In the end it didn't matter

In the end it didn’t matter…as I had learned the nuances of LIFE. Flashback…March 22, 2005 I had completed my I.C.S.E examinations and already my father had made me write entrance exams for all the top notch schools and I.I.T tutorial classes. Yes he was obsessed with seeing me as an engineer from a premiere engineering college. His joy knew no bounds when I was selected among the odd 2300 students all over India for coaching at BANSAL Classes, Kota (Yes Kota is known as the IIT hub as most geeks are incubated there).

As he had already rejected my proposal for studying commerce so I had no way out other than fulfilling his dreams and joining BANSAL Classes at Kota. Being a friendly person staying away from home didn’t really matter to me and I was all excited for the new journey in my life.

 Kota…Rajasthan the land of colors, the land of tradition. The day I alighted at the Kota Junction I couldn’t stop admiring the place but the moment I reached Vigyan Nagar the place where I have to stay for the next crucial two years of my life I felt all nauseatic as the air was filled with algebra, calculus, kinematics and organic reactions. I lodged myself as a paying guest at Malik’s uncle’s house. It was supposedly the best PG at Vigyan Nagar. Bidding goodbye my parents left early the next day leaving me on my own. Yes I was a big girl now. But little did I know that I wasn’t just here for I.I.T coaching but LIFE coaching too.

Within a week I bonded really well with my PG mates and made some very good friends here. Sia became a very good friend of mine. Sia she was every guy’s dream girl a pretty lass indeed. We had common interest and that was sighting good hunks which were rare to find in Kota. One month flew by soon and we were to encounter our first monthly tests at our coaching classes on the basis of which we were going to be allocated to batches (Yes it is quite similar to the historic caste system). Being away from home and not being a huge fan of rolling motion or fluid dynamics needless to say I got less marks and was thrown into one of the last batches at BANSAL’s….nearly an outcaste. Same was the condition with Sia and she was crying uncontrollably, while consoling Sia I became good friends with her roomie Renee.  Renee a typical mumbaikar, beauty with brains she was into one of the top batches. After all the issues were sorted we pledged that we will study together and Renee will help us out as she was getting coached for IIT since her 9^thstd and calculus was a cake walk for her. So here it was the formation of our Terrific Trio. J

Sia’s parents couldn’t see their topper child degrading in her studies so they asked her to leave the coaching n come back home and continue with normal high school studies. Sia was just going to be there for a week and then she would be leaving forever. I was feeling bad about it I was going to miss my closest pal Sia here. The last week that Sia stayed, we three had loads of fun studies were kept aside for a while. It was during this week that I became friends with Vinod. Vinod was from the same place as Sia and due to our common interests we became really fast friends. Sia left just few days before my birthday.

Kota became lifeless for me. Catching up with studies was difficult with me because of the relative grading. Renee was there but she was too engrossed with her studies. It was during this time that I started hanging out with Vinod. Vinod always used to say I am his best friend as I understand him. It was maybe this “best-friend” tag that I started trusting him a lot and going out with him alone within a few days of friendship seemed ok. After all he was my best-friend.

Early morning walks, doodh-jalebi and poha for breakfast, frequent visits to Saath -Handi for weekend dinners and hanging out at Nayapura Park became a routine. We started as two “best -friends” and within a short span of time we were a gang of five. Mohit from Delhi, Sameer from Shimla and Shivi from Agra. We were kind of the Famous Five group. 

Vinod had feelings for Shivi and he had confided in me lately. I gave him the courage to propose him as one should not let go of one’s love just because one is afraid to divulge one’s feelings. Vinod was charming and finally he wooed Shivi’s heart and we had a couple amidst us in our group.

