Hope.
A four-letter word, that over the years has been established as the single-most powerful emotion that Man possesses. A lot of credit for the above convention goes to the innumerable movies we have watched where Hope is the only thing left behind when everything else is gone.
But what if you want to forget the very same thing that you had been hoping for all along. What if practically it was impossible to achieve that, but something inside kept you from turning away.
If there's a will, there's a way they say.
Whenever I hear this word, there's this one person that instantly crosses my mind. Vishwaas Jena. Let me take the liberty to narrate his tale, a story of love, faith and hope. It would be much easier if I go into the first-man perspective. I have seen innumerably that a first-person narration is much more efficient and heart-touching than a third-man viewpoint.
Sanskrit Class, Sixth Grade, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rourkela
All the Sanskrit Students of Sixth Grade were as usual cramped up in a single room. It was routine business for me, Mayur and Surya. There was Sitadevi Miss at the blackboard blabbering on about kukkuraha and it's tense forms. We had already opened the last page of our notes, and were into the Second Round of our Tic-Tac-Toe Tournament. Though we always played through the Class, as masters of multi-tasking, we always followed Miss' words and the Nerds' doubts. I was about to trap Mayur with one of my special moves when I heard a new voice just behind me, politely asking a doubt. That voice had a distinctive charm in it. Peaceful. Tranquil. I defeated Mayur, cruised into the finals, and turned back to see who the new mystique was.
Hey ! New admission?
Yeah.
What's your name?
Aasha Padhi.
Padhi? Odia?
Yeah.
Odia aase?
Han. But bhaliki nai.
Section?
F.
Oh. Mine's D.
Oh...
*awkward silence*
Cool. Milte rahenge. Ciao!
Diary Entry
Won the Tournament. Reigning Champion for 6 weeks now.
New girl in town. She's different. Not like the others.
Something was unique about that girl, that caught Vishwaas' attention since the moment he saw her. I know it all sounds silly when I say this happened in the Sixth Grade. But, hua toh hua... ab kya hi kar sakte hai. Aasha was the one you would call a combo of cute and smart. Her curly locks and caramel complexion wouldn't really qualify as one of the Katrina types, but her eyes and smile could just take your breath away. And what's more, she started giving a tough fight to the toppers of the class. Beauty with brains... boy, isn't that rare !
The next month, Aasha was transferred to D, and what's more, she settled in the bench in front. We talked throughout school hours, playing, bitching about others... Sixth Grade was an awesome experience, Aasha being the sole reason behind it. The next year I ended up in 7F, and she in 7E. Though we had become good friends, something in me had changed. I had this big belly, and for the first time I had started thinking about it. I would go to 7E only in Recess, on the pretext of catching up with my pals in that Section, and raiding their tiffin boxes. I would catch glimpses of her seeing me, from the corner of my eye, but never mustered enough courage to directly go and talk to her. I had developed this strange notion that she would be the least interested in me, especially when there were hotter guys around. Sometimes, we did unexpectedly bump into each other, but I always ended the conversation with a rebound Hey! or Hello!
One year passed without much action in Vishwaas' life. His schooling life had come down to only two things: academics and quizzing. He was soon becoming a celebrity beacause of his quizzing exploits, but he never felt content. He also made the School Cricket Team, and a part of the Squad that was gonna compete in the BCCI Tournament. But his parents straightaway rejected it, thinking it would mess up his acads. Incomplete, that was what he was. As the year came to an end, Vishwass began hoping once again that when the shuffle takes place, he and Aasha would end up in the same section. But tough luck, the shuffling rule was scrapped. Vishwaas - 8F. Aasha - 8E.
The 3rd Day of Eight Grade. Random Period.
The School Headmistress, popularly known as The Banshee, stormed into the class and announced that 8F will be dissolved and all the students will be scattered into the other Sections. She numbered us 1,2,3,4 in succession. I was numbered 3. Then she began allotting, "All the 1s will go to Section B, the 2s to C,..." The last glimmer of hope that appeared with The Banshee's announcement disappeared when I realised the way she's allotting, I would be thrown into D. "...the 3s will go into E, and the 4s into D."
