Chap 3: The story Begins...

Hostel…A different world all together.

 Students from all over India were there. It was funny to hear Bengali songs from one room and Tamil from the very next door.

Guys of different caste, color and creed, trying to get closer, breaking the language barrier. As if God had picked flowers of different color and style & placed them in a same vase.

 “It will be fun”- I thought

With the heavy steps as I reached my hostel room, I found my roommate already there, engrossed in text books.

“What’s this guy??? A nerd???” - I thought

“Hey Hi! I am Aviral, Your new roommate.” I said, while giving my hand for a Hand Shake.

“Hi! I am Deepak. First semester Computer Science...” He told, visibly disappointed to get a roommate.

“Hey Cool! Ill b joining CS too, from tomorrow…” ~I said.

 Deepak faked a smile and buried his head back in the books.

“So, how is everything? Oh they have already started teaching in class? I have missed only a couple of classes, I guess. Have they covered a lot of portion?” -I asked, while staring at his heavily marked text book.

 Deepak’s face expressions changed. At once, he closed the books front of him and said

 ” No…No… This book was already marked. And these notes aren’t prepared by me.”
Weirdness was written all over him. After a pause of few seconds he further said

“Hey Man! Don’t tell to anyone that I have the notes already. I don’t like to share my notes with anyone.”

There was a warning tone in his voice. It made me little uncomfortable.

“Whatever!!!” I muttered under my breath and started unpacking my bags.

I was kind of upset for being put up with a nerd… I had never seen a guy like him before.

“Even girls won’t behave like him” ~ I thought

I am the only child of my parents and not used to share my room. Though I had prepared my mindset for a roommate but being put up with a nerd was really annoying me.

Deepak was from West Bengal, kind of bookworm with some extra flab over his tummy and glasses of high power over his eyes. Usually a silent one... Always busy with text books and a Syllabus Booklet.

I spent the whole afternoon and evening talking to other freshers in the Hostel. There were intros, Handshakes, discussions, preaching everywhere. As, I was busy remembering their names, time escaped somewhere.

The best part was the location of the room. It was the only room on the terrace. It was like a small penthouse.

“ That’s the advantage of being born to an influential Dad” ~ I thought.

 College Campus was really beautiful and our hostel was in the campus itself. I had already fallen in love with the place.

It was getting dark and was bliss to stare outside the window… I was lost somewhere in deep thoughts about my future when Deepak’s voice interrupted me.

“Are u missing home?” Deepak asked

A smile ran through my lips…

”No… No… It’s a lovely place and I am kind of looking forward towards tomorrow’s class.” I replied, cleverly hiding my nervousness

“Oh! Tomorrow would be your first class right? Don’t you want to visit a temple?” Deepak asked.

“What temple???”  I asked with a confused face.

“Yes! You should take blessings of God before attending the first class.” Deepak said

“Come on! It’s ok. God is within. And I don’t go to temples!” - I snapped back.

“Whatever! Your wish! Anyways I have initiated the plan of temple. So, I have to visit temple now or God may get angry!” - Deepak said with little irritation.

“Whaaat the ...???” It was hard for me to suppress my laugh over that sentence of Deepak.

“What a freak” ~ I thought

Deepak was getting ready for the temple. I could sense that he is angry with me from his gestures.

“What the heck!!! What will I do alone in this room!!! Let’s go and explore a little”~ I thought.

“Buddy I am sorry! Let’s go to the temple. What if God really gets angry with me? ” I said, trying to keep my tone serious.

“Hmmm! OK come!” Deepak said with little anger in his tone.

Climate of Bangalore is the first thing you notice on your first visit and it makes you fall in love with the city.

Though Deepak was flabby, but he walked really fast. I wondered how many streets we crossed to reach the temple.

It was a South Indian Temple, owned by a Tamil priest family. There were around 10 idols of different Gods. But the main idol belonged to Lord Ganesha.

As soon as Deepak reached in front of the Ganesha idol, he fell on his knees and started praying with closed eyes. I wondered if he was saying sorry for bringing a jerk like me along with him.

The temple was a really beautiful one. Some sweet voice was singing devotional song on microphone somewhere, giving a divine feeling to the temple.

I waited there but Deepak was in no mood to open his eyes. I wondered if he was actually praying or fallen asleep.

Standing there and waiting for him to finish his prayers was getting really boring. So I started exploring the temple on my own. There were so many idols Shiva, Parvati, Hanuman and some south Indian Gods, completely new to me…

While visiting those small idols, I reached the backside of the temple complex. There was big veranda and at the other end I could see the girl, almost of my age, singing devotional song. There were lots of kids sitting around her.

 It didn’t take long for me to understand that she was actually teaching those devotional songs to the kids.

It was a very beautiful sight. As, she finished the song she was singing, she called a small girl from the group and made one of them to her sit on her lap..

And they all started singing “Alai Payuthey Kanna”, a Tamil devotional song.

Wohhh!!! What a feel, the whole temple complex came alive. As if God himself had come down to bless all.

Well, It is not easy to find a Delhi boy who identifies a Carnatic Devotional song and appreciates it. But I am an exceptional case. I am a Musician.

 A die heart fan of Maestro AR Rahman. Grown up hearing Hindi and Tamil songs of him.
AlaiPayuthey Kanna, the song I had heard in one of his Tamil movies so I could identify the song and loved it too.

It is not a usual sight for me to see a girl of that age singing in a temple and that too teaching the kids. (Pardon my Delhi guy mentality)

“Oh! She is a Tamilian..May be an AR Rahman fan too…Cool”  ~I thought.

 Before I could move towards her Deepak grabbed me from behind.

“What are you doing here? I was searching for you in the whole temple and you are standing here, looking at girls???” Deepak said as he tried to pull me towards the exit of the temple…

“Get Off Me Man!!! She is a great singer and was singing my favorite song!” I snapped back

“Oh ho! So now u know Kannad songs too? Do not make things up now…” Deepak said in mocking tone.

“Oh man!

U r sick!

It’s not a Kannada song,

It’s from… Alai Payuthey… ARR…

I mean devotional song arranged by ARR… Ahhh!!!

Why am I even trying to explain to you…

U wait for me in the front and I’ll be back…” saying that as I turned back, to my despair, she had gone.

“Oh! Where did she go??? Wish I could compliment her once.”

“It’s not very often that you hear Tamil ARR song in North India… Why am I even trying to tell you…? You won’t understand” ~ I was really angry.

Deepak was really surprised at my sudden outburst…

“Why are you getting angry? Anyways if u had gone to her,  she wouldn’t have talked to you. You think you are the first person to like her? Hostel guys often try to approach her. She never gives attention to any of them. Actually that’s the reason, there are so many stories famous about her, that she is a snob and stuff. Don’t believe any of them. Her name is Pallavi. She is the daughter of one of the college trustees. So try not to offend her.”

“Anyways, she is also a first year student of our college. You can meet her in college sometimes, if you really need to. This is not a right place to talk to her anyways.” ~ Deepak told

Words of Deepak relaxed my anger somewhat but I was still irritated.

All the way back to hostel Deepak kept on explaining to me about what are the dos and don’ts of the hostel.

About food, we are not supposed to complaint to warden as he is the one who is the main villain.

He horrified me with the stories of bossism of seniors, in spite of ragging being banned in our college.

His Bengali accent sounded really funny.

As he was talking something about his mom, Bengal Sweets and his dreams about home cooked food…
My mind kept replaying the song from the temple.


“Wish I get to hear her again...” ~ I thought