year of cutoff from social life has come to an end now. Now an altogether different life will start. On one hand I have to face bhaiya and on the other I have to fulfill my dream of studying engineering. I thought it doesn’t matter that I couldn’t get into IIT but I will make it big from NIFFT only. I promised myself that whatever comes I am gonna take it with full spirit and enthusiasm. I slept in dreams of me solving engineering problems and at the same time tackling bhaiya from getting ragged.