Vishwaas was at a loss of words. In the next few minutes, he must have thanked God atleast a thousand times. Kehte hai agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho toh poori kaynath tumhein usse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai...
8E was a blast. Vishwaas still regards it as the best time of his life. Everything changed... his likes, attitude, friends... everything ! Eight Grade saw him at the peak of his Quizzing career. He made new friends who still walk by him, Neha (his bestie) who still is the one closest to him after his parents. He started playing football, and now he's one of the forwards of his College Team. Hold on... you're going way off the topic. What about Aasha?
Vishwaas and Aasha came closer to each other, practically inseparable in school. Be it class, the NIE sessions or the endless group gossip sessions in every free period...they always sticked together. Then came Valentine's Day. Mayur proposed to Neha, and she said yes. A day to remember. A day to rejoice and celebrate. A day when both of his bestest friends got together. A day when Vishwaas finally resourced all his courage and decided he would express his feelings to Aasha.
Diary Entry 15.02.2007
She said yes. Happiest day of my life. Paradise attained. Life's kicking.
Vishwaas' joy was short-lived. Aasha' father got transferred. Years have passed since, but Vishwaas' love has not diminished even a bit. He keeps hearing about Aasha's 'moving on', but he still has that spark of Hope harboured that someday they will be together again.
It's not as if he was some random guy that nobody gave a shit about. He was, and still is one of the most respected and loved students of his batch. Vishwaas had carved out such a niche for himself that almost any girl would have happily agreed if approached. Call it Veer Zaara or Love Aaj Kal, these movies have certainly left a deep imprint on today's youth. We all know India's a country of love, respect and faith. The reason behind this epiphet is certainly the warmth and love that flows in our veins. Hope is an integral part of our society. Be it a heartbreak or a famine, we always hope fervently that one day Good will ultimately triumph over Evil.
A four-letter word, that over the years has been established as the single-most powerful emotion that Man possesses. A lot of credit for the above convention goes to the innumerable movies we have watched where Hope is the only thing left behind when everything else is gone.
But what if you want to forget the very same thing that you had been hoping for all along. What if practically it was impossible to achieve that, but something inside kept you from turning away.
If there's a will, there's a way they say.
Whenever I hear this word, there's this one person that instantly crosses my mind. Vishwaas Jena. Let me take the liberty to narrate his tale, a story of love, faith and hope. It would be much easier if I go into the first-man perspective. I have seen innumerably that a first-person narration is much more efficient and heart-touching than a third-man viewpoint.
Sanskrit Class, Sixth Grade, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rourkela
All the Sanskrit Students of Sixth Grade were as usual cramped up in a single room. It was routine business for me, Mayur and Surya. There was Sitadevi Miss at the blackboard blabbering on about kukkuraha and it's tense forms. We had already opened the last page of our notes, and were into the Second Round of our Tic-Tac-Toe Tournament. Though we always played through the Class, as masters of multi-tasking, we always followed Miss' words and the Nerds' doubts. I was about to trap Mayur with one of my special moves when I heard a new voice just behind me, politely asking a doubt. That voice had a distinctive charm in it. Peaceful. Tranquil. I defeated Mayur, cruised into the finals, and turned back to see who the new mystique was.
Hey ! New admission?
Yeah.
What's your name?
Aasha Padhi.
Padhi? Odia?
Yeah.
Odia aase?
Han. But bhaliki nai.
Section?
F.
Oh. Mine's D.
Oh...
*awkward silence*
Cool. Milte rahenge. Ciao!
Diary Entry
Won the Tournament. Reigning Champion for 6 weeks now.
New girl in town. She's different. Not like the others.