Lately Vinod and Shivi were spending a lot of time alone which gave time for me, Mohit and Sameer to dedicate sometime to our studies and increase out final relative percentage so that we could be in one of the top batches next year at Bansal’s. Sameer, Mohit and I started studying together and our score were improving as united we struggled to conquer. One fine day Vinod texts me to meet him at Nayapura Park as he wants to say me something important. From his tone I could make out that he was disturbed. We met at the Nayapura Park and Vinod said that he had committed a mistake as he had mischannelled his youth. In one of their romantic encounters Shivi and Vinod have lost their control and have had made love without any sort of protection and Shivi was most probably pregnant as she had missed her periods by 3months. I was shell shocked hearing this as for me premature-sex was a crime. I couldn’t believe it that my “Best Friend” had committed this crime. It took me time to regain my composure. What’s done couldn’t be undone but it could sure be rectified. So I asked Vinod to take Shivi near a renowned gynecologist and get the foetus aborted but only after informing both their parent as both of them were juvenile.

Vinod had a brief talk with Shivi and within a month’s time all I knew was that Shivi’s mother had taken her away from Kota to her hometown and she would be continuing her studies there. 11^th standard final exams were approaching and so was the time nearing to go home for holidays. Our hard work paid off and Mohit, Sameer and I topped our schools respectively even got into the top batches of Bansal’s classes for the next year. Alas Vinod could only scrape through his 11^th standard finals and also same was the condition at Bansal’s Classes.

April 2^nd 2006, a new beginning. I was no more a loser and I was inching successfully towards fulfilling my dad’s dream. I was into one of the top batches with four of my very good friends. Renee, Mohit and Sameer.  Vinod was also back with new vigour to achieve. He had shifted recently next door to my place and had asked me if I could help him out with studies.

Vinod was struggling hard to keep up his grades and accelerate his preparation as he had just a year’s time. I was helping him out with it. One fine afternoon I was at Vine’s place helping him out with Physics as I was really good at it. Vinod’s landlady had given us lunch and had left with her family for a movie and we were alone at his place grueling our minds with Electrostatics. After an hour of battling with Electrostatics Vinod brought us Cold drinks to quench our thirst. After gulping down the drinks I found the taste to be funny and my head was reeling. After an hour or so I woke up and my head was feeling heavy and I found my clothes strewn on the floor. Aghast my “Best Friend” had used me. I found Vinod smirking at me. “So finally I conquered you my golden trophy”, he was saying me. I was feeling helpless. How could somebody whom I had trusted this 1 year along could break my trust and rob me of my dignity? I left his place crying. I started hating myself and stopped going to the coaching classes or school. Three days later I realized I could take it no more. I had to end my life so I gulped down an entire bottle of phenyl after penning down a suicide note for my parents. Phenyl took its toll over me and I fell down unconscious on the floor.

22^nd July 2006, I found myself in the hospital ward no 777. Besides me was my father, Renee and Sameer. I could not control my emotions seeing my loved ones besides me so I hugged my dad tight and started crying while Renee was scolding me for my foolishness. After I had cried my heart out my father advised me to be strong as this is not the end of the world as we humans learn from our own mistakes. So I should now judge people before trusting them as this world is a cruel place to live in. After my father left Sameer told me that Vinod was a lerch and he had spoilt the lives of many girls by drugging their drinks, he had done the same thing with Shivi. Vinod had challenged Mohit on the very first day in the beginning of our twelfth standard that he would get me laid with him. I was crying uncontrollably hearing this. Renee consoled me saying that don’t let Vinod get away like this. I should get him punished. Unconditional support from my father and friends Sameer and Renee pushed me to take a bold decision. Early next morning I went to Vigyan Nagar police station and lodged a complaint against Vinod stating that he drugged me and raped me. Students in the coaching classes were saying things about me but I turned a deaf ear towards everything and was focused on my studies and getting Vinod punished. Police caught Vinod from his hometown Raipur and he was imprisoned for 10 years. Renee cleared I.I.T exams and got into I.I.T powaii. Sameer got into N.T.U Singapore. I didn’t clear the I.I.T exams but I did clear the exams of LIFE and learnt every nuances of it.