Something was unique about that girl, that caught Vishwaas' attention since the moment he saw her. I know it all sounds silly when I say this happened in the Sixth Grade. But, hua toh hua... ab kya hi kar sakte hai. Aasha was the one you would call a combo of cute and smart. Her curly locks and caramel complexion wouldn't really qualify as one of the Katrina types, but her eyes and smile could just take your breath away. And what's more, she started giving a tough fight to the toppers of the class. Beauty with brains... boy, isn't that rare !
The next month, Aasha was transferred to D, and what's more, she settled in the bench in front. We talked throughout school hours, playing, bitching about others... Sixth Grade was an awesome experience, Aasha being the sole reason behind it. The next year I ended up in 7F, and she in 7E. Though we had become good friends, something in me had changed. I had this big belly, and for the first time I had started thinking about it. I would go to 7E only in Recess, on the pretext of catching up with my pals in that Section, and raiding their tiffin boxes. I would catch glimpses of her seeing me, from the corner of my eye, but never mustered enough courage to directly go and talk to her. I had developed this strange notion that she would be the least interested in me, especially when there were hotter guys around. Sometimes, we did unexpectedly bump into each other, but I always ended the conversation with a rebound Hey! or Hello!
One year passed without much action in Vishwaas' life. His schooling life had come down to only two things: academics and quizzing. He was soon becoming a celebrity beacause of his quizzing exploits, but he never felt content. He also made the School Cricket Team, and a part of the Squad that was gonna compete in the BCCI Tournament. But his parents straightaway rejected it, thinking it would mess up his acads. Incomplete, that was what he was. As the year came to an end, Vishwass began hoping once again that when the shuffle takes place, he and Aasha would end up in the same section. But tough luck, the shuffling rule was scrapped. Vishwaas - 8F. Aasha - 8E.
The 3rd Day of Eight Grade. Random Period.
The School Headmistress, popularly known as The Banshee, stormed into the class and announced that 8F will be dissolved and all the students will be scattered into the other Sections. She numbered us 1,2,3,4 in succession. I was numbered 3. Then she began allotting, "All the 1s will go to Section B, the 2s to C,..." The last glimmer of hope that appeared with The Banshee's announcement disappeared when I realised the way she's allotting, I would be thrown into D. "...the 3s will go into E, and the 4s into D."
Vishwaas was at a loss of words. In the next few minutes, he must have thanked God atleast a thousand times. Kehte hai agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho toh poori kaynath tumhein usse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai...
8E was a blast. Vishwaas still regards it as the best time of his life. Everything changed... his likes, attitude, friends... everything ! Eight Grade saw him at the peak of his Quizzing career. He made new friends who still walk by him, Neha (his bestie) who still is the one closest to him after his parents. He started playing football, and now he's one of the forwards of his College Team. Hold on... you're going way off the topic. What about Aasha?
Vishwaas and Aasha came closer to each other, practically inseparable in school. Be it class, the NIE sessions or the endless group gossip sessions in every free period...they always sticked together. Then came Valentine's Day. Mayur proposed to Neha, and she said yes. A day to remember. A day to rejoice and celebrate. A day when both of his bestest friends got together. A day when Vishwaas finally resourced all his courage and decided he would express his feelings to Aasha.
Diary Entry 15.02.2007
She said yes. Happiest day of my life. Paradise attained. Life's kicking.
Vishwaas' joy was short-lived. Aasha' father got transferred. Years have passed since, but Vishwaas' love has not diminished even a bit. He keeps hearing about Aasha's 'moving on', but he still has that spark of Hope harboured that someday they will be together again.
It's not as if he was some random guy that nobody gave a shit about. He was, and still is one of the most respected and loved students of his batch. Vishwaas had carved out such a niche for himself that almost any girl would have happily agreed if approached. Call it Veer Zaara or Love Aaj Kal, these movies have certainly left a deep imprint on today's youth. We all know India's a country of love, respect and faith. The reason behind this epiphet is certainly the warmth and love that flows in our veins. Hope is an integral part of our society. Be it a heartbreak or a famine, we always hope fervently that one day Good will ultimately triumph over Evil.
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